World Doula Week, from March 22 to March 28, 2025, highlights the vital role of doulas in improving maternal and infant health outcomes. Mama Glow Foundation founder and birth doula Latham Thomas is doing her part to raise awareness.
Thomas, also known as Glow Maven, has been involved in women’s health for over two decades. While many doulas enter the field due to their personal and oftentimes negative or traumatic experiences, her journey began positively with the birth of her son, who is now 21 years old.
“I would say that having had that experience where I felt very supported, there was safety, I felt dignified, I had a sense of autonomy with the care providers who were present that inspired me, I think, to sort of start this journey, but also I knew that I needed to protect the experience for other people,” Thomas told AFROTECH™. “I [not only] wanted to help reframe [negative perspectives], but also address what was obviously a challenge in our community.”
Thomas describes a doula as a non-clinical care professional who provides emotional and physical support, education, and advocacy tools, acting as a “producer” for birth to ensure a cherished experience.
In 2018, she launched a prominent doula training program and has since trained over 3,000 doulas worldwide.
While some people view doulas as less educated or non-compliant and assume they lack the knowledge to work effectively with physicians and nurses, doulas are just as vital, especially in a society where women — particularly Black women — are expected to advocate for themselves.
“We have data to show that doulas help families feel more confident and build the self-trust necessary to navigate the perinatal continuum,” Thomas said. “Doulas are there to help parents understand their rights and things like informed consent within the health care system. They’re there to help people advocate so that they feel protected in spaces where they don’t necessarily always feel safe…and be another voice in the room when someone is speaking” about their needs.
View this post on Instagram
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women. The disparity is linked to various complications, including preeclampsia, postpartum hemorrhage, blood clots, preterm birth, and low birth weight, which disproportionately affect Black women.
“Black women are taught to stand up for themselves and advocate and navigate, but the thing about advocacy is, you can’t advocate and birth at the same time. You can fight for your life, or you can [give] birth, but you can’t do both,” Thomas told AFROTECH™. “Birthing requires surrender. It requires transcendence. It requires a shift in consciousness that your brain has to make and it can only do that. The brain [and] the body can work together when you feel safe.”
One thing is for certain: Regardless of where a woman sits socioeconomically, everyone across all births wants the same thing — a safe delivery and a healthy baby.
“Everyone has these moments where they feel so vulnerable, and we have to meet them and protect them, [and] that vulnerability. That’s the gift that we have as doulas, to see people in their most raw form, in their most delicate form but also at their most powerful, and every time we experience it, it’s like it’s like it’s the first time every single time,” Thomas continued.
In the next five to 10 years, Thomas believes the profession will evolve, with more doulas employed by hospitals and recognized as a standard part of care during pregnancy, covered by all insurance providers.
Additionally, she anticipates a resurgence in midwifery as more people seek out-of-hospital birth options and alternative ways to welcome their babies into the world.
Thomas emphasized the importance of having healthcare providers “who look like us” and share similar community values to provide the necessary support.
“I do see that a lot of hospitals are looking to, you know, integrate and bring these frameworks into their spaces to repair some of the harm that’s been done and also to look forward to a different vision of a future where birth is safe for everyone,” Thomas said.
Whether pregnant, supporting the community or family members, or wanting to learn more about the body and healthcare systems, anyone on a healthcare journey is a great candidate for Mama Glow’s training.
“If you feel called, answer the call to join the movement, get out there on the front lines, and be part of the change that’s happening in our community every day,” Thomas told AFROTECH™.
