Birth Stories in Color

Adriana Lozada is an advanced birth doula, a postpartum educator, child sleep consultant, and creator/host of the Birthful podcast. The most impactful learning experience for her regarding birthwork was from her own. She graciously shared her birth story as she welcomed her daughter for the first time. Adriana did not venture into birth work until after she gave birth herself. She started self-educating as she prepared for pregnancy, and books were her primary source of knowledge. She found that as she and her husband were living on a sailboat, they would need to make changes to create stability due to challenging weather conditions of sailing. Adriana knew that she had book knowledge but had no deep-rooted village and lacked “heart knowledge.” Adriana and her husband hired a midwife to support their planned homebirth but still regret not having invited more people to support them through labor and postpartum.

Labor started at 41 weeks as Adriana and her daughter held their own “secret” that would be the beginning of her birth. She managed to labor at home all day long as her family supported her. Upon arrival at the hospital, Adriana discovered that she was not as far progressed as she thought. Adriana tried various labor positions until she landed on a stool, which allowed her body to do the work. Pushing for 2 hours left her exhausted, and she found herself birthing with her brain and not her body. Her baby girl was born as she yelled her out and garnered her anger to propel her body to complete the task.

Adriana’s postpartum was complicated by having visiting family who she treated as guests instead of her support. These feelings were paired with a perceived judgment of how she was managing herself. Breastfeeding was an additional stressor as her daughter had a lip tie. The challenges with the lip tie to a three-month challenge that led to exclusive pumping for six months. Releasing herself from chasing achievement opened space for her to “allow.”

We found ourselves sitting at the feet of a veteran birth worker who has managed to pave a way for women and birthing people to honor the space of their becoming. Adriana now powerfully describes birth as not an emergency but an emergence. Her podcast, Birthful, seeks to inform your intuition through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

Resources:

Birthful | podcast talking to perinatal pros and new parents to inform your intuition

The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth | childbirth education book, helping to compare and contrast your various options

The Bradley Method | childbirth education series

Cristina Hernandez and her partner Sy Bernabei shared how they navigated their journey through assisted reproductive technology (ART), planned for homebirth, and ended at the hospital with a belly birth. Their story delved deeply into the world of fertility support and the mental and physical highs and lows that can affect both partners. Cristina bravely walked us through her each step with Sy by her side. The process of becoming pregnant grew in intensity, and they experienced loss of an embryo - not to mention the loss of Sy’s brother during the pregnancy. Nevertheless, they sought solace and stepped away from their daily lives to regroup and carry on their pregnancy. Cristina cautiously carried the twins until birth.

They had worked on their birth plan by hiring a midwife and a doula to support them to birth at home. This, of course, was after Sy felt more educated and felt comfortable and agreed to a Homebirth. They worked with a queer-inclusive provider but experienced challenges with transferring care from a doctor to a Homebirth midwife with additional support from a High-Risk doctor due to carrying twins.

Cristina attended a prenatal appointment at 35 weeks and was informed that her blood pressure was high and one of the babies was breech presenting. She returned at 37 weeks for a stress test and again had high blood pressure; in addition, there was protein in her urine sample. They immediately began to plan for a scheduled belly birth to mitigate additional health issues for Cristina and the babies. The twins were full-term, and Cristina’s body had started to show early signs of labor. But through all of their planning, this was not a scenario that they had considered. Nevertheless, they brought home their healthy children, both a boy and a girl.

Bringing home their babies came with additional challenges. Cristina still had to heal from the blood pressure complications and a surgical birth with twins. However, Postpartum was a timeframe that helped their family develop a deeper bond and evolved their communication styles. Cristina has channeled her energy to become a birth worker now. She has utilized her experience to support other families through childbirth and especially those having belly births.

Resources:

Vida | full spectrum birth services

@sy.the.gender.rebel | Sy Bernabei Tik Tok discussing gender identity, LGBTQIA2+ and history

Gender, Justice Nevada | statewide advocacy, education, and policy reforming organization

Taking Charge of Your Fertility | the definitive guide to natural birth control, pregnancy achievement, and reproductive health

An unexpectedly easy pregnancy led Shay and Joshua through a journey of exploration and intention setting that would create a backdrop for a pregnancy and birthing experience that would be become a love letter for their daughter.

