ProDoula Newsletter February 2025
Posted on:
March 19, 2025 |
As we honor Black History Month, we must also acknowledge the ongoing crisis in Black maternal health
Black women and birthing people face the highest rates of maternal mortality in the U.S., nearly three times higher than white women. These disparities are not new. They are rooted in history and continue today due to systemic inequities and bias in medical care.
The worsening maternal health crisis cannot be ignored. Studies and lived experiences prove the need for urgent change.
CELEBRATING BLACK LEADERSHIP IN THE BIRTH COMMUNITY!
These amazing BIPOC leaders passionately teach our programs, infusing them with their personal life experiences, and their desire to create a lasting national change. We are truly grateful for the BIPOC leadership within ProDoula for sharing their innate wisdom and emotional energy. Their contributions have created a ripple effect within our organization and beyond. These incredible ProDoula Trainers teach the following modalities:
✰ Labor Doula ✰ Postpartum & Infant Care Doula ✰ Childbirth Education ✰ Infant Feeding Education ✰ Postpartum Placenta Specialist
DOULA LEARNING CHANNEL FEATURED COURSES!
Navigating Doula Work-Life Balance
This course helps birth workers find a healthy balance between work and life.
It offers real, practical tools to use while building and growing a thriving doula business!
Created by educator, Elysia Douglas (she/her), this course is now available on the Doula Learning Channel!
86 BIRTH WORKERS COMPLETED PRODOULA CERTIFICATION IN JANUARY 2025!
Postpartum & Infant Care Doula: 44
Labor Doula: 28
Elite Labor Doula: 1
Childbirth Educator: 1
Advanced Support for Postpartum: 11
Infant Feeding Educator: 1
PRODOULAS MAKING A DIFFERENCE!
Danyale Washington, owner of Sweet Piece Solutions, is making a difference in her community by speaking at the 2025 Beyond Motherhood Summit in Chicago.
Her presentation, Motherhood Not Martyrhood: Reclaiming Individuality & Prioritizing Self-Care, was a powerful reminder that new parents must fill their own cup first.
By challenging the idea that motherhood requires constant self-sacrifice, Danyale is helping parents embrace balance, identity, and well-being!
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT PRODOULA
“I cross-certified with ProDoula 4 years ago because of the streamlined certification process, but since then … I can’t stop coming back for more ProDoula trainings! I love the level of support provided by the organization, especially around the process of setting up my own business, which was terrifying to me before. I also love the high standard of evidence-based information on many different topics, and the opportunity to engage with other doulas around the country.” – Rachel Bailey
1/18/2025 – Labor Doula Training with Emily Peterson (pictured left)
WHAT WE ARE WATCHING
WHAT WE ARE LISTENING TO
In this powerful episode, Eva, Angela, and special guest Samantha Griffin, take a deep dive into the complex factors behind the high mortality rates among Black birthing people and their babies.
Samantha Griffin is a Black doula and the owner of DC Metro Maternity, a doula agency that primarily supports Black families through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
She combines her expertise as a birth worker with a background in nonprofit work focused on Black women’s health.
