Birth HERstory: Recent Episodes

Dr. Doula

Just as a renaissance symbolizes the “rebirth” or “revival” of learning from an earlier period of time, Black birth workers represent those who are embracing the traditional birth practices of healers who were systematically discarded and banned during the middle of the 20th Century in the U.S. Today, Black women are participating in and fueling the Black Birth Renaissance of the 21st Century. We are equipping ourselves to help ourselves and heal ourselves in order to save ourselves. Here are some of the ways Black women are creating change around birth culture in the Birth HERstory BLOG.

View original blogpost: http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herstory-traditions/birthworker-baes

"Every other culture has no problem or shame in unifying and promoting their people. I feel like it's my duty and responsibility to uplift my people, my culture. | That goes to the larger conversation... whether we ask for it or not, people are used to saving Black people. People don't look at us having authority and saving ourselves."~ Birthworker Baes

View the original blogpost: http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herstory-traditions/shayla-brown

"If you say a lie enough times, people will believe it's the truth. You will be out here thinking and operating inside of lies. [Homebirth] is not new, it's old... Let's go back to the beginning, let's go back to the GENESIS, to how we used to do it. What did all those women do before they went to hospitals?" ~ Shayla Brown

View original blogpost: http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herstory-traditions/our-mothers-light

"Every baby that is born comes in with its own blessings and its own bag that's going to help them accomplish their destiny in this life. | We've accepted so much of what modern society has to offer us, all the glitz... At least if you're going to strive for those things, don't leave your other stuff behind, take it with you because you're gonna need it. ~ Our Mothers' Light

View original blog post: http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herstory-traditions/christina-jemine

"It's like rhythm, it's very rhythmic for me... like someone's playing the piano for me. If I'm in the birth room it's almost like I can hear music and I just feel like something is leading me to certain areas. It's hard to articulate. Everybody's born with their measure of gifts and that just happens to be mine." ~Christina Jemine, LM, CPM

View original post at: http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herstory-traditions/christa-fatoumata-sylla

"The awareness of my body definitely had a lot to do with my experience with homebirth. [My midwife] would always bring me back to ME... bringing me back to, 'You will know." It confirmed this power that [women] hold... We're always being told, when it comes to our bodies, that we don't know... And women carry that [belief within] themselves, that they don't know." ~ Christa "Fatoumata" Sylla

View the original blogpost at: http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herstory-traditions/yael-b-yisrael

"Our mores and cultural norms are not just nice or cute. Our ancestral science and indigenous customs were encoded with life saving science, rituals and information... Our ancestors' wisdom and science, whether any European ever confirmed it or not,.. [it] is real... it existed for a reason."

~ Yael B. Yisrael

View original post: http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herstory-traditions/brittany-tru-kellman

"You're piecing [the call to birthwork] together... How do you piece together the whiteness that you are seeing with the Blackness that's in you and make it make sense, because that's what you're forced to do... Even thinking about how to incorporate soul work and spirit work into it."~ Brittany 'Tru' Kellman, CPM, CD, CLC

View original post: http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herstory-traditions/samantha-olivia-griffin

"I want us to get to a place where we are no longer working from lack in ourselves or assuming lack in each other, that's what I want and that is critical to me as a Black business owner... I believe we have martyred ourselves long enough." ~ Samantha Olivia Griffin

View original post at http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herstory-traditions/candace-smith

"[My midwife] didn't touch me unless it was welcomed. I loved the hands off thing... [I asked], 'What are your thoughts on just leaving me alone... being there but not being too much, too over bearing, too all in my face? I just want everybody to be there quietly, that's it. I'm not high maintenance. As long as you're there, but I don't need anyone touching me.'" ~ Candace Smith

DrDoula #BlackBirth #SankofaBirth #IAmTheAnswer #WeSaveOurselves #WeBuildLegacy

Dr. Doula SPEAKS about the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, HOW, and WHY of what it means to be a PROTECTOR of Black women.