Shay and Joshua chose to announce their pregnancy to a few select people. They managed to keep their happy secret despite Shay's work on social media that often finds her sharing much of her personal life. Their journey to parenthood was marked by detailed preparations that included observing other families, nutrition planning, hiring a doula and midwife, and taking deep dives into researching what felt right for them.

Shay spent time writing letters to both her unborn daughter and her husband, offering her reflections and gratitude for them. They serve as documents filled with the hope that their daughter would have a glimpse into who her mother is or was at the time of her pregnancy and their daughter's effect on their lives.

Their family learned that all of the best intentions could not stop a global pandemic from shifting aspects of their birth plan, like having a doula present in the hospital. But they were already determined to focus on the "controllables," as Shay coined it. They managed to labor at the hospital but shifted to a surgical birth with brought much anxiety for Shay. She was deeply aware of the challenges that Black women have had in birthing spaces. Joshua stayed positive as he expected all to go well. Relying on ancestral knowledge of Black women being the first birthing people.

Since giving birth, Shay has become more aware of her own needs and openly communicates with Joshua. She has been able to lean into his care and ask for it when needed. Communication has been the key to managing their new parenthood journey.

Resources:

Mine-R-T Doula Company | labor coach for pregnant individuals and couples in Charlotte, North Carolina and surrounding areas

May is Maternal Mental Health Month. When we finished recording Hiwote's story and sitting in processing with her, we knew her story aligned with the awareness this month brings forth. Hiwote's story carries the heavy parts that we often hear of - the weight of being a Black birthing person, navigating a medical system that isn't designed to support us. There is birth trauma in this story.

Sharing on BSiC was the first time Hiwote would be reflecting on her experience aloud. Her story highlights the disparities of the Black and Immigrant community - how our experiences are not monolithic but often intertwined. The lack of research for treating mental health within the immigrant community. And how impactful our cultural practices and traditions can be to our healing and mental health.

Birth is sacred, and our birth stories live with us forever embedded in our very being. In finding the BSiC space, Hiwote was ready to release this part of her journey. What she received at the end of sharing was the beginning of healing—being able to start a new as she and her husband expand their family once again.

Resources:

Her Holistic Path | birth support and birth photography available for Maryland and D.C.

Dae joined us to share her beautifully intertwined birth stories of loss and joy reclaimed. She experienced the unexpected loss of her first child during the early part of her third trimester. She began a healing journey that included therapy, where she started journaling. The process proved therapeutic and taught her how to make space for herself and rebuild her trust in God.

Dae worked through the waves of grief and discovered she was pregnant again; this time, it was during a pandemic. She gathered her team, created an active morning routine, and simply chose to enjoy the pregnancy. They planned for a birth at home and put in the work to make it happen by hiring a midwife and doula. After managing through over 20 hours of labor, they decided to transition to the hospital. She continued to labor without progressing and found herself at peace at how birth would unfold and welcomed her son via surgical birth.

Postpartum proved to be challenging after the unplanned surgical birth as healing required being in the space of stillness and relying on her husband. She eventually worked through the challenges and settled into accepting help. Dae began working on her body through chiropractic care and pelvic health therapy.

Dae has adopted a belief of motherhood as a joyous experience. She has developed a community online that has centered the scripture referencing beauty for ashes. She is now holding space for women who have experienced some form of loss and want to exchange that grief for a new experience of joy and beauty.

Resources:

Dae Hayes | mindset coach and spiritual strategist

Therapy for Black Girls | an online space dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls.

Ashly was 18 years old when she was pregnant and birthed her first child. Reflecting, she expresses that she didn't know much, either about the preparation or what her experience could be like. Ashly and her partner flowed through, just trying to figure it all out. Her birth would include many shifts, and one that she felt lost in was bringing her baby earthside with a surgical birth.

When she began expanding her family again, she knew she wanted and deserved a different story. The moment she and her husband found out they were expecting, she began building her birth team - this included a doula from a local organization ROOTT and a black OB. The three of them worked together and filled in the gaps for each other when one couldn't hold a particular space for her. The support from her birth team surrounded her in not only care but also her whole family, allowing them to support Ashly in having the VBACs she had envisioned.

Throughout her journey, Ashly had to learn to extend grace to herself. In the moments that seemed out of her control, but especially in the moments that made her feel whole, and in each new stage of postpartum, she knows that has to be at the core - working on who she is outside of her kids, sharing " If I'm not whole, then what I'm giving them isn't the best of me." This being the part of her journey requiring the most grace.

