Comments on Blacktating: Black Family: A Doula Story

Golden. Great, useful info.

2010-07-12T22:53:46.459-04:00

Golden. Great, useful info.

Yes, I'm not sure most people realize that bir...

2010-06-12T19:40:22.139-04:00

Yes, I'm not sure most people realize that birth as we know it (and see it on TV shows like "A Baby Story") is highly medicalized and NOT normal at all. I know doulas don't make very much money considering all that they do, and all of the ones I know still donate their time to moms who can't afford their services. You bring up a great point with regarding to status and race. Yes, if wealthy white women are fighting an uphill battle in the hospital system, what must it be like for poor women of color? As soon as I got to the hospital they decided I needed a C-section almost immediately. Four hours later I very easily birthed an average size baby vaginally. Imagine if I hadn't fought? I think the whole experience would have been so much better had I had a doula, but even though I am educated and did a lot of research into the kind of birth I wanted, I thought a doula was kind of silly and frivolous. This documentary proves just how wrong I was.

Thank you for sharing this. I wish that the whol...

2010-06-12T12:18:09.970-04:00

Thank you for sharing this.
I wish that the whole country could understand the crisis that birth is in and the absolutely dire need for more education. We need centers like this in every state and every major city. It's not ok that only people with money get to have good, educated labor support.
As a doula in training, I've done some free and some reduced cost births. I fully intend to donate my time to young and poor mothers because they are the ones who need the most help. I know the hospital system is hard (condescending, patronizing) enough on wealthy white folks, I can only imagine how tough it is for young mothers.
Thank God for the work this woman is doing!

Wow! I'm excited to watch that doc! What an am...

2010-03-19T15:33:00.826-04:00

Wow! I'm excited to watch that doc! What an amazing thing to do for women :)

I need to watch this documentary when I'm not ...

2010-03-18T17:59:07.952-04:00

I need to watch this documentary when I'm not in a coffee shop! She sounds so incredible, and I have tears in my eyes at the thought of the love she's pouring out and the lives she's changing.

I had heard that statistic about breastfeeding mothers being less likely to be abusive but never really thought about it. It makes so much sense, in what I've seen. And, as you say, not just abuse but just maybe it's easier to have more of a connection, more of a compassion and empathy for your child, when you start out breastfeeding. I've been thinking of how this relates to feeding solids lately because of a post I wrote, but I think it's extrapolatable if that's a word (spell check disagrees) — breastfeeding has taught me to trust my child's needs and honor them, in general. I might have learned to without breastfeeding, but it would have been harder for me.

Makes me want to be such an amazing advocate, too! Oo, I want to watch that documentary. Later!

Just watched it and it was awesome to watch her ca...

2010-03-17T04:04:29.305-04:00

Just watched it and it was awesome to watch her care for the girls and their babies.

I watched this documentary quite a while ago and I...

2010-03-16T23:54:45.601-04:00

I watched this documentary quite a while ago and I still have the link up on my old blog. What she does is nothing short of heroic. We need more women like her, everywhere. Thank God for people like her. I cried through most of that documentary, too.

Baltimore is trying to get something like what she does off the ground for teen moms, too. I have a friend that is volunteering for it and when I get a car, I will be too. This is so hugely important that there aren't enough words in the world to describe WHY.

What an incredible and inspirational woman. I am ...

2010-03-16T22:44:00.853-04:00

What an incredible and inspirational woman. I am just in awe.