This past school year, I had the privilege to work closely with Sista Midwife Productions, a local doula training and birth advocacy organization. Since its founding by Ms. Nicole Deggins, Sista Midwife Productions’ mission has been to make the birth experience better, showing that community support around one of our world’s biggest health issues - maternal and infant health - can lead to safer, more empowered, and more equitable outcomes for birthing people and their families. Sista Midwife supports thousands of doulas across the world, and educates our communities on being proactive on maternal health.
During my time as a first year intern, I assisted in the development of a Doula Scope of Practice and Code of Ethics which allowed Sista Midwife Productions to build documents that highlight the duties of a doula and showcase the training they received from SMP. This work correlates to another integral project I worked on this year: building an informational document on the status of Doula reimbursement in Louisiana. Evidence has shown that having a doula in the birthing room significantly positively impacts birth experiences, and leads to lower rates of maternal mortality because of strong advocacy prevalence. It is our goal to continue to identify ways for doulas to be reimbursed for their care, so that more birthing people can receive the crucial care doulas provide without financial burdens.
As an aspiring Obstetrician Gynecologist, having the opportunity to work with such an organization like Sista Midwife has been absolutely amazing. I have had the opportunity to sit in on doula training workshops, create a first-time doula journal, and participate with large initiatives that advocate for reproductive and birth justice and push policy change. This experience has strengthened my commitment to becoming a physician who not only provides clinical care but also advocates for systemic change in maternal health. I am very excited to continue my journey with Sista Midwife Productions and Newcomb next year!
