# Pregnancy and Postpartum Support Programs for Women in Prison: Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2024 · $177,176

## Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT
 The number of women incarcerated in the United States has increased more than 600% over the past
three decades. At last count, more than 225,000 women – a majority of whom were of reproductive age – were
behind bars. As the number of incarcerated women has risen, so too has the need for prisons to address
women’s health needs, including pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care. Providing incarcerated pregnant
women with enhanced pregnancy and postpartum supports may improve both maternal and neonatal
outcomes. One promising approach is to use doulas to provide this comprehensive support. As non-medical
companions, doulas provide an array of supports and have been shown to reduce labor length and obstetric
complications, improve maternal satisfaction, and promote breastfeeding initiation among low-income women.
Several state prisons are now partnering with local organizations to offer enhanced pregnancy and postpartum
support; yet, key questions that are critical to successful program expansion remain. The overall objective of
this project is to conduct a multi-state study of enhanced pregnancy and postpartum support programs for
women incarcerated in six geographically-diverse prisons, with the overall goal to provide valuable, practical,
and actionable information to prisons about how to implement pregnancy and postpartum support programs to
promote maternal and neonatal health. We will accomplish this goal by pursuing the three specific aims: 1)
identify facilitators and barriers to implementation of pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum support programs
for women in prison, 2) evaluate the pregnancy and birth outcomes of program participants, and 3) evaluate
the postpartum outcomes of program participants. Results from this study will fundamentally advance our
understanding of pregnancy and postpartum support programs and the maternal and neonatal outcomes
among program participants. Identifying key modifiable factors across prisons that facilitate program
implementation and sustainability and documenting the outcomes of participants across sites will directly
inform ongoing program expansion. Ultimately, this work will yield critical information to address the complex
health needs of pregnant women in prison, reduce health disparities, and promote health equity among justice-
involved women and their infants.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11041590
- **Project number:** 3R01HD103634-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** Rebecca J. Shlafer
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $177,176
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-04-01 → 2025-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11041590

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11041590, Pregnancy and Postpartum Support Programs for Women in Prison: Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes (3R01HD103634-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11041590. Licensed CC0.

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