Penny Simkin, ‘Mother of the Doula Movement,’ Dies at 85
Penny Simkin, a childbirth educator and author who was often described as the “mother of the doula movement,” died on April 11 at her home in Seattle. She was 85. The cause was pancreatic cancer, said her daughter, Linny Simkin. Ms. Simkin, a physical therapist turned birth educator, was a pioneer in helping women have…