African American Birth HERstory Traditions

1/4/2020 Comments

Planning for Homebirth as a Military Wife & Finding Helpers So 'You Don't Have to Do It Alone'

"[My midwife] didn't touch me unless it was welcomed. I loved the hands off thing... [I asked], 'What are your thoughts on just leaving me alone... being there but not being too much, too over bearing, too all in my face? I just want everybody to be there quietly, that's it. I'm not high maintenance. As long as you're there, but I don't need anyone touching me.'" ~ Candace Smith

Candace Smith is the wife of a marine, the mother of four children, and a birthworker who just experienced the homebirth she desired with a Black midwife. I was impressed by her experience because she managed the arrangements for her homebirth even while dealing with her husband receiving orders to move to a new state where she felt less comfortable with her options for homebirth.

Candace is truly special to me and, from our first encounter, personally left an impression on me and the work that I do. (We talk about that a bit in our conversation.) Right now, she is focusing on being a mother to her beautiful children and not actively involved in birthwork. Still, I appreciate her willingness to share portions of her homebirth story and process as a new mom to her new baby. I believe that she offers a lot of food for thought about the ways that Black women can connect with each other to improve our birth experiences.

Topics discussed:

Natural family support systems
Becoming what you wish you had
Family caring for new moms
The need to create a support system
Planning a homebirth and moving as a military mom
Laboring at home vs the hospital
Asking questions and makng sure you understand
Looking after the postpartum mom
Midwifery care at home
Arranging to take homebirth baby to the pediatrician for the first time
Finding the best doctor for baby
Focusing on the care of the new mother
Staying in the house
Doing "nothing" as a new mother
Having a "baby moon"
"A new mother after every birth"
Knowing your role with a new mother
Finding your people and culture during postpartum
Setting up your "dream team" for homebirth
Being mindful of what you need
Guarding your mental health as a new mom
Letting people know what you need
Gleaning from the elders and our birthing traditions

Candace offers this gratitude:

"I would like to thank all of the women in my family for their strength and loving example. My midwife Kai Parker. My doula training organization Prodoula for the knowledge I have received while attending workshops. My birth and postpartum clients who have trusted me to care for their families."

Listen to the Podcast

Connect with Candace:

Facebook: Candace Smith Doula
Instagram: @Can_Doula
FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/chameleondoulaco/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chameleondoulaco/

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12/15/2019 Comments

'Coming Home' to Get Back to the Healing Work of Birth for Black Families

"We can live abundantly, but the way our systems are set up there's always someone at the bottom... someone being exploited. The fact that I don't want US or OUR BODIES to be exploited, if that's what makes me radical, then I'm here for that. [These systems are] so much a part of the dominant culture that it's hard to think of something otherwise. ~ Isis Rose, MA

By education, Isis Rose is an anthropologist. By passion, she is a birthworker and an advocate whose focus is to highlight the homebirths of Black families. Along with speaking on behalf of homebirth families in state legislative settings and joining in the fight to legalize to non-medical midwives in the state of Illinois, she partners with Chae Pounds to share the homebirth stories of Black families through the Homecoming Podcast.

My conversation with Isis was insightful and caused me to think about certain aspects of birth culture in different ways than I had before. I appreciate the way she thinks about the way Black women's birth experiences intersect with majority culture. Additionally, I am excited about the prospect of her becoming another Black midwife in Illinois.

Isis offers gratitude to these individuals: Chae Pounds; Nicole Deggins; Dana-Ain Davis; Christa Craven; Kathryn Clancy; Krystal Smalls; Artemisa (Indigenous Remedies); Divine Nichols; Chae Pounds

Topics discussed:

From anthropology to birthwork
How Black liberation impacted Black reproductive health
The Contemporary Black Justice Movement
The complexities of birthwork for Black women
Majority culture as the highlighted experience
The importance of knowing your histories (personal, family, social, etc.)
Understanding Black women's emergence into majority birth culture
Black people's relationships with doctors
Managing authority figures in birthing spaces
How "radical" movements affect majority culture
Getting back to the basics of births
Inequitable and inaccessible healthcare
The healing work of birth
Ushering in healing to our children
Being fearful of birthing in the hospital
How fear compromises the birthing body
Having a labor support person
Midwifery... medical or non-medical

Are you curious about homebirth as a Black woman? Are you wondering where the other Black families are who have made the decision to birth at home? Would you like to hear some of their stories? Make sure to check out Homecoming Podcast. You can find the link below.

Listen to the podcast:

Find out more about the work Isis Rose is doing and listen to the Homecoming Podcast:

Website: https://homecomingpodcast.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/still_i_rose/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homecomingpodcast/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/homecomingpodcast/

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12/13/2019 Comments

Reigniting a Path to Connection for 'Wise African Women' throughout the Diaspora

"The medical system has changed women. We feel like we can control everything and we cannot... I felt connected to 'other protectors' outside of myself and outside the medical system. I felt like I was protected. I was ready. Anything that would go wrong, it would go wrong at home." ~ Moji Yaï

Moji Yaï has a trailblazing spirit. She has literally created a path for women of the African Diaspora to find their way back home, while utilizing ancestral knowledge for our nutritional and womb health.

