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

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/

Comments

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.)

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

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