Governor Phil Murphy and First Lady Tammy Snyder Murphy,

Since March 2020 over 50 petitions (Change.org) have been posted with thousands of signatures asking law and policy makers to allow Doulas to attend to laboring mothers in the hospital at this time of COVID-19 restrictions.  The reason for this is because doulas are important in the birthing process. The Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) official statement at this time Is:

“Doulas are not visitors and should not be blocked from caring for patients in the antepartum, intrapartum and postpartum period.  Most doulas have been contracted by patients weeks to months ahead of time and have established provider relationships.  They are recognized by AWHONN and ACOG as essential personnel and part of the maternity care team.”

“AWHONN opposes hospital policies that restrict the presence of a doula in the inpatient setting during an infectious disease outbreak.”

Research has shown that Having continuous labor (doula) support:

-Decrease likelihood of unplanned cesarean
-Decrease use of analgesia
-Decrease likelihood of instrumental vaginal birth
-Increase likelihood of healthy birth weight
-Increase overall satisfaction of birth experience perceived by the family in care
-Improve both one and five-minute APGAR scores
-Shorten duration of labor
-More likely to succeed at breastfeeding
-For more research on how doulas benefit everyone: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/the-evidence-for-doulas/​

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5538578/​

https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2019/02/approaches-to-limit-intervention-during-labor-and-birth

ACOG (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) found through evidenced based research that, “continuous one-to-one emotional support provided by support personnel, such as a doula, is associated with improved outcomes for women in labor.” The World Health Organization (WHO)  encourages doula support, "Continuous companionship during labor is recommended for improving labor outcomes." Other Studies have shown that the presence of doulas improve both mother and infant health outcomes, regardless of race. With the infant and maternal mortality rate in this country increasing, even while other countries are decreasing, especially among the Black population at disproportionate rates, per The CDC, it is vital that every available resource is used to combat these numbers. Doulas are the antidote. Let them do their job. Let them in the hospital.

The CDC has said,  "If restriction of all visitors is implemented, facilities can consider exceptions based on… when a visitor is essential for the patient’s emotional well-being and care." According to The official site of The State of New Jersey, infant and maternal health policy initiatives are an important focus to The First Lady. Please consider making, Doulas essential in the hospital setting, one of these initiatives.