We had the good fortune of connecting with Mabel Bashorun and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mabel, career-wise, where do you want to be in the end?
With all my years of serving as a doula, I feel my ultimate professional goal will be to serve as a midwife. I would love to utilize the skills I have gained as a birth support person to help families who desire midwifery services for childbirth and beyond. Midwifery is more than just catching babies; midwives care for the ‘whole woman’. I believe that midwifery care is a phenomenal choice for women who want a whole-centered approach to their health and wellness, pregnancy & childbirth experience. Currently as a doula and childbirth educator, I know I can build upon my previous experiences to truly cater women’s needs and participate in the type of care that allows a woman to feel heard, supported, and respected.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a former educator. I taught middle school for a number of years then went on to serve in the public school central office. The skills I learned as an educator seamlessly transitioned into my current career as a doula. I learned about doula support when I struggled to get pregnant and as I dealt with a fibroid diagnosis. I came to find out that 8 out of 9 Black women will get fibroids. Upon learning more about women’s health, I also found out that Black women are 3-4 times more likely to die in the perinatal period. As a Black woman, I was appalled that I never knew this information and made it my personal mission to learn more about women’s health and how to make changes in my life so that I can help my fellow woman. So I sought out doula training and once I completed the program, I just knew that this was the field of work that God called me to. I pull from my past experience as a patient teacher to engage with families about prenatal care and birth, and I think that is what makes me stand out. I am also Ghanaian-American and I now get a lot of clients who are also African. The concept of doula support is not foreign to African culture; history shows that women have always had emotional and physical support during labor. It is only a matter of time that such ancestral practices are being reintroduced to our society where families tend to brave the prenatal experience alone and are often left unaware of their birth options when it comes to labor and delivery. There have been so many times where I have met families who decided to “go with the flow” when it came to labor and were incredibly shocked with their birth experience and outcomes. I don’t think this professional path is challenging but instead, I have come to learn that people are eager to take ownership of their pregnancy experience and would love a trusted guide to help them along the way. Society has painted an image of pregnancy and birth as burdensome, scary, and dangerous. I want the world to know that women have the right to compassionate, fair, and quality care in pregnancy and when they do, the birthing experience can be rewarding, affirming, and positive.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I was born and raised in the DMV (D.C., Maryland, VA) area so a lot of my favorite spots are all jumbled in this mixing bowl!

Merrifield is a small business city in Northern Virginia, and home to my favorite restaurant, True Food Kitchen. This restaurant has a good selection of fresh, tasty, and nutritious food options. Even if you’re not big on the health scene, any one can find something to enjoy off this menu.

After a lunch date at True Food, I would take my friend to D.C. which is short drive from Merrifield. There we will explore all the free museum exhibitions, grab an ice-cream cone from a food truck, and possibly rent a bike to get around the city. Georgetown is a favorite city as well; so many food and dessert spots to check out and nothing beats a summer stroll along the Potomac river.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to first shoutout my husband! He has been extremely supportive of this unique field of work and he believes in me 100%. It wasn’t an easy decision for me to pursue doula work full time but he has understood and supported my passion– I even call him daddy doula because he is always encouraging his buddies to learn more when it comes to prenatal and birth care. I have two young boys and when I have to spend hours, and sometimes days at a birth, my husband never bats an eye or worries. He truly respects this work and believes it makes a difference. I appreciate him for that.

My friends and family are extremely supportive. They are always putting a bug in someone’s ear about doula support and they are always praising my work online. I have garnered a great amount of clientele from their support.

I would love to shoutout a group of Instagram birthworkers who really helped me find a space where I can learn and contribute to the conversation of how we can make change in the birth world. So many women are experiencing unnecessary traumatic care in pregnancy and birth and it truly accounts for the maternal mortality crisis that America is facing… especially among Black women. Dr. Stephanie Mitchell (@doctor_midwife) has created a platform called “Sunday Cervix” where midwives, doulas, and pretty much anyone who cares to learn (and vent) about the medical industrial complex and also how midwifery care needs to be at the forefront of maternal care in America. I have made so many doula friends from this safe space and Dr. Stephanie inspires me as I pursue a career in midwifery. She is working hard to open the first Black-owned birthing center in Alabama. This is a necessary feat because Alabama has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in America; a birth center would be an ideal option for women who seek a different type of experience than what is provided in the state.

I would also like to shoutout all the men and women who have welcomed me into their birth space. They trusted me to be a supportive advocate and I have learned so much from every birth experience. I am eternally grateful to be a part of their family’s story.

Website: www.withinherbirthservices.com

Instagram: @withinherbirthservices

Facebook: Within Her Birth Services

Yelp: withinherbirth@gmail.com

Youtube: withinherbirth@gmail.com

Image Credits
Mabel Bashorun

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