As one of the first in her friend group to have a baby, Tamiya remembers moments from the early weeks with her son and the appreciation she felt for a friend who came over, took the baby, and told her to take a long shower. She learned about doulas shortly after, but didn’t think to train as one herself until three years later at a community meeting where community members requested doula services from the health department and advocated for the ways doulas can impact outcomes. She knew at that moment that she wanted to be a doula. She completed her training the following summer. 

Tamiya had always felt called to help others navigate pregnancy and the tender, early months of parenthood. By the time she got her formal training, she’d supported so many through these stages that the doula certification felt more like confirmation of the role she was already playing, than an entirely new one. 

Can you tell me a little bit about your background and why you decided to train as a doula?

In college I studied Family Science, with a focus on maternal and child health. I also got pregnant with my 7-year-old son, Kaiden, during my senior year of college, so everything I was passionate about learning, I was also experiencing.

It wasn’t until after I had my son, when all the visitors had come and gone and I found myself alone not knowing what to do with him or how to care for myself, that I started to think about how to help other mothers in similar situations. That’s when I found out about doulas. And so, in summer of 2018 I trained with DTI as a birth and postpartum doula.

Can you tell me a little more about what birth doulas and postpartum doulas do?

The Greek term for doula is “servant, or a woman who serves.” At first this definition rubbed me the wrong way. It sounded like doing meaningless work for another person, but as I dove deeper into the doula world, I realized it was the complete opposite. Doulas provide emotional and physical support, offer education, and advocate for the birthing person. A birth doula usually helps create birth plans, teach comfort measures, and discuss labor and delivery. Postpartum doulas provide after birth support for the birthing person by discussing the birth experience (especially if it was traumatic), helping with the transition into parenthood, and providing breastfeeding guidance, newborn care, and community resources. 

What do you think people misunderstand about doula work?

People often confuse doulas with midwives, and although the philosophies surrounding birth are very similar, doulas do not provide medical advice or support. But doulas and midwives do work very well together – their philosophies around birth (especially labor and delivery) are aligned. The hospital environment on the other hand wasn’t always welcoming to doulas, but I’ve definitely seen this change over the last few years as doula care has become more universal. There isn’t the same power struggle in hospitals that there used to be between hospital staff and doulas. 

I also think people have a perception that doula work is more fun than work, and it’s far from that. Holding space for others is a huge task to take on, and can be a really heavy load to carry. Lastly, with so many positive statistics surrounding doula care, there is added pressure on us, as if we are the ones deciding a birthing person’s experience.  

Who could benefit from working with a birth doula? When should they start looking for one?

Any and every birthing person, but I especially think women of color regardless of education or socioeconomic status, benefit from having a doula. With the horrifying statistics surrounding Black mothers and babies, on top of a history of people of color being dismissed in medical and healthcare settings, having a doula can really change the trajectory of one’s birth experience. And while it isn’t the responsibility of the doula to correct this, doulas have been known to save people of color’s lives. 

You can start looking for a doula as soon as you start to plan for a baby. Support may not start that early, but finding a doula can take some time and the more time you have, the better the chance you’ll have a strong connection with your doula. 

Who could benefit from working with a postpartum doula? If they hire a birth doula, should it be the same person?

Every birthing person could benefit from a postpartum doula. To have support through such a huge transition is so beneficial. A postpartum doula can identify signs and symptoms and encourage people to seek support. Postpartum doulas can help if families have older children. They can also simply hold space so the birthing person doesn’t feel alone. 

How should someone go about finding a doula that’s a good fit? Do you have any questions you’d recommend Ovia members ask?

Before getting to the point of thinking about what questions to ask your prospective doula, I would advise you to consider what you hope to gain from having a doula with you. This will help guide the questions you ask. Some people are birthing alone and are looking for support, some people are afraid of being mistreated and want an advocate, some people want to know how to manage pain. Once you figure out what you are looking for in a doula the questions to ask them will come naturally. 

There are multiple ways to find a doula. Some doula organizations have directories, some hospitals and OB offices have doulas who they can recommend. There are websites like DoulaMatch and facebook groups. I have even seen doula speed dating events!

Doulas are not one-size-fits all, so the earlier you start looking, the better chance you’ll have to build a relationship and connection with them. 

What do you do to help spark a connection with the client?

I try to include everyone who wants to be a part of the birth. A lot of misconceptions come from people thinking that the doula is replacing the partner. So including the partner in the process is essential. I give them the techniques to use (for example how to hip squeeze during a contraction) and I can give the family the language to speak for themselves. I’m not there to take over anyone’s role, but to support the family in the way that they choose to be supported. I also share my own experiences to show them that I’ve been where they are. 

How do doulas get support themselves? This is intense work – is there anything the Ovia community can do to support doulas?

This is very intense work, its emotional labor. Some doulas form collectives where debriefing from births is a standard practice. Others have individual mentors or talk with their own therapists as well. Doulas are pretty good at gaging the number of births we can take on and giving ourselves breaks to rest and rejuvenate.

