Porchia-Albert is also deeply involved in advocacy work aroundracial disparities in maternal mortality rates.
Last year, Ancient Songs doulas attended roughly 470 births, Porchia-Albert says.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, guidelines for how providers address pregnancy and birth are changing.
Getty / Brooke Fasani Auchincloss; Designed by Morgan Johnson
(Her answers have been edited and condensed for clarity.)
SELF: When did you first start seeing the pandemic affect your clients and community?
We immediately switched over to be able to provide virtual doula services, offered to all of our clients.
What do virtual doula services look like?
People have apprehension because our primary focus is offering connection.
They think you cant have that with virtual services, but you might.
That doula is still on call.
They are there 24 hours a day.
We offer guidance and reassurance on what to expect andhow to prepare.
We dont abandon clients.
We want to ease fears and provide information, and keep updating that information because it keeps changing.
How does that become compounded when you have ahealth care crisis?
We provide resources so they can make informed decisions about their care without adding to their anxieties.
We can lessen those fears by creating those platforms.
Have you had clients go into labor during the pandemic?
How has that process gone with the virtual doula services?
About 15 clients so far have given birth during this period.
It looks different every time.
Were trying to give them a crash course.
Have you seen any difference in the number of people interested in home birth?
Theres been an influx of people inquiring about home births, more than usual.
Can we understand what the protocols are in terms of discharge time?
Can we reduce the time spent in the hospital?
Has there been any change in the number of prospective clients making inquiries to you for the first time?
Whats happening with your doula training program?
I alsosaw on Instagramthat youre offering training services for nurses.
Can we talk a little bit about that?
Were still offering doula training.
I have a couple coming up.
They are all virtual now, which is interesting, trying to get the tone and vibration.
In the first session, I was able to teach around 30 nurses from NYC and out of state.
Were trying to get the information out to them as quickly as possible.
Topics include centering emotional and physical support, understanding a human rights framework, and centering peoples bodily autonomy.
We talk about managing stress and triggers.
All of this is pulled from a position of trauma-informed care.
We want clients to feel like, These people have my best interests at heart.
Also, nurses and other providers are experiencing trauma, too, and we want to talk about that.
What does it mean to provide care during this time in a way that centers you?
That weighs on a person, on your body, on your emotional and physical state.
How are you preparing clients to go into a hospital for birth at this time?
What advice would you offer to anyone right now who is anxious about pregnancy and birthing?
We are also being really transparent about what the current situation looks like in hospitals.
Policies vary from hospital to hospital, and its constantly changing.
Understand that when you do get there, its not going to be a normal scenario.
What you may encounter may be very scary and nerve-racking.
Its just a different feeling.
We want people to prepare emotionally for what they and their support people will experience when they get there.
Understanding the protocols can help you feel reassured.
