Community-based doula program in Guilford County helps more than 40 expectant mothers

GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — Dozens of healthy babies have been born with the help of Every Baby Guilford’s community-based doula program.

It’s been nine months since the program launched. It’s a part of their mission to decrease infant mortality rates in the county.

“It was beautiful. I loved every moment of it. I wouldn’t do anything different,” said Romari Black, a mother.

A positive birth experience and a healthy baby were top priorities for Black. She gave birth to a healthy baby boy six weeks ago on July 23.

This was her first pregnancy.

“I always knew that I wanted a doula, because … I’m an overthinker … I’m kind of a perfectionist … I knew just from hearing other people’s experience, a doula would be best for me,” Black said.

It wasn’t until her third trimester less than four weeks before giving birth that she connected with a doula with the help of her doctor’s office.

“I reached out to another service … I was referred to a different … office, but that kind of didn’t work out, so … they referred me to this organization, and it was just a better fit all around,’ Black said.

At that point, she knew she wasn’t going to make it to 40 weeks. Having gestational diabetes, she would have to be induced.

This wasn’t the typical timeline for moms participating in Every Baby Guilford’s community-based doula program. In the program, a doula would usually be with an expectant mother the entire pregnancy and in constant communication, attending at least two prenatal appointments, with their client during the live birth and offering postpartum support.

Black said her doula Daijah Dixon with Every Baby Guilford helped put her worries to ease by connecting her with resources for support and education before and after labor.

In labor, she faced another challenge: early preeclampsia. It’s a serious complication in pregnancy when a woman has high blood pressure.

“It came … while I was in labor … You don’t really know … how that experience is going to impact you or affect you,” Black said.

Black was thankful for the postpartum support she received along with a basket of items for her and her son.

“I was really blessed, and I was really just kind of happy that everything worked out the way it was supposed to work out,” Black said.

Every Baby Guilford’s community-based doula program team has a doula coordinator, five doulas and three doulas as backup support.

So far, they have helped serve 43 expectant mothers.

“The support that comes from helping out postpartum is really … very tailored, but it’s really focused on helping to get back to normal,” Dixon said.

Every Baby Guilford’s community-based doula program initially planned to serve 60 expectant mothers in the first year of the program.

That number has been reduced to 45 due to the high volume of mothers who gave birth in May. They plan to serve two more expectant mothers this year.

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