Read more

• What you should know about doulas 
• Where can Black families go for breastfeeding support?

OB/GYN

You’ve likely heard about OB/GYNs, but here’s the formal definition. An OB/GYN is a doctor whose specialty is obstetrics (the branch of medicine dedicated to childbirth and the care of women giving birth) and gynecology (the branch dedicated to the reproductive system).

Many women with low-risk pregnancies who plan to give birth in hospitals often choose OB/GYNs as their primary care providers during pregnancy, but when it comes time for delivery, they are safe in the hands of other providers like nurses or midwives. For women with high risk pregnancies, OB/GYNs are the recommended birth providers because they are the most well-equipped to deal with any complications and surgeries like C-sections.

If you’re considering giving birth at a birth center or other non-hospital setting and want an OB/GYN present, it’s important to note that OB/GYNs often serve as consultants at birth centers, but likely will not be present unless there are complications. Find out where your OB/GYN delivers as you create your birth plan.

Midwife

Midwives are healthcare providers who offer comprehensive care to childbearing women during pregnancy, labor, and birth. Midwives are also trained to serve as primary care providers Midwives can provide much of the same care that an OB/GYN can.

Women with low-risk pregnancies who work with midwives often experience fewer medical interventions, and may deliver babies in a variety of settings, including hospitals, birthing centers, and homes.

One of the biggest differences between a midwife and an OB-GYN is a difference in philosophy — midwives view pregnancy and birth as natural life events rather than major medical events. If this philosophy rings true for you and your pregnancy is low risk, a midwife could be a great fit.

Birth Doula

Birth doulas are labor coaches who help prepare you mentally and emotionally for delivery, and guide you through it. Doulas know about every facet of the labor process and can help you get a firm grasp on what will definitely happen, and what could.

Doulas can be useful for women who have had other pregnancies as well, because every pregnancy and delivery is different. It’s important to note that doulas are not doctors, and so may not be knowledgeable about a specific high-risk or complicated pregnancy. Postpartum doulas can also help you adjust to life with your new one and breastfeeding.

Birth Partner

Think of your birth partner as your right-hand. This person could be a partner, parent, sibling, or friend, as long as they are a person who supports you and you feel you can trust. Delivery is intense, and someone who helps you work through stress and discomfort is an ideal match for delivery day.

You get to decide who joins you for the birth journey, so spend a little time thinking about who can help you prepare for delivery and join you for the process.

Read more

• Building a birth plan
• Finding the delivery location that is right for you

Find your primary support person

Determine your primary support person. This person would be responsible for driving you home, making sure you are fed, and helping you with basic needs. This could be your partner, a close friend, a family member, or a postpartum doula — whoever they are, it’s important that you can rely on them. 

Make a clear, documented plan of your expectations for those first forty days with your support person. If it seems like too much for them to take on alone, bring on more than one person so they can work in shifts to support you and your baby. It’s important that whoever you choose is encouraging, nonjudgemental, and capable of supporting you holistically. 

Set up a food chain

Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need. Everyone is going to want to meet your little one, so ask them to bring basics when they visit. Request that family and friends drop off food so you don’t have to spend any energy thinking about what you are going to eat and preparing food. 

Make sure to clearly articulate your dietary needs ahead of time! Here’s one option for organizing meals: https://www.mealtrain.com. There are plenty of other resources with similar functionality. 

Arrange your appointments before delivery day

Book your postpartum wellness check ups before your little one arrives! Schedule your appointments now, and put them on the calendar so your primary support person can refresh your memory and help transport you to the appointments. Although, if something doesn’t feel right before your scheduled check-up, don’t hesitate to call your provider. 

Plan for the worst, but expect the best

Life can sometimes take some unexpected twists. It’s important to be as prepared as possible for the worst. Talk to your provider about your specific health conditions to get a better understanding of what could happen during labor and postpartum. Ask questions about what you can expect physically and emotionally during those first 40 days and what are common warning signs. Once you have a clearer picture of what to expect during labor, make a plan for each emergency scenario and clearly talk through it with your primary support person so they can advocate for your needs and wants.

The bottom line 

Create a postpartum plan now. It is important to start thinking about your first 40 days and beyond, so you can set expectations with your support network well in advance. Lean on your network to support you in communicating with your provider if something doesn’t feel right.

Read more

• Feeling more like you after giving birth
• The nitty gritty: Emotional stress after giving birth

How can doulas help?

Starting in pregnancy, doulas can support you by helping you learn more about labor and delivery, answering questions you have about the process, and helping make sure that you know all your options before the big day. Doulas can also support you throughout labor, helping you position your body to find more comfort, offering hands-on touch to provide relief and promote calm, and helping you communicate with your healthcare provider to ensure that you feel in control during the process.

And because, in many instances, you might not deliver your baby with the healthcare provider who has been seeing you throughout your pregnancy, a doula can serve as a great source of consistency and stability throughout your pregnancy journey. They can even provide you with support postpartum as your body recovers, as you learn to breastfeed (if you choose to) and care for an infant, and as you adjust to how this major transition reshapes your life. 

