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Maternity Center
Birth Doula Program

Doulas Provide Support Before, During and After Delivery
Because we know the birthing process can be as stressful as it is joyful, Holy Cross Hospital offers a doula program to provide emotional, physical and informational support to women and their families before, during and after giving birth. “Doula” is a Greek term that refers to a woman experienced in childbirth.

Birth Doula Program

Our birth doula will remain with you throughout your labor, regardless of shift changes, to provide continuous emotional, informational and physical support to you and your support team.

Doulas complement the roles of the family and the clinical team members. Your doula will be as involved as you and your support person want her to be. Continuous professional labor support can help decrease the length of labor, decrease the need for medications, improve mother/infant bonding and breastfeeding, and increase the confidence of the woman’s partner to provide appropriate support.

	Learn more our birth doula program.
	Check out frequently asked questions, and answers, about birth doulas.

Birth Doula Registration

If you are interested in having the support of a Holy Cross Hospital birth doula at your birth, simply return a completed agreement and registration form, along with payment information, to the hospital at the address indicated on the registration form.

Obtain a birth doula registration form.

Birth Doula Program Open House

An open house on the birth doula program is held on the second Wednesday of each month from 7 to 9 p.m. or the third Saturday of each month from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Holy Cross Hospital Professional and Community Education Center.

Postpartum Doula Program

Postpartum doulas provide general support to mothers and babies during the immediate postpartum period.

Learn more about the Holy Cross Postpartum Doula Program.

Gazette Article on Doulas

Our doula program was featured in an edition of the Gazette. The article was titled "Doulas provide physical, spiritual and emotional support during labor."

Read about our Doula Program in the Gazette.

More Information
For more information about the birth doula program, contact Patricia Keating, RN, manager of perinatal education, at 301.754.7163 or keatip@holycrosshealth.org.