This week I had an article featured in WRAL Go Ask Mom. I shared my thoughts about building the birth team you deserve with the help of a doula and the benefits of continuity of care. Check it out and please share!
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It's Black Maternal/Perinatal Health Week and today I am sharing some tips and suggestions to help Black mothers and families thrive during pregnancy, birth and the fourth trimester.
We all know the gut-wrenching stats and realities regarding Black women and health disparities rooted in racism, ignorance and outdated healthcare methods & models. Despite the health industrial complex's somewhat acknowledgment of this in recent years, not much has changed for Black mothers or their families. In fact, the rates of Black maternal mortality have increased since the pandemic began. And while there are so many reasons why this matter in itself is an unnecessary yet ongoing plight, Black women still have a long way to go when it comes birth & health equity. So what can you do to make sure you are protected and have the birth experience you desire? Below are some suggested things you can do to better prepare for pregnancy & birth.
Remember, when it comes to your body, your baby and your health, YOU are in control. Preparation and the right support can make all the difference. Do you know what today is?? It's my doulaversary!! Business Birthday Vibes All Day! 🎂🍾🎉 7 years of service (7 pp, 3 birth) 35+ pp families 22 births 13 mentees 100+ family & childcare consultations It has truly been an honor and a pleasure to walk in my purpose! Thank you for your continued support!! Now accepting clients due in June and beyond! Contact me today to schedule your complimetary comsultation. "Find your tribe. Build your village. Start with a doula." Kelly Collins, CP-ICD Did you know?
The number seven symbolizes completeness and perfection. It also symbolizes humanity's deep inner need to find depth, meaning, and spiritual connection. Peripartum Cardiomyopathy (also known as Postpartum Cardiomyopathy) is an uncommon form of heart failure that happens during the last month of pregnancy or up to several months after giving birth. Heart disease is a leading cause of death for women and kills approximately 1 in 5 women each year. However, black women are at greater risk for various reasons. This week's guest blog comes from Charity Watkins, Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at North Carolina Central University, Outpatient Clinical Therapist and the Chair of Equity Before Birth's Board of Directors. A six year PPCM survivor, Mrs. Watkins shares her triumphant story to healing and advocacy. 1. Tell me about yourself.
My name is Charity Watkins and I'm a Black woman serving in numerous roles including as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at North Carolina Central University, an Outpatient Clinical Therapist, Durham resident, partner to hopefully the next U.S. Representative for NC's 4th district, and most importantly, the mom of a beautiful, inquisitive, spirited 6-year-old little girl. Through all of this, I am also a heart survivor following my heart failure diagnosis almost 6 years ago. 2. Please share your PPCM story. Overall, I had a pretty uneventful pregnancy healthwise other than being diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I was able to manage that with a change in my diet. However, what was harder to manage were the social and interpersonal challenges I was facing throughout my pregnancy. I was a doctoral student at UNC Chapel Hill who chose to use her time as a student to not only pursue her degree, but also to pursue and promote racial equity on my campus and within my program through student activism. I was quite active in that area, participating in student protests, organizing community dialogues, coordinating efforts with various campus offices, and presenting demands for action to administration; all while dealing with the internalized self-doubt that comes from being a Black first-generation PhD student in a historically white space. And let's not talk about the normal stressors that come along with pursuing the highest degree in my field. During my last trimester, I dealt with failing my comprehensive exam and then taking my mother-in-law to the hospital for cancer treatment for the last time before she was transitioned to hospice care. My mother-in-law, who I was very close with, died just a week before my due date--the day her first grandchild was supposed to be born. While grieving my mother-in-law, emotionally dealing with my exam failure, and then preparing to enter this new world of motherhood, my daughter decided to delay her debut for 10 days. What was planned as a natural delivery turned into the testing of almost every single delivery intervention, ultimately with my daughter being delivered via an unplanned cesarean section. I was overjoyed she was here but worried about recovery as I experienced severe bleeding in the hospital that required the manual removal of blood clots while I laid in my hospital bed with my sister-in-law holding my infant daughter and my husband holding my hand. I returned home with my baby almost a week after being initially admitted. Two days later, I was attending the memorial service of my mother-in-law--just five days after giving birth. The first couple months of parenthood were of course tough as sleep became replaced with cluster feedings, cries, swaddling, and diaper changes. I was also still healing from my c-section. Overall, I was tired and stressed. I began to feel down, exhausted, and overall just not good. I told my OB about how I was feeling during my 6-week check-up and was told that much of what I was experiencing was normal but it also could be symptoms of the flu. With the feelings not getting better, I was then referred for counseling to address postpartum depression. I met with a nurse practitioner several times with my baby in tow but I wasn't feeling any better. My symptoms were actually getting worse as I struggled to walk up even a few steps without taking a break, had strong bouts of nausea, lost my appetite, and dealt with a stubborn cough that never would go away. Then, one night while sitting on my bed pumping, I felt