Can Digital Doulas Improve Birthing Outcomes for Black Women?

Many women find that hiring a doula can be incredibly supportive and empowering. Doulas advocate for your needs and provide mental, emotional and physical support during the throes of labor.

But a doula’s work doesn’t start or end in the delivery room. They can answer questions and quell concerns long before that first contraction hits—and they address issues, like breastfeeding challenges, days or sometimes months after baby’s big debut.

In an ideal world, every pregnant woman would have a doula by her side. But, of course, that’s not realistic. And it’s precisely while doula support is increasingly going virtual.

As a Black mom and the CEO of Mahmee—a digital maternal and infant healthcare resource that provides personalized, on-demand support from conception through baby’s first birthday—Melissa Hanna knows that many women don’t receive adequate prenatal, birth or postpartum care. It’s the reason she co-founded her company and used its digital services for her own maternity experience. “I was already a true believer in digital support for new and expectant parents,” says Hanna. “But I was blown away by the peace of mind I received when I went through my own maternity experience with Mahmee.”

Through Mahmee’s app, nurses helped Hanna monitor her blood pressure using a smart blood pressure cuff provided by the company during her third trimester and post-delivery. She had weekly perinatal health screenings automatically sent to her via the app to track her postpartum recovery.

Hanna is at the forefront of a digital doula revolution that’s helping Black women access better quality care during their pregnancy and baby journeys. Ahead, learn how and why Black women are turning to digital doulas—plus, the potential benefits and limitations of using one.

How a Digital Doula Works

Despite being considered a digital-first company, Hanna is determined that Mahmee provides comprehensive and personalized care to its members. Mahmee’s services include doula, lactation and postpartum care, with a personal care team, both in-person and online care, and data-driven monitoring. Tools include video conferencing, secure messaging and more.

“If a digital doula’s just an AI interface, it risks becoming another layer that distances patients from real support and allows the system to avoid addressing root problems,” she remarks. "What actually serves Black moms is human-centered care that’s culturally competent, continuous and grounded in real relationships. Doulas play a critical role by bringing a different lens to the care team that centers the mother’s lived experience, voice and goals.”

Why Digital Doulas Are Needed

Black women are three times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than white women, regardless of income and education. Black birthing people are more likely to deliver prematurely, receive late or no prenatal care and experience higher C-section. All of this creates a climate in which accessible, high-quality care is a matter of life and death for Black moms and birthing people.

The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) says these disparities are the result of delayed diagnoses, inadequate prenatal and postpartum care, systemic racism in healthcare and a lack of access to services. The NCNW calls virtual healthcare services “a digital lifeline in a system that continues to fail Black women.”

Doulas aren’t the one-and-done solution to maternal health issues in the US. But research shows that women who hire doulas face fewer interventions, lower rates of pregnancy complications and improved health outcomes in general.

Postpartum, Mahmee and similar organizations aim to make sure women get critical care that’s often overlooked. “The postpartum period makes the risks of a maternity care desert more acute—no one’s there to spot red flags in Mom’s or baby’s health. A recovering mom might dismiss a headache as normal or see sudden mood changes as just baby blues,” notes Hanna.

How Black Women Are Using Digital Doulas

A study from Maven Clinic, a virtual healthcare provider for women and families, found that Black members were significantly more likely to seek out healthcare virtually than white members. Over a third of Black users had sought out an appointment with a digital doula (compared to about a fifth of white members), and 29 percent had made virtual ob-gyn appointments (compared to less than 20 percent of white members). Black members also met with birth planners, mental health specialists and midwives at higher rates than their white counterparts.

LaSha’e Taylor, a DONA-certified doula and the founder of Birthing Beautiful Miracles, says that Maven Clinic helps Black moms advocate for themselves by asking the right questions, communicating with providers and speaking up when something feels off. “It can truly make a difference and, in some cases, save a life,” she says. “That level of access and understanding isn’t just helpful—it’s essential.”

The Limitations of Digital Doulas

While digital doula care offers many benefits, it has limitations too. “We can’t replace a hospital, a patient’s doctor or the ER,” says Hanna. “But we can ensure a mom is safe after birth, knows her rights and her body and feels empowered. That advocacy is what changes outcomes for the better.”

In-person support may be a better option for those going through a physically or emotionally demanding situation, such as navigating an in vitro fertilization (IVF) journey, notes Taylor. Of course, you may also simply prefer for a support person to be physically there during labor and delivery.

Hanna notes that Mahmee has 11 clinic locations so that people can have in-person and hybrid care.

Other potential limitations of digital doulas include concerns about privacy and data use, as more organizations surrender data to law enforcement and other organizations.

What’s Next for Digital Doulas

There’s not a lot of research on virtual doula care compared to in-person care—and it’s still an emerging field.

Taylor says she sees technology evolving in ways that are more intentional, culturally aware and responsive to the real needs of Black moms. “It’s not enough for care to simply exist—it should also feel accessible, personal and safe,” she says. She wants to see this thoughtful care expand beyond pregnancy to other experiences like pregnancy loss, where guidance and compassion are just as important.

“When people feel heard, supported and confident in their decisions, it can change not just their experience, but their outcomes," Taylor says. “That’s the kind of care everyone deserves—no matter where they are.”

How We Developed This Article

To learn about how Black women are benefiting from digital doulas, we spoke with the founder of a digital healthcare company and doula who assists women virtually. After editing, this article was vetted through fact-check and reviewed by our ob-gyn medical adviser. Learn more about how we ensure the accuracy of our content through our editorial and medical review process.

About the author: Ambreia Meadows-Fernandez is an award-winning writer, speaker and activist working to amplify Black women’s voices in the mainstream dialogue, especially within conversations on health and parenting. She’s also the founder of Free Black Motherhood.

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.