This past Saturday was the 2nd annual Latch & Stroll presented by the Chicago South Side Birth Center Initiative! As board chair, I am so proud of the work we are doing to bring maternal care to the South Side! We had vendors, workshops, healing grove and the community out there! If you want to know how you can support this movement click https://www.chicagosouthsidebirthcenter.org ..read more

Last Sunday Chicago Black Doula Alliance sponsored a class for newer doulas! They were asked to make a donation to a fund for a member of our doula community in need. What a magical and powerful time we had. These birth workers brought wisdom and insight to this class that led to rich discussions. We defined evidenced based care, discussed the hierarchy of power in the current hospital system, and discussed ways to advocate with and for our clients. Here's what folks had to say! "Thank you for hosting a beautiful event " "I loved the event & I’ve been bragging and will continue to do so ..read more

Lauryn is two years old now!I'm wondering where the time went? I'm overjoyed at the fact that we've celebrated another birthday but I still have flashbacks about the day she was born. I still have so many unanswered questions. The thought that I could have transitioned on that day still haunts me. I've read countless stories about women, especially women like me, women of color, going through this very thing during delivery and not making it. I wanted to have her natural, with no interventions. I had three girls already. Two of them with epidurals and one without. I had done this before, so I ..read more

Who isn't feeling stressed these days? We've been dealing with a Pandemic for two years. Many of us have had to become teachers, learn to work from home, leave jobs, and find new ones. We've had to go without family during the holidays and other special events. We've become more familiar with video chatting. We've had to live with uncertainty about what each day would bring. So we can imagine what all of this stress is doing to a lot of us. Constant stress over time can cause a lot of wear and tear on your body and mind causing you to truly suffer. Your mind and body can truly suffer. We all ..read more

A lot of mothers have different reasons for working. Some women work because it's necessary. Some women work because they would rather work than stay home. Others work because they love what they do. I've had the opportunity to be a stay at home mom and I've also had the opportunity to work outside of the home. They both have pros and cons, as does everything. As a mom that does work full time, I can say that life gets really busy. I've had people ask me how I'm able to do it and sometimes I honestly don't know. Sometimes, though, everything flows smoothly and everything falls into place. Her ..read more

Having children is such a beautiful thing. Creating life and watching them grow. Teaching them about the world while we are still learning as well. I can say that being the mother of four girls is one of my greatest accomplishments. They are healthy, they are happy (more often than not) and they are loved. But let's be honest, being a mom is HARD. It takes a lot out of you and it's even harder when you have a mental disorder such as anxiety or depression. They say that there is help for women who need it, but I've also heard horror stories. I've heard about women reaching out and being judged ..read more

I remember going to an OB appointment around the time I was about seven weeks pregnant with my second pregnancy. I remember being told that there was no heartbeat. I remember feeling numb and trying to act as if everything was okay. I remember telling myself I was fine. I would be fine. I already had a five year old daughter that I needed to focus on so I had to push through this. I was given the option to allow the pregnancy to pass on its own or to have a D&C. I didn't want to go through any surgeries so I elected to let the pregnancy pass on its own. That within itself was one of the h ..read more

Motherhood can be life changing to say the least. You have your moments of happiness and excitement. You can feel proud and accomplished but there is another side of motherhood that many woman can and have experienced. Motherhood can leave some women feeling overwhelmed, not just by going through labor and delivery or breastfeeding, but by everything that comes with being a parent. This is known as postnatal depletion. Did you even know this was a thing or it even had a name? Yeah, me either until a few years ago. During pregnancy, there is so much support given to women. There is nine months ..read more

So I'm sure you've been paying attention over the years to the yoni (vaginal) steaming hype. In case you haven't (or even if you have) keep reading to find out what it's all about and how it could potentially benefit you after birth and beyond. Vaginal steaming is known for its healing benefits. It's a practice that has been around for hundreds of years. It's thought to help with cleaning/healing the reproductive system by using herbs. Herbs such as raspberry leaf, lavender flowers, rosemary leaves, lemon balm leaves, and a few others help with this process. A WORD OF CAUTION! Always consult ..read more

Have you been having issues with bowel movements since you've become pregnant? Or did you have this issue before pregnancy or even afterwards? Could be a case of constipation. Unfortunately during pregnancy your digestion slows down which can increase your chances of becoming constipated. Not too clear on what constipation is? It's typically defined by having three or less bowel movements a week. This is something that I've struggled with in the past. Following the four steps I'm about to share helped me tremendously! So what can you do to help you with constipation? Fiber Increasing your fi ..read more