Today we’d like to introduce you to Korrie Renee.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Watching a Lifetime episode, “Birth Day”, is what I believe initially sparked my interest in birth doula work. It was during an episode that there was a mother who was homeless and she was provided a birth doula to be with her throughout her labor so that she was not alone while she was giving birth, she had someone, a perfect stranger, who stepped in to be a supportive, caring friend during this most important time within their lives.
At that moment, I was awash with the memories and emotions I experienced giving birth to my second son, Kingston years prior. That experience should have given me a sense of comfort and joy, but I was filled with trepidation, fear and embarrassment. Unlike the birthing experience with my first son, this time I was completely alone. It was just me, my Dr. and the nurses. It was unforeseen circumstances that resulted in me being alone.
Though I had all my family and friends on the phone, the fact remained that in the room, I was alone. There was no one with heartfelt advocacy and attention to my specific needs and wishes by my side. I had no one loving on me and my baby in the hospital before, during or after immediately the delivery.
I remember holding my baby and suitcase while being pushed in the wheelchair to the down the hall to our post-partum room and once again to the parking lot, strapping my newborn into the car seat and driving us home, once again alone. Shame, humiliation, stress and the embarrassment of enduring all of this alone as I tried to navigate my complicated world has resulted in the motivation behind my work. My journey as a Birth Doula started with my own re-birth. KoKo Kares Birth Doula Services has enabled me to heal a fractured part of my journey as a birthing mother.
The “Birth Day” episode on Lifetime, depicted what the birthing experience with my second son could have and should have been. Though this woman was alone and homeless she was smiling and content with her birthing experience. This was the first time I heard the word “Birth Doula” and kudos to the birth doula on that episode that inspired me. When the episode finished, I immediately began researching this practice. The more I read, the more convicted I became about embarking on the journey to become a Birth doula so that I could prevent mothers from experiencing birth alone. I wanted to develop the skills to become a true support person who is solely focused on establishing and sustaining a comforting and joyous experience for the birthing mother regardless of whether or not she has a support person with her in the delivery room.
In April of 2017, I took the initial training as a birth doula through Doulas of North America (D.O.N.A), which included birth doula support training, breastfeeding and infant care basics. Immediately after this training I registered my business, KoKo Kares Birth Doula Services.
During the summer of 2017, I joined the Atlanta Doula Collective as a volunteer birth doula. I placed myself on schedule to volunteer for women who needed a birth doula on weekends that I was available due to my full-time work schedule in corporate America during that time. Though for 2017 and 2018 I never attended a birth as a volunteer.
It was not until the beginning of 2019 that I stepped out on faith, left my job in corporate America and actually began to work as a birth doula full time – or so I say.
With the guidance and mentorship of Sekesa Berry, the Founder and CEO of the Atlanta Doula Collective, a 501C3 organization, I completed my birth doula certification with D.O.N.A. Also, through connection with the Atlanta Doula Collective, I was introduced to Certified Nurse Midwife, Marsha Ford of OB/GYN & Midwife Associates of East Point, GA. Through this practice, I was introduced to my first official birth doula client in March 2019.
I have grown tremendously as a Birth Doula over the years. My first few clients’ interested in their placentas and potential for encapsulation, inspired me to obtain a Placenta Encapsulation Specialist Certification through National Black Doulas Association, led by Tracie Collins, here in Atlanta, GA.
Since 2019, I have had the honor and privilege to serve over 50 families with birth doula support services! Every birth has been an amazing experience for me. Due to my passion, love for this work, and perceived worldwide need, I truly believe every birth deserves a doula!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Becoming a birth doula has not been the easiest road. Initially meeting birthing mothers and their support persons/spouses who understand the value and can afford birth doula services was very challenging. In 2019, I spent a lot of time in the OB/GYN & Midwife Associates office talking with mothers, educating them about the practice and trying to convince them to hire me. Early in my practice, I provided services at reduced rates or free of charge. These arrangements coupled with the mentorship and affiliation with Birthing Queens Sekesa Berry and Marsha Ford, provided an entre to potential clients, and then affirming word of mouth recommendations from these clients, helped to expand my client base tremendously.