Another big way doulas offer support is by helping you to advocate for the kind of care you want and need. Self-advocacy when it comes to the medical care you’ll receive during this time is hugely important, especially if you experience a medical professional who is not really hearing you. Because you’ll have been working with your doula for sometime and they’ll really understand what you want and need — and because you’ll likely be very comfortable speaking with them honestly about your wants and needs — they can help back you up, communicate your needs, and make sure you’re heard.  

In addition, recent research shows that doulas can help lead to better health outcomes. Folks who work with doulas are less likely to experience complications that involve them or their baby, are less likely to have a baby with low birth weight, and have higher rates of breastfeeding.

Why it’s important to find one who gets you

Clearly working with a doula has some major benefits, but how can you choose one who’ll be best for you? It can be incredibly helpful to work with a doula who can provide you with personalized support — physically, emotionally, and educationally. Often finding a doula who works in your community — someone who you feel you can really connect with and speak with honestly — is the best choice.

How doulas can play a role in helping with birth equity

Health inequity in the United States has devastating consequences for Black women and families, who experience disproportionately worse maternal and infant health outcomes for a number of reasons — including limited access to care, dismissal of pain and other health concerns, and higher rates of underlying health conditions — racism and unconscious bias in the healthcare system are huge factors in each of these areas.

Doulas can play a role in improving  birth equity, which is “the assurance of the conditions of optimal births for all people, with a willingness to address racial and social inequities in a sustained effort.” There are, for example, doula groups run by and for Black women, so that those doulas can really understand what the people they are working with are going through, the challenges they may be facing, and can help support all of their unique needs. A personalized doula experience, where you really feel like your doula understands your unique needs and wishes, can greatly improve health outcomes. 

You deserve support

So if you’d like to work with a doula, try and seek one out in your community who you connect with and who understands where you’re coming from. A quick internet search may help you find independent doulas or doula groups in your area (DONA International, a leading doula certifying organization, has a database to search by location). You may also want to ask your healthcare provider if they have any recommendations. And it’s also worth noting that some healthcare offices and community clinics may even be able to help get you set up to work with doulas in your community, some of whom may be available to support you at no cost during pregnancy and postpartum.

Doulas can be expensive and inaccessible for some people to hire on their own, so even if free community doula services are not available through your healthcare office or clinic, many student doulas do offer free or discounted services. So if you’re interested in doula services, start your search today. You deserve to have the kind of support a doula can provide. 

Read more

• How to advocate for yourself as a patient to get the care you deserve
• Why bringing a support person with you to appointments can help you advocate for the best healthcare

Sources

• Kenneth J. Gruber, Susan H. Cupito, Christina F. Dobson. “Impact of Doulas on Healthy Birth Outcomes.” The Journal of Perinatal Education. 22(1): 49-58. Winter 2013. Retrieved August 31 2020. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3647727/.
• “Find a Doula.” DONA International. DONA International. Retrieved August 31 2020. https://www.dona.org/what-is-a-doula/find-a-doula/.
• “Obstetric Care Consensus: Safe Prevention of the Primary Cesarean Delivery.” The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2016. Retrieved August 31 2020. https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/obstetric-care-consensus/articles/2014/03/safe-prevention-of-the-primary-cesarean-delivery.

As a queer Black person, it can be especially helpful to see a care team that shares your cultural background. Studies show that seeing Black providers typically leads to better health education and health outcomes for Black patients. Here are some tips to help you navigate the system and advocate for yourself.

Find a provider who gets you

First things first: it’s critical that you find a provider who really understands your position, whether or not they’re queer and Black themselves. Finding a provider that takes the time to correctly pronounce your name and use your pronouns, can go a long way in making you feel comfortable and taken care of.  If your provider is consistently misgendering you or mispronouncing your name, this can be a clear sign that they are not a good fit for you. 

Don’t be afraid to shop around for a provider that makes you feel comfortable. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, and the OB/GYN your friend loves so much may still not be the right fit for you. Ovia Health’s coaching team can help you find in-network providers who fit your needs across specialities, location, queer-friendliness, racial and ethnic identity, and more. Once you have your list together, schedule a few appointments and be sure to ask each provider specific questions during your first visit about how you will work together towards your reproductive health goals. about finding the right provider. 

Consider alternative options

More and more people are choosing to work with a midwife for their ongoing reproductive care rather than a traditional OB/GYN. Midwives offer most services that OB/GYNs do and focus on taking a whole-health approach to patient care. They can address low-risk to normal-risk conditions, whether around sexual health, pregnancy and birth, or postpartum. They can help with things like STI counseling and testing, common concerns like yeast infections or UTIs, and fertility support. In fact, due to their holistic approach, many midwives focus on ensuring that you and your body are prepared to have the healthiest pregnancy possible if you are trying to conceive. The ability to prescribe medications can vary by state. 

If you already have a provider but aren’t satisfied with their care, or if your goals have changed (perhaps you’re now trying to get pregnant), consider switching providers for one that better fits your needs. Advocate for yourself and find the right fit for you.

