doulas

In response to the Slate abortion doula article

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So I was interviewed a few weeks ago by Marisa Meltzer (author of two books on feminism) for an article for Slate.com about abortion doulas.

The title is: What’s an Abortion Doula? They’re strangers who will hold your hand while you go under the knife.

To Marisa’s credit, there is a chance she had nothing to do with the title. I’ve written articles before where the title that was slapped on was one I had never seen.

But, that possibility aside, what a terrible title. The first part that pissed me off was “while you go under the knife.” What a sensationalist way to talk about abortion!!! Many of them don’t even involve “knives” or scalpels, as they are called by medical professionals. Most abortions are done using a manual vacuum aspirator, which uses a canula (long tube that suctions) not a knife. But the technicalities aside, it’s such a sensationalist way to talk about abortion. You’d think this might be an anti’s article about abortion doulas.

Then, she says this:

Even as a pro-choice feminist, when I heard about abortion doulas my first thought was: Are women really so fragile that they need to hire a complete stranger to hold their hand at the doctor’s?

Though I don’t share Doula Lori’s views, abortion doulas seemed a little unnecessary to me. Doulas don’t do anything during an abortion that a friend or clinic worker couldn’t do.

I can’t really understand how it can be feminist to say that women are FRAGILE if they need or want a support person during a medical procedure. Especially a medial procedure like an abortion or a birth. Let’s shame women for what they need! That’s totally feminist.

And if abortion doulas weren’t necessary (because a clinic worker or friend could play the role) then why are clinics in NYC banging down the doula project’s door? If these folks weren’t fulfilling a need they wouldn’t have a project. That’s the thing–the doctors and clinics like having the doulas there, and so do the women. That’s all that matters.

She ends the piece, thankfully, on a less dismissive note.

The success of the New York doula project has inspired women in other cities to mimic their efforts. There are groups in Asheville, N.C., Greensboro, N.C., and Seattle organizing abortion doulas, and the L.A. Doula Project will be opening in a clinic this spring. Pérez puts the whole thing into perspective for me with a story about her brother having emergency appendicitis. “I totally was his appendicitis doula,” she laughs. “My job is [to ask], ‘What can I do to make you feel better?’ ” What woman going through a fraught experience wouldn’t want that?

You can read the whole piece here. I’m glad that doulas who work across the spectrum of pregnancy are getting attention, but it’s frustrating not to be able to control the message.

More about the Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association (CAPPA)

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I got two emails last week from doulas wanting to share their experiences with CAPPA, which I had listed in the my doula trainings page, but don’t know much about. Their experiences are below. If you’ve trained with CAPPA, feel free to add your thoughts in the comments.

From Olivia:

Hi! I saw your post wanting info about CAPPA and wanted to tell you my experience. In 2007 I trained with CAPPA and was blown away. I investigated several organizations, some of whom I felt made it difficult to become and stay certified. CAPPA training was comprehensive, interactive and fun. I learned far more than thought I would and walked away with an understanding of how to best support women. CAPPA offers a free conference each year to its members making it affordable to stay up on CEUs required for recertification. We have an email list, the biggest interactive Facebook page of any childbirth organization and a sisterhood like no other. I can send an email out and get a reply immediately.

CAPPA members take an active role in running the organization. We are run by members who have an interest in how CAPPA functions.

From Angie:

Hi…I have been a member of CAPPA since 2007, I became a certified Labor Doula through CAPPA in 2007 and now I am a faculty member and teach trainings in Arkansas.

Cappa is a wonderful organization, there is a leadership board, standards of professionalism, scope of practice and very organized. I went through an intensive workshop for training 3 days long that taught me all the background education on a woman’s body and the natural birth process what it means to be a doula and how as a doula you can help birth moms have a wonderful birth experience and how to educate them on birth options, and planning and help them carry these out. Many well renowned birth guru’s are part of CAPPA’s faculty and leadership such as Barbara Harper, Ina May Gaskins, Jack Newman, MD, Polly Perez, and many more. I believe most birth organizations have similar goals to better educate, advocate and help moms to realize that natural birth is normal, and better for her and the baby, and support her in her choices that she wants.

My workshops are usually 3 days, very intensive with hands-on skills and support. I follow-up with the participants and help them achieve certification any way I can. Also CAPPA has an annual conference that is FREE with great well known speakers and you get CEUs.

New anthology for genderqueer/trans practitioners

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Sinclair alerted me to this new anthology that is being compiled, meant for genderqueer/trans practitioners to talk about working with genderqueer and trans folks. How awesome is that?

