Acknowledgements:

We live on occupied and unceded Dakota and Anishinaabe land (also known as Minneapolis, the city with one of the largest birth disparities based on race in the country). Night & Day doulas believe and proudly proclaim that Black Lives Matter, Love is Love and that ALL families deserve safety, simplicity and ease. We strive to be anti-racist and develop relationships with the BIPOC birth workers who have solutions to reducing birth rate disparities for the black, brown and indigenous birth givers in our community and the United States.

History

Historically, birth was a much more communal experience. In addition to calling an experienced midwife, women sought support through the trusted and knowledgeable women in their community. Not only did the gathered women help laboring mothers  with physical comfort, but  they also supported them spiritually and emotionally. 

Before the 1800’s, the medical field was still in its infancy.  There were few options for laboring mothers who needed help with difficult labors, and some doctors saw this as an opportunity to broaden their patient demographic. White male doctors pushed into birth spaces of BIPOC, poor, and immigrant women who were struggling and had nowhere else to turn. Physicians used these communities to experiment with new techniques, and refine their ideas about pregnancy. Once outcomes improved and social norms started to shift, these doctors started attending to upper class women, and making earnest attempts to edge midwives out of the birthspace entirely. By making it illegal to help a mother deliver without formal training and licensure (which were only available for white men to obtain), many women, especially in rural areas, lost access to care, and everyone lost access to options. Women deprived of midwifery care and their support network reported slews of birth trauma and dissatisfaction with their birth experience. Over time, midwifery saw a resurgence in popularity, in conjunction with more consideration for a mother’s psychological needs. Doulas of North America (DONA) was founded in 1992 to standardize professional support for mothers.

Throughout the years there have been countless tools, coping methods, pain control efforts, and practice standards that all had their time in the spotlight. It was several decades of changing social and medical norms before we arrived at the current state of our birth culture in the United States, but we still see echoes of mistreatment and bias in our healthcare system. We believe that reminders of our history are important, so we can shake off the “it’s always been done this way” attitude that is often used to stifle alternatives to the modern  mainstream. We also strive to honor and remember the women that came before us through honoring your choices.  We cannot forget the cost of our modern advancements, and we must encourage dignified, human-centered care for all. 

Additional Reading:

The Surprising History of How We are Born by Tina Cassidy

Killing the Black Boday: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty by Dorothy Roberts

https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/historical-significance-doulas-and-midwives