The concept and work of the doula are by no means new. The origin and ethics of use of the term '“doula” are debated and I encourage you to read more about the discussions happening if you are interested. What is important for me to center in my work, is that while the doula movement as we know it today began in the late 80’s/early 90’s, the history of dedicated support persons serving birthing and parenting people is surely as old as human history itself. Furthermore, this work continues to happen around the world, performed by people who are not necessarily trained and certified in the western medicalized context that we generally cling to. These “traditional” birth workers are no less qualified to engage in this work, and in fact, much of the knowledge we learn within institutionalized educational settings has been stolen from these, “traditional,” “community,” “lay” midwives, and birth workers. I put all of these terms in quotations because these terms were created by western, white, male doctors as a way to distinguish themselves from midwives, especially indigenous, black, and brown women, while systematically demonizing and eradicating them from birth work. This is how birth was taken out of the home and heart of communities and placed in gatekeeping institutions. Gradually the silken spider thread of birth mysteries spun by womxn of all colors in our various cultures and communities was broken. Because of this indigenous, black, and brown birthing people especially have been made most vulnerable within the American maternal care system.

Birth work is ancestral work in that we are both drawing on ancestral knowledge to navigate labor and birth and facilitating the continuation of ancestral lineages as we usher in new generations. Centering the historical and social context of the births I am invited into is a crucial component in caring for birthing people who hold a multitude of birth stories within them.

You will hear and read me using the term evidence-based. Evidence-based refers to any concept or strategy that is derived from or informed by objective evidence. Very sciencey indeed. I use this term to signal my commitment to continuous evaluation of the most up-to-date evidence of the risks and benefits of birth practices. But evidence alone is not enough. The more statistics, technology, and interventions are over-utilized and generally applied, the less individual birthing people are centered. If we can simply see what baby is up to at this very moment with a 3D ultrasound, we don’t need to ask a pregnant person about their experience of their body and baby, and the less we listen when they do attempt to communicate feelings that may not be tangible or visible. In this way, birthing people are often disempowered and removed from the decision-making process and important anecdotal information may be overlooked or ignored. Centering individual bodies, values, and preferences while implementing practices that are proven to work best is an important balance to achieve. Birth is not one size fits all, nor is our knowledge and experiences of birth static. We must listen deeply, open ourselves to changing our minds and adapt our practices and beliefs to better serve one another.

There is no right or wrong way to birth. As a doula, my job (and desire!) is to help articulate and advocate your vision for your birth. Maybe you’re an old hand at this birthing thing and you know what you want and how things will go and you just need me to distribute snacks and get in on the hip squeezes. Great! Or maybe this is your first birth. Or maybe it’s your second or third, but you want to do things differently this time. We’ll work together to clarify your vision, acquire the pertinent information and structure a birth plan.