Today, we’d like to introduce you to Kayla Bitten.
Hi Kayla, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I began working in maternal and infant health about thirteen years ago. Living in California, a family member of mine experienced a tragic pregnancy loss, and I support her through that journey. What I didn’t know then is that the way that I supported her, holding her hand, coaching her with words of affirmation, holding her emotionally, and coaching her body through the loss, was me being a miscarriage doula.
About a year later, I was still vibrating and pondering how exactly I knew what to do every step of the way. I began research, and I learned about doulas. Fast forward, I became a volunteer doula for foster youth of color through a foundation in California. I spent some time earning certificates and undergoing training and apprenticeships.
Later on, in 2015, I moved back home to Alabama and continued my work in the form of education and writing. I did not start physically supporting pregnant people until a couple of years after returning. I learned more about exactly where I wanted to be within the maternal and infant health space. In 2020, I decided to begin my midwifery journey and open The Postpartum Clinic because of the pandemic and the lack of access to actual community, I thought it was the perfect time to focus on growing my knowledge in maternal and infant health and creating spaces that would be innovative both in-person and virtually.
In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, I was living in Birmingham, Alabama, and noticed the lack of resources for families postpartum. At the time, I was running a community group called Coloring Between The Lines: Mothers of Color Breastfeeding Support. We would meet and talk about their breastfeeding journey and all the things that came with it.
When the pandemic hit, and the ability to meet with the community was limited, I remember hearing a lot of parents express how they had no support during their breastfeeding and postpartum journey. At that moment, I decided to start The Postpartum Clinic. I had always wanted to open a clinic or urgent care since discovering doula work. I decided to sit down late one night and write out the mission and purpose of the clinic and the services that would be provided. I registered the business and began a campaign to raise a certain amount of money to provide free care for parents and keep the website and other virtual things needed to operate the clinic.
I woke up and was so surprised by the support, media coverage, and money raised. I supported families in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, New York, California, and more. The clinic took off from there with amazing partnerships, pop-up events, and more. Since then, we have relocated and registered here in Georgia. We are excited to continue this journey and progress to the next level to provide personalized care for Black and Brown families in the fourth trimester.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No! It has not been a smooth road. Life is filled with so many things. Wanting to create something (and be something) that directly challenges how a certain system operates is radical these days. It comes with many people questioning and turning their noses to what it is that you do or that you are trying to create, even if they can benefit from it now, later, and forever.
It has caused mental and spiritual challenges for me in which I had to look at the way I was taking care of my OWN health while trying to create better maternal and infant health spaces for Black and Brown communities.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The Postpartum Clinic is an agency-clinic of postpartum doulas and lactation specialists that go beyond the first six weeks of care for postpartum mothers.
We specialize in “personalized care for the fourth trimester.” We offer a one-year, flat-rate fee membership for postpartum mothers to receive 12 postpartum and lactation appointments and a plethora of workshops and classes to guide them along their postpartum journey in a way that has never been done before.
I am very proud of the awareness that we are bringing to the postpartum period. The postpartum period is the time when we lose a staggering number of Black mothers and infants due to a lack of access to equitable and competent postpartum care. I am proud to be centering the Black and Brown community regarding this topic within the maternal and infant health space.
We understand that providing better and extended postpartum care is but part of the issue. We know that it will also take perinatal and healthcare professionals to better understand and become educated on postpartum and breastfeeding. Because of this, we also provide an Advanced Lactation Professional program and many continuing education workshops and webinars for professionals to learn about the data of Black and Brown postpartum and breastfeeding families and how they can be better providers.
We also go even further by leading our own community-based research around the connection between urban ecological systems and the access to equitable and culturally competent lactation care.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
When it comes to health and wellness — Listen to the Black community.
Contact Info:
- Website: thepostpartumclinic.org
- Instagram: @thepostpartumclinic
- Facebook: Facebook.com/thepostpartumclinic
