This is a series highlighting folks who identify as Radical Doulas. Are you interested in being part of the series? Email me.

Sarah Koehler is a proud feminist and birth doula. She received her training through Natural Resources in San Francisco, California by a local midwife. She is familiar and deeply interested in meditation and homeopathy as resources for pain relief. Sarah has volunteered at hospitals as a birth doula and offers low-cost services to her community. Sarah’s website is www.homegrownheartsbirth.com.

What inspired you to become a doula?

I became inspired to become a doula when I realized how women are treated in the US’s medical care system. There are so many times when having a gynecological appointment that I wished another person was there to provide me strength, comfort and knowledge. I can now provide that for expected mothers in their most life-changing time.

Why do you identify with the term radical doula?

I identify with the term “radical doula” because I see every doula as doing something radical. Each and every doula is changing the approach to birthing by being present, passionate, and knowledgeable.

What is your doula philosophy and how does it fit into your broader political beliefs?

My doula philosophy is that every birth is spiritual and a celebration. No matter the plans that go astray or the special circumstances that arise, a baby is still coming into this world and that is the joyest of occasions.

What is your favorite thing about being a doula?

My favorite thing about being a doula (aside from just being apart of a beautiful birth!) is helping a person realize their inner strength and that they are capable of birthing.

If you could change one thing about birth, what would it be?

I would change the stigma that birth is a medical event. Birth is natural process that our bodies were built to handle and that it is “pain with a purpose”.

About gracie:

gracie janove is an acupressurist, photographer, writer, sociologist, pro-choice feminist and radical doula. She is proud to offer doula support for all pregnancy options including birth, abortion and adoption as well as care for all families and pregnant people. She recently helped organize the Bay Area Radical Reproductive Workers Alliance. Aside from birth work, she is dedicated to empowering youth through teaching media literacy. She currently resides in the SF Bay Area. Contact her at BirthBeautifullMoments@gmail.com.

Why do you identify with the term radical doula?

I work with individuals (and families), yet I am committed to creating lasting systemic change in the reproductive health world. I envision a society where all people have all the health care and support they need, and where they don’t need money to get it. This means safe abortion access, midwifery services, any other form of health care. Currently, women in prison, homeless women, queer women and trans people are especially marginalized groups that need access to these services. I’m working towards a world where informed consent and empowered choice are the norm.

What is your doula philosophy and how does it fit into your broader political beliefs?
“In white supremacist capitalist patriarchal Western culture neocolonial thinking sets the tone for many cultural practices.” -bell hooks

I want to inhabit a world where the choices that impact the communities in which we live are made collectively and democratically. People deserve agency over if they want to, when they want to, and how they want to give birth. I provide unconditional support for pregnant persons and every choice they make, because I believe they know best. So many parts of our culture work against women, and as a doula I am there to bestow compassion and support to all involved. One way the culture misguides us is through the use of mainstream media, an inescapable force that is great at playing on our emotions. I’m interested in examining the media’s role in forming people’s lived experiences of childbirth. Someday, I’d like to launch a media campaign with other reproductive justice workers to help reconstruct the way people perceive and experience birth.

What inspired you to become a doula?
Feminism changed my life. I was probably 12 when I heard the word used for the first time. I was thrilled that I has just stumbled upon this other world, in which it was acceptable for women to be strong and bold.  Throughout college, as I learned more about capitalism, patriarchy, and our medical system, I became outraged at the rules women were made to follow during labor (in hospitals) and how that was considered the norm. I became passionate about studying women’s health, and felt the urge to do something. I met a doula, and then I met another one. I felt becoming a doula was one thing I could do, one way I could contribute to such a massive problem that is generally hidden. Becoming a doula also allows me to educate people on the issue.

If you could change one thing about birth, what would it be?

I would take (most) births out of hospitals. Birthing in hospitals is a VERY recent practice, given how long humans have been procreating. The fact that almost all births in this country happen in hospitals is connected to two ideas that need to be debunked. First is that in our culture, birth is seen as a medical procedure. The entire Western medical system exists in order to make a large profit, and doctors are continually trying to fit “deliveries” into their 9-5 schedule (hence part of why the US C-section rate is the highest in the world).  The institutional framework that indoctrinates people to believe they aren’t capable of birthing naturally or healing themselves is causing people harm. Secondly, there is a myth that women are weak; that they’re not to be trusted. It is outrageous that doctors are perceived as more knowledgeable about women are about their body. This tends to undermine women’s bodies’ wisdom and often disempowers them  from using natural birthing methods.