Advocate for your needs

During every visit, you have the right to ask as many questions as you want to understand exactly what is going on with your body. Try keeping a list of the concerns that arise in between visits and bringing it to your next appointment (and be sure to talk to an Ovia Coach in the meantime!) Check out these helpful resources on talking to your provider. 

You have the right to be seen, heard, and get the care you need.

Sources

• “What is a Midwife and Why Might a Woman Want to See One?” Jessica Costa, CNM. Cleveland Clinic. Cleveland Clinic. December 12, 2018. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/podcasts/health-essentials/what-is-a-midwife-and-why-might-a-woman-want-to-see-one. 
• “Benefits of Using a Midwife.” Cleveland Clinic. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/departments/obgyn-womens-health/depts/obstetrics-family-maternity-center/midwife#benefits-tab.

So you’re pregnant. Awesome! You’ve probably been busy picking out names, toys, cribs, and everything else you’ll need for Baby. While preparing for after their arrival is important, it’s just as important to prepare for the birth itself, and the best way to do that is with your birth plan.

What can be included?

Anything goes! Birth plans can be bulleted lists or longer descriptions with photos and pictures – it’s totally up to you. Most birth plans are short, and it’s helpful to list your preferences and hopes for your labor, birth and early postpartum care (for you and baby). Your provider and you can go over this document prenatally, but it’s also designed for the healthcare workers who will be helping to care for you on the big day without ever having met you before.

Specifically, you can include:

• How you want to go about each stage of labor: Walking through the steps of labor and outlining your hopes for everyone involved in the birth will help ease your nerves about the big day and aid in a happy, healthy birth.
• How you’d prefer to handle pain: Every labor is different, and the only thing you can expect is the unexpected, but it’s still important to weigh the many options for pain treatment available at your facility.
• The type of environment you want: Baby’s first view of the world is all up to you and your partner, so consider how you want to set up the room where your baby makes their big debut.
• Who you want there: To create the most comfortable environment possible, you should be specific about who will help you to the finish line.
• Plan A and Plan B: It’s helpful to explore your preferences in unexpected scenarios, like an unplanned cesarean or NICU admission.
• Baby’s treatment after birth:  If you’re not sure what’s standard after giving birth, check out this article on typical testing and medications for newborns. Your feeding plan is also helpful to communicate.
• Postpartum care for you: From pain management to plans for going home, it’s okay to mark down some preferences about your own care after giving birth.

Birth plans are a flexible and ever-changing document. It’s helpful to bring yours to your provider prenatally and get their take on what’s available where you plan to give birth or to make sure some things you’re hoping for are 100% standard already. Remember that you’re always free to change your plans or preferences in the moment, as there are usually twists and turns on this journey to Baby!

Read more

• Labor and delivery options: finding the perfect one
• Building a birth plan

1. Prepare for uncertainty 

While we can probably all agree that accepting “uncertainty as the only certainty” is easier said than done, most of us worry less about uncertainty when we feel prepared. Writing a birth plan helps channel any anxious energy into something productive. Use your sense of accomplishment from creating your rock-star birth plan to help you conquer your fear of childbirth.

2. A birth plan helps you get to know your provider better

Talking early (anytime after 25-30 weeks) and often about your childbirth and postpartum plan helps you confirm that you have chosen the right provider for you. The right provider for you is someone who listens to you and who you can trust. When you trust your provider (or provider team), you can feel more confident that they have your best interest at heart.

3. Choose who should attend the main event

Just as you need to know that your provider has your back, you want to make sure the right people are around you when contractions start for real. (Who knows, maybe you have always been waiting for the chance to be able to tell your MIL to take a hike?) A birth plan can be a tactful way to have these difficult conversations before you’re in labor. Nobody wants family drama in their delivery room!

4. Birth plan = partner’s prep

Even if your partner is an OB/GYN, that doesn’t mean they know exactly how to support you in the delivery room. Every birth partner needs to prepare, regardless of who they are. Researching, writing, and talking about a birth plan together can help ease your birth partner’s worries too. The last thing you want to be worrying about in labor is your partner worrying about you.

5. Let your knowledge help you reclaim your power

Learn about what is and isn’t normal during pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum. There is a reason why What to Expect When You’re Expecting was such a blockbuster success — expectant parents need information to prepare. So geek out all you want on crafting the mother-of-all birth plans — doing so will help you prepare for the main event. You’ll feel more confident, powerful, and in control because less will be new, unfamiliar, or unknown during your delivery and postpartum.

6. Establish open lines of communication

Many people who are afraid of childbirth worry that they will not have a voice in decision-making. When it comes to a good birth, over communication is the name of the game. Talking about your birth preferences early and often with as many people as possible will likely help reduce your anxiety. Think of your birth plan as your opportunity to tell your doctor and labor and delivery nurses what you do and don’t want to happen at your delivery. The more practice you get talking about complicated health information with healthcare providers, the more your self-confidence and power will grow. It is time to claim your seat at the table (or birthing stool in the delivery room as the case may be).

