Birth Stories in Color

Isabella and her husband found out just a few days before they were to get married that they were pregnant with their son. They would find that with his birth he would surprise them again. When considering her birth options, Isabella had always pictured herself having a homebirth. As she had a healthy and smooth pregnancy, she worked through making that possible with the help of her cousin who was a doula.

There were many aspects of her birth that Isabella expected. However, the speed at which her son arrived, caught her and her husband by surprise! Soon after her water broke, contractions began coming fast and fierce. She explains that when her midwife arrived, she looked at both her and her husband and told them she could feel the baby's head. Isabella followed the intuition of her body and birthed her son in their bedroom, squatting with the support of her husband.

A valuable lesson we took from Isabella's story is the way in which she listened to her body not only during her sons birth but also in her 4th trimester. While postpartum for her was both physically and emotionally tiring, she remained patient and in contact with her body to assure the best recovery she could have!

Resources:

La Leche League International | breastfeeding support

Birth Without Fear

The Educated Birth provides educational materials for birth workers to help in preparing the families they support. They represent the diverse families within our community while being both inclusive and informative. Cheyenne began The Educated Birth initially out of necessity for her clients. She soon discovered that many other birth workers were craving the need for what she was offering, and with that, she opened The Educated Birth shop.

As the shop has grown, Cheyenne realized there was another need. While sitting in her OBGYN's office, she noticed that many of the magazines lacked diversity. She realized she wanted to create something that would touch families one-on-one providing them with information about pregnancy, birth, and parenthood. Cheyenne explains that "Everyday Birth Magazine is my love letter to the birth world, and also to the world in general. It says, "Whoever you are, you belong here."

If you would like to connect with Cheyenne for doula support, design, photography or writing work head to her website.

To learn more about or purchase your educational materials from The Educated Birth, click here.

Interested in purchasing the Everyday Magazine, head over to the website where you can purchase both print and digital copies.

Resources/Kickstarters:

Richmond Doula Project | collective of full-spectrum doulas in Richmond, VA

Richmond Doulas | nonprofit organization of independent doulas

Mother May I? | documentary
Consent begins at birth
"I thought I was crazy." One-third of women describe their births as traumatic. They're also saying they were shamed and silenced afterward when they tried to talk about how they were treated or how they feel.

"I didn't even know I was allowed to say no." This situation is urgent. Every day, more women and birthing people are failed by a system that hurts and traumatizes them--especially women of color and other marginalized groups.

Original Body of Pain | documentary
For pregnant women facing addiction, recovery is a family affair – rife with judgment, stigma and plenty of obstacles along the way. Original Body of Pain portrays the American opioid epidemic in an immersive, longitudinal fashion, following families stricken by addiction and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome - when babies are born exposed to substances - for over a year of their lives.

All five of Amy's children were born unassisted in her home. A deliberate decision made by her and her partner as they wanted to ensure the sacred moment of the birth of their children was led and governed by their decisions. For those unfamiliar with unassisted birth, families who choose to create this birth space usually birth without the support of doctors or midwives. Through her births, Amy was able to find healing from past trauma and now guides other families who want to have the same experience.

In her story submission, Amy revealed that the unique perspective her stories offered to the Birth Stories in Color community was that "I feel that the absolute command of my birthing choices could bring much hope in other mamas and I hope to spark their memory of the warrior goddesses that are within them." We couldn't agree more with this sentiment. This episode is raw, funny, and informative!

Sponsors:

ROOTT | Today's episode is in partnership with Restoring Our Own Through Transformation (ROOTT) black women led reproductive justice organization dedicated to collectively restoring our well-being through self-determination, collaboration, and resources to meet the needs of women and families within communities.

As a kindred partner of the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, ROOTT will host several events during the inaugural Black Maternal Health Week, April 11th -17th. These events are part of a coordinated, national effort to raise awareness and increase advocacy for Black Mamas, their children, and families of color. In Franklin County, Ohio alone, Black infant mortality rates are three times higher than white infants (15 per 1000 and 4.9 per 1000, respectively), with a largely unreported Maternal Mortality and Morbidity rate. ROOTT seeks to address the issue of these devastating health disparities informed by our collective voices in experience and evidence through Full Spectrum Doula services, provider training, advocacy, community engagement, and events.