Learn ways to become a PROTECTOR at www.DrDoula.com

View the original post at: http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herstory-traditions/coming-home-to-get-back-to-the-healing-work-of-birth-for-black-families

"Why do we have to live in states of deficiency...? We can live abundantly, but the way our systems are set up there's always someone at the bottom... someone being exploited... I don't want US or OUR BODIES to be exploited. If that's what makes me radical, then I'm here for that. [These systems are] so much a part of the dominant culture..." ~ Isis Rose, MA

View the original post at: http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herstory-traditions/reigniting-a-path-to-connection-for-wise-african-women-throughout-the-diaspora

"The medical system has changed women. We feel like we can control everything and we cannot... I felt connected to'other protectors' outside of myself and outside the medical system. I felt like I was protected. I was ready. Anything that would go wrong, it would go wrong at home." ~Moji Yaï

Wise African Woman Birth Education Retreat:

https://littlebylittlebirth.com/waw/

Home Clinic Renovation for Midwife Lina in Benin:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/home-clinic-renovation-for-midwife-lina-in-benin

View the original post at: http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herstory-traditions/advocating-for-vbac-moms-and-helping-pregnant-moms-experience-pregnancy-without-fear

"There's so much that we've lost and we are now regaining. There's so much we've gained, but we don't understand... Women want to enjoy their pregnancies, but a lot of times it's fear, worry, concern , anxiety... Why? It's because women don't know how to say, 'Ahhh... I'm at peace...' Even for five minutes, 'I'm at peace...'"

~ Delia Muhammad

See the original blogpost at: http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herst...

"Ultimately, if we are going to be reclaiming the systems that our people have created, there is no equivalent role called “doula.” That role is wrapped up in mother, grandmother, auntie, sister, cousin, best friend... That is just what was done. There is no word for it because it wasn’t a separate role. It was encapsulated in FAMILY." ~ Aisha Ralph

See the original blogpost: http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herst...

"Find other women who have given birth [at home]... Women around the world have been doing it for years... giving birth without a hospital. They’re doing it right now. You have to do what’s best for you. If you want to do a home birth, prepare and educate yourself." ~ Talise "Homebirth Queen" Xavier

Order your copy of "HOME IS WHERE THE BIRTH IS" at: https://www.amazon.com/Home-Where-Bir...

To see the original post on the Birth HERstory Blog, visit: http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herst...

"[I want to] bring the wisdom of the grandmothers [abuelas] into modern birth... It's not about being 'the leader'. For me, it's about legacy, not fame. I want to see people rise... The legacy is far more important to me than the fame. And I meet so many people where the fame is more important than the legacy. " ~ Mars Lord

"When we try to put all of our energy and time toward unraveling white issues, [we're] not gonna really deal with the Black issues. You need to heal yourself... learn your people, your culture. Learn what fits you. You are gonna be chasing something not designed for your DNA. It's not designed for your cultural experience." ~ Tayo Mbande

See the original blogpost at: http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herst...

If you are looking for opportunities to learn more how you can become involved in changing the narrative for Black women, visit www.DrDoula.com

View the the Birth HERstory blogpost about Brandi Jordan here: http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herst...

"Show up as YOU. Take that foundation [and] run with it, but show up to every client as yourself because that's the thing that's going to propel you. What is the YOU part that you are going to add to this? I can't teach you how to be YOU. Tell me what YOU is and I'll tell you how to capitalize on that." ~ Brandi Jordan, MSW, IBCLC

View the blogpost here: http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herst...

"You can never, ever, ever be excellent and comfortable. Excellence and comfort do not equate. If you think [that by] being comfortable, excellence is gonna come... Honey, I'm telling you, you'll never be great." ~ Rebecca Jackson-Artis, MFA

View the original post at drdoula.com/aa-birth-herstory-traditions/from-being-the-only-black-woman-in-the-room-to-breaking-down-walls-in-birth-for-black-women

"The knowledge... it's in you. It really is. Do what God has called you to do and do it with excellence... Period. Unburden yourself from the burden of expectation of other people, and whatever box that people have put you in, break the walls down and LIVE!" ~ Nicolle Fletcher

View the original post at this link: http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herst...

"I could not go back to accepting everything [they told] me, because I broke out of that paradigm and I saw another way... When you don't know another way, you think that's the only way and the best way. Homebirth, to me, is the best way..." ~ DeLynn Yvonne Hudson, MBA

INCOMING!!! That is what I think every time I see a notification that @Doctor_Midwife is live on Instagram. I told her once, "I must admit... I LOVE your disappearing IG LIVES... Everytime I think about it, I think to myself, "This woman blows up the world EVERYDAY and 24 hours later there is no evidence that she threw the grenade!" Don't let her bubbly personality fool you. Every time she opens her mouth, you can expect to hear something that is informative, but also challenging to those content in their lack of regard for the urgency of Black women's situation.

