DONA International

23/07/2026

DONA is back from Los Angeles after an incredible weekend at the Postpartum Support International (PSI) Annual Conference!🙌🏽

brought together mental health professionals and advocates from across the perinatal space, and we were delighted to have DONA President Erica Lane, CD/PCD(DONA) and Membership Director Krista Maltais, Adv PCD/PDT, ALC, BS Family Studies there representing DONA and doulas globally - building connections and having real conversations about the role doulas play in supporting perinatal mental health.

A few faces from the weekend:

📸 In photos 2 and 11, Atoosa Haim Benji, a long-standing DONA International doula and birth doula trainer, presented a session about birth trauma and when survivors give birth.

📸 In photo 5, Mishawne Carrington, DHSc, MSN, RN, a newly trained postpartum doula from North Carolina working to complete her DONA certification.

📸 In photo 7, Eileen Rosete, a former postpartum doula student of Krista's who recently published her first book ‘To Tend and To Hold: Honoring Our Bodies, Our Needs, and Our Grief Through Pregnancy and Infant Loss.’

📸 In photo 8, Selena Shelley, the current Director of When Survivors Give Birth.

📸 In photo 9, Dani Giddens and Emily Jankowski Newton, who work at PSI and lead the Climb Out of the Darkness events and I Am One Podcast.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to connect with us. Doulas play a crucial role in helping prevent postpartum depression and partnerships like these, between doulas and mental health professionals, are how that work gets done.💪🏽

17/07/2026

Incredibly proud to endorse this groundbreaking piece of work. Well done to all involved.

Health care in the United States is increasingly team-based, and doulas—who often provide emotional, physical, and educational support for patients during birth, the postpartum period, and beyond—are valuable members of many care teams.

ACOG’s new clinical guidance encourages ob-gyn collaboration with doulas and gives ob-gyns the tools they need to better understand a doula’s role. It also highlights the importance of stronger partnerships between clinicians and doulas, which can provide vital support across the lifespan—including during and after pregnancy—and can lead to better patient outcomes.

Read the press release: https://bit.ly/4flN1Eq

17/07/2026

📣 Breaking news for the doula community which will have major impacts on maternity care.📣

DONA International is proud to endorse "Partnering with Doulas in Clinical Settings," a new Committee Statement released by the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists - ACOG.

This landmark guidance recognizes doulas as valued partners in maternity care and offers a blueprint for strengthening collaboration between doulas, clinicians, and health systems. By fostering mutual respect, communication, and shared commitment to patient-centered care, ACOG outlines a path toward improving both the birth experience and maternal health outcomes.

This Committee Statement and guidelines represent the collaborative work of ACOG's Committee on Advancing Equity in Obstetric and Gynecologic Health Care together with Adetola Louis-Jacques, MD; Rolel Mbaidjol-Kabra, MD; Angela Daniel, MSSW, CLC, BDT/AdvCD (DONA); Lauren A. Graves, CD; and Averjill Rookwood Lacey, CD.

We are grateful to everyone, including our current President-Elect, who contributed their expertise and perspective to this important guidance, which reflects a shared vision for respectful, collaborative, and patient-centered maternity care.

"It was an incredible honor to be part of this committee and to work alongside such dedicated doulas and physician champions who share a commitment to improving maternity care. This guidance demonstrates what is possible when we come together with mutual respect, a shared purpose, and a commitment to keeping birthing persons at the center of every decision." - Angela Daniel

"Partnering with Doulas in Clinical Settings" was endorsed by DONA International, Doula Trainings International, the National Black Doulas Association, and the National Health Law Program (NHeLP).

DONA President, Erica Lane, CD/PCD(DONA), shares what this means for our community.

Read the full guidance: https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-statement/articles/2026/08/partnering-with-doulas-in-clinical-settings

16/07/2026

It’s season!⚽️ So we decided to take a look at how these eight qualifying countries care for new parents and babies.

Before "postpartum doula" was a job title, they already had their own way of doing it:

🇲🇽 Mexico: las parteras
🇳🇱 Netherlands: kraamverzorgster
🇪🇨 Ecuador: parteras
🇰🇷 South Korea: sanhujorisa
🇹🇷 Turkey: ebe
🇲🇦 Morocco: qabla
🇯🇵 Japan: satogaeri shussan
🇧🇷 Brazil: parteiras

Across every one of these traditions, someone shows up: to help with recovery, feeding, and the first weeks of caring for a newborn. Postpartum doulas do the same work today:

🟢 Hands-on physical care and recovery support in the days and weeks after birth

🟢 Guidance on feeding, newborn care, and what's normal versus what's not

🟢 A steady, judgment-free presence so new parents don't have to navigate it all alone

This kind of support isn't a luxury or add-on. It's been standard practice across cultures for generations, and it's available today to you too, wherever you live, because you need and deserve it.

What do they do where you're from? Tell us in the comments.🌍

13/07/2026

📣 The placenta is more than a complex biological organ. It is a ritual symbol, a resource, and for many families, a powerful part of the postpartum period.

But what does the science actually say about placenta remedies? Enhanced milk supply, stable mood, and increased energy are among the benefits reported after the consumption of processed placenta tissue.

How can doulas help clients make informed, shame-free decisions about their options?

At the 2026 Virtual DONA Summit, Dr. Sophia K. Johnson MD, medical doctor specializing in integrative female medicine, researcher at the Placenta Laboratory at Jena University Hospital Universitätsklinikum Jena, and author of Placenta Power, is bringing the latest findings from placenta research into an accessible, holistic conversation.

After attending this session, you will have:

🟣 A clearer understanding of what current research says about human maternal placentophagy

🟣 Insight into placenta remedies from the perspective of integrative and holistic medicine

🟣 Tools to support clients in making self-determined, informed decisions during the postpartum period, free from shame

We're delighted this year's Summit is virtual so everyone can attend! The Summit takes place October 26-27, 2026, with 60 days of on-demand access after. Early bird tickets are available now at donasummit.com, but they end July 31st, so grab yours soon. 🎟️

Organizations interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at this year's Summit can find all the details there too.

Universität Jena

09/07/2026

Think you have to just muddle your way through pregnancy and birth? Think again.

Imagine you could have tailored support to guide you through every single stage. YOU CAN❗️ And it's far more realistic than you think.

🟣 Want to understand all your pain relief options? Possible.

🟠 Want to give birth at home? Possible.

🟣 Want your own music playing during labor? Possible.

🟠 Want your birth plan actually respected? Possible.

🟣 Want to know who to call at 2am with a question? Possible.

🟠 Want to actually get some sleep in those newborn days? Possible.

All of this and more is possible with a doula.💪🏽

07/07/2026

Well done new DONA doulas!!🎉