Resources:

Luke Warm Ginger Tea | a holistic moms journey through love, motherhood, and walking in her very own divine femininity

Sponsors:

Restoring Our Own Through Transformation (ROOTT) | reproductive justice organization

ROOTT is a collective of concerned Black families, community members, advocates & interdisciplinary professionals dedicated to decreasing Black maternal & infant mortality in Ohio. ROOTT’s mission is to comprehensively restore our collective well-being through collaboration, resource allocation, research & re-empowerment, in order to meet the needs of Black parents & families. If you and your family are planning, pregnant, or in your postpartum period, please reach out to ROOTT at www.roottrj.org. Financial assistance is available. You can also connect with ROOTT at 614-398-1766 or email [email protected]

Shanicia Boswell, a self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur, reflected on the birth of her daughter. She recalls feeling like getting pregnant at 22 was like getting pregnant in high school. Her friends were busy continuing their education and traveling. She remembered not feeling accepted or treated well due to being young, Black, and unmarried. She knew that she wanted an unmedicated water birth and discovered that her hospital did not offer that opportunity. Shanicia boldly changed providers at 28 weeks gestation to match her personal birth preferences. When labor ensued, Shanicia found herself in awe of the birthing process and the wonder of her own body. She safely rode the wave, and her labor produced a beautiful baby girl without complications. As postpartum began, Shanicia’s mother stepped in to provide in-home support and helped with the transition. She experienced the “baby blues” as her body and mind had to reconnect and take on a new life.

Shanicia has channeled her pregnancy and parenting experiences from the lens of a Black woman into a career. Her latest project is a pregnancy book, Oh Sis, You’re Pregnant: The Ultimate Guide to Black Pregnancy and Motherhood, that flows through all of the ways we can prepare our minds and bodies for childbirth and the forever postpartum period. There are African birth traditions, detailed health concerns that tend to affect Black bodies more frequently, space for Black women to see themselves, and there is joy - a joy that fits the occasion of the blessing of a new life.

Resources:

Black Moms Blog | parenting, culture, and lifestyle from a Black mom’s point of view

Oh Sis, You’re Pregnant! | the ultimate guide to black pregnancy & motherhood

National Black Doulas Association | connects Black birthing families with Black Doulas nationwide

ROOTT | reproductive justice organization

Sista Midwife Productions | birth advocacy organization based in New Orleans, LA

Ancient Song Doula Services | international doula certifying organization

SMC Full Circle Doula Training | training in pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum doula care

Layo's childhood planted the seed for Wolomi. Growing up in Nigeria and DC, the joy of community support during one's expansion of family was a part of her everyday life, as her mother supported friends and family as a midwife. Taking the lessons of these experiences with her into her career as a nurse in America, a reality set in that what she had seen with reproductive care was not the standard everywhere.

And as she navigated her pregnancy, she knew that she didn't want to allow pregnancy and birth to happen to her - or enable the healthcare system to do whatever they wanted. As she had seen growing up, she needed to be the center of her experience, supported by those who could uplift her in that positioning. That return to the beginning would also birth Wolomi. The goal and mission of Wolomi is to provide resources and guidance that support black birthing people to own their perinatal journey, alongside others that look like them, and share in their experience. 

Resources:

Wolomi | digital community that offers support to women of color to improve maternal health outcomes

Leslie had started preparing for parenthood by learning as much as she could and discovered many pathways for birth, parenting, and creating a home environment that would be different from her own life experience. She had learned about homebirth in college and kept the knowledge in her mind until she and her husband, Carvens, were expecting their own child. They hired Caryn as additional support but found that she would be there for unexpected aspects of pregnancy. She found herself vulnerable and needing reassurance as she managed pregnancy during a pandemic and racial unrest in our country.

Leslie sought grounding and joy through the uncertainties of the environment. When her labor ensued, she committed to her affirmations, breathing, and leaning into her support. Learning to surrender to that space and moment allowed her to power through. And birth her baby into her arms. Leslie refers to her birth experience as a “posture of gratitude.”

Resources:

Joyfull Beginnings (Caryn Fields) | doula & Educator

The Business of Being Born | a 2008 documentary film that explores the contemporary experience of childbirth in the United States.

Nurture | a modern guide to pregnancy, birth and early motherhood

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

Mindful Birthing | training the mind, body, and heart for childbirth and beyond

Birthing from Within | holistic approach to childbirth that examines this profound rite-of-passage not as a medical event but as an act of self-discovery.