• And a new review of clinical trials published in JAMA Network Open found doula support was most consistently associated with lower maternal anxiety, higher breastfeeding initiation and better postpartum follow-up care.

The latest: UnitedHealthcare recently announced it would allow coverage of doula care in employer-sponsored plans nationwide — a significant move into the private insurance space.

• Improving maternal and infant health outcomes also reduces the total cost of giving birth for the health care system, UHC tells Axios.

Between the lines: A doula isn't a midwife.

• Midwives perform medical tasks like cervical checks and delivering babies.
• Doulas offer continuous nonmedical support — affirmations, position changes, advocacy in the hospital — before, during and after birth, says Nicole Sessions, a doula and maternal mental health researcher in Atlanta.

What they're saying: As awareness of doulas has increased, "many people expect us to be in the room" for a delivery, Sessions tells Axios. "There's a lot more camaraderie" among hospital staff.

Zoom out: Doula care has become a key tool for addressing the disproportionately high rate of maternal death among Black women.

• Sessions argues that "culturally competent," community-based doulas — those who share a patient's race, neighborhood or life experience — are often better able to build trust and advocate for patients.