- Video shows the work of non-profit organization A Mother's Love, as well as two doula's and patients.
- Shanika King, a full-spectrum doula, shares her experience testifying and discusses the potential impact of the bill on doula's.
- Ebony Jenkins, a first-time mother, shares her experience using a doula and how it helped her have a healthier pregnancy.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than White women. In North Omaha, one organization focuses on women living in a a specific area here to ensure they are first to receive services. Local women are now pushing to improve access to care for expectant mothers.
Ebony Jenkins, a first-time mother says without a doula her pregnancy would've been a lot different.
"They was there to advocate for me, like this was my first baby and I was like scared. I didn't know what to do,"
Jenkins says her doula supported her through doctor visits, making sure she understood what was going on from the first appointment until it was time to give birth.
"When I was in labor, they would give me massages. Just make sure I'm comfortable. Make sure I’m not stressed and stuff like that,"
Jenkins says the comfortability did not stop there, even after giving birth her doula was still by her side.
"I wasn’t able to do anything after having a c-section. I wasn’t able to move around like that or just it was really hard,"
Jenkins says after recovering in the hospital her doula made sure she was healthy in all aspects.
"They’ll make sure that I’m eating healthy. Make sure that I'm actually eating, make sure I'm okay. Even with my mental health,"
Shanika King, a full spectrum doula and co-founder or A Mothers Love, testified for LB1278. The bill would clear the way for doula's to be reimbursed under Nebraska Medicaid
King says, "Because a lot of it we help moms once they get home. We might bring a meal to them, for them and their family and that comes out of the own doula's pocket,”
Jenkins says…support from her doula also helped shape her into a better parent for her baby girl.
"I feel like more confident and I feel like I am a good mom.
Right now doula's are not paid by the state for their services, they’re paid through grants and private funding.