Resources:

The Business of Being Born | documentary
Unassisted Childbirth - Laura Shanley

Birth plans/preferences can be a key component of birth prep, and while they keep us on track to make sure our birth stories represent our choices, they often change following the lead of labor. Chae and her husband didn't let these changes shift their focus or silence their voices. They made sure that when their birth plan changed, they still felt in charge and empowered in their decisions.

The Pounds had planned to have a homebirth, and their birth began that way. However, within laboring at home, their midwife informed them that due to babies heart rate they would need to transfer to hospital. At the hospital, they found out that their baby had flipped to breech. While this was the case, they were steadfast in their decision to have their baby vaginally, and they did! When sharing her story, Chae exclaims that she still had her homebirth. She reminds us that "having a baby is a natural, normal process until it's not." With the birth of her daughter, she was successful in all aspects of that statement.

Chae is a full spectrum doula and student midwife serving the New Orleans area. If you are looking to connect with Chae, check out her website, Mawiyahs Village.

Resources:

Sista Midwife

The First Forty Days | the essential art of nourishing the new mother

While the primary focus of Birth Stories in Color is birth storytelling, we also want to highlight organizations and resources that are supporting our communities and families on their pregnancy, birth and postpartum journeys. In this episode, we hear from India Robertson COO for Birthing Beautiful Communities (BBC). An organization that is working with and for the community to combat infant mortality and inadequate care for African American families.

BBC is a team of community-based doulas supporting expecting mothers and families from pregnancy and through a year of postpartum. They offer training, classes, support groups, partner support and a wide range of services to ensure the success of babies and families. Something that we truly admired about this organization was their strong relationship with the communities they are serving. If you would like to connect with BBC, you can find them here.

Resources:

Mothership Connection | BBC fundraising support

Wright State Women's Center | Wright State Univ. parenting support

In this episode, we meet Yolanda Owens who shares with us a story of perseverance, strength, trust and leaning on a community. While her pregnancy was pretty easy, labor and delivery for Yolanda were long and at times very tough. Throughout much of her story, she expresses how vital a role her husband played in being her birth helper and advocate. During their early visits with their care provider, they informed her that doulas were not allowed, a practice that some care providers and hospitals do have in place for their patients. When trying to figure out how to move forward, Yolanda expresses that her husband immediately assured her that he could fulfill that role for her!

Yolanda’s postpartum journey started off a little rough as she, her husband and new baby were somewhat homeless due to issues with buying their new home. Yolanda also tells us that due to how long and her induction method, during recovery she was very swollen from the waist down. These factors did take a toll her on her recovery and breastfeeding journey. She relied heavily on not only her family but also a small group of friends. They would get together and discuss their breastfeeding successes and struggles. Soon they realized that for the community it would be great to start a group in their area where families could get to know each other personally and find support in each other. The Black Lactation Circle of Central Ohio (BLaC) is 400 strong, focused on sharing evidence-based information and resources. To connect with the group, you can find them here.

Resources:

POEM | postpartum support & services

Nicole Braddy is sharing her family's story of faith and promises kept through the birth of her first child. Nicole and her husband, Bryan, were married in January and soon learned they were expecting their first child together. They already had two daughters, NeVaeh and BryAna, who Nicole lovingly refers to as her bonus daughters. They were excited to be on their new journey together. Her pregnancy was going well and relatively uneventful, aside from the usual morning sickness and tiredness. When she arrived at her 28-week check up, she reported to her doctor that she was feeling ill, carrying her baby very low and exhausted. Her doctor recognized the signs of preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome. Preeclampsia often referred to as pre-e, is a life-threatening disorder that occurs only during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Preeclampsia and related disorders often present with a rapid rise in blood pressure that can lead to seizure, stroke, and multiple organ failures, and even death of the mother and/or baby. The doctor insisted she go to the hospital for a 24-hour observation which turned into her having to be admitted. Nicole was shocked and thankful that her doctor acted quickly.

Due to her symptoms, Nicole's labor was started via induction. She labored with her daughter for 30 hours with her husband by her side. Bryan was able to keep Nicole at peace, as they were concerned about there being no empty NICU beds available during the labor within the state. During this time Nicole states that God began to speak to her husband. He started thinking of the scripture Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Upon delivery of baby Ariyan, a NICU bed became available, and the family did not have to leave the hospital.

