Birth With Purpose

May is Maternal Mental Health Month

I've been pretty transparent about my motherhood journey but only shared but so much when it came to my mental health. I was still navigating PPD almost 2 years postpartum and had convinced myself I could handle it on my own.

What I realized almost a year ago is that mental health struggles don't fit into a specific timeline and getting support doesn't have an expiration date. You deserve support and you're not alone. 💛

What a full-circle moment. I had the honor of speaking on a Black Maternal Health Week panel at my alma mater, West Chester University, 10 years after earning my degree in public health.

Thank you to the Department of Public Health and the Center for Women & Gender Equity for inviting me to share both my lived and professional experiences.

So behind with posting but it's been a busy 1st quarter.

3 beautiful baby boys made their entry into the world recently and I couldn't be more grateful to support these families. 💛

blackdoula blackbirthworkers phillymoms postpartumdoula motherhood firsttimemom publichealth blackmaternalhealth

Earlier this week, I presented at the Yale School of Public Health's Social and Behavioral Sciences Seminar Series alongside my Drexel colleagues.

Before the presentation we stopped at a coffee shop and I saw this sign that felt perfectly aligned. As the founder of Birth With Purpose, seeing that sign felt like an intentional reminder that I'm doing what I'm meant to do and walking in my purpose. Grateful for moments of affirmation and for opportunities to connect, learn, and be inspired. 💛

Last week's Birth Justice Philly Summit was such a fulfilling day! It was a pleasure to present alongside my co-panelists also doing transformative work to provide financial support for moms, parents, and families.

Our keynote speaker , ED of SisterSong was just the authentic, honest, storyteller we needed to start the day!

Some takeaways:

-Our personal stories are the engine for this work
- While the systems continue to fail us, they're operating exactly how they are intended to
- Advocating for birth and reproductive justice is revolutionary work and we need to continue to be committed to dismantling all oppressive systems of care, in all the ways it shows up
- Abortion care is healthcare
- We can't work with people who don't believe in our human rights
- All efforts in this space, from policy change, to research, to programming, needs to be collaborative and community centered

Last week I had the honor of serving as the keynote speaker at the Social Determinants of Health Conference hosted by

This powerful gathering focused on advancing collaborative efforts to address the social, economic, and environmental factors that shape health equity—and emphasized the critical importance of centering lived experience at every stage of the work we do.

It was a pleasure to co-present alongside one of our incredible lived experience experts, who has been instrumental in shaping the Philly Joy Bank since its inception. ✨

The Black Maternal Mental Health Summit was a wonderful event for us, by us. We poured into one another, shared knowledge, and had tough, honest conversations about our past and current lived realities. Above all, we were reminded that joy is healing, an act of resistance, and our right. 💙

💙

I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be speaking at the 2025 Black Maternal Mental Health Summit! 💛💙 I’m honored to join a powerful community of changemakers as we work together to build a more accountable and supportive village for Black birthing people and their families.

Last Saturday my family and I participated in the hosted by the .foundation

As a doula and public health professional, I'm well accquainted with preeclampsia and its disproportionate impact on Black women. I've supported several clients through unexpected diagnoses of both preeclampsia and postpartum preeclampsia — some of which resulted in emergency C-sections or rehospitalization during the postpartum period. However, it wasn't until my own labor that I experienced it first hand.

About 24 hours into labor I was diagnosed with severe preeclampsia. My care team started me on magnesium, continued to monitor me closely and I went on to have a healthy birth experience. While I’m grateful for that outcome, I know that far too many moms and babies have faced adverse, and even fatal, outcomes due to preeclampsia.

I walked as a preeclampsia survivor — committed to advancing health equity in hopes that this condition will be better understood, better managed, and ultimately cured.💙💗

Doula Barbie ft. Kai💕