One of our CAPPA trained doulas, Ally, shares in her own words how she started her career as a doula and how her skills and training will be a big part of the work she is currently doing in Cincinnati with pregnant women experiencing homelessness.
Hi, I'm Ally. My journey into birthwork began with a desire to support moms in crisis or unplanned pregnancies. After graduating college, I wanted to put my passions into action. So, I moved myself out West to live in a maternity home that provided housing to pregnant and parenting women formerly experiencing homelessness. Through this experience, I saw firsthand what a special yet vulnerable time pregnancy, birth, and postpartum can be for so many women, especially if one is lacking the proper support and education.
While living in community with these mamas and their babies, I began reflecting on the benefits of intentional community and support systems for mothers. I saw what an impact having a circle of people surrounding moms, empowering them, and encouraging them in their own strength and ability to mother was having. It was a transformational experience for all of us, and the moms didn’t have to do it alone. They had each other, and we championed them every step of the way.
When I moved back to my hometown of Cincinnati, that passion didn’t fade. I started to wonder how I could incorporate what I learned during my experience out West into my life and into my career. One evening while my roommate and I were having a life chat on the kitchen floor, we realized we both had the same dream- to become birth doulas. Then, in a wonderful turn of events, we got connected with Nurture. This began phase two of a dream to continue offering birth support to moms in hopes of improving the birth experience and birth outcomes for women in my community.
I still have many more dreams I want to bring to fruition, and, therefore, have quite a few more ‘phases’ to go. In the years to come, I hope to help grow the accessibility of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum support and education to all moms, so that no mother has to walk the journey alone. I am so grateful for the path that I’ve taken to get to where I am today and for all of the women I’ve had the opportunity to walk with - women who have shown me the true strength and resilience of mothers, and how the beauty of birth and motherhood is only elevated when we lean on one another.
