{"id":91557,"date":"2026-07-20T11:22:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T17:22:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=91557"},"modified":"2026-07-20T11:22:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T17:22:15","slug":"recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\/","title":{"rendered":"Recovery coach doulas bring life experience in protecting pregnant women with substance use disorders"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Britt
Britt Westmoreland, a trained doula, performs a hip squeeze during a contraction to mitigate a mother\u2019s pain.\u00a0Photo courtesy of Britt Westmoreland.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Britt Westmoreland was in labor in 2021, dealing with pain, but refusing fentanyl to ease her discomfort.<\/p>\n

After repeated offers, Westmoreland finally stated the truth she had kept hidden from providers during her pregnancy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI finally was like, \u2018I don\u2019t want fentanyl because I\u2019m an addict. Stop offering me fentanyl,\u2019\u201d Westmoreland said.<\/p>\n

A doula then assisted Westmoreland through her delivery, but in the postpartum unit, a social worker stopped by on a nurse\u2019s referral. She asked Westmoreland about checking into a long-term recovery program.<\/p>\n

At that point, Westmoreland explained that she had been in recovery for four years from the substance use disorder (SUD) that began when she was a teenager.<\/p>\n

SUD secrecy produces repercussions<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In Westmoreland\u2019s mind, the encounter confirmed her decision to keep her SUD secret from her providers. It also set her up for a rocky period in the year ahead.<\/p>\n

\"Britt
Britt Westmoreland, coordinator and head recovery coach for the Recovery Support Doula Program, uses her experience as a mother in recovery from an SUD to help other pregnant women. Photo by the University of Colorado Anschutz College of Nursing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cEverything that happened in the hospital reinforced my belief that I can\u2019t tell people my struggles or they\u2019re going to think that I need to be taken away or my kid needs to be taken away,\u201d she said. \u201cI think that\u2019s a pretty universal experience for moms with substance use disorders.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because of that fear, Westmoreland continued to conceal her SUD after she went home with her baby. She struggled with what turned out to be postpartum bipolar disorder<\/a> until she finally put her trust in a therapist who diagnosed the condition and got her the support she needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it was almost a year postpartum by the time I was fully transparent about what was going on,\u201d Westmoreland said.<\/p>\n

A dual role to help mothers with SUDs before and after birth<\/strong><\/h3>\n

She turned her sometimes painful pregnancy and postpartum experience into helping other mothers with SUDs facing physical and emotional challenges and risks to their health.<\/p>\n

Westmoreland is a trained doula and peer support specialist with the Recovery Coach Doula Program<\/a> at the University of Colorado Anschutz College of Nursing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The program receives funding from the Colorado Department of Human Services, Behavioral Health Administration.<\/p>\n

Westmoreland joined the program at its inception in 2023 and is now its coordinator and head recovery coach.<\/p>\n

She and her colleagues, Felicia Gonsalez, Leanna Ferrar and Becca Aspray-Collazo, fill a dual role. As trained peer support specialists, they focus on building trust with women with SUDs, understanding their challenges and assisting them in setting achievable goals. They provide support regardless of whether women are currently using, in long-term recovery or anywhere in between.<\/p>\n

As doulas, they help women stay mentally and physically healthy and connected to their health care providers during their pregnancy. They help them during labor and birth, then remain a contact and resource for a year postpartum, a vulnerable time<\/a> for all women \u2013 and particularly so for those with SUDs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As a mother now nearly a decade into recovery, Westmoreland said she has real-life insight into the stigma and shame that too often complicate health care decisions for others dealing simultaneously with the challenges of pregnancy and an SUD.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith my lived experience and education as well, I\u2019m able to understand where clients are coming from in a different way than, say, a clinician with no lived experience,\u201d Westmoreland said. \u201cI know what it feels like. It\u2019s not just something I read in a book.\u201d<\/p>\n

