Walmart medical plan adds coverage for doula services - Journal & Courier

News Reports | Lafayette Journal & Courier

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Walmart associates in Indiana now have the opportunity to utilize doula benefits in their Walmart medical plan.

As of Monday, Walmart announced that their medical plan will now offer coverage for doula services for its associates or their pregnant spouses and partners. A doula is someone who gives physical, emotional, and informational support and guidance to a mother during pregnancy and birth, according to Walmart.

Doula services include, verbatim:

Educating the expectant mother on what to anticipate during delivery
Focusing on emotional support and encouragement
Providing information and assistance with physical comfort during childbirth, such as breathing techniques and touch therapy
Helping to facilitate communication between the expectant mother and the medical care team
Aiding the expectant mother to prepare for feeding and caring for baby

While doulas aren't medical professionals, they are trained to provide the support mothers need throughout the process of labor.

"This benefit covers up to $1,000 for doula services during pregnancy and is part of a suite of benefits offered through our Life with Baby program," the release from Walmart said, "which is available to associates on a Walmart medical plan. Life with Baby provides access at no cost to resources like one-on-one coaching from a nurse, tools to track daily progress, helpful articles from leading experts, special baby gifts and more.

"The goal is to help make the process of welcoming a new child easier, safer and less stressful."

Doula coverage through Walmart began in Georgia, but this year expanded into Louisiana, Illinois and Indiana.

According to the National Black Doulas Association, receiving support from a doula as part of a birthing team decreases C-sections by 50%, shortens the time of labor by 25% and overall decreases the need for other medical interventions by over 50%.

“Doulas provide physical, emotional and informational support to the birthing family," Tracie Collins, NBDA CEO and founder said in a release. "They serve as liaisons between medical professionals and the family, which helps to ultimately cultivate healthy birth outcomes.”

One Walmart associate from Georgia, Khadijah Franklin, stated how much her doula support helped her during her son's birth.

“I am so passionate about my son’s birth story and my doula, Imani from Rebyrth Wellness, made all the difference,” Franklin said. “The doula benefit was an incredible bonus last year. Imani helped me prepare physically and mentally for a moment that I will remember forever.

“Having a doula should not be a luxury, it is a necessity for every woman to have an advocate to allow her to have the smoothest birth experience possible.”

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