African American Birth HERstory Traditions

4/19/2019 Comments

A Car... A Birthing Mom... A "Doula" Dad... And a Baby that Wouldn't Wait!

"I felt stuck... I couldn't move... I felt restricted and no one was holding me... My 'fear' was of being restrained again... I didn't want to 'feel' tied down... because I felt like if I could get up, I could do better... I could do so much better... I wanted FREEDOM..." ~ Christy Willis aka "Doula Mom"

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.

Dr. Doula & Doula Mom

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

Listen to the MP3 of this interview:

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

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4/10/2019 Comments

A Candid Conversation with a Historian & Herbalist of Southern Black Midwife Traditions

"What we throw away, somebody picks up, repackages it, and sells it to you and then you want to buy it... Your assimilation and throwing away of your culture does not help you and you end up being lost." ~ Divine Bailey-Nicholas

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

Listen to Part 1 on MP3:

Listen to Part 2 on MP3:

You can connect with Divine to learn about her current workshops and the work she is doing:

Website: https://www.divinebirthwisdom.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DivineBirthWisdom/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/divinebirthwisdom/
Non-profit: http://communitybirthcompanion.org/

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3/18/2019 Comments

A Trailblazer's Journey from HOSPITAL BIRTH to HOME BIRTH

"Having a baby is the only 'well ' thing that happens at a hospital, so why should I have my baby at this place where sickness is going on? " ~Tanita Fadyeyola

There are several elder Black midwives that I admire and respect for the work they have done and continue to do to preserve and protect birthing traditions among women throughout the African Diaspora. Jennie Joseph is one of them. She is the developer of the JJ Way® and soon will have the only Black-owned midwifery school, Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery. So when I was visiting with my sister friend and soror (🕊Z-Phi!), Tanita Fadyeyola, and she told me that she had experienced home birth with Jennie Joseph, I made her sit down and tell me EVERYTHING!

Tanita told me about her first birth in the hospital, how she made the decision to birth at home with her second child, and the opportunities she had to help her family and friends who Jennie Joseph also served as a midwife. AND she allowed me to record an impromptu interview with her so that I could share her animated adventures with all of you.

Topics discussed:

Thinking about a home birth
Not knowing what you don't know
The realization of being alone without birth support
Not knowing family birth stories
Her hospital birth story
Getting rid of misconceptions about home birth
Making the decision to birth at home
Her first home birth with Jennie Joseph
Learning to support women in birth
"Singin' the Baby Down"
What happens when women gather...
Being a Movement Meditation Specialist
Finding healing, alignment and balance in movement

Tanita's stories are an example of the ways that Black women can begin to reclaim their birth rites and support their sisters in birth, whether having been trained through a doula course or not. Start where you are and be willing to learn. We have always had the responsibility to help ourselves and heal ourselves in order to save ourselves.

Listen to the MP3 of the interview

You should know that Tanita is full of "Black Girl magic" in her own right. You will understand what I mean as you listen to her. She is the originator of AfroFunk DanceFit™ and the Creatrix of the Move.Dance.LIVE. Method™. She is a trailblazer with international influence who teaches people to use movement as medicine with the power to heal.

You can connect with her and the work she is doing:

Website: https://www.movedancelive.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/afrofunkdance/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/movedancelive/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tharisligons/

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When we help Birth HERstory Traditions 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 African American 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. Do you have a birth tradition, story or practice that you would like to share? Do you know someone who could be interviewed that has a story to share that shows the connection between modern Black women and their traditional birth practices? Send Dr. Doula a message and let her know.

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.)

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Birth HERstory

A Car... A Birthing Mom... A "Doula" Dad... And a Baby that Wouldn't Wait!

A Candid Conversation with a Historian & Herbalist of Southern Black Midwife Traditions

"What we throw away, somebody picks up, repackages it, and sells it to you and then you want to buy it... Your assimilation and throwing away of your culture does not help you and you end up being lost." ~ Divine Bailey-Nicholas

A Trailblazer's Journey from HOSPITAL BIRTH to HOME BIRTH

"Having a baby is the only 'well ' thing that happens at a hospital, so why should I have my baby at this place where sickness is going on? " ~Tanita Fadyeyola

When we help Birth HERstory Traditions we are acknowledging the BLACK BIRTH RENAISSANCE that is happening around the world!

Dr. Doula

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