A program to address overdoses and suicides among mothers <\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Recovery Coach Doula Program, which now serves women in the Denver area, Fort Collins and Pueblo, originally grew out of an urgent need to address the suicides and unintentional overdoses of pregnant women.<\/p>\n

\"Jessica
Jessica Anderson, a certified nurse-midwife and College of Nursing leader, says recovery support doulas advocate for the health of pregnant women with SUDs. Photo by the University of Colorado Anschutz College of Nursing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They are the number one and two killers<\/a>, respectively, of patients in Colorado during pregnancy and in the first year postpartum, said Jessica Anderson<\/a>, associate dean of Clinical and Community Affairs and professor of clinical practice with the College of Nursing.<\/p>\n

Anderson is also a certified nurse-midwife at the UCHealth Center for Midwifery \u2013 Anschutz Outpatient Pavilion<\/a> and UCHealth Center for Midwifery Lowry<\/a> and supports births at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital<\/a> and UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Anderson said that she and her colleagues began exploring the possible reasons for that heavy human toll several years ago as members of the Maternal Mortality Review Committee<\/a> with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.<\/p>\n

After reviewing mortality data from state reports, the committee issued the Maternal Mortality Report in Colorado, 2016-2020<\/a>, which concluded that 90% of pregnancy-related deaths were preventable. To save lives, however, the healthcare system needed to address several problems, including the pernicious effects of SUDs on pregnancies.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started to see that there were opportunities and gaps that existed in the healthcare system \u2013 one of those being additional support for people with a diagnosis of a substance use disorder,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cSimply put, how can we reduce maternal mortality and morbidity when there is a need there and provide additional support?\u201d<\/p>\n

One solution is to provide mothers with SUDs the care they need without judgment. That is a core tenet of the program, Anderson said.<\/p>\n

The recovery coach doulas listen to women with an eye toward connecting them to resources that can keep them and their babies as healthy as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are advocates for the patient,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cThey also help to educate our healthcare teams to reduce the stigma and bias that does exist.\u201d<\/p>\n

The importance of reducing shame among mothers with SUDs<\/strong><\/h3>\n

That message of disapproval often centers on the notion that substance use is a choice, and that it should magically disappear with pregnancy, said Dr. Kaylin Klie<\/a>, associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine<\/a> at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Dr. Kaylin Klie cares for pregnant women as both a family medicine and an addiction medicine specialist. She values the additional services recovery coach doulas help her patients with SUDs access. Photo courtesy of Kaylin Klie.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Klie cares for pregnant patients in the UCHealth Women\u2019s Care Clinic<\/a>. She also provides general addiction medicine care at the UCHealth Center for Dependency, Addiction and Rehabilitation<\/a> (CeDAR), where she is program director of the Addiction Medicine Fellowship program and medical director of Addiction Medicine.<\/p>\n

Klie said she refers pregnant patients with SUDs to the Recovery Coach Doula Program for much-needed support.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there is a cultural desire to see substance use as a choice because if it\u2019s a choice it is not something that I would ever choose for myself or my family,\u201d Klie said. \u201cBut if it\u2019s a disease that we could all be vulnerable to, it feels a little harder to distance ourselves from it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Klie said the \u201cinternalized stigma\u201d she sees in pregnant women with SUDs is another barrier to health.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey think of themselves very negatively, have poor or absent self-esteem,\u201d she said. \u201cI think that makes it very hard to be a parent. So, when folks are coming into parenting, or potentially parenting, and the healthcare system is approaching them as if they are incompetent or a bad parent, it sets up a dynamic of distrust.\u201d<\/p>\n

That dynamic can, in turn, lead women with SUDs to skip or avoid prenatal appointments and other steps that are important to protect their and their babies\u2019 health, Klie said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019ve created a healthcare system that clearly incentivizes concealing struggles with substance use,\u201d she said. \u201cThere is not a lot of reward waiting if you out yourself as a person with substance use during pregnancy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Treating SUDs as a medical condition, not a failure of character<\/strong><\/h3>\n

