11/01/2024
My career started in 2007 when I discovered the work of supporting birth. I loved the magic of it and found myself doing the work passionately. In 2014 I had my first son, and it was traumatizing. It showed me that both the birth work industry and I had a blind spot for how well the physical and emotional health of mothers were prioritized. I made a million promises to God that if I could take my son home, I would build something that brought awareness to the issues of maternal health, specifically Black maternal health. For the last 7 years, I have been fulfilling that promise.
Through MOMCares, I have been able to teach policy makers about the role and importance of Doulas. I have worked with hospitals on the necessity of Doulas. I have worked in the community and spoken to funders about the importance of investing in this work. I have trained Doulas. I have worked tirelessly to make sure that building awareness about timely access to certified Doulas is recognized as a vital tool in safeguarding maternal health, especially among the most complicated and unpredictable pregnancies, both in the perinatal and post-partum periods.
Earlier this year, I was forced to stop due to a personal loss. I found that although I have been sharing the importance of self-care for mothers, I was not caring for myself and my health was in jeopardy. I also was forced to take stock in the fact that the promise I made to build awareness and provide support to families has been fulfilled. I am feeling a necessity to focus on my own health and to step away from the trauma of my own birth and near-death experiences to build a more generative space for me to continue the work - a space that is not as harsh on my own health and wellbeing and is focused on a hopeful and positive path forward for the industry. I characterize myself as a fire starter. The fire has been started and there are countless people who are now stoking the flames. It is time for me to move on to find my next fire to start.I am looking forward to continuing to do the work that lights me up in the arena of policy and to returning to my roots as a holistic practitioner, wellness advocate, and birthing educator.
