The Doula year in Review 2015

I wanted to do a blog post about my year in review. It's crazy about my plans for the year that sometimes didn't always happen.  This time last year I really thought that I would be working as a postpartum doula but because of some unforeseen circumstances I had to stop my doula education and get a regular 9-5 to pay the bills.  That initially was the BAD, in my opinion. That is really the only thing that I will consider bad regarding me beginning my journey as a Doula.

I have however had some really good things happen this year. I've really thought about a list and here it is:

• I started a group on Facebook for full spectrum doulas
• I found a local birthworkers group(doulas and midwives) that meet regularly and I've made some pretty awesome connections there.
• I've educated more people about what a doula is and how they can help their family.
• I designed a business page on Facebook for my business, Ujima Doula Services.
• I've found webinars and various podcasts associated with doula work to further educate me.
• I've been using Twitter and other social media outlets to get the word out about my business.

Placenta encapsulation: What's the big deal??

There has been talk in the news lately about placentas and placenta encapsulation.  Most recently Kim Kardashian-West decided to encapsulate her placenta after giving birth to her son.  She joins the list of celebrities who've decided to eat or encapsulate their placentas. Some other celebs who decided to eat or encapsulate their placentas are: Holly Madison, January Jones, Gaby Hoffman, Kourtney Kardashian and Mayim Bialik. But placenta encapsulation is not new and not just for celebrities. Many women choose to have their placentas encapsulated or simply eat the placenta as well.

It's a growing phenomena in the birthing community as well. There has been several evidence based studies supporting it and then of course there have been some people who are against it and who believe it's "nasty" or barbaric. Whatever you may choose I urge you to do your research and figure out what's best for you.

Some of the most common questions are what is a placenta and what is placenta encapsulation? A placenta is the organ that develops in a woman's uterus during pregnancy. The structure provides oxygen and nutrients to the growing fetus and removes waste products from it's blood. The placenta attaches to the wall of the uterus and the umbilical cord arises from it.

Placenta encapsulation is a process in which, immediately following the birth of the baby, the placenta is dehydrated and ground into a course powder, which is then placed into small capsules that look exactly like any other vitamin or supplement that can be taken.

So you might ask well why should I consider placenta encapsulation if I'm pregnant? Well, research has shown that ingesting your placenta has many benefits that include:

• The reduction or stopping of postpartum bleeding 
• Speeding up recovery
• Boost energy levels
• Relieves postpartum blues
• Aid in milk production and lactation 

The placenta contains beneficial hormones, chemicals, irons and healing substances that include:

• Estrogen, Progesterone and Testosterone
• Prolactin
• Oxtocin
• Placental-Opioid-Enhancing factor
• Thyroid stimulating hormone
• Corticotropin Releasing hormone
• Cortison
• Interferon
• Prostaglandins
• Iron
• Hemoglobin
• Human Placental Lactogen

Where are all the black birth workers???

This is a serious topic that I've contemplated so many times. When I started on my journey to become a doula I had to realize a few things. For one I'd probably be one of only a few doulas of color in my area. That really saddens me because there is such a disparity of people of color who want to do this kind of work.

I'm connected to several groups on social media and locally and a few days ago I came across this article. Where are the woman of color birth worker   It brought up several relevant topics and a few topics that no one really wants to talk about in the black community.  I am truly happy to be a part a profession that at the end of the day I can be proud that I helped a mother, her partner and her family make that transition into parenthood.

My overwhelming need to use all of my acquired skills ultimately led me to go into business for myself. When I had to think about a name for my business I had to consider what my ultimate goal would be and I realized that it was to make a difference in my local community along with the greater community of people of color.

Soon my dream will be realized and I will be apart of the birth worker community and working with families in Northeastern Ohio.