We train community doulas who volunteer locally, ensuring equitable, high-quality care through mentorship and best practices.
We train community doulas who volunteer locally, ensuring equitable, high-quality care through mentorship and best practices.
Mary’s Hands Network is currently at capacity and no longer accepting new birth clients due
October 2025 through February 2026.
We ARE now accepting new clients with due dates in MARCH 2026 and beyond.
If you're due before December 2025 and need support or referrals, please call our office to request a virtual meeting or use our "Text a Doula" line.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
(225) 424-7532 or info@maryshandsnetwork.org
Mary's Hands Network se enorgullece en servir a las mamás de habla hispana e inglesa. Complete el formulario de interés para comenzar su solicitud de servicios de doula.
Together we can be the change, one mom and one birth at a time.
Doula care is a powerful, evidence-based intervention that improves maternal and infant outcomes across nearly every measurable domain of perinatal health. As a volunteer doula, your presence, advocacy, and care contribute to a growing body of research confirming that relationship-based, culturally attuned support makes a tangible difference in the lives of birthing people and their families, particularly those most at risk of poor outcomes.
Research shows that access to doula care is associated with:
In one large retrospective cohort study, Medicaid-funded births supported by community-based doulas had significantly lower rates of cesarean delivery (20.4% vs. 34.2%) and preterm birth (4.7% vs. 6.3%) compared to similar births without doula support (Kozhimannil et al., 2016). These outcomes not only represent improved health and safety for birthing people, they also reduce healthcare costs and prevent preventable NICU stays and postpartum complications.
Importantly, doulas are particularly impactful in addressing systemic inequities. Black women, who face disproportionately high rates of maternal mortality and mistreatment during childbirth, report more respectful care, improved communication with providers, and greater satisfaction when supported by doulas (Marshall et al., 2024; Mallick et al., 2022). Doula care mitigates the negative effects of social determinants of health by increasing trust, autonomy, and access to culturally congruent support.
As a volunteer doula in the Mary’s Hands Network, you are part of this public health solution. Your work has ripple effects, reducing trauma, strengthening families, and contributing to generational wellness in communities too often left behind by traditional maternity care systems.
Want to be the first to know when enrollment opens? Interested in the work we're doing and impact we're making in the community? Subscribe now!
Mary's Hands Network
451 E. Airport Ave., Baton Rouge, LA 70806
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Your tax-deductible gift helps us provide compassionate care, doula support, and vital resources to mothers and families in need. Every donation makes a difference. 💜