MILWAUKEE — A free Milwaukee doula program that one mother says changed her pregnancy, birth and postpartum experience will continue, despite concerns about its future.
TMJ4 viewer Sarah Bloom reached out to us after becoming worried that the City of Milwaukee’s Birth Outcomes Made Better (BOMB) Doula Program could be eliminated amid changes to how the program operates.
“I am one positive story from BOMB, but there are hundreds of others,” Bloom wrote in her message to TMJ4.
We took her concerns to the Milwaukee Health Department (MHD).
Watch Gideon Verdin's full report in the video player below:
Health officials say the program is not being eliminated. However, new enrollment has been paused for approximately a year while the department transitions away from its previous staffing model, and toward contracting with a community-based doula organization.
A program that became part of her family
Bloom was living in Milwaukee when she became pregnant with her second daughter in 2023.
After what she described as a traumatic experience giving birth to her first child, Bloom wanted a doula for her second pregnancy. But with daycare, a mortgage and everyday expenses, she said private doula care — which can cost thousands of dollars — was more than her family could comfortably afford.
Someone told her about BOMB.
Bloom said when she contacted the program, she learned that there were no income or ZIP code restrictions preventing her from applying at the time. Within weeks, she was paired with doula Christina Veling.
Veling came to Bloom’s home every other week, helping the family prepare for delivery, understand their options, and build a birth plan. She also attended some medical appointments with Bloom.
“It was extraordinarily helpful. I mean, Christina even cut my umbilical cord because she was so involved in the process,” Bloom said.
Bloom said that relationship became particularly important because of the fear she carried from her first delivery.
During her second pregnancy, Bloom’s water broke late at night. She said Veling helped her remember conversations they had previously had with her doctor and encouraged her to listen to her body and make informed decisions about when to go to the hospital.
Bloom eventually delivered her second daughter with fewer interventions than she experienced during her first birth.
For her, that advocacy was one of the program’s biggest benefits.
“So I think that was really the biggest takeaway... is to be able to advocate for yourself, and know what's happening to you, and how empowered that has made me,” Bloom said.
Support continued after delivery
Bloom said BOMB’s role did not stop when her daughter was born.
Veling continued checking in for 12 weeks postpartum. Bloom said she offered breastfeeding and lactation resources and helped connect her with organizations including Moms Mental Health Initiative and The Periscope Project as Bloom navigated postpartum mental health challenges.
Bloom said that having someone outside her immediate circle, whose job was to regularly check on her, was especially meaningful during those first weeks after birth.
“Christina really was a part of our family, and we still keep in touch from time to time, and she is an amazing doula, and I'll always be indebted to her,” Bloom said.
Bloom said the experience eventually influenced her career. She now works in the perinatal mental health field.
“I reached out to TMJ4 because I know the impact of this program. It affected me and my family and our daughters, and it would be such a shame for the City of Milwaukee to eliminate this program because of contract issues,” Bloom said.
Health Department: BOMB is not going away
MHD was not available for an on-camera interview Tuesday but responded to TMJ4’s questions by email.
The department was unequivocal about one point: BOMB is not being eliminated.
“MHD remains committed to providing doula services in the community and has no intention of eliminating them,” the department said.
According to MHD, new enrollment was paused approximately a year ago when the department began transitioning to a contracted model. Health officials acknowledged that the transition has taken longer than expected.
Under the new model, the city says it will fund a community-based doula organization that will provide services and accept new clients.
MHD says the goal is to expand access, serve more families, and help grow the number of community-based doulas available in Milwaukee. The department says it is currently finalizing its Request for Proposals, the process through which organizations can compete for the city contract.
MHD hopes to have that contract in place by the end of 2026.
How many families have been affected by the enrollment pause?
That remains unclear.
TMJ4 asked MHD how many families or referrals may have gone unserved while new enrollment has been suspended. The department said it does not have that number.
“Because new enrollment has been paused, MHD does not have a count of families who may have sought doula services during this period,” the department said.
That means while the city says BOMB will return under a new model, there is currently no accounting of how many expecting families may have wanted BOMB services during the roughly year-long pause.
Concerns from local doulas
Bloom believes one hurdle in the transition has been the requirements that local doulas must meet to contract with the city.
She said she has heard concerns about business insurance requirements for independent contractors and the cost those requirements can create for small doula businesses.
“So with that being said, the city did put this kind of...they annotated that they had to have business insurance to move forward in these contracts, and a lot of doulas are saying, 'No, I don't want to do that,'” Bloom said. “And I fully support them too. I mean, they're small business owners in our city; they deserve to have a voice and run their businesses how they please.”
MHD did not specifically address the insurance requirement or Bloom’s characterization of its effect on doula participation in its written responses to TMJ4. The health department said only that it is finalizing the process for selecting a community-based organization to provide the services.
Bloom said she supports the concept of using community doulas and believes the model can work.
“I think that model makes sense as long as there's good people running it and we have...good partnerships with community doulas,” Bloom said.
What happens next?
The key question now is how quickly the city can complete the transition and begin accepting new families again.
MHD has not provided a specific date for enrollment to resume, saying instead that it hopes to have a contract in place by the end of 2026. The department also said that a forthcoming Maternal and Child Health Strategic Plan will lay out its broader approach to improving maternal and infant health outcomes in Milwaukee, including the role of community-based services.
For Bloom, learning that BOMB is not being eliminated eases one concern. Her focus now is making sure the qualities that made the program valuable to her family — accessibility, advocacy, personal relationships and postpartum support — remain part of whatever comes next.
TMJ4 will continue following the transition, including when the city selects a provider and when new families will once again be able to enroll.
BOMB Doula Program
The BOMB program is operated through the City of Milwaukee Health Department and provides doula support to Milwaukee families. New enrollment is currently paused while the city transitions to its new contracted model.
For more information, click here.
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