an intense pain in my left arm and shoulder. I thought it was just a cramp as the pain went away about 10 minutes later. Three days later on a Saturday night, it happened again and was more intense and lasted longer. I asked my husband to take me to the ER where we went through triage and then we were directed to the waiting room. We sat in the waiting room for 5 1/2 hours before deciding to leave so I could get home to my infant daughter to feed her. My pain had subsided so I thought I was okay for the time being. On that Monday, I called Campus Health to schedule an appointment and was seen the same day. They did a physical exam and x-rays, which revealed that my heart was enlarged. The doctor then had me rolled down to the same ER I waited in a couple days before to be further examined. After waiting another few hours, I was admitted into the cardiac intensive care unit. This is where I was told that I was suffering from heart failure. My heart was only functioning at around 5% and if just a little more time had passed before receiving treatment, I could have died. While receiving medication treatments in the hospital, I lost over 20lbs in fluid, coded after having a reaction to a heart medication, and had to have my IV administered through my neck to avoid permanent damage to my arm. I also lost precious time with my newborn baby and was no longer able to breastfeed because of my medications. I missed those sleepless nights, those cluster feedings, cries, swaddles, and diaper changes. After two weeks, I was finally discharged and on the road to recovery. Since my diagnosis, I have completed cardiac rehab, in which I was the youngest, at least half the age of other participants. I made immediate changes to my diet to reduce my sodium intake. I'm now taking medications that I will likely be on for the rest of my life. But, I'm here. 3. What were the hardest parts of your health care journey, both personally and professionally? The hardest parts of my healthcare journey was not getting the answers that I needed right away, which I learned later on could have resulted in me losing my life. I wasn't told that cardiovascular disease was something that could arise from pregnancy, especially among women who were diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I was showing classic signs of heart failure but wasn't diagnosed with it until it was almost too late. Personally, this was devastating especially thinking about the fact that my husband could have lost me just four months after losing his mother. My daughter could have been forced to grow up without me despite me seeking medical care for my symptoms early on. Professionally, as a researcher, I would see literature that focused on individual-level mediators of health, where blame for illness was often placed on individuals' behaviors, especially individuals who looked like me. But here I was doing everything right, communicating with my healthcare providers, being clear about the symptoms I was experiencing, using my educational background and PhD student status to advocate for myself, yet, I was so close to facing the same fate faced by Black women without the same privileges as me. 4. What did you learn about yourself and your support system while recovering and getting healthy again? During my treatment and recovery, I learned that I am stronger than I realized. I was able to overcome what felt like insurmountable challenges to become a nurturing mom, a dedicated partner, a competent professor, and a resilient PhD candidate. I learned that my network of support was wider than I realized as well wishes, donations, meal trains, and help with household chores came from friends, family, colleagues, and faculty members. Literally, professors who were grading my papers a year before were now helping me to do laundry. I was grateful for everyone who cared enough about me to want to help me get better. 5. What do you want others to know about PPCM? The most important points about PPCM that I want people to know are the symptoms and risks. Heart failure is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality yet birthing persons aren't provided with information about the signs, symptoms, and warning signs to look for during pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum. I want folks to know that not being able to go up five steps without taking a break is not normal after childbirth. Not being able to lay flat on a pillow is not normal after childbirth. Having extreme swelling in your body is not normal after childbirth. Pains in your chest are not normal after childbirth. And don't let anyone tell you that they are. 6. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? In five years, I see myself continuing to thrive as a heart survivor. I see myself doing meaningful work to help other Black individuals who have faced the threat of death while giving life. I see myself conducting research with Black birthing persons to inform the development of pregnancy screening tools for PPCM to be administered during prenatal visits and developing peer support networks for Black birthing persons to address the trauma that comes along with having such serious life-threatening medical events during pregnancy, delivery, or after childbirth. I want to address the mental health needs of others like me. 7. What advice do you have for anyone who may not trust health care providers and don't receive regular check ups? The advice I would provide to someone who may not trust health care providers and who don't receive regular check-ups is to not sacrifice your access to life-saving medical treatment because of your distrust of healthcare providers. Trust is something that must be earned but we also must demand it; not avoid it. The most effective way to change systems is to learn how they function and advocate for equity, but we must engage with these systems in some capacity to get a sense of what actually needs to change and how it can change for the better. 