Grace advocates for birthing people across the state as a faculty member for the Iowa Maternal Quality Care Collaborative through the Iowa Department of Public Health. Additionally, Grace helps to facilitate Pregnant & Postpartum in the Corridor, a online and in-person support group and resource for local parents. Grace is also a founding member of Doulas of Iowa City, a local professional networking and continuing education organization for doulas.

In this episode we interview Grace Swartzendruber, a full spectrum doula, about doula care. We cover what a doula is, what they do, why someone would hire a doula, the benefits of a doula, and how a doula can be a valuable member of the birth team. 

1. Can you start off by explaining to our listeners what is a doula, what types of training they go through, and what services they provide?
2. What are some of the reasons that a pregnant person might hire a doula?
3. What are some common misconceptions about doulas that you have heard, particularly from OB/Gyn clinicians?
4. We are all about evidence and I know there has been some research on the benefit of doulas in birth. Can you please share with our listeners the evidence surrounding the impact the doulas?
5. How can doulas be seen as part of member of the birth team?
6. We are also all about communication in this podcast so we want to ask two specific questions about communication related to doulas. First, how can provider appropriately respond to a patient who wants a doula.
7. Second, can you share some tips on how clinicians can improve their communication with a doula during the labor, delivery, and post-partum period?
8. We have a growing number of listeners who do not identify as In your opinion what makes a “good” doula?
9. What do you see as the future of doula services?
10. Where can our listeners go to learn more about doulas and even find one in their community?