In conversations about maternity care, doulas are sometimes framed as an “extra,” a private add-on in a system already under pressure. But what if we looked at doulas differently, not as a parallel service and not as a replacement for clinical care, but as collaborators who can support birthing people and  help ease some of the strain on midwives and NHS maternity services? With UK maternity services facing staffing shortages, rising intervention rates and increasing complexi