Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest
    BAUCE
    SUBSCRIBE
    • Hustle

      How To Stay Organized When Hiring New Employees in Your Business

      March 23, 2023

      10 Considerations When Starting a Home Business

      March 17, 2023

      Top 10 Remote Jobs For Digital Nomads To Consider

      March 17, 2023

      Here’s Why You Should Invest in Online CPR Training For Your Employees

      March 15, 2023

      5 Ways To Improve Your Medical Practice

      March 15, 2023
    • Believe

      Can Journaling Really Change Your Life For the Better?

      March 23, 2023

      8 Ways To Get Comfortable In Your Own Skin

      March 1, 2023

      What It Means to Retire as a Self-Made Woman

      January 11, 2023

      Entering Your 30s And Feeling Less Sure Of Yourself Than Ever? Consider This

      November 9, 2022

      10 Ted Talks To Help Black Women Entrepreneurs Grow Their Businesses

      October 14, 2022
    • Earn

      4 Tips for Successful Retirement Planning for Millennials

      March 24, 2023

      These Are The Best Ways to Settle Back Taxes as a Small Business Owner

      March 2, 2023

      5 Ways to Close the Gender Pay Gap in Medicine 

      March 2, 2023

      Shopping for a New House? Here Are 5 Things You Need to Do First

      February 24, 2023

      How To Improve Your Credit To Increase Loan Options and Secure Better Terms

      February 24, 2023
    • Live

      Social Media Dating in 2023: Stop Wasting Time and Energy on Bad Dates

      March 23, 2023

      8 Common Misconceptions About Antibiotics

      March 23, 2023

      Want to Maintain your Youthful Appearance? Here’s How to Do That

      March 23, 2023

      5 Tips for Making Big Decisions

      March 21, 2023

      5 Tips for Hiring a Skilled Medical Malpractice Lawyer for Your Case

      March 21, 2023
    • Profiles

      How Marissa Kearney of Target While Black Is Changing The Black Shopping Experience

      March 8, 2023

      Founder of Black Girl Sunscreen Shontay Lundy Shares How She Built A 7 Figure Business From Scratch

      February 28, 2023

      CEO of 0514 Design Tahiti Spears Partners With Walmart To Highlight Black Excellence For Black History Month

      February 22, 2023

      Beauty Expert Tiara Willis Shares How To Successfully Earn Six Figures As A Beauty Influencer

      February 20, 2023

      Best-Selling Author Nathalie Nicole Smith Shares How To Leverage Your Story To Build A Personal Brand

      February 24, 2023
    • About
      • Advertise
      • Jobs
      • Contact
    BAUCE
    Features

    Chanel Porchia-Albert Shares How Doulas can Help Expectant Mothers Navigate the Black Maternal Care Gap

    By Samantha HolmesOctober 6, 20225 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Throughout her career, Chanel Porchia-Albert has had a front-row seat to the highs and lows of humanity. Such is life for a doula, which is a term for people who support parents before, during, and after they deliver a child. Doulas such as Chanel navigate an array of demands that can be uplifting, taxing, or somewhere in between. Creating a birth plan, helping manage the pain and stress of labor, and assisting with postpartum recovery all fall within a doula’s domain. Describing her role, Chanel shares: “Having a doula offers non-judgmental support. [Working with a doula] means not feeling shame about asking for help.” Asking for help plays an essential role in anyone’s parenthood journey. This proves to be even more salient for Black women, who are three to four times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women are. It’s a horrifying statistic. Fortunately, individuals like Chanel and companies like Baby Dove are working to address the disparity in Black maternal health outcomes and her insights below can be useful for people who are considering a doula.