By contrast, Anderson said the Recovery Coach Doula Program treats SUDs in pregnant women simply as a health issue that needs attention. She compared SUDs to diabetes, noting that both are medical conditions that can complicate pregnancies and require appropriate treatment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve always identified that there is really no difference between having a diagnosis of diabetes and pregnancy,\u201d she said. \u201cYou treat whatever are the needs of the patient. We look at that the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n

That view emphasizes the positive possibilities for women with SUDs, Klie said.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead of being met with blaming, recovery coach doulas actually increase women\u2019s access to services,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The potential long-term benefits of helping pregnant patients with SUDs<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Recovery Coach Doula Program could also yield long-term benefits, not only for mothers with SUDs and their babies, but also for society writ large, said Brie Thumm<\/a>, assistant professor with the College of Nursing and a certified nurse-midwife.<\/p>\n

\"Brie
Brie Thumm, a certified nurse-midwife, leads research by the College of Nursing into the impacts of the Recovery Coach Doula Program. Photo by the University of Colorado Anschutz College of Nursing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thumm leads ongoing research into the impacts of the program. She noted that pregnancy and the postpartum period \u201care times when we can effect change and improve the lives of mothers and infants.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recovery coaches can offer crucial support during this fluid time, when people \u201care poised to make changes in their lives,\u201d Thumm said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s because people naturally want to make a safe and healthy environment for their infants, and they are also in the healthcare system, so we can access them and have an opportunity to intervene,\u201d she said. \u201cWe can leverage this period of time with what in the grand scheme of things is an inexpensive intervention.\u201d<\/p>\n

The reverse \u2013 leaving mothers with SUDs with little or no support \u2013 increases the risks of premature births, complications, problems with breastfeeding and bonding, and other issues that in turn often burden the education system and fray society\u2019s safety net, Thumm said.<\/p>\n

Gathering data on outcomes<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Of course, data must show that the Recovery Coach Doula Program actually contributes to better outcomes for mothers with SUDs and their babies.<\/p>\n

Thumm and her College of Nursing research team are working on two projects. One investigates what effects, if any, the program has on how women with SUDs use healthcare services.<\/p>\n

For example, are they more likely to keep their prenatal and postnatal care appointments? These and other services are linked to better outcomes for mothers and their babies, Thumm said.<\/p>\n

This project is also looking into pregnancy and birth outcomes among women in the program. These include numbers of preterm births, gestational size and gestational weight, all of which may be negatively affected by stress and SUDs, Thumm noted.<\/p>\n

Identifying the building blocks of a successful program<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A second, two-pronged project, funded by a Colorado Attorney General Opioid Response Strategic Impact Grant, looks into the experiences of women in the program, Thumm said. These measures, gathered through surveys and interviews, include birth trauma, mood disorders, and confidence as parents.<\/p>\n

That project has also supported the expansion of the Recovery Coach Doula Program from the Denver metro area to Pueblo and Fort Collins.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the research team is building a \u201cblueprint\u201d for other institutions interested in building a recovery coach program. That includes not only economic requirements but compensation and social supports for the recovery coach doulas that are sufficient to prevent burnout and to maintain a healthy and satisfied workforce, Thumm said.<\/p>\n

The bottom line: Do recovery coach doulas improve care for pregnant patients with SUDs?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Overall, a key question for the research is whether bringing the roles of peer support specialist and doula together results in better care for patients.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re saying, here is what peers do, here is what doulas do,\u201d Thumm said. \u201cWhen you bring them together, is it bigger than the sum of their parts?\u201d<\/p>\n

Whatever the outcome of the research, Britt Westmoreland said she finds purpose and meaning in helping pregnant women and mothers with SUDs improve or maintain their health. She listens, encourages them by her own example and sticks with them as they move through and into a new phase of life.<\/p>\n

