In affluent communities around the world, personalized pregnancy and birth support has long been treated as an important part of the maternity experience. In many cultures, women have traditionally relied on experienced women—mothers, grandmothers, sisters, midwives, birth attendants, and other community members—for continuous support during childbirth.  Modern doulas are continuous support companions for the duration of the pregnancy and postpartum period.  They have ushered the concept of continuous support into today’s healthcare environment.  When everyone is focused on the baby or on baby preparation, the doula centers the mother.  In Germany, The United Kingdom, and the Netherlands public or governmental health care systems automatically provide state funded continuous home visits from midwives throughout the pregnancy and post-partum period.  Norway, Sweden and Brazil have employed the care of doulas to bridge the various economic and cultural divides which create barriers to adequate care.  Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Malawi, Sweden, Nepal, Russia, and Canada all have systems or support in place for the duration of the pregnancy and the post-partum period should a woman desire access to doulas, or continuous support companions.  With the United States maternal mortality rate higher than many developing nations, it is safe to say all woman within the country’s borders deserve better.  The graphic below demonstrates that all women in the United States need to be able to expect better pregnancy outcomes and that better pregnancy outcomes are entirely possible:  Even infants who rely exclusively on others would have a better chance at thriving if born in other countries as demonstrated by the infographic:  The Commonwealth Fund reports that the U.S. infant mortality rate was about 6 per 1,000 in 2023.  These statistics are frightening for all women but they become particularly grim when racial, ethnic and cultural disparities are taken into account.    Just as many people today echo the African proverb- “It takes a village,” modern doulas have brought that concept into today’s healthcare environment and truly belong in every prenatal and postnatal village.  For families with financial resources, hiring a private doula can mean having someone available throughout pregnancy to answer questions, help prepare for birth, attend appointments when appropriate, develop a birth plan, provide continuous labor support, and remain available during the postpartum transition.  America is one of the world’s wealthiest countries—yet mothers and babies still face serious risks. We must get the word out that enhanced pregnancy support through doula care is available to most women through their insurance company whether it is provided commercially or through Medi-Cal because all mothers deserve this level of personalized support.  Luxury for Queens doula service is now accepting clients. Schedule a FREE consultation today. 

Abroad in countries where statistics on maternal and fetal mortality are vastly better than those of the United States, doulas are not seen as optional, but rather an essential part of the pregnancy journey.  Essential because statistically the presence of a doula more often than not tends to indicate a better birth outcome for mother and child.  In the United States, doulas are the wealthy women’s unspoken secret to combat the negative United States birth outcomes statistics and curate intentionally better end results.  So What Makes Doula Care “Luxury”?  Maybe luxury isn’t what we have been taught to think it is.  Luxury isn’t necessarily a $5,000 maternity package, a private hospital suite or an expensive baby shower.  Sometimes luxury is having someone sit beside you and say, “You don’t have to figure this out by yourself.”  Luxury is having someone listen to your concerns without rushing you, having someone help you prepare questions before your appointment, and having someone remind you that your voice matters.  Luxury is having someone help you understand the difference between a preference and a medical decision.  Luxury is having someone help you prepare for the fourth trimester—not just the birth.  Luxury is being treated with dignity, and every woman deserves that.  No Woman Should Have to Walk Alone  Pregnancy can be beautiful.  It can also be physically demanding, emotionally overwhelming, unpredictable, and frightening.    Birth can be empowering. It can also be painful, complicated, unexpected, or completely different from what a mother imagined.  And postpartum can be joyful.  It can also be exhausting and isolating.  That is why doula care matters—because human beings deserve support during vulnerable moments.  The future of maternity care should not be about deciding whether doula care is a luxury or a necessity.  It should be about making high-quality support accessible to as many women as possible.  Luxury for Queens is currently accepting clients.  Call or message today for an appointment. 

Every pregnant woman deserves a doula-especially because pregnancy, birth and postpartum can be some of the most vulnerable moments of a woman’s life.  For most of history, hiring a doula has been portrayed as something reserved for wealthy women-the kind of pregnancy luxury that can be seen in households where private chefs, designer nurseries and expensive baby showers are staples of everyday life.  Thankfully that idea is rapidly changing.  A community doula is trained, non-clinical professional who provides continuous emotional, physical, informational and practical support during all phases of pregnancy.  A doula does not replace a doctor or midwife; instead, a doula adds an extra layer of curated support to the mother’s care team. I heard it said the doctors, midwives and nurses catch the baby, but the doula catches the mom.  The doula centers the mom as she deserves to be supported, advocated for, educated and reassured.  Bottom line- a doula should not be considered a luxury to for affluent women only and their greatest impact can be seen among women who are middle and working class.  The secret that affluent society has horded is that while doulas cannot replace an obstetrician, midwife, nurse or other medical professional their value comes in their ability to provide personalized, continuous support which research shows has led to fewer cesarean births, shorter labor times, higher likelihood of vaginal birth, less medical interventions, higher success with lactation, reduce risk of postpartum depression and more positive feelings about the birth experience just to name a few benefits.  While no doula or medical professional can ever guarantee a healthy birth or zero complications one big rarely spoken dark secret is that the United States by every statistic has a horrible record when it comes to birth outcomes for mothers and babies among the developed nations of the world.    The United States may be one of the worlds wealthiest and most technologically advanced nations in the world yet that does not translate to optimal pregnancy and birth outcomes.   In fact, the US has above average maternal mortality, infant mortality and increased use of medical interventions according to Commonwealth Fund’s Internation comparison of 14 high income countries.  To combat these grim statistics, California’s Department of Health Care Services specifically describes doula services as including guidance, health navigation, evidence-based education, birth-plan development, lactation support, and connections to community resources.  Beginning January 1, 2023, California added doula services as a covered Medi-Cal benefit. The benefit is available through both Medi-Cal fee-for-service and managed care plans.  For eligible Medi-Cal members, covered doula services can include an initial visit, additional prenatal and postpartum visits, labor and delivery support, and extended postpartum visits under the program’s rules.  And California continues to build the infrastructure needed to make the benefit accessible. As of September 11, 2026, DHCS reported 1,768 individual doulas enrolled in Medi-Cal.  That is a major step toward making personalized birth support available beyond families who can simply write a check.  Because every life has value and deserves care, doula support is no longer exclusively a private-pay luxury in the state of California.  Further, commercial health plans in California and across the nation have responded to the emergency.    For example, UnitedHealthcare announced in 2026 that it was expanding doula support to eligible members, with the company saying approximately 7.2 million members could have access through employer health plans by January 1, 2027.  Health Net also provides doula benefits for eligible California members in certain Medi-Cal and commercial plans, subject to plan eligibility and benefit rules.  This is an important shift because the conversation has moved from – “Can you afford a doula?” to “How can we make sure you can access one?”  Yes! You can have rich people things!   Luxury for Queens Doula Service believes:  Coverage varies by insurance company, plan, location, eligibility requirements, provider enrollment, and benefit design.  If you have insurance, ask your health plan specifically about doula benefits before assuming that your entire doula package will be covered.  And if you have Medi-Cal in California, ask your plan about accessing its covered doula benefit.  Contact Luxury for Queens to schedule pre-natal appointments today- 562.242.9030.