I am constantly researching something. This week has begun with me reading more about the Grand (granny) midwives of the south... Those who "waited on women" because it was something that they felt God had called them to and taught them how to do as they listened and learned from older women who "caught babies." Women who believed that birth was a spiritual thing as much as it was a physiological thing. Speaking with Aisha Ralph, I knew I was speaking to one who was following a similar path. 

My conversation with Aisha was so rich that by the end I was FULL. Aisha is from Antigua and, as a daughter of the African Diaspora, is mindful of how her actions will impact future generations. There were several instances while I listened to her speak that I knew that she was speaking from beyond herself on behalf of our ancestral mothers, sharing truths that span beyond her years, that are necessary to sustain our families. We need midwives in our generation who can hear and recognize their role in preserving our birth traditions and our lives and African descended people. Aisha is also planning a journey with midwives in Uganda to enrich her personal midwifery journey, which you can support. 

I am excited to share Aisha with you. She has a beautiful spirit I am sure you will appreciate.

​Topics discussed:
​

• Being attracted to birth at a young age
• Considering birth options in Antigua
• Dealing with the medicalization of birth
• Protecting ‘your’ spirit in birth environments
• ​Being holistic vs being compartmentalized
• How you feel about your "divine creative energy"
• Creating legacy as an "ancestral mother"
• Reconsidering a system that is not serving you
• Dealing with cognitive dissonance
• Ensuring our personal autonomy
• Speaking with the elders
• How a generation forgets ritual and tradition
• Allowing ourselves to be empowered to RE-MEMBER
• “Ancestral connections cannot be broken”
• “Doulas” in indigenous cultures
• Universal birth and postpartum practices 
• Answering “the call” of your ancestors
• Embodying our full experiences in birth work
• Ceremonies vs family practices (rituals)
• Birth memories… “a woman never forgets”
• Feeling called to birth? JUST DO IT!

Aisha Tewerat Akua offers this gratitude:

​"To the ones in my ancestral lineage from the beginning of time to present, whose names are not known to me, who were themselves guardians of birth, and in whose footsteps I trod...

To the ones whose memory and legacy live on in the title "Granny Midwife"...
​
To my elders in birthwork, especially Jennie Joseph, Makeda Kamara, Debbie Allen, Racha Lawler, and Toni Hill, who have been a huge inspiration and have guided me with their words (most times without even knowing it)...

To my sister midwives, especially Janell, Efe and Tiffany, who have never failed in giving me encouragement and who have been consistent examples of perseverance and strength...
​
And to my biggest supporters and cheerleaders, my mother Daphne, my husband Nekia and my best friend Marcella"

Here are some ways you can connect with Aisha to learn more about what she is doing:

Support Aisha's journey with midwives in Uganda

Email: nurturingbirth4u@gmail.com
FB Personal: Aisha Taweret Akua
FB Page: Birth Matters

Christy Willis aka ¨Doula Mom¨ and I knew each other years before either of us committed ourselves to birth work, while we were both primarily focusing on homeschooling our children. Since that time, she has birthed several new humans into the world and we have had the opportunity to partner together to offer birth and postpartum services.

I have always been impressed with Christy as a mother and wife, still I have become even more impressed with her as I watch her expand her influence in birth culture and fill in the gaps she is observing in the care that is provided to birthing women and the doulas who serve them. She has developed a Virtual Doula Course for doulas desiring to extend their reach and ability to support women during the childbearing year via technology. Additionally, Christy has designed a Doula Business Journal that allows doulas to manage the unique challenges they face as birth workers and set goals for their businesses. 

In this blogpost, Christy is sharing her birth stories. She has very dynamic birth stories - from the hospital to a driveway to the comfort of her own home. And I believe they will provide additional insights for those who are seeking to know more about how to navigate their birth options.

​Topics Discussed:

• ​Initial thoughts about home birth
• Experiences with birth in the hospital
• Medicated vs unmedicated births
• Whose "comfort" matters in birth
• Male partners in the birth space
• Choosing the best birth support for you
• Dealing with fear in the birthing space
• Apprehensions about home birth
• Breaking up with your OB
• The roar of the LIONESS
• Virtual Doula Services to support women
• The Doula Business Journal

You can connect with Doula Mom to learn about her upcoming workshops and  the work she is doing. She also has a Facebook group.

Phone: 7088725695
Email: Doulamom24@gmail.com
Website: ​https://doulabusiness.weebly.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doulasformoula
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doula_moula/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/doulasformoula
Facebook Group: Doula-Moula

From the moment this interview began, I knew that it would be special. The southern girl in me instantly felt a connection with Divine Bailey-Nicholas and the knowledge and experiences she was sharing. Before we ever talked about herbalism, our conversation revolved more around the rich Black culture of the South, how it developed and the importance of its legacy to our longevity as Black people and Black birth in this country.

​Divine is the creator of Grandma's Hands Pregnancy and Postpartum Herbs & Nutrition in the Southern Tradition, a "6 week Online Course Focusing on the Herbs and Healing Modalities Historically used by Black Southern Midwives." She is not only a birth worker and herbalist, but also a repository of Southern history explaining ways that southern birth and postpartum traditions have influenced various aspects of broader Black culture and even the Black church in previous generations. 

​​This extensive interview with Divine is divided into two parts. In the first part, Divine provides historical context for southern Black culture, which is important to fully embrace the historical context of birth among Diasporic Africans in the U.S. In the second part, she shares about herbs and how you can develop a healing relationship with plants around you.

​Topics discussed:

• The connection between northern and southern traditions in Black communities
• ​Considering "the branches" of your family
• Our history and Black culture in plain sight
• Protecting the legacy of Black midwives 
• The similarities in the diversity of Black American Culture
• Valuing others cultures more the we value our own culture
• The intermingling of religion and Black birth culture
• The value of the south to the African American’s story and honoring Southern traditions 
• The herbalist as a healer
• BEING in your community and NOT BEING a Savior
• RE-MEMBERING who you are
• The danger of revisioning YOUR OWN history
• How Black Birth workers are viewed in their communities
• How to SURVIVE and THRIVE as a Black birth worker in Black Communities
• The need for cultural competency within Black communities​