This project centers the power of storytelling. Using oral histories, reproductive justice advocates Nicole Burts, Angela Castañeda and Julie Johnson Searcy worked together to gather the experiences of Black doulas in Indiana. Doulas offer informational, emotional and embodied support to people giving birth; they move between homes and hospitals as they provide prenatal education, support during labor, and postpartum care. By gathering the stories of Black doulas who have their own private practice and doulas who work for collectives, such as the Indiana Minority Health Coalition, this project offers a unique lens into both the challenges and joys of birth in Indiana.
Birth doulas provide non-medical intimate support to pregnant people and their families. This support starts at the very foundation of life – breath. Doulas remind, encourage and accompany people through labor by breathing with them. 'One more breath, breathe with me, stay with your breath’, they say as they wipe foreheads, share supportive words, and hold hands with laboring people. Doulas provide continuous emotional, physical and informational support to pregnant people and their families. Doulas move in and out of private and public spaces and build relationships that traverse families and institutions. Walking away from a person and their newly delivered baby, doulas carry personal knowledge and information about that person – evidence of their intimate exchange.
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