Bringing a child into the world is one of the most sacred experiences in life. The process in which a woman ushers life from her womb requires a dedicated, thoughtful approach that doula, Susanna ‘Susie The Doula’ Israel has prioritized within her practice. Through culturally responsive care and genuine connection to the specialty of birth work she has cemented herself in a field that Israel considers to be her destiny. EBONY sat down to speak with Israel for Black Business Month to explore her work, how she approaches the birth process, and why she felt called to this field. She expressed herself candidly, sharing details of her experience within traditional medical settings as a doula to the Black maternal mortality rate, and she feels we move forward as a people.
EBONY: What inspired you to become a doula?
Susie The Doula: It’s my bread and butter; I actually didn’t even anticipate this route. I was a realtor and a data analyst at an affordable housing nonprofit in the city of Houston. I thought I was going to go into development [then] I was listening to a radio show where two older women who were guests were talking about their childbirth experience, and they started talking about colostrum. I was like, ‘what the heck is a colostrum?’ It led to me learning about the golden milk that comes out of mothers, and I was never taught about that. So then, I started researching childbirth, because I actually didn’t know how childbirth [actually] happened. While doing research, I saw the horrendous maternal mortality rate, specifically for black and brown women in the U.S. I started watching different documentaries like Aftershock, learning about the obstructive violence that was happening. I needed to do something; I needed to help. So, I took a doula training, got certified, and started doing…
Source link
Read Full Article by Danyale Freeman at www.ebony.com
Source link