Worrying less during pregnancy is good for you and your baby. A June 2013 review in ​Obstetric Medicine​ also found that prenatal stress — like fears about childbirth — can have lasting physical consequences for both expecting parents and their babies, including low birth weight, premature delivery, and gestational diabetes. Writing your birth plan can help you meet uncertainty with acceptance, not anxiety. When your birth plan is flexible and comprehensive, both you and your birth team can turn to it as a good birth wishlist — a guide to what matters most to you as you enter the next chapter of your life as an expectant parent.

Read more

• Building a birth plan
• Finding an OB/GYN or midwife

Read more

• Find a healthcare provider that really gets you
• How to advocate for yourself as a patient to get the care you deserve

However, what a great birth plan can do is provide you with the tools and confidence to be able to navigate the unexpected. A birth plan can be the foundation for trust and open communication with your birth partner, healthcare provider, and birth team. Having this foundation can help ease anxiety about labor and help you feel more prepared.

How can writing a birth plan build trust?

By having conversations about topics like pain management options or breastfeeding choices, you can reassure yourself ahead of time that your provider understands you and your expectations. These chats help you to feel heard and supported — what we all need to trust. And we know that patients do better the more trust they have in their healthcare providers.

With large OB/GYN practices and hospital births, many of us can only hope that “our provider” is the one who delivers our baby — we’re lucky if we see the same person twice for prenatal visits. But you can use this reality to your advantage. Having multiple conversations with different providers about your birth plan at prenatal visits can help clarify your preferences and ensure that you (and your birth partner) practice clearly communicating.

Birth plans promote healing and offer protection

Pregnant people’s lived history of emotional struggles, personal battles, trauma, or life challenges come with them into the delivery room. Researchers observe that survivors of mental health disorders, fertility struggles, pregnancy losses, trauma, and violence can all experience increased stress levels during their pregnancy, complications during labor and delivery, breastfeeding challenges, and/or postpartum depression. Other pregnant people such as immigrants, members of the LGBTQ+ community, or women of color may experience discrimination and therefore be more vulnerable to challenges along their parenthood journey. These research observations do not promise that just because you are a survivor, you are destined for a complicated pregnancy, birth, or postpartum recovery — instead they indicate a vulnerability. Crafting a trauma-informed birth plan can help protect you against potential vulnerabilities and lower your risk for problems.

A trauma-informed birth plan is one that specifically acknowledges how your life experiences may impact your pregnancy, delivery and postpartum journey. For example, telling your healthcare provider that you want to limit the number of medical students or residents in your delivery room may help you feel more comfortable.

Why is a birth plan especially helpful if I’m a Black woman or birthing person?

Regardless of your race or ethnicity, your delivery or postpartum period may not go according to plan, but Black women, are at a higher risk for experiencing complications in childbirth or postpartum due to bias within and beyond the healthcare system. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) believes as many as 60% of these complications are preventable. What can you do to have a safe and healthy birth?

A birth plan is one way for you to start reclaiming the kind of pregnancy, birth and postpartum experience that you deserve. Experts suggest acknowledging and talking specifically with your provider about how racism could effect your pregnancy, your delivery, and postpartum experience. Working together, you can create a plan that anticipates and plans for potential impacts of medical racism.

For example, talking about your increased risk for preeclampsia (a potentially dangerous high blood pressure condition of pregnancy and postpartum) and learning about the symptoms of preeclampsia could save your life. Writing in your birth plan that your blood pressure will be checked more frequently during pregnancy and in the weeks following delivery can help you feel less anxiety, build trust in your provider, and keep you safe.

You can be more comfortable in labor with your birth plan

We also know that when we are in pain or a state of panic, it is hard to think clearly. It becomes even more difficult to understand complicated health information, such as giving informed consent to start an epidural. Having thoughtfully learned about and talked over your pain management options long before any contractions kick in reassures you that your wishes will be taken into consideration. You are therefore able to feel less anxious and more at ease.

Research has shown that the medical system undertreats Black women’s pain. Talking about your fear that your labor pain may not be taken seriously during prenatal visits with your healthcare provider will help them be conscious of this concern, help to build trust between you, and may help lower your stress level.

We also know that when we are anxious, worried, or scared we feel more pain. The confidence and peace of mind a birth plan can bring will help you cope better with discomfort. A relaxed mind helps your muscles relax, breaking the fear-tension-pain cycle and helping labor progress naturally.

Use your birth plan to cultivate confidence

Being able to advocate for yourself builds your inner confidence. From the foundation of mutual trust with your healthcare team, your birth plan forms the scaffolding for confidence in your own ability to have a good birth. Your birth plan is something you can return to whenever you feel anxious about the uncertainty or unknowns of your birth. Although your birth plan doesn’t have all the answers, you can take comfort in knowing you have considered your options and have mapped out the plan that’s best for you.

