Today we’d like to introduce you to Adisela McNamara.
Hi Adisela, We are so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey into birth work didn’t start until after I had my first baby. I was very young, navigating a medical system without knowing how it functioned. During my birth, I experienced coercion and paternalism. I was talked down to and even shamed. Walking out of the hospital, I realized my story wasn’t rare. That birth shouldn’t leave you feeling small, vulnerable, empty, and that my experiences were the norm regarding childbirth in this modern age. Throughout my first years as a parent, I shared my birth story, and everyone around me did. We all had similar journeys with one underlying, blatant theme: our voices held no weight in a hospital room when objecting or even asking what and why things were being done to us. We were being thrust into motherhood with no support, no confidence, and many of us—with trauma. This constant theme in maternity care made me become what I am today—a doula and childbirth educator. The rough, anxiety-inducing, and depression-filled postpartum journey I went through is something I want no mother to go through. For the past five years, I have dedicated myself to learning everything and anything there is to know about pregnancy, birth, postpartum, infant sleep, lactation, and parenting because a well-supported mother is the backbone of a family. When the mother is nurtured, the family is nurtured as well, and this transitions into a thriving society with a strong foundation for future generations. If we want to change anything, it starts with how we treat families at conception.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the biggest challenges I have as a doula is accessibility. We live in a world where the “village” we are supposed to have is now support we must hire. This makes having a doula support this almost unspoken notion that it is a luxury when everyone could benefit from having a doula on their side. Health insurance and some Medicaid plans are starting to pick up on how beneficial doulas are in the birthing world at reducing adverse outcomes. However, we are still far from being compensated at a comfortable, promptly paid living wage and for everyone to have access to a doula if they want one, regardless of their insurance plan.
Thanks for sharing that. Can you tell us more about your work next?
As a full-spectrum doula, I specialize in supporting all the different facets of birth. From typical births to high-risk births. Losses, adoptions, and even terminations. Most of us in our reproductive years will experience more than one of these journeys, and it’s so important to have the support you deserve to navigate those waters, especially if they’re taking place in hospital systems. As an Evidence-Based Birth®️ Instructor, I teach a childbirth education series I pride myself in. Advocacy skills are something that a lot of classes don’t cover. But to me, being able to keep your power in a usual powerless circumstance because you learned what to do and say is one of the most important aspects of bringing life into this world. Just because you are giving birth does not mean that your rights and autonomy go out the window. Being able to help families shift that dynamic back into their hands is my proudest accomplishment and the exact thing that separates me from other doulas.
Networking and finding a mentor can positively impact one’s life and career. Any advice?
Join the Facebook groups, shout what you do from the rooftops, and network with midwives, chiropractors, lactation professionals—anyone who works with families that can refer to you if anyone is looking for doula support. Doulas have such a high burn-out rate, so it’s imperative to look for clients in the right places from the get-go to minimize that chance of giving up before reaching your full potential. Build that sense of community because it will be your biggest asset to running a thriving business.
Pricing:
- $1250 for birth support that includes 2 prenatal appointments, complete labor and birth support, and a postpartum visit after the birth
- $30/hr – overnight postpartum doula support to ensure families rest, nourish, and thrive during the day
- $350 – Evidence Based Birth®️ Childbirth Class, a 4-week comprehensive birth series that empowers the whole family!
- If Medicaid covers you, my doula support is at no cost to you!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram.com/maternalaffinitybirthservices
- Facebook: Facebook.com/maternalaffinitybirthservices