Alese Colehour a graduate student of biological anthropology at University of Oregon in Eugene. She works with reproductive health of the Shuar communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon. You can check out her website here.

Why do you identify with the term radical doula?

Dar a luz, meaning to give light, is the Spanish phrase meaning childbirth. Through childbearing and rearing, a woman brings forth new light to our world not only through the life of a child, but through her own life as a new mother. I am a strong believer in the rise of the feminine and I believe the way the majority of modern hospitals treat laboring women is an alarming breach of basic human rights. It is a symptom of a systemic problem that despite impressive efforts from female rights advocates continues to infiltrate many aspect of our society. Serving as labor support is my way of advocating for a change. I have a profound respect for the emotional and physical changes a woman goes through during pregnancy and labor (such an incredible thing the human body can do!) and being present to witness and cherish each moment is an incredibly powerful experience. I am very grateful for each woman and family for giving me the honor to attend such a sacred ceremony. Through my compassion and commitment to continuous support, I hope I can inspire hospital staff, new families, and my own personal community to look at childbirth practice in a new light.

What is your favorite thing about being a doula?

I love being able to love so openly and freely. I love learning so much from each of the women I serve. I love meeting other doulas, they are all so warm and wonderful and womanly!

If you could change one thing about birth, what would it be?

First impressions are extremely important, and that includes the first few moments after a baby is born. I believe those first impressions of the world are extremely influential later in the life of the child and even as an adult. Imagine the difference between strangers in latex gloves and a steel table versus a loving human hand and a warm chest!

About Kelly: 

Kelly, C.M.T., CD (DONA), is a massage therapist, a certified birth doula, and Co-Founder of the new Bay Area Doula Project which trains and coordinates abortion doulas to work with women through all of their pregnancy outcomes. Kelly spent years as a community and labor organizer in hospitals working towards health justice and is acutely aware of the challenges that women face seeking dignified health care in the US. As a full spectrum doula, Kelly aims to aide women to empower themselves through education, resources, and continuous, non-judgmental emotional support. When Kelly is not helping women take charge of their reproductive choices, she is Mama to a fiery daughter and enjoys teaching her how to harness her innate powers. Her website is www.ninemoonsdoula.com and the Bay Area Doula Project website is here.

What made you become a doula?

It wasn’t until after giving birth to my daughter that I truly began to appreciate and explore the value of birth pain/intensity and decided I wanted to help women understand the usefulness of these feelings. Before becoming a doula I was a labor organizer for healthcare professionals. In the context of worker’s motivation to collectively bargain I understood that a work force would have to experience great lows (aka, great pain) before they were willing to mobilize for a more equitable workplace. Looking at the birth experience of most women, not only did I begin to see birth pain as a guide towards personal transformation, but I also started to examine birth as a leaping off point for organizing against the brutalities committed towards women by the medical establishment. I love the intimacy of the work. It is an honor to step into women’s lives and witness their exploration of the most private and primal instincts, urges, fears and victories that arise when one is facing abortion, miscarriage, birth, and postpartum life. At the first birth I attended I witnessed a teen-mom deliver her baby while standing up, moaning and quaking and beautiful, and her partner caught the baby (with the assistance of the midwife). I saw that birth experience instantly empower the family and I knew I was hooked.

How does your doula work and birth activism fit into your broader political beliefs?

My political beliefs are built upon the philosophy that people of all ages, races, genders and sexual orientations need to reclaim the cornerstones of our society: from education to and health/healing systems. I am most moved to work with pregnant women because I see pregnancy and the medical reaction to pregnancy as something that has been so manipulated and industrialized that most people in America are unfamiliar with its natural form.

On one hand we have been force-fed violence and the hyper-sexualization of the female body. On the other hand we have been taught to fear the pain and challenges of pregnancy. We have been taught to fear the female form as it creates life. This has deep implications on how we form families, face democracy, and how we approach models of authority. In hospitals, women are treated as statistics that need to deliver profit margins, not babies. Thus, they are expected to make decisions as consumers. To manipulate women into this decision and other decisions, most births are treated as an illness/emergency and hospital policies are designed around cost containment and power dynamics, not evidence based studies or what women actually want.

