TCNJ

27 SPRING 2024 " This is about giving a woman the support and resources she needs to make her own informed decisions about her life, her body, and the birth of her child." — Cielo Salgado-Cowan A s part of the course, students are connected to clients through TruDoulas of New Jersey and paired up with families to complete prenatal assessments and support them through births. "I really wanted to be a part of this to support women and advocate for them," says Emma Kenney, a senior public health major enrolled in the course. "I was inspired by the women in my life who chose some of the more natural doula-supported options that we have learned about in class." Kenney's mother planned to get an epidural, an anesthetic that can help relieve pain during childbirth, the first time she gave birth but arrived at the hospital too late. "My mom decided that if she could do it naturally once, she could do it again. And then she did it seven more times," says Kenney. "I want to help women to have an empowered and dignified birth." Salgado-Cowan's mother had a doula for her birth and the birth of her brother, a decision that made things easier for her Black and Puerto Rican family. "My mom has always talked about the positive impact of having a doula, how she felt heard, and how it was really beneficial for her," she said. Rodney felt called to doula work after two of her close childhood friends, both healthy young Black women, almost died in childbirth. "They're both alive and well today, but I wonder how their stories would have been different if they had had doulas to advocate for them," she says. Students will walk away from the course this semester having met the DONA International requirements, meaning they can practice as doulas internationally. By the end of the term, they also will meet the cultural-competency requirements to be able to bill Medicaid as a provider. Patterson and Rodney hope the class can grow in the coming years despite funding challenges. They secured a grant for this semester from the Burke Foundation, a private organization that funds initiatives to improve the lives of children and had already set a goal of training and certifying 1,000 doulas in the coming years. But they need more funding to avoid passing the cost on to students and to allow community members to sign up. Since First Lady Murphy launched Nurture NJ, the state has moved from 47th to 27th on the list of states where women can have successful pregnancies and births. "That's a testament to the state's commitment, and doulas are one piece of the puzzle," Rodney says. "Our community will benefit from students being out there." ■ Fabiola Cineas is a reporter at Vox.com, where she covers race and policy. Cielo Salgado-Cowan holds a photo of herself as a baby. She and her parents had the benefit of a doula.

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