Truly, being able to provide for my family has been my number two challenge. Wanting to do this work full time is not easy. As a doula due to the nature of the work there are only so many births you can attend per month before you burn out. Even if you can land three births at $1,000.00 per birth that is only $3,000.00 worth of income per month adding up to $36,000.00 per year if you work all twelve months of the year. Most doulas including myself have other sources of income to support us as this income alone is not enough solely off of births, or the doula is married and this income is second to support the household.
Securing funding to subsidize doula services for birthing families who find the current cost prohibitive has been a challenge. As a result, part of the work I do with the Atlanta Doula Collective is working to write grants and solicit donations an assistance to fulfill the need for families within our community who cannot afford the cost of a doula. I am very excited that Tricare military insurance will begin to cover the cost of doula services beginning in January 2022 for military families across the United States!
The COVID-19 restrictions in birthing facilities added another layer of challenge. Work for birth doulas willing to go into the hospitals slowed greatly during COVID due to fear, but mainly because many hospitals restricted birth doula support for their patients. When birth doulas were allowed in birthing facilities, they had to be certified – uncertified birth doulas were restricted to home births or out of work. Certification was never any sort of urgency or necessity prior to COVID.
COVID was not my reason for obtaining certification. Currently, the state of Georgia is almost number one for worst places to have a baby and it has been for a number of years. African American women are 4x more likely to die during childbirth or some part of it than any other women in any other state. With the Georgia numbers being so grave many of the midwives in the area are working to change legislation to encourage insurance companies to cover not only the cost of doulas, but the cost of homebirth midwives as well. It was knowing that the Georgia birth community was working to get doulas covered by insurance that I pursued certification, it was not due to COVID. I wanted to be certified so families would not have to pay me out of pocket for the cost of my services.
Surprisingly because of these COVID-19 restrictions, combined with social media and the current state of black women birthing, birth doulas are now being sought out by birthing families in record numbers. Support persons (ie. Spouse, sister, grandmother, grandfather, etc.) were not allowed to enter birthing facilities at one point during COVID, leaving the birthing mother completely alone. This gave rise to a Birth Doula Revolution wherein we adapted our practices to accommodate the clients’ needs. Birthing mothers who could not have a birth doula with them physically in the hospital now had access to Virtual Birth Doula support on the phone, through FaceTime, or even Zoom. These technological advances enabled birth doulas to provide advice, information and support during their clients’ labor and delivery process despite the hurdles in the way.
As you know, we’re big fans of KoKo Kares Doula Services. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
KoKo Kares Birth Doula Services supports mothers and families throughout the Metro Atlanta area with a woman-centered care focus into bringing life into this world. I am the birthing mother’s personal assistant prior to, during and after the birth of the baby. My primary goal is to reduce family anxiety, increase confidence and promote a joyous experience. I pride myself on respecting the birthing families’ values, beliefs, an autonomy of choice when it comes to the birth of their new little angel.
This journey with me begins with educating the mother and support person about birth planning, pregnancy, nutrition, and childbirth birth practices. Together, I work with my clients to troubleshoot and attend to complications that may arise. I work to provide resources such as birth education classes, baby supplies, labor support apps, holistic herbs, chiropractors, and pediatricians, etc.
The most rewarding aspect of my practice involves working with the families through that most intimate moment – birth. It is truly an honor to attend any birth and to witness the birth of a new ancestor.
Most birth doulas do not take a break during the labor process or do so only when the labor exceeds 24 hours of constant support. Nurses change shifts, but as a birth doula, I do not. I strive to actively stay with the birthing mother. During labor, I ensure the birthing mother stays hydrated if they are allowed to consume water. I am their dance partner to help them stretch and move to assist with labor. I also make sure the birth mother is tucked in nice and warm with as many pillows as possible when she is ready to rest. I am vigilant, constantly awake with the birthing mother while their support person sleeps. My responsibility is to be a guaranteed / supportive attendant during the birth.
