Meet the Doula
How it all Began…
My journey into birthwork commenced when I found out that I was pregnant with my son, Shelev. I can vividly remember feeling alone within my pregnancy and not well supported. Just 4 years prior, I had lost my mother due to the complications of breast cancer. My biggest thought after viewing my positive pregnancy test was, “how am I going to mother without a mother?” The longer I stared at my pregnancy test, the more questions began to flood my mental….”Who would support me in my most vulnerable state?” “What do I do if I have personal questions?” “Am I even ready to be a mother?” Losing my mother was by far the toughest pill that I have ever had to swallow. It’s one of those pills that you’d think you’ll never have to take but yet, it’s there, already prescribed and waiting to be picked up. Experiences like these, we don’t necessarily anticipate. Surely at the mere age of 20 I felt that my mother had more life to live, but there I was, pregnant motherless and alone or so I thought.
The majority of my memories with my mother are grounded in how much she loved and cared for her children. Biologically she had two of us, (me and my sister) spiritually, there were hundreds of us. My sister and I were profoundly nourished by our mom, especially during our early childhood years. Ghitana was such a hands-on and involved mother. There honestly isn’t a time that I can recall of her not being present when it mattered most. Ghitana lead with a lot of love, continuous laughter, captivating storytelling and epic writing. She was also a great force to reckon with because her voice was just as powerful as her love. Being blunt was the epitome of her character at its core. I wanted her entire essence with me at my son’s birth, all of her abstract and concrete details. Then, I had to realize that my mother resided within me. I am an extension of her…
In celebration of my pregnancy and in commemoration of my mother’s life; I’d thought it would be a great idea to birth my son naturally just as my mother did. My mom would always rave about how she birthed my sister and I naturally and I thought weeeellll, what better way is there to feel connected to her then through the birth of my son…
By the grace of God, my intentional mindset, the physical support of my sister and the iridescent presence of my mom; I was able to achieve a natural, unmedicated birth at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. My initial thought was wooowww, how empowering and impactful this birthing experience was. My next set of thoughts ran rampant as I watched one L & D nurse cry in awe of my birthing experience. I’m not sure if it was her first time assisting a birth like this or if this was their response to birth in general, all in all I was elated to watch her reaction to
Wait, “how often does this experience happen for others?” “Are other birthing individuals well supported throughout this process?” “Are doulas made accessible to everyone?” After several questions bombarded my mind, I had to quickly ground myself before anxiety robbed my personal experience. The hospital that I birthed my son at included a Dial-a-Doula Program that I unfortunately didn’t utilize. I wanted to be able to establish rapport with my doula prior to having them accompany me even though the program allowed patients to request a volunteer doula when they are admitted into the hospital.
My sister served as my unofficial doula and she was a great labor coach throughout the duration of my labor and delivery. Although I didn’t utilize the Dial-a-Doula Program for my birthing experience, my heart felt settled knowing that other birthing folx could have access to a doula if they wanted additional support. Knowing that there was free access to doulas within the hospital gave me peace of mind. I didn’t know that my personal experience would embark my journey into birthwork. I would soon began to realize how accessibility played an important role in the care of birthing folx as well as the importance of a sustainable doula workforce.
The logistics of creating doula programs for marginalized populations and implementing systems that have been evaluated and proven to be successful for BIPOC communities came later in my doula career. As Co-founder of Orange County’s first community-based doula pilot program, BIRRTH WOMXN OC (Birth Initiative for Reproductive Rights, Transforming and Healing Womxn of Color)
I am so grateful for the birthworker community that I have grown to know and continue to learn from. To all my Doula (Sis)tars and Brothers out there, thank you for your service as we all know how pivotal and sacred this work is to the BIPOC Community.
Experience and Qualifications
I have always been interested in the logistics of life, especially in human growth and development. In 2014, I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Business Administration. Since then, I have furthered my education through various avenues; with Holistic approaches being the most pertinent. Integrating a Holistic approach into birth work has become one of my most avid areas of doula support.
I first began my journey as a doula back in September of 2017. I completed a very hands-on birth and postpartum doula training at the Center for the Childbearing Year in Ann Arbor, MI. After completing my doula training, I went on to volunteer as a doula helper in a newborn care class with Toni Auker of Tree Town Doulas. Over the course of my doula training and volunteer work, I acquired a significant amount of knowledge and shortly after established MariMama Doula Services. MariMama provides very prominent doula services in efforts to help expectant parents produce more favorable birthing outcomes. I look forward to being your birthing advocate during your childbearing year!