The current culture robs women of ownership of their own bodies. This has lasting affects on individuals and society as a whole. Americans suffer greatly from what I call the “white coat syndrome”, which is an unyielding trust in healthcare professionals at the expense of their own ideals, priorities, bodies, and mortalities. We have been taught not to trust our ability to choose what is best for us. Instead, we are faced with overwhelming amounts of misinformation, and many women choose to hand over decision making powers to their physicians who are only smaller parts of a larger system. If we don’t take responsibility for our bodies, education, and outcomes, then we are simply consumers in a capitalist society. I believe that as women, we have far more to offer than our ability to purchase goods–whether that is commoditized healthcare, privatized sources of education, or material possessions.

One of the most fundamental ways that we can begin to reclaim our humanity is to start by deconstructing the pregnancy experience and making it our own. I believe that when women are exposed to the power of choice over their reproductive lives, this power will grow exponentially and eventually provoke and sustain the larger movement towards personal, economic, and cultural liberation. For me, being a doula allows me to work with women towards this end.

If you could change one thing about birth in the US, what would it be?

I hope that one day all people, including healthcare providers and politicians, will believe in a women’s ability to choose her own reproductive outcomes. I want women to gain and own their knowledge about reproductive health so that it can’t be sold to them by industries. Instead of people telling the pregnant woman to bend and manipulate herself to fit into their model of care (or lie down, as often is the case), providers will build care around what the woman is demanding. That would be radical!

Leila Zainab Counihan is a pro-choice feminist, birth doula of color. She recently traveled to La Ceiba, Honduras to work as a birth doula in a public hospital. She is the Director of the Freedom Doula Project, a full spectrum pregnancy doula organization serving Boston, MA. Currently, she is an undergraduate at Clark University in Worcester, MA. Leila spends most of her free time collaging, meditating and honoring her Yoni. You can contact her or Freedom Doula Project at leila@freedomdoulas. Check out Freedom Doula Project on Facebook or at www.FreedomDoulas.org!

What inspired you to become a doula?

I was 18 when I was inspired to be a doula after reading “Half the Sky” by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. I read stories of women all over the world experiencing terrible sexual and reproductive injustices just because they became pregnant. This jump-started my obsession with reproductive justice and international public health. I knew I wanted to have a career as an advocate for women’s reproductive health, but I wanted hands-on experience as well. Becoming a birth doula was the perfect fit.

Why do you identify with the term radical doula?

When I became a birth doula, I quickly found that I was the only pro-choice, feminist doula of color in my circle, and in many other circles as well. I found that there were disconnects between these identities on many levels. First, the lack of diversity within the birthing community was staggering. I was surrounded by upper-middle class, white women. As a lower middle class, South Asian, immigrant woman, I felt utterly alone. Secondly, I naively assumed that because we were all for the freedom and movement of women, we would all be pro-choice. I soon learned that the topic of pro-choice was almost as taboo as it is anywhere else. In many ways, I am a radical because I chose not to leave my identities behind. Instead, I represent them with pride.

What is your favorite thing about being a doula?

My favorite thing about being a doula is having the honor of witnessing the inner wisdom, strength and stamina of women as they bring life to this Earth. I truly believe a woman’s highest power comes out in these moments, and I am always moved to tears to see her embrace her child with so much selflessness and bliss.

If you could change one thing about birth, what would it be?

I would change the rhetoric surrounding birth in this country as well as the lack of rhetoric on birthing in the Third World. In the U.S, we associate birthing with pain, epidurals, planned cesareans, and rushing rather than positive ideas like love, ease, pressure, acceptance and accomplishment. On the other end of the spectrum, in many Third World nations, talking about birth or anything involving female genitalia is taboo. Most of these women have never engaged in dialogue about their sexual health, so they do not have the skills or awareness on how to prepare or what to expect for birth and postpartum. I desire to spread empowering educational information for both women and men on sexual and reproductive health.

About Jasmine:

Jasmine Marsh is a birth and postpartum doula and direct-entry midwifery student currently residing in Maine. She ran a popular blog about reproductive heath and justice from 2009 to 2011 called Doula Right Thing. She can be reached at jasmine.marsh@gmail.com

What inspired you to become a doula?

I think it was a combination of meeting a few really inspirational, radical doulas in my community around the same period of time, having a family of strong women who talk a lot about birth and reproductive health and justice, and put a lot of value in those things, and having a natural interest and pull towards holistic/alternative healthcare, feminisim, sexuality, anarchist politics, and the DIY community… interests which, for me, combine well for the role of doula.

Why do you identify with the term radical doula?

Well, I think being any type of doula, or birth supporter or birth worker for that matter, is pretty radical work. I think I identify with the term ‘radical doula’ because I came to birth work through radical communities, through punk communities, anarchist communities, queer communities, etc.. The first doulas I knew were hanging out in squats I lived in, and speaking at pro-choice rallies. Identifying as a radical doula has just been a natural progression.

