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What every birth worker needs to know about obstetric racism — where it came from, how it operates, and why it’s still running. The “Mothers of Gynecology” monument honors the sacrifice of Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey, the enslaved experimental subjects of the “father of gynecology,” J. Marion Sims. Black women die from pregnancy-related causes at nearly 3.5 times the rate of white women. That disparity holds across income, education, insurance status, and zip code. It is not ex

For families choosing a doula and birth workers figuring out where they fit There's a growing trend in maternity care that sounds like good news on the surface: hospitals partnering with doulas, doula agencies getting "preferred provider" status, birth centers maintaining rosters of recommended support people. More doulas in more birth spaces — that should be a win, right? Sometimes it is. But it's worth slowing down and asking a question that doesn't get asked enough: whose

May is Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month. This post is for birth workers, doulas, and perinatal providers who serve — or want to serve — military and veteran families. The Numbers Birth Workers Need to Know Most perinatal mental health statistics are sobering. The numbers for veteran and military-connected families are in a different category entirely. As many as 46.7% of female veterans report perinatal depression, compared to roughly 1 in 7 civilian women. Military-con

Part of the BirthPro Business Basics series If you've applied for your NPI number (if not, start here), you've probably hit a screen asking for your taxonomy code and thought: what is this, and does it even apply to me? It does. And once you understand what these codes are and how they work together, billing gets a lot less mysterious. What Is a Taxonomy Code? A taxonomy code is a 10-character code that identifies what type of provider you are. It's maintained by the National

A plain-language breakdown of the current guidance — and why the real answer is more complicated than "just don't do it." The Standard Message — and Why It Falls Short If you've had a baby recently, you've heard it. Back to sleep. Firm, flat surface. Nothing in the crib. Baby in your room but never in your bed. End of conversation. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated its safe sleep guidelines in 2022 and their position on bedsharing is unambiguous: they don't rec

April is Medicaid Awareness Month. And if you work in birth — or you're training to — this is a moment worth paying attention to. Here's the tension: we are living through the most significant expansion of Medicaid doula coverage in U.S. history, happening at the exact same time federal Medicaid funding is being cut to the bone. Progress and threat, simultaneously. That's where we are. The good news first As of March 2026, 26 states and Washington DC now provide Medicaid cove

A practical, no-nonsense guide for aspiring birth workers who want to make a good decision the first time. So you've decided you want to be a doula. Maybe you've known for years. Maybe a birth experience — your own or someone else's — flipped a switch and you haven't been able to think about anything else since. Either way, welcome. This work matters more right now than it ever has. And then you Googled "doula training" and immediately fell into a rabbit hole of programs, cer

What nobody tells you is how much feeding your baby benefits you. Pick up almost any resource on breastfeeding or chestfeeding and you'll find the same list: immune protection, brain development, bonding. All for the baby. Which, great — but that's only half the story. The benefits to the parent who lactates are real, well-researched, and honestly pretty remarkable. And yet they almost never come up in prenatal appointments or hospital discharge packets. So let's talk about t

This is what reclamation looks like. April is VBAC Awareness Month — and if you've spent any time supporting birthing families, you already know that a VBAC isn't just a birth plan. It's a reclamation. It's a person walking into a hospital or birth center carrying a previous cesarean, a stack of opinions from providers who may or may not be supportive, and a hope that this time will be different. That's a lot to hold. And it's exactly why doula support for VBAC families isn't

There's a conversation happening in birth worker circles that tends to get heated fast. It goes something like this: Should contracts include a time clause — say, 18 hours of continuous support — after which an additional hourly rate kicks in? Some birth workers say yes, absolutely. Others say it's harmful. And a surprising number are somewhere in the middle, quietly wondering if it's okay to even consider it. Let's talk about it. Where the idea comes from Birth worker burnou

The keepers of this knowledge have always been here. They don't belong to one era. If you've spent any time in birth worker spaces lately, you may have noticed a quiet but growing shift in language. Some practitioners are introducing themselves differently. Some training programs are updating their materials. Some Black and Brown birth workers are reclaiming titles their communities used long before any certification body existed. And at the center of it all is one word: doul

People find out I started a nonprofit and they look at me like I just told them I climbed Everest. "How did you do that?" they ask. "That must have been so hard." Honestly? I didn't know it was supposed to be hard. So I just did it. That's not false modesty. I genuinely didn't walk into it with a mental list of obstacles. I needed something to exist, I figured out the steps to make it exist, and I took them. Nobody told me to be intimidated, so I wasn't. I think about this a

If you’re a doula, showing up in local Google searches can be one of the most consistent ways families find and contact you. A well-optimized Google Business Profile helps you appear in searches like: “birth doula near me” “postpartum doula in [your city]” “VBAC support [location]” “overnight postpartum help near me” This guide walks you through setting up your listing and optimizing it so the right clients can find you. Step 1: Create Your Google Business Profile Go to:...

If you’ve opened the CAQH application and immediately thought,“None of these options apply to me…”you are absolutely not alone. CAQH was designed for medical providers—physicians, nurses, therapists—not for doulas.And yet, many doulas now need a CAQH profile to work with Medicaid and insurance systems. This guide will walk you through what to select, what to skip, and how to get through this process without overthinking every field. 🌿 What is CAQH (and why do doulas need it)

A Guide for Families — and the Doulas Who Support Them Nourishment in labor can support stamina, comfort, and energy — yet many hospital policies still restrict food intake. One of the most common questions that comes up in prenatal sessions and doula trainings is surprisingly simple: “Can I eat in labor?” Closely followed by: “Can I support my client eating in labor — especially if they have an epidural?” The answer lives at the intersection of physiology, research, hospital

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of mentoring many new doulas as they step into real‑world birth work. One theme comes up again and again — especially for doulas supporting hospital‑based, induced, or higher‑risk births: They do everything right… and still miss the birth. Not because they didn’t show up.Not because they weren’t committed.But because the system moved faster, closed doors, or shifted in ways no one could predict. The reality many doulas are living I regul

Birth professionals hold a lot. We sit with intensity, uncertainty, trauma histories, complex systems, and deeply human moments — often all at once. Over time, that kind of work can live in the body in ways we don’t always notice until we’re exhausted, reactive, or disconnected from the parts of the work we love. That’s why I teach Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) specifically for birth professionals. EFT is a gentle, body-based tool that supports emotional regulation and s

There’s something about living on a 30-something-foot sailboat that strips life down to its essentials. Space gets tighter, choices get simpler, and the things that truly matter begin to glow with clarity. Last year, I traded land-life for a small sailboat and spent twelve months learning, unlearning, fixing engines I’d never touched, swapping out sinks I had no business removing, swimming with dolphins, facing fears, and finding family in unexpected places. And honestly? It

Preparing for birth shouldn’t require navigating bias, dismissal, or pressure — every birthing person deserves to be heard, respected, and supported. 🌿✨ Birth doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It unfolds inside real systems — some supportive, some complicated, some downright hostile. Policies, politics, staffing shortages, implicit bias, coercive practices, and rushed decision-making can all layer pressure onto a moment that deserves calm and clarity. And yet, even in these challe

The placenta is so much more than an organ — it’s a life-giving connection, the bridge that nourishes and protects throughout pregnancy. For many families, honoring the placenta after birth becomes a beautiful part of the healing and recovery process. At Namaste Birth, we offer safe, evidence-informed placenta services that celebrate this connection while supporting postpartum wellness. Every placenta is prepared with care and respect, whether your choice is encapsulation, ti