By chance I found a link to an amazing movie called A Doula Story. You must watch this movie.

This documentary follows Loretha, a doula in Chicago who works exclusively with young, impoverished African American teens. She provides them with so much more than birth support, mothering most of “her girls”, giving them parenting support and helping them find their voices and empower themselves.

I felt a kinship with Loretha. Though the families I work with have far more social support and financial means, I feel that the most important thing I do is help start strong families. And that, essentially is what Loretha does: she helps these women become parents, not just mothers.

This is a a hopeful film and I’m sure you will be as affected by watching it as I was.

The entire 58 minute film is available online for free at BlackPublicMedia.Org.

Love this ad from the Scottish NHS.

Ever wondered what a newborn sees?

I wonder if, like many newly born animals, the human animal relies heavily on smell and sound to bond to it’s mother? This makes a lot of sense in light of the research that shows how important initiating breastfeeding is right away and how it is recommended that families have an hour to bond with their newborn children before midwives or nurses separate the child from its mother’s body.

I was recently featured in the Ancaster News online. The news item, about how doulas can help lower c-section rates, references the Canadian Perinatal Health Report for 2008.

Check it out!