What is your doula philosophy and how does it fit into your broader political beliefs?

I believe that how people feel on the day they give birth effects how they feel about themselves, in some way, for the rest of their lives. If they feel that they were heard, that they were in control, that they did a good job (no matter the birthing outcomes), they will feel powerful, strong, beautiful, and like a capable and competent person and parent. And how they feel about their birth experience ripples out, impacting the child, partners, family, friends, community, etc…

But, back to your question—being a doula fits into my broader political beliefs because I believe people need autonomy, respect, and choices (among other things) to thrive… People need to be in control of their lives. Being a doula is just allowing that—holding space and reflecting back to the innate wisdom parents possess.

What is your favorite thing about being a doula?

Getting to share in people’s lives during an amazing and transformative time. And getting to hold freshly squeezed babies.

If you could change one thing about birth in the US*, what would it be?

Higher out of hospital birth rates and more midwives and doulas, though reproductive justice, as defined by Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice, is the “complete physical, mental, spiritual, political, economic, and social well-being of women and girls, and will be achieved when women and girls have the economic, social and political power and resources to make healthy decisions about our bodies, sexuality and reproduction for ourselves, our families and our communities in all areas of our lives”, so we have a lot of work ahead of us… but I think we can do it.

About Raeanne:

Raeanne Madison is a young Ojibwe woman living, studying, working, and mothering in the deepwoods of rural northern Michigan. Her obsessions include reproductive justice, rhetoric, Powwow dancing, sewing, playing in jazz band, and greenvegetables. Raeanne is currently working towards certification as a childbirth doula.

What inspired you to be a doula?

I realized that I have been a doula since giving birth to my daughter three years ago. For some reason, many friends come to me for post-partum support, advice, and advocacy. I suppose it’s because I’m a very vocal and passionate advocate. I never realized there was a name for what I have been doing. I chose to pursue certification as a childbirth doula, and eventually I’d like to do the post-partum training, as well. I naturally gravitate towards helping pregnant and child rearing people. Doula work is a way for me to make a difference on an individual, personal level which in turn creates a better community.

Why do you identify with the term “radical doula?”

This is an interesting question. To some, I am radical because I am a pro-choice birth worker. To others, I’m radical because I support the rights to affordable and culturally competent care for all mothers, even those who have been marginalized by mainstream birth work. To others, I’m radical because I’m a young doula and a teenage mother of color. I say I’m radical because I believe in bottom up revolution and anarchy, and this includes birth work. I strongly believe that we will take back our reproductive experiences, no matter what that takes. I would like to see an eradication of all violence and oppression associated with human reproduction. I don’t put a lot of faith in the so called system. This work starts with us.

What is your doula philosophy and how does that fit into your broader political beliefs?

My doula philosophy is simple: Every birth is ideal. Every mother is a champion. Every birth is natural. What could be more natural than giving birth? It pains me to see some doulas uplifting some experiences while degrading others. We must respect all experiences. My belief is that all humans deserve respect, kindness, and equity in their choices and experiences.

If you could change one thing about birth, what would it be?

I would completely eliminate the consumerist/Capitalist models of care. Birth is not a business to be run by detached authorities whose only stake in birth is the profit it brings. This is a desecration of our sacred abilities to give and sustain life. Health care should be affordable if not free to all peoples, everywhere, every age, every color.

About Jessica: Described by Chatelaine magazine as, “emblematic of the new breed of pro-choice activist,” Jessica is both an abortion rights activist and a radical birth doula. As the research coordinator at Canadians for Choice (CFC), she produced the internationally recognized report, Reality Check: a Close Look at Accessing Abortion Services in Canadian Hospitals, and subsequently helped develop a 24/7 national, toll-free hotline, through which people can gain information about abortion services in Canada. Jessica completed a graduate project entitled A feminist discourse on how the concepts of choice, informed consent and empowerment are constructed in medical birthing literature, and more recently completed a study called Labour of love: Women’s experiences giving birth with a doula in Winnipeg. As a doula, Jessica has always offered her services voluntarily with the belief that any woman who wants to have a doula should be able to have one. Currently, Jessica is a doctoral student with the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary. Her research and passion remains focused on women’s reproductive justice.

Jessica lives in Winnipeg, MB Canada and can be reached at jcashaw104@gmail.com

What inspired you to become a doula?

