Meet the Doula

How it all Began…

My journey into birthwork began when I found out that I was pregnant with my son, Shelev. I can vividly remember when I first found out that I was pregnant because I instantly felt alone. Little did I know that at the time my mindset would play a huge predetermining factor in the next 8 and a half months of my pregnancy. Just 3 years prior, I had lost my mother due to the complications of breast cancer. I can recall staring at my positive pregnancy test as if the results weren’t solidified. The longer I stared at it, the quicker my intrusive thoughts began to flood my mind…“How am I going to mother without a mother?” “Who would support me in my most vulnerable transition?” “What do I do if I have personal questions that I feel only a mother would know?” “Am I even ready to be a mother?” Losing my mother has been by far the toughest pill that I have ever had to swallow. It’s one of those pills that you never want to imagine taking, 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, but spiritually, she embraced hundreds of us. My sibling and I were profoundly nourished by our mother, especially during our early childhood years. She was such a hands-on and involved parent. There honestly isn’t a time that I can recollect of her not being present when it mattered most. My mother led with a lot of love, laughter and captivating storytelling. 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. All I knew was that I wanted her entire essence with me at my child’s birth. It took me quite some time to realize that we would always be spiritually connected. I had to remember that I am a direct extension of her. All of the stories that my mother had shared with me, I could manifest! I wanted to manifest the birth story of how she birthed my sister and I naturally. In order to achieve that intention, I had to dive deeper into myself. I had to be open and vulnerable to rediscovering a different version of who I currently was. I needed to awaken my innate sensibility to birth just as my mother did with me 24 years prior.

In celebration of my pregnancy and in commemoration of my mother’s life; I’d thought it would be a great idea to reconnect with her through the birth of my son. By the grace of God, my intentional mindset, the physical support of my sister and the spiritual presence of my mom; I was able to achieve a natural, unmedicated birth. My initial thought was, “I did it mom!” I felt empowered as I was able to align myself with what I envisioned. After my self-empowerment began to settle, a set of thoughts ran rampant as I watched one of the L & D nurses cry in awe. I’m not quite sure if it was her first time assisting a birth or if this was just their reaction to my birthing experience; all in all, I really enjoyed watching their response as it provided me with a sense of calmness. The L & D Nurse’s response also humbled me, it reminded me that everyone has a different birth story. In retrospect, wouldn’t it be great if everyone received the support that they needed and wanted during their perinatal journey? My mindfulness began to kick in soon after I delivered my baby. I began to wonder, “how often does this experience happen for others…?” “Are other birthing people well supported throughout their perinatal journey?” After several questions bombarded my mind, I had to ground myself before my anxiety robbed me of my personal experience. The hospital that I birthed my son at included a Dial-a-Doula Program that I unfortunately didn’t utilize. I found out about doulas late in my pregnancy and I wanted to be able to establish a sensible rapport with my doula prior to giving birth. The Dial-a-Doula program allowed patients to request a volunteer doula as soon as they were admitted into the hospital. My sister served as my unofficial doula and she served as a great labor support coach. It gave me such peace of mind to know that there was free access to doulas within the hospital. At the time, I didn’t know that my birthing 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.

3 years into my doula career, I relocated to California. I was longing for a sense of community and the best way that I knew how to establish a support system is through acts of service. I was able to connect with a midwife who referred me to a collective of birthworkers that served Black birthing folx. I then became a community based-doula through their doula program.

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 learned how to better engage community and create systems that maintained their participation.

BIRRTH WOMXN OC was a very comprehensive program that enabled BIPOC birthing folx and their partners to receive complimentary childbirth and lactation education classes, doula services, CPR certification, hybrid support group meetings in addition to a plethora of resources to help them navigate parenthood.

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!