8. Who do you look up to or admire in the womb health and wellness community? I look up to folx like Joy Spencer, Executive Director of Equity Before Birth, who is directly connecting with families to address the harms caused by socioeconomic equities. I admire her dedication and commitment to relying on the experiences and stories of Black birthing persons to guide her work and the mission of EBB. I am grateful to work alongside her as a member of the Board of Directors. I learn so much from her and the EBB team and look forward to supporting their work any way that I can. 9. What do you hope Black Maternal Health and health equity looks like in the future? In the future, I hope Black Maternal Health looks like the Black women and babies being viewed as worthy of care, concern, and equal treatment. I want Black mothers to be able to focus on the gift of becoming mothers without having to worry about racial bias, discrimination, and experiencing race-based violence in the form of denial of equitable medical treatment. I hope health equity comes in the form of outcomes for Black birthing persons but also in the form of outcomes in healthcare provider racial representation, equitable healthcare policies and practices, equitable access to healthcare before and after childbirth, and effective structures of accountability for when systems do not model what is written in their missions and diversity statements. 10. Tell me about your work and role with Equity Before Birth. I learned about Equity Before Birth a year ago after seeing Joy's amazing work in the community. When the opportunity became available for me to get involved with the organization, I jumped at it. I now serve as the Board of Directors Chair to ensure EBB realizes its mission and saves lives of Black birthing persons and infants. To learn more about PPCM, visit www.letstalkppcm.org. Happy New Year! How is 2022 going for you so far? True to human nature, the new year is a time of resolution and planning. We commit to making changes, ditching old habits and shy away from what is no longer serving us. One of the biggest bandwagons of the new year (aside from the health & fitness fads) is reconsidering your job or a major career change. So many people think and talk about changing, but don't actually take the steps to leave behind the old for new beginnings. When we make room for new things and opportunities, we are asking for growth. We want better for ourselves and we seek to make that happen. While I don't usually go around giving out advice, I will say this: If you aren't where you want to be in life, make a change. Take a class. Get involved in the community. Become a mentor. Any positive change made with intention will most certain lead to something greater. And no, it doesn't have to be big. I am not telling you to quit your job tomorrow with no prospects, okay. Start small, write down goals and begin to plan your next move. Little things can make a big impact. So, what new things are you planing for 2022? Are you planning to take a leap of faith? Maybe you are called to birth work... If so, I want to you to consider the Best of Both Worlds Doula Services Mentorship Program. Birth work is not your average job or career. You may hear a lot of doulas, including myself, refer to their work as their "calling" and it is very true. This work requires the very best of yourself... your whole, authentic self. You have to trust our instincts and the depths of your soul because that is what will guide you above experience and education. I say all the time that birth work ain't for the faint of heart and as each year passes, it couldn't be more true. So before you dip your toe into this work, you need to really know that you are called. It could be one transformative moment in your life or a series of events that led to your calling. But you will know. And if you don't, you will be "driven" or guided to it one way or another. The BOBWDS Mentorship Program is unique in that it is a 'mentee-led' program focused on business development specific to birth workers. I will provide simple, yet effective guidance that will assist others in determining what type of doula or birth worker they want to be and how they want to market and run their business. This rigorous 8 week program will consist of
▫️Weekly birth work & business classes held on Zoom/Google Meet ▫️Weekly homework assignments to develop each part of your business plan ▫️Researching your local community, health care system and ideal clientele ▫️A summary/overview of what you learned during the course, an outline of your business plan, a community referral list and a business resource list for networking BOBWDS Mentorship Options: ▫️Business consultations are available to those interested in a career in birth work (recent college graduates, newly trained doulas or doulas new to the area) who may be seeking general advice or guidance. One-time 30 minute consultations are $35. One-time 90 minute consultations are $75. ▫️The BOBWDS 8-week program will explore birth work and business and help each program participant develop a unique business plan based on their interests, personalities and passions. Modules will include:
Cost for the 8-week program is $350. ▫️Ongoing mentorship is provided to mentees who have completed the 8-week program. You will receive monthly business development check ins via phone or Zoom and access to additional educational tools and business opportunities in my private Facebook group. Ongoing mentorship is $60/month. How to apply: ▫️Fill out the application here. (Applications are now closed) ▫️Application deadline for the Spring 2022 session is January 31st, 2022. ▫️Applicants chosen for interviews will be notified in February. Each program participant will receive a syllabus & program guide as well as a certificate of completion once the program requirements are fulfilled. Limited spaces are available for my 8-week Spring 2022 session. Classes begin in March. Please email me at bestofbothworldsnc@gmail.com with any questions. Personal Note: I became a mentor to fill a need. I have learned that while fulfilling, birth work isn't for the faint of heart and I want to guide those who have a true interest in supporting families during pregnancy, birth and postpartum and how to best serve each one. I will provide the foundation to build a sustainable business, your way, while supporting families with purpose & passion. |
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April 2024
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