Inspiring Conversations with Hosanna Knight of Leche de Oro

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hosanna Knight.

Hi Hosanna, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today. 
I am a very loud and proud Latina doula who is completely obsessed with birth and all things that go along with it. Pregnancy, labor, postpartum, but mainly supporting women in English and Spanish during this new season. 

I started Leche de Oro because I wanted to help families in their transition to parenthood. I heavily focus on the Hispanic and African American communities because we are the ones neglected most in the maternal healthcare system. Georgia is ranked as one of the worst states to birth in due to many factors: access to healthcare, a prejudiced healthcare system, and limited reproductive health education are among the top contributors. 

Becoming a mother is one of the most sacred and transformative experiences. It should not be met with trauma, neglect, or abuse. I wanted to help educate, empower, and encourage families every step of the way throughout their pregnancy journey. I provide childbirth education, prenatal preparation, newborn classes, endless resources in my online portal, unlimited birth support, and several postpartum sessions to adjust to their new normal. 

I love the name of my business because it means “liquid gold,” which references the first milk that comes from the mother’s breast. I wanted my name to be in Spanish to include my community but also, so I felt like what I was creating is the true essence of who I am and what I aim to provide my clients with. 

When my husband and I were preparing to have our first child, we did all the “right” things. We took a childbirth education class, researched providers, and chose a birth center, focused so much on my health and nutrition to achieve the birth I wanted. I still ended up in a hospital transfer and had a preventable c-section. It was so hard to navigate all the grief, exhaustion, and emotional turmoil I felt about how my journey to becoming a mother started. I thought I did everything, but I failed to educate myself on all the “what ifs” in birth. I wish I had hired someone to help me learn my birth rights, positions when the baby is in a not-ideal position, and things like that. After I had my second child, I began to heavily pursue my doula certification and started my business. That was in 2023! My first year of business, everything really took off for me. I was getting booked out months in advance, and I was living my dream helping these families get the birth they wanted or supporting them through the unexpected. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road! I stayed up till 2 or 3 am most nights, juggling a newborn and a toddler to finish my doula certification and set up my business. My husband was working two jobs so that I could do this, and has supported and believed in me through all of it. I am a college dropout, someone who has worked nonstop for others, and this was my chance to start something that would support my family on my terms. 

I wanted to learn as much as I could about birth and dedicate time each week to reading, podcasts, and furthering my education. Being on call with little kids at home is hard. I had a birth on Christmas Eve (which, for us, is our Christmas) and almost missed it. I’ve had births where I almost missed birthdays, activities, and other family events. I was also still breastfeeding my youngest and was pregnant for most of the births I supported. 

I had to really push myself to keep going, to keep motivating myself each week. What we do as doulas is so intimate, and not every consult ends in a booking. We have to really click to move forward together, and it’s hard to remember that as a young doula who loves birth. I had seven consults one week and didn’t book any of them. The next month, I got booked out for several months. Keeping my eyes on what’s important, which is “Am I the best support person for you, and are you my ideal client?” was my main focus. 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Leche de Oro?
Birthwork is becoming more of a trend in my generation as more women are beginning to question authority and the status quo of life. We are taking back our right to birth with informed consent. 

A doula is an unbiased support person who educates, empowers, and encourages families throughout their pregnancy, birth, and postpartum season. We bring you meals, teach you about all things physiological birth, help your partner feel empowered to support you. We are the ones you can text all hours of the day or night about things like “Is this my mucus plug? Why does my nipple look like this? Is it safe to eat this cheese?” Literally here for any and anything! 

I love what I do. I love teaching parents about physiological birth and giving them all the tools to decide what is best for them and their baby. I love being the one to hold the mother after birth. Everyone comes for the baby; I come for the mother. I bring her food, I check in on her emotional and mental health, I clean her house, and serve her. 

I made it a goal to partner with other women of color for every aspect of my business as much as possible. For my care packages my clients receive from me, everything inside it are all from black and Hispanic businesses. I am the most proud of my branding! I partnered with Sabatani Jones for my branding, and she did an incredible job. She helped me with my logo and overall aesthetic. She even did a branding photoshoot for me to help me create content and use to promote my business. To this day, they are some of my favorite pictures. I had all my best friends come over to be my test clients, and it was so special. 

I want everyone to know that I am working with another incredible Latina doula on launching a virtual doula support program for our Latinas. I am very limited for birth spots till January 2025, but this virtual program will be accessible and a great way to get the education, community, and doula support in English and in Spanish. I am really passionate about this program and cannot wait for us to go live. You can stay tuned by following us on Instagram @leche.de.oro and @latinadoula. 

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I see myself taking births regularly, growing the support and resources the Hispanic community gets, and being able to give back to others more. I would love to get to a place in my business where I can take on more pro-bono clients. As of right now, I can only give 1 full scholarship and 1 partial scholarship. I would love to be successful enough to support more families who cannot afford the care I provide. 

Pricing:

• Pricing ranges from $1,650 – $1,850

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lechedeoro.com
• Instagram: @leche.de.oro
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lechedeoro.doula

Image Credits
Sabatani Jones