She also provides a bridge between the women and those who care for them.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to support people with education and guidance to the providers and nursing staff helps me to realize that I did not struggle for no reason,\u201d Westmoreland said. \u201cI can use my experience to change the system or change other people\u2019s experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Britt Westmoreland was in labor in 2021, dealing with pain, but refusing fentanyl to ease her discomfort. After repeated offers, Westmoreland finally stated the truth she had kept hidden from providers during her pregnancy. \u201cI finally was like, \u2018I don\u2019t want fentanyl because I\u2019m an addict. Stop offering me fentanyl,\u2019\u201d Westmoreland said. A doula then […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2143,"featured_media":91831,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[159,113,207,4001,25,112,3413,309,4010,4009,212],"class_list":["post-91557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-innovative-care","tag-addiction-and-rehabilitation","tag-behavioral-health","tag-cedar","tag-high-risk-pregnancy","tag-labor-delivery","tag-mental-health","tag-midwifery-services","tag-pregnancy","tag-pregnancy-childbirth-and-newborn-care","tag-prenatal-care","tag-womens-care"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRecovery coach doulas support pregnant women with substance use disorders - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Medical providers work to reduce stigma and shame that often complicate care and increase the risk of harm and death for mothers with SUD.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Recovery coach doulas bring life experience in protecting pregnant women with substance use disorders\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Medical providers work to reduce stigma and shame that often complicate care and increase the risk of harm and death for mothers with SUD.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UCHealth Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-20T17:22:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/07135653\/Recovery-Coach-Doulas-2-Britt-Westmoreland-and-Patient-web.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tyler Smith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tyler Smith\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Tyler Smith\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/98c85c0e40c4933eedcec2cd054f349d\"},\"headline\":\"Recovery coach doulas bring life experience in protecting pregnant women with substance use disorders\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-20T17:22:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2158,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/07135653\\\/Recovery-Coach-Doulas-2-Britt-Westmoreland-and-Patient-web.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Addiction and Rehabilitation\",\"Behavioral health\",\"CeDAR\",\"High risk pregnancy\",\"Labor & Delivery\",\"Mental health\",\"Midwifery services\",\"Pregnancy\",\"Pregnancy childbirth and newborn care\",\"Prenatal care\",\"Women's care\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Innovative care\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\\\/\",\"name\":\"Recovery coach doulas support pregnant women with substance use disorders - UCHealth Today\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/07135653\\\/Recovery-Coach-Doulas-2-Britt-Westmoreland-and-Patient-web.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-20T17:22:15+00:00\",\"description\":\"Medical providers work to reduce stigma and shame that often complicate care and increase the risk of harm and death for mothers with SUD.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/07135653\\\/Recovery-Coach-Doulas-2-Britt-Westmoreland-and-Patient-web.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/07135653\\\/Recovery-Coach-Doulas-2-Britt-Westmoreland-and-Patient-web.webp\",\"width\":700,\"height\":717,\"caption\":\"Britt Westmoreland, a trained doula, performs a hip squeeze during a contraction to mitigate a mother\u2019s pain.\u00a0Photo courtesy of Britt Westmoreland.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Recovery coach doulas bring life experience in protecting pregnant women with substance use disorders\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\",\"name\":\"UCHealth Today\",\"description\":\"UCHealth Today\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"UCHealth\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/24135149\\\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/24135149\\\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"UCHealth\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/uchealthorg\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/uchealth\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/uchealth\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/school\\\/14839\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/uchealthorg\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UC41SJI79yjZIe96OajzN22g\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/98c85c0e40c4933eedcec2cd054f349d\",\"name\":\"Tyler Smith\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d9cf06f094860ff4c88dfe85d3c79a05724744cb3f865253e7b928d904aaad8e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d9cf06f094860ff4c88dfe85d3c79a05724744cb3f865253e7b928d904aaad8e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d9cf06f094860ff4c88dfe85d3c79a05724744cb3f865253e7b928d904aaad8e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Tyler Smith\"},\"description\":\"Tyler Smith has been a health care writer, with a focus on hospitals, since 1996. He served as a writer and editor for the Marketing and Communications team at University of Colorado Hospital and UCHealth from 2007 to 2017. More recently, he has reported for and contributed stories to the University of Colorado School of Medicine, the Colorado School of Public Health and the Colorado Bioscience Association.