My sister-in-law invited me to be at her birth during a time when I was already becoming more involved in sexual and reproductive health and rights. I was blown away by the power of the female body, and inspired by her strength. Being there to watch my niece be born changed me forever, and lead me to look into becoming a doula.

Why do you identify with the term radical doula?

To me, being a radical doula is about supporting women, in all of their reproductive needs. I identify as a sex-positive, feminist reproductive justice activist, who works on both abortion rights and birth activism issues. Reproductive justice is about making sure that every woman is able to control her body and her reproduction, and feel empowered by her choices. I reject the gender binary that society has placed on people (female/male) and think it is important to consider how the imposed social structures that we live under can affect our experiences. I also think that it is so important to consider how people’s different intersecting identities can impact their reproductive health experiences (ethnicity, ability, marital status, age, sexual orientation, place of residence, socioeconomic status and more). This means recognizing that the majority of the women who use doulas will likely be white, educated, wealthy women. As radical doulas, it is our responsibility to challenge this norm by offering some, or all, of our services voluntarily; by collaborating with communities who tend to have few social supports; and by working to create change in the way women and other minorities are discriminated against in society.

What is your favorite thing about being a doula?

Being invited to be with a family during one of the most transformational moments of their lives is such an honour. After being with someone during such an emotionally and physically intense experience, you can’t help but also feel transformed, and deeply connected. There are families that I will probably never see again, but whose strength, beauty, and love I will never forget.

If you could change one thing about birth in your country, what would it be?

I would want to change the way that birth is talked about. Currently, it is so common to turn on the television, read an “expectant mother’s” book, or talk with family and friends who will tell you that birth is something that is painful and to be feared. The positive birthing stories of our mothers, aunties, sisters, and friends are too often pushed aside in favour of the more shocking stories of medicalized births. Women can give birth. We’ve been doing it for millions of years, and we do it well. I would love to return to a place where the norm is that birth stories are shared amongst women, and the knowledge and support that comes with the presence of other women during labour and birth is honoured.

Up until now, I’ve always featured Radical Doula’s here who have provided the content for their profile directly. I’m making an exception this time because Claudia Booker is a doula and activist that I’ve admired for quite some time. I also know she was down to be part of this series, but it looks like life and her many pursuits have gotten in the way.

Lucky for me she was recently interviewed for the Midwives of North America (MANA) newsletter, which she posted on Facebook.

Here are some highlights from that interview, which illustrate exactly why I consider Claudia to be a Radical Doula.

Claudia Booker CD (DONA) (ICTC), CCCE, LLLI, BPC, and BPCPA, midwife apprentice, resides in Washington DC, her home town. She comes from a family in which community development, service, and responsibility along with race consciousness and pride were ingrained and are a part of the fabric of her life. Claudia has been on this journey to become a midwife for over five years.

Claudia beautifully articulates that birth is politics. Birth is political because it is an opportunity to create change in our communities. Pregnancy and birth give us ten to fourteen months in which we have the opportunity to educate, guide, and provide a woman with the information, tools, self-esteem, and perspective to empower herself to change her relationship with herself, her children, partner, family, and her community. This change can be replicated throughout her community as this mother leads by example. This has the potential to be a global empowerment, rebirth, and redemption. We are agents of change in society. When I work with a mother, I meet her where she is, whether she wants a natural birth or an epidural. I serve her, support, and am “with her” in the way she needs, without judgment, because maybe this experience has the potential to empower her to walk another step, get a new chance to rebirth herself as a woman, mother, partner, and role model.

“It is imperative that the broader community of midwifery understand, appreciate, value, and support the unique ability of women of color to serve each other. For us, being with women who look at us as their sisters, aunts, cousins, and/or mothers reinforces a care provider relationship that cannot be duplicated with any cultural sensitivity training,” Claudia states. “Every woman of color I come into contact, be she a “round the way girl,” soul-sista, earth mother, or up and coming corporate woman, all are viewed though my eyes as a long lost cousin, niece, aunt, sister, and I treat them accordingly.”

Learn more about Claudia on her website.

About Charlie Rae and Megan:

Charlie Rae Young is a mother, doula, natural birth advocate, and aspiring midwife. She began her work in the birth field with the Coalition for Improving Maternity Care Services (CIMS) as a grassroots ambassador for The Birth Survey.  Currently, Charlie works as both a Birth Assistant and Childbirth Educator for several home birth midwives near Tampa, FL.  Charlie believes that women still have an innate ability to give birth without intervention and strives to make a positive difference in the total birth experience for new mothers.