Read more

• Birth plans: delivery environment, pain management, and more
• 6 reasons why you should write a birth plan

Michelle Matos-Becerra, Ovia Health Contributor

Comfort, emotional and physical support, information, advocacy, peace of mind, and pain management techniques are the tenets of being a doula. In ancient times female relatives assisted the midwife, aiding her through the joyful act of bringing babies into this world. While doulas have been part of the birthing process for generations, the role began to integrate into recognized birthwork in the 70s and 80s.

At a local level, Black doulas are stepping in to create an ecosystem of support for families across all socio-economic backgrounds with vital techniques, care, and culturally sensitive resources. They’re focused on making sure that each family gets the strong foundational support and birth experience they deserve throughout their ante and postpartum birth journeys.

Black women are dying at roughly three times the rate of white women in birth-related deaths. Black women over 30 are 4 to 5 times more likely to die in childbirth than white women. The disparity in Black maternal outcomes, and Black women’s struggle to be seen and heard by the medical system, has led to a rise in people across the Black community dedicating themselves to changing the narrative with each supported birth they shepherd.

As one of our spotlighted doulas, Chanel L. Porchia, Founder & CEO of Ancient Song Doula Services, states, “I want to see structural oppression and its root causes held accountable to the people and the generations who have suffered and continue to suffer through the dehumanization and criminalization of BIPOC birthing people and in parenting.”

We are celebrating Black doulas doing the work and evolving the birth experience for so many women of color by spotlighting seven mission-focused doulas across the country who are creating real change in their communities.

A Family Duty

Toni Taylor and Tayo Mbande

The Chicago Birth Collective
Chicago, Illinois

For mother-daughter birthworkers, Toni and Tayo, their doula commitment has roots in tradition and legacy.

After Tayo’s first birth, they realized that their destiny was to become birthworkers. As daughter Tayo explains, “we’ve both been working as full-time doulas since then, though my mother has been our family birth keeper for decades.”

In 2018 they launched The Chicago Birthworks Collective, the first collective of birthworkers, healers, and wellness practitioners uniquely serving Black birthing families across the city, assisting over 1,500 families to date.

Toni takes a more hands-off approach when supporting families through their birth journey. “I share as much knowledge as I possibly can, allow them to make choices that feel within their capacity, and support them as they journey to the other side of pregnancy, through birth and into postpartum. My own motherhood journey has taught me that this entire reproductive cycle, pregnancy, birth, parenting is fragile, ever-changing. There is no one who can fully control it, so we’ve got to be hands-off and respect and ride the waves.” For her daughter, Tayo, being consistent and encouraging allows her to help families recognize they deserve to be heard and seen.

Both women have encountered empowering moments when working with mothers. Toni recalls one of her first moms who had a very surprising playlist that let her be free and express what she wanted and needed. “Just before she was ready to push (a self-declared great pusher), she asked me to put her eyelashes on, which she sat patiently still for.”

Tayo felt a sense of community during a twin birth where all of the people in the room felt free to be comfortable to express themselves freely. ‘Baby A was born, and the OB said, ‘Oh, I just love Black babies, always born with a head full of hair.’ We laughed, and I mentioned that my son was born as bald as George Jefferson. The OB slid his face shield and glasses down and said, ‘His daddy must not have been Black then.’ It was such a sacred moment between the three of us where we all belly laughed so hard. I love being part of these spaces where Black folks can feel safe to be themselves, especially during birth.”

For the doula duo, working together has created a mutual understanding and immense respect. They describe it as literally mothering mothers while they are being mothered. Toni feels it gives her a reflection of herself and how she can still change and evolve as a Mother.

Toni and Tayo see change for women of color in maternal and birth care focused on eradicating harm through a brave reclaiming of our bodies.

“There must be a serious unlearning of harmful practices, thought patterns and structures. The history of obstetrics in America is deeply rooted in the direct harm and brutalization of Black women’s bodies. We have to be brave in navigating this reality and dig into systems, practices and ways of thinking that our grandmothers, their mothers and their mothers knew were not only safe, but the absolute best for us. It’s going to take much bravery. We’ve also got to have a widespread acknowledgment of the racist inception of obstetrics and a radical recentering of Black and other POC as experts in their own bodily experiences.”

Discovering an Ancient Song

Chanel L. Porchia-Albert CD, CPD, CLC, CHHC

Ancient Song Doula Services
Brooklyn, New York

Chanel L. Porchia-Albert begins her connection with families by asking two questions: What does support look like to you? And, how do you envision your birthing process? “These questions are often the catalyst for deeper conversations and give an introspective approach to care that is often missing,” she says. “I center them by uplifting a culturally humble approach of learning from them. Each person is unique, but what I have learned is that we all have an Ancient Song. An ancestral connection to the source that guides us and that source is ever-present when someone becomes pregnant. Everything that has happened to them and the generations before them is encoded with their spiritual and physical DNA. It’s important for us to center them and listen and hear, not always to respond, but to understand.”

