According to DONA International, a doula is a "trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to a mother before, during, and shortly after childbirth to help her achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible."

According to DONA International, a doula is a "trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to a mother before, during, and shortly after childbirth to help her achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible."

Latham Thomas is a celebrity doula and maternal wellness expert, as well as the founder of Mama Glow, a global women’s health and education brand serving women along the childbearing continuum.

She talks about her journey to becoming a doula, advocating for maternal equity, and maternal death in our country, and how those rates are disproportionately affecting black women.

In the U.S., maternal mortality and morbidity disproportionately affect black women at a rate four to five times greater than white women. In New York City, black women are 8 to 12 times more likely than white women to die as a result of pregnancy and birth-related causes.