MEET YOUR DOULA

Hi, I’m Sydney!

About Me

As a black woman, the fear of childbirth in America has been at the forefront of my brain since I read the appalling statistics. I once researched birth globally, discovering that the USA has the worst maternal mortality rates of any other developed country. I was shocked. 

I remember sitting in my dorm shaking at the fear. How in the 21st century are women in America still dying of childbirth? And why was no one talking about it? I told anyone who would listen about the horror I discovered and vowed to learn anything and everything about reproductive rights for women. 

And then my sister told me about doulas. I blew her off at first, believing it was just another granola thing she found on the internet. But upon learning about them from my reproductive politics professors and reproductive rights advocates, I discovered that doulas help improve mortality rates and reduce adverse birth outcomes for parent and baby, both mentally and physically. I felt as if maybe I had found my calling. It took a while for me to do it but, I am contributing to the prevention of this epidemic facing our parents.

Over the last year, I have trained both a birth doula and lactation specialist. Before training, I graduated from Drake University with an undergraduate degree focused on reproductive justice and critical race theory. After finishing that degree, I completed my Masters of Legal Studies from Washington University with the hope of using my knowledge of both the law and reproductive politics to help change the legal and societal views on pregnancy, birth, and parenthood. 

When I’m not working on reproductive justice, I am reading fun new novels, watching way too much tv, and spending time with my friends and family. Though I am originally from KCMO, I have learned to call Des Moines my home.