The time has come. Jacoby Ballard (trans health educator, herbalist and yoga instructor) and Devynn Emory (trans health educator, healer, massage therapist) are preparing an anthology about the vast and varied approaches to trans healthcare.  This collection will include excerpts written only by gendervariant, genderqueer and trans practitioners/providers; we are often written about, but rarely get to represent our own communities, wellbeing, and healthcare. This anthology is a resource for both healthcare providers and the trans and gendervariant community that includes first hand experiences of what its like to work with the community, information to empower trans people about our own bodies, facts and tips on how to get the healthcare you need in a safe environment, and will offer insight to other practitioners about what questions arise in our work with trans and gendervariant people and how we approach or resolve such questions. Our goal is to open up the conversation of trans healthcare to include more than just the medical system, and to integrate other issues that inevitably affect our bodies and wellbeing, such as legal issues, the prison industrial complex, trauma and abuse, and more.

So they don’t mention doulas specifically, but I think it would be amazing to have some genderqueer and/or trans doulas submit something.

So go to it folks! The details are here.

DONA Doulas of Color Trainer fellowship program

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There has been a lot of discussion on this site about trainings, certification and the various organizations that provide them.

What folks often remind me though, is that the best way to change the trainings is to run them yourself! In that spirit, Tara sent me this info about the 2010 DONA Doulas of Color trainer workshop fellowship program.

I’m also glad to see that DONA is working on improving their lack of diversity, which is a serious issue.

Basically, if you’re accepted, you get a free DONA doula trainer workshop being offered this August in New Mexico, as well as attendance at the DONA conference.

The DONA International Doulas of Color Trainer Workshop Fellowship Program is an initiative to identify women of color in the United States who would train to become DONA International approved birth or postpartum doula trainers. This Program seeks to increase DONA International’s trainer diversity so that workshops in the United States are facilitated in the most culturally appropriate manner. Additionally, this Program seeks to support individuals wishing to create labor and postpartum support programs within their own communities.

The requirements are intense (as is typical of DONA) but it might be perfect for some radical doula out there who wants to get trained and shake things up from the inside.

Info available in this PDF.

New Jersey community doula fellowship seeks would-be doulas

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Jill Wodnick alerted me to a new community doula program in New Jersey that is looking for folks who want to become doulas.

In exchange for three volunteer doula births for women in need in Hudson County, NJ, you get access to a free doula training (provided by DONA) and what sounds like some great supplemental trainings.

The Hudson Perinatal Doula Fellowship runs June 21-August 16, 2010. Applications are being accepted immediately on a rolling basis and can be downloaded at www.hudsonperinatal.org. The fellowship is open to 25 women who commit to the responsibilities and goals of program.

In addition to the DONA Doula Training dates, required by DONA International which are four full days, 8:30 am-6 pm June 21-24, 2010, the women accepted into the Doula Fellowship will further commit to complete all supplementary cross-training components of the program. Supplementary trainings will take place from June 28-August 16, 2010 for approximately 6 hours per week. Attendance is necessary and required.

In addition to the cross-training workshop attendance and the required reading materials, Fellows will commit to provide birth doula care to three expectant women who are clients of Hudson Perinatal Consortium, and attend those three births in Hudson County birthing facilities by December 1, 2010.

Interested? Download the PDF with all the details.

ICTC Northwest doula conference this weekend

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This Saturday, the International Center for Traditional Childbearing is hosting a doula conference in Oregon City.

One of their staff, Brooke, emailed me about the conference. She had this to say:

We will also be holding a required plenary session that will feature doulas working across diverse communities, including Black, Native American, and queer doulas. I would love it if you could mention this conference in your blog! It is so important that doulas attend this conference to learn about working with diverse communities and get the latest information on prenatal and postpartum care.

Awesome! Details below.

‘A Doula for Every Woman’
March 20, 2010, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Speaker’s Reception, 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Community Health Education Center, 519 15th Street, Oregon City, OR 97045
Register online here today!
Register by mail/fax here.
Dowload a Vendor/Exhibitor application.

Video: Reproductive Justice in Action

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Thanks to the Barnard Center for Research on Women for making and posting this video! Apologies that there is no transcript.

More details on the event here.

Radical Doula confessional

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A conversation with an amazing radical doula and activist tonight got me thinking about a topic I’ve been avoiding writing about here for a while, mostly because of my feelings of shame.

It’s been four years since I’ve been at a birth.