After the birth, my services include post-partum planning, maternal-infant interaction and breastfeeding. Post-partum plans are encouraged for six weeks. During this time, the womb must be allowed to heal and cannot be stressed. As a result, I advise the mothers not to pick up anything heavier than her newborn for the first six weeks. Nutrition is essential to support healing. Nourishment is needed to support the replenishment of iron, vitamins, etc., lost during the birth.
In addition to the birth doula services, I also offer Placenta Encapsulation and Umbilical Cord Art! Placentas are the most forgotten and disrespected part of pregnancy and birth. I believe every family should take a moment to really thank the placenta for growing their little angel. It is this placenta that nourished and grew your baby in utero, that can continue to nourish the baby and mother through consumption via encapsulation. Encapsulation is the process of washing, steaming, dehydrating, and grinding the placenta into a powder, and putting it into capsules for consumption just like any other vitamin. In Atlanta, there is a Placenta Donation Program that accepts placentas donated from moms to create wound medicine for diabetics and burn victims.
I offer a word of caution with regard to Placenta Encapsulation though; always consult a Certified Placenta Encapsulation Specialist for a safety evaluation when desiring to consume your placenta. Variations in the placenta dictate whether or not it can be consumed. Every placenta is not consumable.
The Umbilical Cord Art is a truly unique way to preserve one of the most important parts of the pregnancy; the cord that supported and sustained the baby’s growth into the magnificent little human that they are. All Umbilical Cord Art is designed by hand and dehydrated for preservation. The longer the delay in umbilical cord clamping, the better view of the veins within the cord that sustained and developed life for your little angel.
I want readers to know is that my passion for this work evolved from first-hand experience of trepidation, fear and embarrassment when I delivered my second son into this world all alone. I was not surrounded by the love and support that I offer to my clients. I strive to ensure my moms do not have to endure birth trauma. I do my best to avoid a mess!
I really would like readers to know that it is never too early or too late to hire a doula. Some doulas specialize in fertility support or know someone who can provide assistance if there are concerns or desires to prepare your body for pregnancy. There are also Post-Partum Birth doulas who provide guidance and support to the mother and support persons on how to provide the most loving support after labor and delivery.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Sekesa Berry, Midwife and owner of Love ‘N’ Touch Midwifery Services has truly been the launch pad for my career. Not only is she the Founder & CEO of the Atlanta Doula Collective, she is a ongoing source support and mentor to me. Sekesa has taught me a lot of holistic practices to provide non-medical and all-natural support to our families for different desires or needs. She has also provided me opportunities to speak to individuals around the United States about birth doulas and what we do throughout the community to convey the importance of our work. It is truly Sekesa’s welcome to the Atlanta Doula Collective that supported my trajectory into becoming a career Birth Doula.
Marsha Ford, Certified Nurse Midwife, has also been a phenomenal source of support in my growth and development as a Birth Doula. The majority of my clients have been referrals through Ms. Fords practice. I can’t thank you enough for investing in and trusting in me to support your clients.
Both Ms. Berry and Ms. Ford, my dynamic Birthing Queens, have supported me in my certification journey, have taken the time to teach me additional medical information and techniques to better support my clients. They are extremely supportive of birth doulas and their contribution to the birthing process.
Ms. Berry and Ms. Ford, I definitely owe an immense amount of gratitude to you for all of your support and guidance.
To ALL of my clients – thank you! Your appreciation of my work pushes me to continue to expand my ability to support families in our community.
To my family and friends – you are awesome! I never know when I have to drop everything and go to the aid of a birthing mother. My family and friends not only understand, but support me in my efforts to support another family. It is their love and support that keeps me strong and inspired to continue birth doula work.
Pricing:
- $550, 1 Virtual Birth Plan meeting, Active Labor Birth Support
- $700, 2 Prenatal Meetings, Active Labor Birth Support, 1 Post Partum meeting
- $375 Placenta Encapsulation
Contact Info:
- Email: kokokaresds@gmail.com | info@atlantadoulacollecitve.org
- Website: www.kokokaresdoulaservices.com/ | https://www.atlantadoulacollective.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kokokaresdoula/ | https://www.instagram.com/atlantadoulacollective/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AtlDoulas/
Image Credits:
KSI Photography
Korrie Renee