Topics discussed:

First Impressions of the Female Body
Being Informed about Sexuality
Unnecessary Invasions of Womanhood
Experiences in Labor & Delivery
Representation in Midwifery within Communities
Covert "Violence" in Maternity Care
Challenges to Finding Preceptors for Black Women
Going WHEREVER It Takes
Using Your Strength to INTERRUPT
Focusing on BLACK
Confirming "the call" in Alabama
"Doctor Midwife: At Your Cervix" Podcast
Answering the Call to Birth
Modern Challenges in Birth Culture
The Responsibility to Educate Yourself

See the original blogpost at http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herstory-traditions/using-your-superpower-to-change-birth-culture-for-black-women-and-disrupt-a-broken-system

While Black women represent an educated demographic within society, many are entering birth work from a call or a heart or spiritual place. I hear from women frequently that are responding to "a call" to enter birth work as a result of the way that Black women's maternal mortality rates are being publicized. Nikia makes a distinction between the choice to pursue birth work and the call to pursue birth work in order to take Black women's influence in birth culture to the next level.

Nikia describes the 'next level' as Black women being positioned to help Black birthing mothers access available resources within communities, but not at the cost of becoming a martyr. She stresses the importance of Black women having women that look and sound like them, while also knowing how to navigate available resources so that they can have the best opportunities for positive birth outcomes.

See the original blog post with Nikia's information at http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herstory-traditions/building-bridges-between-black-women-making-a-choice-and-those-answering-a-call-to-birth-work

In this blogpost, Christy is sharing her birth stories. She has very dynamic birth stories - from the hospital to a driveway to the comfort of her own home. And I believe they will provide additional insights for those who are seeking to know more about how to navigate their birth options.

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

- Initial thoughts about home birth

Experiences with birth in the hospital
Medicated vs unmedicated births
Whose "comfort" matters in birth
Male partners in the birth space
Choosing the best birth support for you
Dealing with fear in the birthing space
Apprehensions about home birth
Breaking up with your OB
The roar of the LIONESS
Virtual Doula Services to support women
The Doula Business Journal

See the full post at: http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herstory-traditions/a-car-a-birthing-mom-a-doula-dad-and-a-baby-that-wouldnt-wait

View the original blogpost at http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herstory-traditions/a-candid-conversation-with-a-historian-and-herbalist-of-southern-black-midwife-traditions

"What we throw away, somebody picks up, repackages it, and sells it to you and then you want to buy it... Your assimilation and throwing away of your culture does not help you and you end up being lost." ~ Divine Bailey-Nicholas

This extensive interview with Divine Bailey-Nicholas is divided into two parts. In the first part, Divine provides historical context for southern Black culture, which is important to fully embrace the historical context of Diasporic Africans in the U.S. In the second part, she shares about herbs and how you can develop a healing relationship with plants around you.

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

The connection between northern and southern traditions in Black communities

Considering "the branches" of your family

Our history and Black culture in plain sight
The similarities in the diversity of Black American Culture
Valuing others cultures more the we value others cultures
The intermingling of religion and culture
The value of the south to the African American’s story and honoring Southern traditions
The herbalist as a healer - Focusing on BEING in your community and NOT BEING a Savior
RE-MEMBERING who you are
The creation and development of Black culture
The danger of revisioning YOUR OWN history
Considering how Black Birth workers are viewed in their communities
How to SURVIVE and THRIVE as a Black birth worker in Black Communities
The need for cultural competency in OUR communities

View the original blogpost at http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herst...

"Having a baby is the only 'well' thing that happens at a hospital, so why should I have my baby at this place where sickness is going on?" ~ Tanita Fadyeyola

View the original blogpost at http://www.drdoula.com/aa-birth-herst...

“You do what’s best for your family. Always follow your heart to the degree it is respectful for the people who are a part of your life. And don’t let anyone discourage you. Whatever your passion is, you go for it." ~ Tunisia Macklin