The American Midwife Series In this episode Ms. Shafia shares her journey to becoming a midwife and creating ICTC. We begin by exploring her introduction to birth at 16 years old, then move into the inception story of The Traditional Childbearing group located in Roxbury, Massachusetts, which she started with Majeeda Amadadeen (Workneh), eventually journeying […]
New Doula Legislation May Impact Your Business Based on federal and state doula legislations that are brewing and passing, Mama Hakima Payne and Shafia Monroe felt the need to bring owners of Black doula training companies together. There is increasing legislation happening at the state and federal level for the advancement and regulation of the […]
How We Can Help Black Mothers Get the Maternal Care They Need? In the United States, 700 to 900 women die from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes annually, and approximately 65,000 experience serious, near-fatal complications. Even more sobering, the Center for American Progress (CAP) reports that Black women are three to four times more likely to […]
Working With Diverse Populations in Maternal and Child Health Purpose This training is for health care professionals, doulas, community health workers and interested persons, who seek to learn cultural competency in a manner that preserves the dignity of individuals, families and communities, and examine the issues of power and oppression to create systemic change for […]
Black Maternal Health Conference & Training Institute “Collective Power to Save Black Mothers” I was excited to attend the Black Maternal Health Conference & Training Institute on December 6-9, 2018 in Atlanta, GA. Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA) sponsored this conference. And what a dynamic alliance. The conference purpose was to advance Black maternal health, […]
Creating a Non-Profit for Your Birth Work Thirty plus years ago, I made the decision to find a way to serve families as a midwife. It was stressful doing birth work and working a traditional job. In my hiring interview, I told the employer that I was a midwife/birth worker; and that I could not […]
Massage and touch can be a powerful and effective tool for helping women during childbirth. The use of massage is not a new concept. The earliest record of massage therapy dates back to 2400 BCE in the Tomb of Akmanthor . It has been indicated that massage was also used in ancient India, China, and Japan […]
On May 4th, I arrived in Tangier, Morocco for the Tribal Sisterhood Retreat. I attended the retreat to learn Moroccan postpartum rituals. I was excited to participate and to learn the wisdom from traditional midwives and elder healers. My life’s work is to heal trauma and bring spirituality back full circle in birth, by connecting […]
Why Is Preeclampsia Dangerous? Preeclampsia is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality, particularly in the Black community. Preeclampsia is a pregnancy induced condition that can begin as early as 20 weeks gestation. Science is still seeking both causes and solutions to preeclampsia. “Preeclampsia and eclampsia are part of the spectrum of high blood pressure, or hypertensive, disorders that can occur […]