Cartoon of a confessional box, like that you'd find in a catholic church

I worry that when I tell folks that they will shun me, or consider me less worthy or my expertise false.

But the real question, and the interesting part of it, is why has it been so long since I’ve done birth doula work?

The first thing that pushed me away from the work was the burn out and exhaustion I felt from just a few months working at a hospital as a doula. It can be so taxing to be a doula in those environments, witness the inequalities and injustices, but know that your role was not to fix them, or intervene, but to try and support the birthing parent.

I left my last birth at that hospital just entirely spent and triggered by the hospital environment–I couldn’t do it anymore. Part of the problem is I’ve never witnessed a birth experience (at least not firsthand) that felt inspiring to me, that was a model of what birth should be.

I’ve yearned to see birth in the home, or in a birth center, or even a hospital where the mother is truly supported and has a positive experience.

So I’ve stayed away because of not wanting to be in the hospital setting again.

I’ve also stayed away because of my life schedule. I’ve not stayed put for more than three weeks at a time since college. My work has required pretty consistent travel–not a good combination for doula work.

But I’ve also stayed away because of fear. In the four years since I’ve last done doula work, my gender presentation has changed significantly. I’m scared of how folks will react to me, if I will make them uncomfortable, if I will have to answer questions that I don’t want to answer.

Because that’s the thing about doula work–it’s not about me. It’s about the birthing parent. And that’s the way it should be–but it’s so hard to think of walking into a room and wondering what is going through the parents head. Are they wondering why I’m doing doula work? Do they assume I’m gay and not feel okay with that? So many insecurities connected to this.

These are the things that keep me from signing up for shifts with the local volunteer doula group, which is awesome and connected to a birth center locally.

In the absence of direct doula work, this blog has been an amazing outlet for the passion and energy I have for this work. I’ve felt blessed to connect with all of you and keep abreast of the work of the birth activist community.

So this is a commitment to myself to get back to doula work this year, and face some of these fears head on.

Reproductive Justice in Action: Reflections

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Last week I had the opportunity to speak on a really great panel hosted by the Barnard Center for Research on Women. My co-panelists were Aishia Domingue with the Brooklyn Young Mother’s Collective, and Mary and Lauren, the co-directors of the Doula Project.

Here is a great overview of the event, but I wanted to add some thoughts as well.

First, it was fantastic to be in a room full of reproductive justice activists and supporters, all talking about birth. It’s amazing how things are progressing! And to have an event focused on doula work get such great attendance on a college campus is superb.

I really enjoyed collaborating with Aishia, Mary and Lauren on the event and hope to be in conversation with them more in the future.

One issue that came up in the Q&A that I thought was really interesting was the idea of sex education. We talked about how inadequate it is, how little young people are taught about their own bodies.

What I also thought of though, is how often times birth is used as a scare tactic. Do you remember watching the video The Miracle of Life? I remember being in Elementary School and being totally scared and repulsed by the birth scene. Educators sometimes use pregnancy and birth as scare tactics to keep kids from having sex.

We all know that scare tactics don’t work–and we get the added downside of scaring young kids early about birth.

I wonder what sex education that was really comprehensive–meaning it taught kids about childbirth without adding to the fear–would look like?

I also spoke that morning at the LGBT Literature class of a friend, Ileana Jimenez. It was an amazing visit, and such a great curriculum for high school students. More about my visit here.

National Doula Lobby Day: March 11th in Washington DC

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Health Connect One is hosting a Doula Lobby Day this week, on March 11th, in Washington DC.

It’s exciting to see doulas taking their activism to the next level–on the Hill!

Part of what spurred this advocacy effort was the recent advocacy success. Health Connect One, supported by doulas around the country, successfully secured $1.5 million dollars in funding for FY2010 for community based doula programs. This is a huge recognition of the role of community based doulas in securing the health of our communities.

About the Lobby Day:

On March 11th, 2010, we will be hosting a Doula Lobby Day in Washington, DC.  Join us as we meet in-person with our elected officials and encourage them to increase funding for the community-based doula program!  If you are interested in participating, please contact Laura McAlpine at laura@lmcalpine.com.

If you cannot join us in DC, please visit us on Facebook to follow our real-time updates, and to let us know where YOUR legislators stand on increasing funds for community-based doula programs.

For background on federal funding for community-based doula programs, please link here.

There will also be a reception, hosted by the Family Health and Birth Center in Washington DC, on March 10th to commemorate the new funding and the lobby day.

I’m sad that I will have to miss all the exciting events, but if you attend I would love to share your experiences on the site. Email me or post in comments!