Lawmakers seek professionalized birth-care doulas

OLYMPIA – Aijanae Young is a birth postpartum doula, a person who delivers non-medical care after birth. She said she didn’t realize the value she brought to her clients until she was the one in need.

Young said before her doula arrived, she felt her pain and symptoms weren’t being addressed, and she had to fight to have the support she needed.“My doula listened to my cries, saw my struggles, she said. “I was afraid and suddenly didn’t know what to ask.”

Doulas can provide physical, emotional, and informational support during and after pregnancy, but Medicare and Medicaid won’t cover the cost...