Kalamazoo Non-Profit Provides Free Doula Services To Women Of Color

Childbirth is meant to be one of the most exciting and loving experience for parents, especially mothers, as they bring another life into the world. What is meant to be a time of celebration and joy can easily become a traumatic experience or one that ends in tragedy. There are dozens of stories where mothers have lost their child, loss their own lives, or experienced some other complication that has affected them post-op.

There are some common misconceptions that exist within the medical field and one of them is that people of color have a higher pain tolerance and therefore may be exaggerating and don't need the same care as other humans. Also, there are less doctors and nurses of color than their counterparts which creates another barrier as well.

When you take those factors and combine them with the level of knowledge that some people lack when referring to their bodies, going to the hospital can be dangerous. Childbirth is one of those instances where your body and life are already at risk, so having someone who will support you correctly is important. For women of color in Kalamazoo, that's where non-profit Rootead comes in clutch. Rootead provides several services to people of Kalamazoo including Doula support for pregnant women of color and their families.

Are You Aware Of What Doula Services Are? Do You Know Where You Can Find Them?

WWMT via MSN reports:

Rootead Enrichment Center in Kalamazoo offers three community-focused programs in the form of "branches": Birth Justice, Youth Enrichment, and Community Healing. The Birth Justice branch provides a variety of resources for young families, with a focus on women of color. Their trained birth and postpartum doulas provide continuous, non-medical support throughout pregnancy and labor, free of charge. Doulas like Parker empower mothers by accompanying them to doctor's appointments, drafting a birth plan, and even being present during the birth to ensure the plan is followed and each mother has an advocate in the labor room.

The great thing about this service is that it doesn't stop after birth as they also provide playdates, diaper drives, and lactation classes. They have also partnered with Bronson to donate breast milk to families in need.