Berkshire County — Three years ago, North Adams resident Angie Gonzalez’s sister was pregnant with her first nephew. She said that she hoped to be there for her sister to support her; however, “due to the pandemic I couldn’t be there for her,” Gonzalez told The Berkshire Edge. “She had a pretty rough labor when she was giving birth. After my nephew’s birth, I started to look into pregnancies and childbirth. That is when I learned that there were disparities in birth outcomes for Black women.”
According to a study conducted in 2022 by the not-for-profit organization Health New England, which published a Community Health Needs Assessment, Black women are up to four times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women. In Massachusetts, Black women are up to 1.9 times more likely to die during pregnancy or due to postpartum symptoms than white women. Gonzalez cited these disparities as the spark that inspired her to begin training to become a doula (a professional who is trained in providing guidance to mothers during childbirth and pregnancy) through the Springfield Family Doulas organization.
According to its website, the mission of the Springfield Family Doulas is to empower, educate, support, and advocate for women and their families during the whole childbirth experience. Gonzalez is receiving her training from the Springfield Family Doulas through a $50,000 grant from the Health New England organization. “What happened to my sister is what sparked my passion to be there to provide support for women and babies, especially women and families of color,” Gonzalez said. “A doula is similar to what a midwife does, except that we receive no medical training because we are not medical professionals at all. We are there to be allies and provide emotional, physical, and informational support. Emotional support can look like anything from being a good listener to helping to talk out things. We want to make sure that the mothers and the families are all informed on choices in the whole childbirth process. Physical support can be about teaching different positions a mother can birth in, along with different movements to help with pain before and during labor. I would like to think of a doula as birthing allies.”
According to Health New England spokesperson Judy Hartling, Health New England is using the $50,000 to train Gonzalez and is in the process of looking for three other people of color to train as doulas. According to Laconia Fennell of Springfield Family Doulas, who is also a holistic doula herself, there are currently no doulas of color serving anywhere in the Berkshire County area. “It’s important to have doulas of color because you want to have doulas that represent the people in the community,” Fennell said. “I feel that when you have a Black doula in the community matched up with the women of color, it’s more comfortable for those families. Those mothers are going to go to someone who they are comfortable with. They feel comfortable with someone that looks like them. A lot of times that we’re in the hospital, we don’t see people that look like us. To have that familiarity with someone [during pregnancy] can decrease the anxiety and stress that can sometimes come along with labor. It’s important to have somebody in the room that makes you feel more protected, heard, and advocated for.”
Gonzalez said that becoming a doula is fulfilling a call for herself to help out families and mothers. “I’m proud that I will be a helping hand and a shoulder to lean on for mothers and families,” Gonzalez said. “One of my main goals ever since I even discovered what a doula is has been to be able to support Black women and marginalized communities, including families that typically not be able to access these services. I’m very grateful for this grant from Health New England and for Springfield Family Doulas to do this work.”
Gonzalez said that she will be completing her training in February and that her services will be available through Springfield Family Doulas. Click here for more information about Springfield Family Doulas.
