Collective Values

These are the guiding principles that inform who we are as doulas and educators, and who we are as a collective. They are both foundational and flexible — something we revisit as we move through this work, trying to always be responsive to the current world and to our current selves.

 

Justice

Birth is political, not only existing in but also structured by the social, legal, and economic systems that define our world. Well aware that this world--and the possibilities for birthing within it--are marked by extraordinary inequality and bias, we strive to be trauma-informed, queer and trans affirming, and anti-racist. We also know that while there is much opportunity for birth to reinforce the worst qualities of this world, it is also an extraordinary time of possibility: we see every day how it changes people, their perspectives, their relationships, and their understandings of work, community, and kin.

Cooperation and Community

Birth and parenting are hard, but they aren't meant to be done in isolation. We often say that our job as doulas is to "fill in the gaps." To this end, we help you identify the support you have and offer support ourselves, but we also help you expand your community. We love when our clients make friends, and we love to see our BKBC support system grow through our office hours, postpartum groups, and partners groups. And we follow the same logic in our own work as doulas; we love working with one another, with our clients, and with other birthworkers we know and trust. The collective itself is worker-owned and cooperative, based on a foundation of mutual care and respect; the idea that many hands make light(er) work.

Non-judgment

We are committed to meeting our clients where they are, without judgement. Everyone comes to the reproductive continuum with a set of values and experiences that inform the decisions they make. It's our imperative to help our clients understand their options and then to support and uplift whatever decisions they make about their care. We honor our clients’ choices, in labor and in life.

Consent

We make sure that our clients understand the range of choices available to them in their reproductive and parenting experiences, and we speak explicitly and pragmatically about consent and the form it takes in vulnerable settings like birth. Above all, we make sure that our clients know that they're making choices all the time, even when it isn't as clear to them.                       

Accessibility

We believe in the work that we do, and we want to make sure that it’s available to as many people as possible, no matter who they are or what resources they have. To this end, we offer sliding scale services to BIPOC families, single parents, those who are unemployed or underemployed, and other marginalized communities. When we can’t work with someone or aren’t the right fit, we can help families find another trusted doula from our diverse community.

 

We love the work that we do, but we also know that we're not the right match for everyone. If you're looking for a doula who more closely matches any aspect of your lived experience, here are some of our favorites:                                                                                                                                               

Ariel and Janeé Doula Services: birth and postpartum doulas in Brooklyn/Queens, also offering lactation counseling, and postpartum meal prep.                                                    

Ashe Birthing Services: Bronx-based birth and postpartum doulas, postpartum nourishment packages. Everyone at Ashe is wonderful. We're super grateful to know them and to have worked with them.     

Charlie Monlouis at Nourishing Seeds Doula: birth and postpartum doula services, postpartum chef, and body-feeding counselor. Charlie is a full spectrum doula of color with lots of knowledge around trans family building.                                                                                                                                                              

Jazmyna Fanini of Jazmyna's Doula Services: Jazmyna is a queer Latinx doula, who offers support for various budgets, including low-cost birth doula services, throughout NYC.

Marina Regianni Smith: Marina is a queer parent and longtime early educator offering incredible parent coaching and low-fee doula services.

Myla Flores of My Loving Doula Birth Services: based in the bronx, Myla is also working to open the Birthing Place, a BIPOC-centered birth center in the Bronx.        

Doulas en Espanol: started by our friend Maya Hernandez, this very much needed resource helps connect people to Spanish-speaking doulas all over the city.          

Kira Birney: Kira is a wonderful Brooklyn-based postpartum doula who specializes in overnight doula care. 

Blue Andrew at Brooklyn Birth: offers birth support, holding space for LGBTQIA+, GNC and POZ persons.

Oge Onye of Your Body Your Birth: doula support as well as mindfulness coaching and meditation practice building.                                                                                                                                                           

Megan Davidson: based in Brooklyn, Megan is one of the most experienced doulas in New York City, and she writes extensively on body size and pregnancy. She has also written a wonderful book called Your Birth Plan: A Guide to Navigating all of Your Choices in Childbirth.

                                                                                                                                                           

Feel free to reach out for more recommendations. We know many of the birth workers in the NYC area, and we believe that there is a doula for every person and family. If there's anything we can do to match you with someone who's a great fit, we're happy to help.