Doula Services for BIPOC in Kalamazoo

Rootead’s Red Birth Green (RBG) Doula Collective provides accessible, full-spectrum doula services and reproductive care to those in the Kalamazoo area.  

RBG was founded as the Rootead Doula Collective in 2016 as a way to address Black infant mortality with community care. The goal of RBG is to empower all families to advocate for themselves through shared knowledge and connections.

Equitable access and care for all is central to the mission of Red Birth Green. Ultimately, we want to reduce the barriers and risk factors that so often face Black and brown parents and parents-to-be. As part of Rootead’s vision for decolonizing everything, we go back to our roots with our methodologies. 

We believe that every birthing person should have access to resources and support that treats them like an individual. An individual has needs that are culturally specific and rooted in their health, values, and depth of experience and knowledge. 

Our RBG doulas support each individual by first acknowledging that each client knows best about their body. It’s important they feel listened to, respected, and empowered to advocate for themselves. 

Equitable care for birthing persons in Kalamazoo requires holistic birthwork of all kinds, including but not limited to: fertility education, full-spectrum doula care, health assessments, and parenting groups. For additional services, please visit our Obodo Perinatal Easy Access Clinic.

What is a doula?

A doula is someone who provides support before, during and after pregnancy. This support can be spiritual, emotional, physical, and informational. The support does not include medical care. The doula’s goal is to support health and safety for baby and parent. In the event of a baby’s loss, whether that be voluntary or involuntary, doulas are available to provide support as well. Doulas are also beneficial for giving peace of mind to loved ones involved in the pregnancy.

There are several types of doulas, some more specialized than others. For instance, a birth doula assists during pregnancy and childbirth whereas a postpartum doula’s support is given after the person has given birth. 

Doulas who are a part of the RBG Doula Collective are considered full-spectrum doulas. Doula services from RBG span fertility, pregnancy, labor, birth, and the first months of baby’s life in the postpartum period. 

What qualifications do doulas have?

Doulas at Red Birth Green complete a 30 hour training. This training comes from a culturally competent standpoint. The course ensures that every birthing person – especially every immigrant, Black, low-income, LGBTQ+ individual – feels respected and supported. If you are interested in becoming a RBG doula, you can sign up to learn about our next training cohort.

Doulas provide non-medical support, so no medical training or certification is required to become a doula.

Doula vs Midwife

Doulas and midwives may seem related, but they are not the same. A midwife looks after the medical needs of the mother and child, whereas doulas focus on mental and emotional health as well as communal care. 

Doulas do not perform medical tasks. That includes any kind of physical exam or diagnoses of condition. Doulas are not decision-makers. Instead, they’ll encourage the birthing person to make the best decision for them and support them in whatever they choose to do. Clients are not required to labor without medication in order to work with a doula.

Why hire a birth doula? 

Doulas have so many benefits, backed by both personal stories and scientific evidence. Doula services help address issues with pregnancy, birth, and the weeks after, that hospitals and birthing centers have historically failed to address, like infant mortality and postpartum depression. 

Up until the mid-20th century, doulas, and especially Black women doulas, were common during birth. Over time, doulas were pushed out of birthing rooms. This left doulas without work and the birthing family vulnerable without that additional support by their side. To decolonize the birthing space is to bring back the doulas that were so instrumental to the health and wellbeing of Black and brown communities.

Health disparities for Black and Brown communities

Pregnancy and birth are experiences that can be equally as beautiful as they are complicated. A lack of access to resources and support, which can be a large problem in Black and brown communities, makes pregnancy and birth particularly difficult.

Black and brown expecting parents unjustly face higher risk pregnancies and births. This continues the historical mistreatment of Black and brown bodies that we seek to heal today.

Per the CDC, “Multiple factors contribute to these disparities, such as variation in quality healthcare, underlying chronic conditions, structural racism, and implicit bias. Social determinants of health prevent many people from racial and ethnic minority groups from having fair opportunities for economic, physical, and emotional health.”

Negative outcomes for Black and Brown mothers and parents

Black mothers are 2.3 times more likely to wait until their third trimester to receive prenatal care or receive no prenatal care whatsoever. They are also three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than White women, with that likelihood only slightly lower in Michigan.

These statistics clearly represent the need for doula services. These pregnancy-related deaths are preventable more often than not and can be remedied by the support that a doula provides. A lack of prenatal care can point to a lack of information, little to no support system or support from equally uninformed friends and family, and high levels of stress. With a doula, a birthing person has a well-informed, trustworthy advocate who puts the opinions and experiences of the pregnant person first.

Black and brown communities often experience distrust of medical providers. Not only are there historical precedents for the inhumane treatment of their bodies in a medical setting, many people have recent experiences facing discrimination from practitioners. It’s difficult to find a medical provider who sees their patient as a whole, autonomous person rather than a patient onto which they can project stereotypes.

Black and brown infant mortality rates

Infant mortality is an all-too-common occurrence that doulas work to lower significantly. Data collected by the CDC documents that there are 6.5 infant deaths per live births in Michigan alone. That number rises to 12.4 infant deaths per live births for Black babies born in Michigan.

In addition, Black infants in the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek region are four times more likely to die before their first birthday than white babies.

Impact of doula services on birth outcomes

Doulas have proven to be impactful for many years. Research shows that doula services are very beneficial, especially for families of color and low-income families. Specifically, those that receive doula care compared to those who do not are:

• • Two times less likely to experience a birth complication

• • Four times less likely to have a low birth weight baby

• • More likely to breastfeed

• • More likely to be satisfied with their care

• • 25% less likely to need a C-section

• • Shorter labors by 41 minutes on average

There is a very real fear for pregnant people of color that something will go wrong during their birth and they won’t know where to turn to get the support they need. Anxiety levels around maintaining the health of the baby inside of the body and around the birth itself can be high. When this is remedied, we see that the very presence of a doula can provide a calming presence to the birthing person. Birth services that model continuous support throughout the birthing process are the key to better birthing outcomes.

