On episode 15 of the Birth Like a Mammal™ podcast, Lindsay chats with Brittney, the founder of The Wombsisterhood®'s Positive Pregnancy Journey. Brittney is an educator, a doula, and a Mother. She is the creator of Driven by Faith Doula Training and also hosts a private Facebook group for The Wombsisterhood®. Brittney stepped into birth work in 2015 specializing in physiological perinatal education, research, and activism, traditional birthing, postpartum doula support, and birth photography.
During this discussion, Lindsay and Brittney really focus on what the role of a doula truly is and is not. They also talk about where personal responsibility lies during pregnancy and birth. Lindsay shares her own journey in choosing to step away from supporting hospital births and Brittney relates in her personal experience navigating her role as a doula.
Lindsay and Brittney share a common perspective in how doulas ensure Mothers are the authority during pregnancy, labor, and birth as well as how important it is for all birth workers and Mothers to understand mammalian biology and physiology. They mention this is not always the case with home birth midwives, some of whom bring anti-mammalian practices and procedures to Mothers' homes.
Key Takeaways:
First time Mothers often discover many gaps when it comes to prenatal care and birth preparation
Doulas opting out of obstetrics altogether is actually helping Mothers and babies long term
Doulas are not advocates or saviors
Nobody can "save" a woman during pregnancy or birth
Notable Quotes:
“When I got pregnant, i did not know where to turn, which way was right or left. I realized where the gaps were missing in prenatal care.” - Brittney
“Part of being a Mother is taking personal responsibility for yourself and your babies.” - Lindsay
“We see the rise in birth work burnout, doulas leaving this profession to find sustainability elsewhere, and Mothers being led down another systematic path to keep them disempowered. That’s ultimately where we are going wrong in this work." - Brittney
“The physiology, the neurobiology, is missing from most doula education.” - Brittney
“It’s easy to get caught up in what makes a ‘good’ doula….but the essence of being a doula is about being with women…..trusting women….holding space….and being the lighthouse." - Brittney
“Mothers are the experts. Mothers are the real professionals at birth.” - Lindsay
Brittney can be found at @thepositivepregnancyjourney or @faithdrivendoula on Instagram. You can lea
Questions? Looking for further support during pregnancy? Birth Like a Mammal™ offers coaching, classes, and a birth prep workbook to help you prepare for a truly mammalian birth. Humans are mammals and we are designed to birth like mammals.
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