Did you know that there is an organization that can provide you with a doula to support you during pregnancy and birth while your partner is away on duty, free of charge?
This organization is called Operation Special Delivery, or OSD, and I am a member.
Operation Special Delivery provides trained volunteer doulas for pregnant women whose husbands or partners have been severely injured or who have lost their lives due to the current war on terror, or who will be deployed at the time that they are due to give birth. To be eligible for a volunteer doula from OSD an applicant must be unable to afford to hire a doula privately and be without reliable or sufficient labor and birth support.
OSD is run through CAPPA, but you don't have to be a CAPPA-trained doula to volunteer with OSD. If you have completed any doula training you can apply to volunteer with OSD!
Unfortunately I have not yet been called for an OSD birth. Though OSD volunteers across the country have attended over 1000 births, most military soon-to-be-moms do not know anything about the initiative. We need to help spread the word! If you know of anyone who might qualify for a free doula through Operation Special Delivery, please let them know that there are Coordinators in every state in the U.S.
If you are a military mom, apply for volunteer labor doula services here!
If you are a doula who would like to volunteer for OSD, apply here!
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