8:10-9:10AM Doula Down the Bayou: What Happens When the Community Serves Itself 

Madeline is a labor and delivery nurse, lactation consultant, birth doula, childbirth educator, author, speaker, and trainer dedicated to improving maternal and infant health outcomes through evidence-based education and community-centered care. With more than a decade of experience in birth work, she is the founder and Executive Director of Mary’s Hands Network, Louisiana’s largest volunteer-based doula organization, built on the belief that communities can effectively serve and support their own families.

Under Madeline’s leadership, Mary’s Hands Network has trained more than 254 doulas and served over 500 families across five regions of Louisiana, achieving a cesarean birth rate of 22.1%, significantly lower than the state average of 36.1%. An ICEA-certified Birth Doula, Childbirth Educator, and ICEA Approved Trainer, she developed Louisiana’s first ICEA-approved birth doula training program as well as the state’s first Spanish-language doula training cohort.

Madeline’s research examining the impact of volunteer doula care on birth outcomes has been presented at Southern University School of Nursing, Vanderbilt School of Nursing, InJoy Health Education’s Annual Summit, and the Louisiana WIC Conference. Known for her engaging and practical teaching style, she is a sought-after presenter on topics including maternal health, doula care, lactation, childbirth education, bereavement support, and community-based birth programs.

Madeline lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with her husband, three children, and two giant cats.