Meet Tren
When I was 11, I had the opportunity to watch my niece transition to earthside. It was an amazing moment and showed me what birth could be when a person feels safe, informed, and supported.
From that very moment I knew that I was called to this work; to encourage, cheer, and reassure a birther (and partner) during the most vulnerable moment in their lives. When that new life enters the world, there is a divine peacefulness that is rooted in triumph and joy. It is absolutely spectacular.
I was able to have my own birthing experience when I gave birth to my sweet Harlow in March 2015. Due to my birth being traumatic and myself not having a doula, everything came in a full circle. I knew that I was being called by the ancestors to serve my community of black women to save us from traumatic births and PTSD.
In 2007, I graduated from Tennessee State University with an MS in Biochemistry with a concentration in Molecular Chemistry. Later, I went on to become a community-based trained doula by Homeland Heart Birth and Wellness Collective founded by Kristin Mejia-Greene in Nashville, TN where I served as an Executive Board Member and secretary.
Homeland Heart is where I learned that many other black women have the same story like myself. It felt like home and I found comfort in not being alone. There is where I found my joy for lactation peer counseling due to learning about the benefits and the importance of black breastfeeding.
Since then, I have moved to the DMV area and I have obtained my certification to be a Postpartum Doula specializing in Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Psychosis. It is very important to me to educate birthing persons about the power that resides within the womb.
With that being said, I have taken great interest in the encapsulation of placentas, which I am also certified in. I am also a member of the National Black Doulas Association, Traditional Birth Association, and YBB (Young Black & Birthy). Within the next 5 years, it is a goal of mine to be a mentor and own my very own birthing center. I look forward to ushering in your little celebrations of life.
Birth Doulas are Necessary
Doulas are vital and essentially “team birthing person” personnel. It is my responsibility to make sure my clients are comfortable, safe, and absolutely aware of all risks, possibilities, and options.
Doulas are professionally trained to provide emotional, physical, and informational support to persons that are expecting, laboring, or who have recently given birth. I am available to serve as your fertility, birth/labor, a postpartum doula. I also provide pregnancy loss, bereavement, and termination support. Please schedule a consultation to inquire about these services.
Numerous studies have shown that the presence of a doula during labor and birth results in:
31% decrease in the use of Pitocin
28% decrease in the risk of C-section
12% increase in the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth
9% decrease in the use of any medications for pain relief
14% decrease in the risk of newborns being admitted to a special care nursery
34% decrease in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience
Parents who receive continuous support such as that of a doula tend to:
Feel more secure and cared for
Are more successful in adapting to new family dynamics
Have greater success with breastfeeding
Have greater self-confidence
Have less postpartum depression
Have lower incidence of abuse
Black women/birthing persons have the highest mortality rates in this country. WE (I say “we” because I am black), are dying at a rate three times higher than that of white women both during and after gestation. Per 100,000 live births, there were 14.1 deaths among Asian persons, 30.4 deaths among Indigenous persons, and 42.4 deaths among black persons, in comparison to 13.0 deaths among white persons according to the CDC. As maternal mortality rates continue to rise, it is critical America considers the loss of life that occurs disproportionately in the black community.
