Arlet Wylie, woman who birthed with a doula

Dr. Veronica Gillispie-Bell, OB-GYN

Allison, woman who birthed with a doula

Tasia Stewart, doula with Birthmark

Jen Latimer, doula with Your Uncompromised Path NOLA

In this inaugural episode, Arlet, Allison, Jen, Tasia, and Dr. Gillispie-Bell break down the basics about what a doula is and what doulas do. Find out how doulas can support healthy birthing experiences, the difference between a doula and a midwife, and what kind of services doulas typically provide.

EPISODE 2: So what do doulas actually do?

In this episode we hear from Allison, Arlet, Tasia, and Jen as they recount real birth stories from the perspectives of birthing people and doulas themselves. The episode shares information such as how doulas educate birthing families, what it means to create a birth plan, the kinds of support doulas provide during labor — hands on, emotionally, and otherwise — and how they help you advocate for yourself.

This episode focuses mostly on the paths that a doula takes to become a doula, and features Tasia and Jen as they share their journeys into this field and the special training they received that shaped their practices and their philosophies about doula work. They emphasize the need to establish trust not only with the birthing person, but with their family and/or partner, as well, and this episode explores how doulas complement family units and establish relationships with whole families.

“Black maternal health is a public health crisis.” - Dr. Veronica Gillispie-Bell 

It is impossible to critically discuss maternal and child health in the US without talking about race and the challenges Black birthing families face; but luckily, doulas play a crucial role in addressing health disparities and closing equity gaps. In this episode, Tasia, Arlet, Jen, and Dr. Gillispie-Bell share their perspectives on how systemic racism and bias in healthcare affect Black mothers, and how doulas can serve as advocates to ensure they are seen, heard, and properly cared for. From firsthand experiences to observed patterns and trends, they highlight why it’s so important for Black birthing families to have doulas to support them in navigating a healthcare system that often overlooks their concerns, ignores their pain, and doesn’t treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve.

In the final episode we go over the last details about doula care so that our host, Iman, can finally decide if she should get a doula or not. To wrap up, all of the guests came back to discuss the remaining logistics we still haven’t talked about yet, like when you should hire a doula, the importance of finding the right doula for you, and how much doula services typically cost in the United States. At the end, Iman finally reveals her decision on whether or not she’ll get a doula…and she also brings up a HUGE elephant in the room that she hasn’t mentioned yet but that is a really big piece of this conversation.