    Leverage Resources and Advocacy Groups

    Chanel’s expertise has touched many lives through her organization, Ancient Song Doula Services, her work as a consultant for the New York Department of Health, her role on a board at Harvard Medical School, and numerous other contributions. Currently, Chanel has partnered with Dove on their Black Birth Equity Fund. Through this innovative $500,000 fund, people can apply for grants to help fund doula care. An educational video series called #DearDoula rounds out the campaign. Chanel commends Dove on their dedication to Black Maternal Health as she notes: “In our initial conversations, one thing I appreciated with BabyDove was that they are bringing to the forefront information about Black maternal health. They were really intentional about partnering with Black Mamas Matter and learning from others in this space. They went a step further and asked them what the issues were and how they could center the conversation. They were really humble about it.” The Black Birth Equity Fund exemplifies dedication to social change and agency for Black mothers. Commending Dove on their commitment, Chanel confirms: “One of the biggest things that BabyDove helps is to give folks the opportunity to tap into resources. BabyDove doubled the [Black Birth Equity Fund] investment from $250k to $500k to allow people to access services up to $1,300. The DearDoula series will reach individuals who are birthing and parenting and give them a space where there are no silly questions.”

    Embrace the Role of a Doula on Your Caregiving Team

    Reflecting on how the discourse around doulas has evolved over the last ten years, Chanel attests: “It’s gone from a place where doulas were not talked about to now we’re talking about doulas a lot. Doulas have become very popular and I hope that we can continue to be…but, doulas are not the only answer. We also need to lift up midwifery services, birthing centers, and OB/GYNs who are culturally responsive and humble.” Once upon a time, society seemed to be more sceptical about doulas. Chanel’s words suggest that doulas can easily fit within a broader constellation of maternal care in today’s world. In addition, doulas can be helpful in approaching health through a more holistic lens. According to Chanel, conversations in the doula community include questions such as: “What does it mean to bring a human rights framework into the birth realm?” and “What does support mean once the child gets here? What should postpartum help look like?”

    Center the Conversation on Hope

    The statistics around Black maternal outcomes are bleak. However, Chanel refuses to approach her work from a place of defeat or despair. Chanel explains: “I am super conscientious about framing the conversation that centers on hope and what it means to uplift our collective humanity. When it’s a conversation about people being in crisis, it puts a person in a position of feeling like there is no hope. Or it makes people say ‘[motherhood] is not for me.’ So I want to create a space where people know this is for them. I want to educate people about Black maternal health. I want to create a space to affirm yourself, your bodily autonomy, and your parenting in a space that can be hostile. I will tell someone from the door, if you want me to talk about the Black death I won’t. I will talk about centering on hope, joy, and love.”

    Hope, joy, and love should play a larger role in medical discourse. This is especially true as the Supreme Court’s Decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has had devastating effects on marginalized individuals who were already struggling. Chanel offers some final words of wisdom regarding the current state of reproductive rights: “Now we are in a more trying space and have to help communities navigate hostile environments. We need to think about what it means to have childcare, transportation, and hotels readily available. Making sure that providers are safe is a big shift too. We were already working in some spaces with underfunded or non-existent resources, so now we are looking to help more community-based organizations.” For more educational content, check out https://blackmamasmatter.org and https://www.ancientsongdoulaservices.com/advocacy.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email Reddit WhatsApp
    Previous ArticleHow to Create a Custom Business Email Address in 2022
    Next Article 8 Wedding Photography Tips From A Professional Photographer
    Samantha Holmes

    Related Posts

    How Marissa Kearney of Target While Black Is Changing The Black Shopping Experience

    March 8, 2023

    CEO of 0514 Design Tahiti Spears Partners With Walmart To Highlight Black Excellence For Black History Month

    February 22, 2023

    Beauty Expert Tiara Willis Shares How To Successfully Earn Six Figures As A Beauty Influencer

    February 20, 2023
    Add A Comment

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    Your Go-To Resources

    How To Truly Break The Cycle of Debt

    It’s Time To Stop Sleeping On Your Credit Score, Sis – Here’s Why

    These Are 15 of the Highest Paying Careers To Pursue

    15 Good Jobs That Women Can Do From Anywhere Without Experience

    Here’s How To Trick Yourself Into Saving More Money

    Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
    • Jobs
    © 2023 BAUCE MEDIA LLC

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.