Nicole shares for families that could find themselves in similar scenarios;

"Make sure that you tell your doctor how you're feeling every step of the way because I went from feeling fine my prior appointment to feeling awful by the next and He was able to detect the issues and place me under the proper care. I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for this."

"Also, keep the faith and when you feel discouraged, envious, or the desires to complain rising from within, do your best to resist by being thankful. There are multiple testimonies of things that happened during this whole ordeal, so we learned that by applying our faith in God's Word to our situations His Word did not return void."

Nicole loves to share their story as an opportunity to teach other families about the onset and complications of preeclampsia and navigating the NICU. For families who may find themselves in a similar situation, she began a blog specifically dedicated to providing information and resources. Check out her blog here. The Braddy family was able to endure a harrowing experience that left them feeling victorious and strengthened as a new family.

Each of Dasha's birth stories is different. With her first child, she was a teen mother. While the journey was unexpected, she found her stride with the support of her family. Her second birth, she took control, from the moment labor started until she was holding her baby in her arms. For her last birth, Dasha exclaims that she's grateful. The state of her relationship with her husband at the time had taken a toll on her pregnancy and birth, yet she birthed her daughter with no complications. Her stories allow us to reflect on the importance of childbirth education, informed consent, trusting our bodies and being mindful of our relationships with others.

During her first birth, Dasha explains that part of her experience involved "Birth Rape". This is a term being used that highlights the act of intimidation, threats, and coercion that occur during birth. It is a care provider ignoring a birthing person's refusal of procedure or allowing the opportunity for consent. No matter where you decide to give birth, the care provider you choose or the choices you make throughout your birth, your experience should always be led by your voice!

Dasha has taken the lessons she learned from her stories and uses them to help provide support to families as a birth and postpartum doula. For those in the community who are looking to support families in this way, Dasha wrote a blog piece providing details of trainers and organizations that provide doula training specifically for people of color. Check out this wonderful resource list here. If you are looking to connect with Dasha for doula support, check out her website, Faithful Birth.

Sponsors:

Fringe22 | Design & Creative Strategy
Today's programming is in partnership with FRINGE22 design & creative strategy. A design studio focused on brand development and creative strategy aimed at connecting with people who are committed to social impact. For sneak peaks of their work, you can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram at @fringe22studio.

Today’s episode features Caitlin Kelley, sharing her successful VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean). With her first daughter’s birth, Caitlin and her husband envisioned an unmedicated and vaginal birth experience. Due to a number of factors, this was not the case and Juniper was born via emergency c-section. Caitlin ensured that for her next birth she was well educated to have a different experience, focusing on education, tools, and support for an unmedicated VBAC. Using that knowledge and the support of a doula, Caitlin was able to give birth to Lou in the way she hoped for.

Caitlin describes her relationship with her doula as a pivotal asset to preparing for her second birth. Something she loved that her doula brought to the table, was her own personal experience with VBAC. This was very helpful as her doula was able to show her and her husband specific techniques during her labor to use, but also provide important information specific to her goal of a VBAC.

This experience inspired Caitlin and she recently began her own doula journey with the Mount Carmel St. Ann Doula program. The same program that supported her during the story she shares on this episode. If you live in the Columbus, Ohio area you can find out more information about the program at, Mount Carmel Doula Services. If you are looking to connect with Caitlin for doula support, check out her website, Birthing Beautifully.

Welcome to Birth Stories in Color! A podcast creating a community for people of color to share and learn from birth stories of all types. In this first episode, you meet your hosts Laurel Gourrier and Danielle Jackson, both serving their community as birth and postpartum doulas. Working with families in this capacity, they found that there was a need for space where families could process their birth stories. With that, understanding that real accounts told in story form would be a great outlet for learning and providing resources for other families who may be pregnant, trying to conceive, adopting or even already with children.

For the first episode, Danielle will be sharing her two hospital births. While her first birth was overshadowed by her health history, she still finds confidence in its success. That self-confidence and knowledge helped her power through her second birth.

Along with her stories, Danielle shares about the importance and power in knowing your own birth story. Finding time to talk to others in your family about what their birth experiences were like can help you in understanding and piecing together your own thoughts about birth. In May, Laurel wrote a blog piece Story Time on this subject. Check it out to find out more about this topic.

We hope that all who share and listen find this to be a community near and far, and an invaluable resource for navigating their own journey.