With this mindset, Porchia-Albert, who is also an NYC Commissioner for Gender Equity and vegan chef, has assisted 100+ families in their birth care. She credits her children for being the catalyst for her work. “If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I want them to grow up in a world where they are Seen, Heard, and Loved,” she says. Staying connected and speaking to the community is another way to gain insights into her field. As Chanel states, “They know exactly what’s going on in the community and the best ways to approach situations.”

She wants Black women appreciated for their contribution to humanity. “I want to see Black motherhood treated not as a political act of revolution but as an act of grace in bringing forth life in the world to continue a rich legacy centered on hope, love, and joy.”

Chanel cites many women in the birthwork space as inspirations, including her own midwife, Memaniye Cinque, and midwife and trailblazer, Shafia Monroe along with Jennie Joseph, midwife and CEO of Commonsense Childbirth Inc.; Loretta J. Ross, academic and reproductive justice advocate; Dr. Lynn Roberts, Assistant Professor of Community Health and Social Sciences at CUNY, and so many more also have influenced and motivated her work.

Chanel has found herself enjoying the lighthearted moments that organically happen during the process. “I attended one home birth where the mom and family told jokes the entire time. Playing music and enjoying the moment. When the mom would have a contraction, she would become very internal, but as soon as it ended, she would tell a joke about it. Not only did it center her, but it made the room feel light. So many times, we are fed the narrative about pain and agony in the birthing process, but it’s a magical moment every second of it to see life penetrate into this world in real-time. It’s truly an ancestral process that touches the soul and connects us to the source. Understanding that our work is more than just aromatherapy and rubbing backs. It’s a reclaiming of ourselves and a generational healing.”

Guiding Hands

Emilie Rodriguez

Ashé Birth Services
Bronx, New York

Every time she assists a birth, doula Emilie Rodriguez feels her great grandmother Edna Redding’s hands guiding hers. And every time she gets a chance, she sits down with the family matriarch to hear stories about her years of being a midwife in the South.

Despite her expertise in birth as a trained veterinarian and medical anthropologist, Rodriguez faced a steep learning curve as she struggled to prepare herself and her body during her pregnancy. “I got a doula and started reading. I attended an amazing comprehensive childbirth education course at Manhattan Birth with my partner and sat down for lunch with an elder, Chanel Porchia from Ancient Song Doula Services. With the right information and solid support, I switched from a hospital to a birthing center, and then ultimately to a home birth midwife within my pregnancy. Despite desiring an unmedicated birth, I didn’t think I could have a home birth for my first baby (since I didn’t know what I was doing), much less afford one. But I did on Medicaid at that! Labor wasn’t what I expected at all, and it was beautifully transformative!”

Over five years, she’s assisted over 150 families as a traditional full-time birth and postpartum doula. And through her organization, Ashé Birthing Services, her team has reached about 400 families. Emilie keeps up with new approaches through training and by communing with other birth workers to keep each other accountable on current peer-reviewed research. But it’s her elders, ancestors, and the long-forgotten indigenous medicine that she seeks to infuse into her process.

Emilie approaches her doula work by meeting families where they are and offering them the insights they need to make informed choices that are right for them. “My own birth has taught me what pregnancy, birth, and postpartum is like, but maturity and experience has taught me how to be an anchor and guide for the families I help during such a sacred time.”

She loves the little moments that happen during the birthing process, such as one family who danced to James Brown during active labor, one woman who waited to push until a particular Beyonce song was on, and the two-year-old who jumped into the birthing pool after the birth!

Emilie knows that racism, not race, across the medical profession, is killing women of color. She believes more accessible options such as freestanding birthing centers and Black midwives’ integration into the process are a big part of the answer. “We need to enable easier pathways to midwifery (to make up for the attempted erasure in the past) and to make it easy for families to find them. That’s why we created The Bridge Directory — an invaluable resource to find birth workers of color in your area, starting with New York City. Once we bridge problems of access, we can build community and equip ourselves with the information and the tools to demand better care.”

In Pursuit of Fierce, Fresh, Fit, Mamas

Wasidah Francois

Bronx, New York
www.wasidah.com

Wasidah integrates what she has learned through her NAFSA Project School certification in traditional Moroccan doula techniques into her full-spectrum doula work, which primarily focuses on fertility and postpartum.

In two and half years, she has worked with 10 families who have chosen her to be their supportive and guiding voice to learn from and lean on postpartum. “I am passionate about mental health. I was overseeing mothers and women in general not having the opportunity or space to heal properly after a birth”, she says.

Wasidah infuses her background as a certified personal trainer, her B.A. in fashion design, and work as a stylist into her birthwork approach Wasidah. She integrates feeling and looking good into helping women get healthy and stay healthy before and after pregnancy. She focuses on helping her mothers keep a fierce, fit and fabulous state of being as they strive to get pregnant and achieve a healthy postpartum outlook.

She believes that Black women need to be cared for respectfully and sensitively in order to achieve positive maternal outcomes for Black families everywhere.

Out of Pain a Beloved Path

Fametta Darling

My Darling Doula
Charlotte, North Carolina

Many Black birthworkers’ own personal births have propelled them towards a commitment to making sure that another woman’s experience is better and safer than theirs.