Above being a loving stay-at-home mother to her beautiful daughter Lydia, Megan D’Orazio currently teaches private childbirth education classes and works as a birth and postpartum doula.  Megan’s kind-hearted nature and gentle disposition make her an ideal partner and asset for birthing mothers. She intends to inspire confidence in women by helping them trust their bodies while assisting in the creation of the total birth experience they are looking for.

What inspired you to become a doula?

Megan: After an unsatisfactory hospital birth, I began to further my education on maternity care in the United States thus leading me into a whirlwind of negative emotions regarding my care. After my realization that I was still dealing with issues surrounding my birth, physical and mental, I needed a way to reach out to other women who were going through the same thing. With a background in education and working with women in other women’s rights arenas such as The National Abortion Rights Action League, and Ohio Citizen Action I found birth to be a common ground on which women connect and need support in different ways- regardless of their background or previous circumstances.

Charlie Rae: I went into the birth of my daughter feeling very educated and at peace with my decisions on my care provider and plan to have a natural birth in a hospital setting. Her birth was a rude awakening for me, and left me feeling betrayed- like I had been completely misled by members of the birth community that were supposed to help to educate and support me. I felt intense anger towards the system that I had just been another number in. The only way for me to channel that negative energy was to drown myself in education regarding birth and simple human rights in maternity care. Doula work found me, more than I found it.

Why do you identify with the term radical doula?

We would have never labeled ourselves as ‘radical doulas’, however, we suddenly found ourselves being titled by other more mainstream birth professionals as ‘radical’ and ‘rogue.’ After feeling hurt and confused by the title, we began to dissect the meaning a bit more. We found that if standing up for what we believe in, and providing women with the care and education that we KNOW they deserve is radical- the we will embrace it whole heartedly. “When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative.”  For other doulas, rubbing shoulders with local health care providers, racing to see how many letters they can get following their names, and making gobs of money seem to be driving factors in their business. For us, it has never been a ‘job’ or just a ‘business’, nor have we ever been interested in any of those egotistical things. We are doulas who serve women the way we would want to be served, period.

What is your doula philosophy and how does it fit into your broader political beliefs?

Megan: I view birth as a human rights issue, it should not concern just childbearing women or their partners. If I can educate all women on the issues they will face if they should decide to become pregnant in our country at the moment – then that is not just changing that woman’s birth, but also shaping how they will share their story for the rest of their life. I believe in a woman’s right to choose the birth she wants, but I am also morally obligated to answer any questions she may have truthfully, frankly, and directly without having to worry about political repercussions.

Charlie: Honesty is the number one rule for me whether I am in my day to day life or working with women. I refuse to lead a woman blindly down a path that I know will be both destructive and detrimental to her pregnancy and birth wishes. For me, this meant choosing not to certify with any doula certifying agency  because I would then be required to work under their ideals and scope of practice- often those conflict directly with offering women the truth about the type of care they might receive. I feel that if a woman is honestly educated about the pros and cons of everything; whether it be tests, procedures, or caregivers -she will make an informed decision that she can feel confident in.

What is your favorite thing about being a doula?

What isn’t awesome about being a doula?

Megan: I enjoy having the freedom of not being certified through an organization that would only restrict the way I am able to serve women. You are watching someone else’s life be changed forever. There has not been a single birth I have left not feeling like the luckiest girl on the planet. You get to see a woman go from just herself, through the entire process of childbearing, directly into motherhood- is there anything more intense to connect with another woman through?

Charlie: The best feeling in the world is seeing a brand new mama hold her slimy little baby with the look of accomplishment that she made that happen. All of her decisions led up to that very moment, and that is her time to enjoy it 100%… I am lucky to get to be a part of that moment. It is the ultimate empowering experience we can connect through as humans.
We also like babies.

If you could change one thing about birth in the US, what would it be?

GET OUT OF THE HOSPITAL.

Charlie: All other countries with maternal mortality rates less than the United States have midwives as their primary caregivers. Here in Florida we have the highest cesarean rates in the country. If all low risk women were being cared for by midwives in out of hospital settings, we would see better outcomes, healthier mamas and babies, and women would be able to tell their birth story with confidence that they had control. The hospital has a place in maternity care, but with politics and money that control them at this moment in time it is not the place for normal birth.

Megan: Wouldn’t it be great if there was a movement towards providing women, throughout all parts of life, with fact-based education that enables them to make decisions for themselves that they are fearless in? With that strong base of knowledge they will be able to travel into the uncertainty of motherhood with less hesitation and more confidence.