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/author\\\/smiths3\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Recovery coach doulas support pregnant women with substance use disorders - UCHealth Today","description":"Medical providers work to reduce stigma and shame that often complicate care and increase the risk of harm and death for mothers with SUD.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Recovery coach doulas bring life experience in protecting pregnant women with substance use disorders","og_description":"Medical providers work to reduce stigma and shame that often complicate care and increase the risk of harm and death for mothers with SUD.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\/","og_site_name":"UCHealth Today","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/","article_published_time":"2026-07-20T17:22:15+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/07135653\/Recovery-Coach-Doulas-2-Britt-Westmoreland-and-Patient-web.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Tyler Smith","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@uchealth","twitter_site":"@uchealth","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Tyler Smith","Est. reading time":"11 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\/"},"author":{"name":"Tyler Smith","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/person\/98c85c0e40c4933eedcec2cd054f349d"},"headline":"Recovery coach doulas bring life experience in protecting pregnant women with substance use disorders","datePublished":"2026-07-20T17:22:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\/"},"wordCount":2158,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/07135653\/Recovery-Coach-Doulas-2-Britt-Westmoreland-and-Patient-web.webp","keywords":["Addiction and Rehabilitation","Behavioral health","CeDAR","High risk pregnancy","Labor & Delivery","Mental health","Midwifery services","Pregnancy","Pregnancy childbirth and newborn care","Prenatal care","Women's care"],"articleSection":["Innovative care"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\/","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\/","name":"Recovery coach doulas support pregnant women with substance use disorders - UCHealth Today","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/07135653\/Recovery-Coach-Doulas-2-Britt-Westmoreland-and-Patient-web.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-20T17:22:15+00:00","description":"Medical providers work to reduce stigma and shame that often complicate care and increase the risk of harm and death for mothers with SUD.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/07135653\/Recovery-Coach-Doulas-2-Britt-Westmoreland-and-Patient-web.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/07135653\/Recovery-Coach-Doulas-2-Britt-Westmoreland-and-Patient-web.webp","width":700,"height":717,"caption":"Britt Westmoreland, a trained doula, performs a hip squeeze during a contraction to mitigate a mother\u2019s pain.\u00a0Photo courtesy of Britt Westmoreland."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/recovery-coach-doulas-support-pregnant-women-with-substance-use-disorders\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Recovery coach doulas bring life experience in protecting pregnant women with substance use disorders"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/","name":"UCHealth Today","description":"UCHealth Today","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization","name":"UCHealth","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"caption":"UCHealth"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/","https:\/\/x.com\/uchealth","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/uchealth\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/14839\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/uchealthorg\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC41SJI79yjZIe96OajzN22g"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/person\/98c85c0e40c4933eedcec2cd054f349d","name":"Tyler Smith","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d9cf06f094860ff4c88dfe85d3c79a05724744cb3f865253e7b928d904aaad8e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d9cf06f094860ff4c88dfe85d3c79a05724744cb3f865253e7b928d904aaad8e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d9cf06f094860ff4c88dfe85d3c79a05724744cb3f865253e7b928d904aaad8e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Tyler Smith"},"description":"Tyler Smith has been a health care writer, with a focus on hospitals, since 1996. He served as a writer and editor for the Marketing and Communications team at University of Colorado Hospital and UCHealth from 2007 to 2017. More recently, he has reported for and contributed stories to the University of Colorado School of Medicine, the Colorado School of Public Health and the Colorado Bioscience Association.","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/author\/smiths3\/"}]}},"coauthors":[{"id":2143,"name":"Tyler Smith","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/author\/smiths3\/"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2143"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91557"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91557\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92006,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91557\/revisions\/92006"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}