Healthy families begin with healthy communities and with that in mind, Birthnet decided to tackle major public health issues such as poor birth outcomes in Black and Brown communities.
Birthnet started the work by hosting the first doula training in the Capital District in 2019. Our Full Spectrum Doula Training was led by Chanel Portia-Albert from Ancient Song Doula Services (ASDS).
Community Doula trainings are not just an intervention to improve birth outcomes but also an opportunity to give back to the community.
As part of the birth justice movement serving The Capital District of New York - such as Albany County, Birthnet is committed to support, empower and care for birthing members of the community. Birthnet works to empower BIPOC with education and tools to have healthy babies and positive birth experiences regardless of their: gender, size, sexuality, orientation, culture or family structure.
Donations and community support also made our doula training successful and there is already a waiting list to attend the next hosted training by Birthnet. Despite the challenges of COVID, community doulas did an amazing job supporting families, against all odds .
Community Doula Initiative
Post COVID, many communities faced increased negative birth outcomes due to lack of resources and support.There were many restrictions placed on birth workers and they were deemed as non essential workers. BirthNet knew the importance of doula supported births and began fundraising to host another doula training. Birthnet in collaboration with Mama Glow founded by Latham Thomas sponsored over 25 local community members which included several University of Albany students. Our goal was to promote a team of diverse, experienced, and qualified doulas to support families in various birth settings. Doulas work tirelessly to ensure that every expecting family has access to the support they need and a more personalized birthing experience. Birth should be joyous and safe!
Mama Glow offers courses and workshops to support aspiring doulas to realize their passion for empowering and supporting pregnant families.
BirthNet was honored to have support from Latham and her team.