Supporting the Doulas Supporting Massachusetts Families

When a family welcomes a new child, the focus is naturally on the parents, baby, and immediate medical team. Yet behind many of those births stands another essential healthcare worker: the doula.

Doulas provide emotional support, advocacy, education, and guidance during some of the most significant moments in a family’s life. They help parents navigate fear, uncertainty, and complex healthcare systems. They are often the steady presence in the room when everything else feels overwhelming.

But who supports the doulas?

That question emerged during a recent conversation between GPS Group Peer Support CEO Liz Friedman and Dianna Hahn, Director of Operations and Programs at Accompany Doula Care, a Massachusetts-based non-profit organization supporting families across the Commonwealth.

A Growing Workforce Facing Growing Pressures

Massachusetts has invested heavily in expanding access to doula care. As Hahn explained, “MassHealth [the state’s Medicaid program] now has around 450 doulas certified with them,” a dramatic increase from a decade ago when there may have been only about 100 doulas across the state.

However, while training opportunities have expanded, support systems have not always kept pace. “It’s great that the state has put in so much effort to train doulas,” Hahn said. “And at the same time, we’re not really doing a lot to support doulas after they get trained.”

The challenges are both practical and emotional.

Doulas work in a profession that can require them to be available around the clock while also balancing their own families, finances, and wellbeing. They need to figure out how to manage their set, regular work schedule, their own personal lives, and being on call 24/7 for their pregnant clients. It can be a lot to handle. 

The conversation also highlighted challenges that extend beyond scheduling and capacity.

Doulas regularly support families through difficult pregnancies, traumatic births, postpartum mental health concerns, infant loss, systemic inequities, and medical racism. They can serve as the first trusted person to recognize when a family may need additional support.

As Hahn explained, “Our doulas are often the first line of defense for clients,” even though they are not mental health professionals themselves. At the same time, many doulas work largely alone, and have to return home carrying these experiences with them. That work can be isolating and emotionally draining in ways that are not always visible to the public. 

Why Peer Support Matters

The challenges facing doulas are complex, from financial pressures, to burnout, isolation, secondary trauma, workforce sustainability, and navigating healthcare systems that do not always fully recognize their role. Doulas need support from people who understand their work. This is precisely where MASStrong and the GPS model can help.

The goal is not simply to reduce burnout. It is to create spaces where healthcare workers like doulas can speak honestly about the realities they face, connect with others who understand, and build resilience together. For doulas, whose work is often isolated despite being deeply relational, that kind of connection can be transformative. 

Bring MASStrong to Your Workplace

GPS’s MASStrong program offers free GPS trainings, support groups, curriculums, and toolkits for Massachusetts medical, behavioral health, and community care workers and organizations. Eligible organizations can also apply for GPS partnership support and grants up to $10,000.