What birth services does a doula provide?

Birth services can encompass many different forms of support for a birthing person, primarily physical, informational, and emotional support. Birthing persons need physical support for the health of their bodies. Carrying a child can cause discomfort and pain that leads to a negative experience before and during birth. Additional discomfort and pain can come from feeling unsupported or uninformed about how to best treat their bodies and minds at every stage of the birthing process.

Physical support 

Doulas are not medical professionals but they can provide adjacent services that more resemble caregiving than treating. For example, a doula may massage the person’s back after so many days of pressure on their midsection. Doulas can hold their hand and teach them how to breathe properly during delivery. Despite common belief, there is no one perfect way to have a baby. Instead of encouraging the birthing person to follow the medical model, doulas ask them how they feel and adjust accordingly. To take control of one’s birth, one must free themselves from practices accepted as common or traditional in a specific time and culture.

These seemingly small touches can make a world of difference for the parent and infant.

Informational support

There’s a lot that is not taught about having a baby, from what a regular check-up looks like to complication possibilities. That’s not to mention the things a person would need to know that are more specific to their experience, like how to handle mental illness while carrying a child. A lack of information can be both worrisome at best and outright dangerous at worst. 

Doulas can help find answers or resources, and help the pregnant person advocate for their needs and desires.They can explain different procedures, walk them through what’s happening during labor, and what to expect and why during the postpartum period. 

Emotional support

While emotional support is primarily for the pregnant person, doulas can also serve as a support to the whole family. Since our philosophy is all about community, we believe that everyone around the birthing person should get to feel a sense of calm and confidence around the birth.

When should you hire a doula?

Pregnancy and prenatal care available from a doula

The amount of prenatal meetings you have with your doula is up to you, depending on your comfort level and needs. Traditionally, around 1-3 prenatal visits are held. These first visits are to establish the relationship, expectations, concerns, and preferences around the birth and postpartum. 

During the prenatal visits, the doula will get to know their client so that they can serve them to the best of their ability. They can also share past experiences with clients, teach the pregnant person to adjust their mentality and physical space for the arrival of the baby, and inform them about what the birthing process will potentially look like. For the client, this is the time to learn about options and get questions answered. 

Birthing care available from a doula

During labor, the doula can be there for much needed psychological, physical, and informational support. They can ensure that the birthing person is in a position that the body naturally wants to be in during birth. Doulas can also serve as an extra helping hand to keep the client hydrated and as comfortable and pain-free as possible. Throughout labor, a doula can hold the person’s hand, guide them in their breathing, and inform them of their labor’s progress. Labor can be an arduous process so the doula can help motivate the birthing person to keep going, while reassuring the birthing person’s loved ones.

Postpartum Care available from a doula

The first moments after birth are overwhelming, for baby and parent. Parents don’t always have an immediate connection with their baby, which can be discouraging. A doula can help everyone get acclimated to one another and build that relationship between parent and child. Other duties that may trouble parents but are aided by a doula are feeding, burping, changing, and sleeping.

Why choose the Red Birth Green Doula Collective?

We are committed to equitable, full spectrum care. We believe in our individual clients; this is their body, their baby, and their birth. The doulas at Red Birth Green provide the support of the village, ready to share knowledge and experience as a community. When we show up for people, we see each person as an individual while not individualizing them so much that they’re on their own. It’s the balance we’re able to strike between the two that makes our services so unique.

Equitable Care

The dismissive attitude regarding the health concerns of Black and brown women and their babies is well documented and deeply concerning. This puts a great burden on the mother that can negatively impact both their health and the health of the baby. When this burden is added to the weight and stress of existing as a Black or brown woman, it can result in maternal and/or infant mortality. RBG doulas are trained through a culturally competent lens, and many of our doulas are BIPOC who understand what it’s like to face the systemic racism within the medical industrial complex.

Reducing Black infant mortality has been a goal at Rootead since its start, as has the philosophy of treating every birthing person as a unique individual who has their own wants, needs, and preferences. Too often, people – especially Black and brown people – get left out of the conversation about their own health and healthcare. 

Our doulas strive to alter this relationship and empower each birthing person. They can speak up for clients with authority to make sure they are getting the care that they desire and deserve. They can also translate medical speak into understandable language so that they have all the information they need to make the best decision for themselves.

The birthing person’s physical health isn’t our doulas’ only concern. Pregnancy and pregnancy loss can have a significant effect on their mental wellness and social support. Like any big change in life, the transition between the before, during, and after pregnancy have somewhat unexpected consequences. Hormonal changes, the change in routine and social opportunities, and the sheer toll of growing a person for 9 months, are just a few of the stressors that we monitor and support them through.

RBG Doula Collective Outcomes

To date, RBG Doula services have resulted in the following outcomes:

90 Babies welcomed as of December 2021

99% Breastfeeding initiation rate

98% of RBG client pregnancies reach 37 weeks gestation or more

99% of RBG client babies are born at a healthy weight (5.5 lbs or more)

What is the cost of hiring a RBG doula?

A typical doula can cost up to $2,500, which we recognize is not accessible to everyone. In order for us to offer accessible services, we go by a pay-what-you-can model. We are more than happy to arrange payment plans, offer financial assistance, and work within the client’s budget.

How to Receive Doula Services from Rootead

If you are interested in doula services from RBG, you can complete this form to request a doula. If you have more questions, you can reach Red Birth Green by calling (269) 720-9200 ext. 5 or by emailing redbirthgreen@rootead.org.