After a traumatic birth with a racist midwife, Fametta suffered through years of postpartum depression. During that time, she discovered that providing support to others like her was her destiny. “I did not want to see other families go through what I experienced. I am passionate about all things birth and enjoy educating pregnant people on ways that they can advocate for themselves. I continue to be inspired by the determination and strength of the families that I serve.”

A committed life-long learner, Fametta keeps education top of mind, attending advanced training and seminars that have allowed her to connect with and support over 172 families since she started My Darling Doula. Her dedication to prioritizing her continued learning is rooted in a need to make sure she stays current and compliant in her field. For Fametta, this ensures she can support families and solve problems that arise quickly. Her dedication has been recognized by families in Charlotte — My Darling Doula has been voted in the top 9 out of 147 Charlotte, NC doulas to have on your birth team for four consecutive years.

Fametta has a deep connection to her native Liberia, a country with one of the highest infant mortality rates globally. She hopes to one day affect change there once she completes her midwifery training. “I am motivated by my grandmother’s legacy. She was a Liberian elder in our small Charlotte, NC, Liberian community. She never met a stranger and was very much a doula without having the word in her vocabulary. She massaged pregnant mothers, counseled families, prepared meals, made herbal medicines, took care of babies, and supported families as they transitioned into the postpartum period.”

For Fametta achieving sound maternal health for women of color has to come from a place of power and leadership. “Black women have consistently been trailblazers in the fight to resolve many of the social injustices in American society. Whether one examines Black women’s access to healthcare, earnings, or access to much needed social support like childcare and eldercare, Black women are getting the short end of the stick, even as our ideas are co-opted. Yet, our contributions are still undervalued and under-compensated. I would like to see more Black women holding leadership roles and advancing the vision of American culture through politics, health care, criminal justice, news media, etc., to ensure that the issues affecting women, families, and people of color are addressed.”

Being the Change

Meshawn Tarver Siddiq, MPH

H.E.R. Institute
New Orleans, Louisiana

In 2002 when the time to become a mother was upon her, Meshawn Tarver had all she needed. She had a trusted birthing team, the support of a great companion, and a peaceful, calm environment when she gave birth to her daughter. “I felt empowered, protected, and at peace. When I learned that every woman did not have the right to the same opportunity, I had to be a part of the change. I firmly believe that everyone has the right to birth in the manner she chooses, and the world is there to support her on the journey because all life comes through her.”

Since this realization, Tarver has been a HypnoBirthing Childbirth Educator since 2007 and officially trained as a doula since 2016. She has founded the H.E.R. Institute, a non-profit providing health education, outreach and consulting services in the New Orleans community to prioritize maternal health, birthing, breastfeeding, and teen health. She also engages pregnant or breastfeeding mothers with the Nola Baby Cafe to give them a place to gather and learn new lactation techniques.

This intense drive to provide actionable services and resources is rooted in Meshawn’s belief that Black women’s maternal health can significantly improve if they are offered options to give birth in communities that reflect and validate them, and where they feel safe and secure. “They have access to fresh foods, and the air is clean, the people look like them…access to birthing hospitals that provide respectful maternity care, a free birthing center, AND home birth midwives. I want them to have access to postpartum care and the ability to stay home to bond with the baby for one year postpartum and access to quality child care if they choose to return to work.”

Meshawn understands motherhood’s vulnerability and how important it is for the families she works with to build confidence and feel the freedom to choose in the birth process. This approach is rooted in her commitment to researching her craft, keeping up with CDC reports and Maternity Weekly reports, along with constant training. She is also motivated by what she calls the “sheroes” in the field: JayVon Muhammad, CEO of the Marin City Health and Wellness Center focused on African American Health Equity; Shafia Monroe; Dr. Joia Creer-Perry, MD Founder and President of the National Birth Equity Collaborative; Asasiya Muhammad, CPM aka the People’s Midwife; artist and certified doula and midwife Erykah Badu; Latham Thomas, founder of Mama Glow; Jennie Joseph, fellow doula; Janay Muhammad and OB-GYN and professor Dr. Veronica Gillispie-Bell.

Meshawn is inspired by the delicate and powerful moments that she has encountered in her work, like when she caught her first baby, feeling the baby’s head turn in her hands for the first time. Or at another birth, she looked into the mother’s eyes and saw that she could not give any more, until her partner recited an Arabic prayer to her, and she birthed the baby with a burst of energy. Or when a close friend asked, “When is this going to be over?”, and her question was answered by her baby emerging like a flower blossoming. She says, “Experiencing an actual birth is the most patiently rewarding experience. It’s not instant gratification. Each birth and journey is unique and magical.”

A lover of flowers (except red roses), Meshawn dreams of one day being a traveling midwife, meeting different people, helping them bring in new life, and of course, having fresh flowers wherever she goes.

The National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC) creates solutions that optimize Black maternal and infant health through training, policy advocacy, research, and community-centered collaboration.

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