In every community I have served, from Sacramento’s Oak Park to the broader statewide networks connected through CalAIM and Medi-Cal’s Birth Equity initiatives, one truth has remained consistent: fathers matter. Fathers change outcomes. Fathers bring stability, emotional grounding, and generational healing into their families. And yet, in far too many systems—healthcare, behavioral health, early childhood, and social services—fathers are still treated as optional, invisible, or secondary to the “real work” of perinatal care.
My name is Imani Lucas, Executive Director of United And Guided, and for the past several years, I have committed my life’s work to changing this reality. Our organization created Sacramento’s first Co-Ed Doula Model, pairing male and female doulas to support both expecting mothers and fathers through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum recovery. As documented in our workshop proposal, this model emerged from a deep recognition that families do not thrive when fathers are left out of the equation. They thrive when fathers are supported, prepared, respected, and invited into the birthing ecosystem as partners, protectors, nurturers, and leaders.
Our model began as an idea—to bridge the gap between traditional clinical care and the emotional, cultural, and relational needs of underserved families. It has since become a movement.
Today, I am honored to bring this work to the 27th International Families and Fathers Conference, to join other men and women committed to transforming fatherhood into a cornerstone of family health and community wellbeing.
Why Fathers? Why Now?
We are living in a time when disparities in maternal and infant health are no longer hidden. Black mothers continue to face disproportionately high rates of mortality and complications. Black fathers remain disconnected from systems that were not designed to include them. Families attempting to navigate fragmented health, behavioral, social, and economic systems often encounter more barriers than bridges.
This is the moment to fundamentally transform the way we engage fathers in perinatal and early childhood care.
When fathers are equipped, emotionally supported, and engaged as equal stakeholders, research consistently shows:
Better birth outcomes
Lower maternal stress and depression
Improved infant development
Stronger co-parenting relationships
Greater family stability
At United And Guided, we see these outcomes every day. Fathers want to show up. They want to protect, nurture, and lead. They just need systems that believe in their presence and invite their voice.
The Birth of the Co-Ed Doula Model
Our work began through a collaboration with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Perinatal Equity Initiative and Black Fathers Inc., grounded in a simple but radical belief:
Birth equity is family equity, and family equity requires father inclusion.
Traditional doula programs center on mothers exclusively. While this support is essential and life-saving, excluding fathers misses a profound opportunity for transformation. Fathers often carry their own fears, traumas, and unmet emotional needs during pregnancy and birth. Without support, these unspoken struggles can limit their ability to fully engage.
Our Co-Ed Doula Model places a female and male doula together as a team:
The female doula supports the birthing parent with clinical navigation, emotional care, and education.
The male doula supports the father or partner—helping him understand his role, process fears, prepare for labor, and stay emotionally grounded.
This dual support system creates symmetry in the birth space. Both parents feel seen. Both feel supported. Both feel responsible for the wellbeing of their child.
The result?
Stronger connection during the prenatal period
Reduced anxiety during labor
More confidence in early bonding and caregiving
Clearer communication in postpartum recovery
This model demonstrates that father inclusion is not an accessory—it's an imperative for health equity.
What We Learned from Fathers
When we began hosting small groups, listening sessions, and father-led spaces, the themes were consistent:
“I want to be there, but I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
“The system doesn’t see me.”
“I want to support her, but nobody has ever supported me.”
“I’m afraid. I’ve never been taught how to be a father.”
“I feel like an outsider in the birth process.”
We learned that fathers need:
Emotional coaching
Skills-based preparation
Culturally relevant mentorship
Clear communication with providers
Validation of their fears and strengths
Spaces to be vulnerable without judgment
Our Co-Ed Doula Service created these spaces. And the transformation was immediate.
One father told us:
“I didn’t just learn how to be present at the birth—I learned how to be present in life.”
Beyond Birth: The Fatherhood Ecosystem
As outlined in our the workshop proposal, our work expanded into a full Fatherhood Ecosystem, including:
Peer coaching by Black and Brown fathers
Co-Ed Doula-led prenatal education
Culturally grounded father-friendly events
Enhanced Care Management and reentry support
Housing and economic stabilization support
Emotional wellness and group healing work
The ecosystem allowed fathers to build community, redefine masculinity, strengthen co-parenting relationships, and develop the skills needed to support their families.
We learned that fatherhood is not an individual journey—it is a collective movement.
The Evolution Toward Dyadic Care
Our next evolution, emerged from a major realization:
Supporting fathers and mothers is powerful. Supporting the father–mother–child relationship is transformative.
This led us to develop the Dyadic Care and Family Resilience concept, where:
Licensed Clinical Social Workers
Licensed Midwives
Licensed Counselors
…work together to provide integrated emotional, behavioral, developmental, and relational support to the caregiver-child unit.
In Dyadic Care, we treat the relationship as the patient. We center connection as the intervention. We align health outcomes with family stability.
This model helps families:
Build emotional regulation
Strengthen bonding
Develop responsive parenting skills
Heal from intergenerational trauma
Navigate systems with support and dignity
Dyadic Care operationalizes the truth that healing spreads across relationships, not individuals.
Why This Matters to the International Community
This year, we received the exciting news that a presenter from Germany registered for the conference. That global presence matters because:
Fatherhood is universal.
Birth equity is global.
Dyadic Care transcends cultural boundaries.
Every family system benefits from intentional father inclusion.
And in every country, fathers are asking the same question:
“How can I be the father my child needs?”
What We Will Share at the Conference
My 90-minute session will walk participants through:
1. Building Inclusive Perinatal Systems
How UAG developed the Co-Ed Doula Model and the lessons learned from fathers navigating healthcare.
2. Centering Fathers in Birth Equity
Real-world data and stories that illustrate how father engagement changes outcomes.
3. Operationalizing Dyadic Care
A step-by-step guide on creating a caregiver–child relational health model.
4. Workforce Development for Male Doulas and Fatherhood Coaches
As outlined on page 3 of the workshop proposal, we will explore how to train, pay, and support a new generation of culturally responsive fatherhood professionals.
5. Coalition-Building Across Sectors
How organizations across states—and across countries—can replicate this model and strengthen their fatherhood ecosystems.
A Call to Action for the Global Fatherhood Community
We are at a turning point. Systems across the nation are recognizing what fatherhood leaders like the International Coalition of Fathers and Families have taught for decades:
Families are stronger when fathers are engaged, empowered, and included.
We cannot achieve birth equity, childhood resilience, or generational transformation without fathers in the room.
This conference is more than a gathering.
It is fuel for a movement.
It is a collective statement that fathers belong in every conversation about family health.
Join Us in Reimagining Family Care
If you believe:
Fathers deserve support
Families deserve culturally grounded care
Communities deserve healing
Children deserve connected parents
Systems deserve transformation
…then I invite you to join me for this workshop.
Together, we can build:
A national advisory group for Dyadic Care
A workforce pipeline for father-inclusive doulas
A network of advocates reshaping perinatal and early childhood systems
A global community committed to family wellbeing
UAG is ready to partner with leaders across the world to build a replicable, sustainable, father-centered movement for years to come.
Fathers and families deserve systems that see them, value them, and uplift them. The work we do together at this conference will ripple outward—to homes, to communities, and across generations.
I look forward to learning from each of you, sharing our journey, and building a future where fatherhood is not an afterthought — but a foundation. Register for the 27th International Fathers And Families 2026 here.