I was surprised that I had not heard of he "Wise African Women" Birth Education Retreats, but then I realized I had. I had seen photos of a sister who attended and I remembered how attracted I was to the authenticity of the experiences that I had seen her have in Benin. It was everything that I believe that a daughter of the African Diaspora should have when she seeks to reconnect with African healing origins in the land of our ancestors.

She is also hosting a fundraiser for Lina, a midwife who shares traditional birth practices with the participants of the WAW Birth Education Retreats. You can contribute at the link below.

Moji expresses gratitude to: International Center for Traditional Childbearing (Shafia Monroe's vision for pan-African birth workers' conference), Lina Houessinon (Benin, west African wisdom), Divine Birth Wisdom (Southern African American wisdom)

Topics discussed:

Nutrition, ancestral knowledge, and the womb
Seeing the connection to Africa
Learning to connect with Black Americans
Falling in love with birthwork
Traditional midwives as protectors
Acknowledging our "other protectors" in childbirth
Preserving traditional practices throughout the diaspora and at home on the continent
Negative connotations of traditional practices in Africa
Safety for Black women in hospitals
Single storytelling about birth culture
The culture of birth among Black Americans
Creating "family" that can surround you in homebirth
Accepting non-universal concepts on the continent
Divisiveness and non-gendered contexts
Considering what "poverty" is and how it affects birth on the continent
The importance of ownership
Reconnecting with "your people"
Considering Diasporic and Continental African conflict
Finding a connection to the continent and "being invited"

I have so much admiration for the work that Moji Yai is doing. I hope you enjoy the conversation.

Listen to the Podcast:

Learn more about the work Moji is doing and find out more about the Wise African Woman Birth Education Retreat:

Website: https://littlebylittlebirth.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlebylittlebirth/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/disskoolin_doula/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littlebylittlebirth/

Wise African Woman Birth Education Retreat:
https://littlebylittlebirth.com/waw/

Home Clinic Renovation for Midwife Lina in Benin:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/home-clinic-renovation-for-midwife-lina-in-benin

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What are YOU waiting for to start learning about how to care for women during the childbearing year? Whether you are considering a career in birthwork, want to learn to help your family and friends or desire to be a resource for your community, "10 THINGS" is your starting place! Learn from from a Black historical perspective... learn from "someone who looks like you"... STOP WAITING... START LEARNING RIGHT NOW!

The voices of Black women have long been censored and/or edited. These conversations with Dr. Doula are an opportunity for Black women to share their truths and experiences in birth and birth culture in their own voices.

In other words, "She said what she said..."

When we help Birth HERstories we are acknowledging the BLACK BIRTH RENAISSANCE that is happening around the world! When we share our stories, practices, or traditions from women of African descent in America, we help preserve Black Birth HERstory. It is our responsibility as descendants of African women who were trafficked to the U.S. to hold their stories and know their practices, so that we are able to continue their tradition of being self-reliant and self-sustaining as communities of Black women.

Dr. Doula

My work is informed by my background – experiences, expertise, exposure, education & environment – as a woman, mother, wife, sister, educator, researcher, scholar, advocate, birth ally and legacy builder. #IAmTheAnswer #WeSaveOurselves
(Please note that the information shared on this blog is for information purposes only. Pregnant women should consult their PCP before following any practices found within the Birth HERstory Series Blog.)

YOUR CART

Birth HERstory Blog

Planning for Homebirth as a Military Wife & Finding Helpers So 'You Don't Have to Do It Alone'

'Coming Home' to Get Back to the Healing Work of Birth for Black Families

Reigniting a Path to Connection for 'Wise African Women' throughout the Diaspora

"The medical system has changed women. We feel like we can control everything and we cannot... I felt connected to 'other protectors' outside of myself and outside the medical system. I felt like I was protected. I was ready. Anything that would go wrong, it would go wrong at home." ~ Moji Yaï

Dr. Doula

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YOUR CART

Birth HERstory Blog

Planning for Homebirth as a Military Wife & Finding Helpers So 'You Don't Have to Do It Alone'

'Coming Home' to Get Back to the Healing Work of Birth for Black Families

Reigniting a Path to Connection for 'Wise African Women' throughout the Diaspora

"The medical system has changed women. We feel like we can control everything and we cannot... I felt connected to ​'other protectors' outside of myself and outside the medical system. I felt like I was protected. I was ready. Anything that would go wrong, it would go wrong at home." ~ Moji Yaï

Dr. Doula

Archives

Categories

"The medical system has changed women. We feel like we can control everything and we cannot... I felt connected to 'other protectors' outside of myself and outside the medical system. I felt like I was protected. I was ready. Anything that would go wrong, it would go wrong at home." ~ Moji Yaï