Why Saint Lucia Needs Doulas:

Birth Sent Lisi offers Childbirth education, virtual doula support, and multiple parent support groups to the birthing population of Saint Lucia. While supporting these families, it has become evident that there is, and continues to be, a huge inadequacy in access to resources and information necessary for safe and satisfying childbirth in Saint Lucia. Families have reported negligence, harm, and fear of their birthing options.

The Saint Lucian birthing population and hospitals can benefit from including community doulas to address the maternal and infant health disparities in communities of color and other marginalized communities around the world.

Birth doulas will fill the gap. Hospitals in Saint Lucia are severely understaffed and ill equipped to support physiological birth. Parents are often sent home, (even in active labor), or experience extremely long waits in the waiting room. Often alone, scared, and without practical and comforting assistance. Birth doulas can labor at home with parents longer, and support them directly in hospitals using comforting techniques, positions and movements that support physiological birth. Research shows that there is a 31% decrease in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience if a doula is present.

Source: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/the-evidence-for-doulas/

Reproductive Justice should be at the forefront of maternal health care. As Reproductive health advocates, doulas are non-medically trained birth workers that educate birthing families on their rights, birthing options, and help create safer birthing environments where birthing families’ autonomy and individualized preferences are prioritized.

Doula care has been associated with lower rates of cesarean birth, preterm birth, low birthweight, and postpartum depression, as well as with increased rates of breastfeeding, and greater patient satisfaction with maternity care. Infants are more likely to have a higher APGAR score – an assessment of a baby’s health right after birth with doula presence at birth.

Sources:
Bohren MA, Hofmeyr GJ, Sakala C, Fukuzawa RK, Cuthbert A. Continuous support for women during childbirth. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2017;7:Cd003766.
https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/csi/doula-report-2019.pdf
. Doulas create safe and inclusive birthing environments for families. In addressing the social and physiological needs of their clients, their scope extends beyond policy and includes a humane approach to maternal health care.

Community-based doulas help address persistent inequities in birth outcomes. Doulas create safe and inclusive birthing environments for families. In addressing the social and physiological needs of their clients, their scope extends beyond policy and includes a humane approach to maternal health care.

About Us:

Birth Sent Lisi was founded by Kris Bailey & Nicole Jean Baptiste, Saint Lucian full-spectrum doulas. Birth Sent Lisi has hosted parent support groups and childbirth education classes virtually for Saint Lucian Families. While meeting and supporting pregnant families in Saint Lucia it became evident that there was, and continues to be, a huge inadequacy in access to resources and information necessary for safe and satisfying childbirth in Saint Lucia. Families have reported negligence, harm, and fear of their birthing options.

The childbirth classes and virtual support Kris provided proved to be one solution, leaving families feeling more equipped and reassured. It was from here that Birth Sent Lisi was born. Knowing the positive impact of having a more sustainable model of doula care.

Birth enthusiasts also reach out with an interest in training to become doulas, however, yet lack the financial means to become trained and certified. With this in mind, she created Birth Sent Lisi, currently a small team with a big goal.

How You Can Make an Impact:

Birth Sent Lisi’s primary goal is to establish a collective of expert birth workers to address unsafe and inhumane practices in Saint Lucian birthing locations. This collective will include birth and postpartum doulas, childbirth educators, and lactation consultants. All of whom will provide direct and essential birth support and resources to serve the birthing population of Saint Lucia.

With your support we can reach our 110 % GOAL of doing a little bit more. In 2022 we can enroll 100 families into our programs, train and certify 15 Doulas ( Birth, Postpartum, and full spectrum doulas, Childbirth Educators, Lactation and Infant Sleep consultants). This introduction of doula care in the maternal health space caters to the whole birthing person, cover administrative costs and Provide stipends for doulas and birth workers to support 100 marginalized families for 1 year.

This would be the first program of its kind. Committed to integrating physical, mental and social safety from a reproductive justiclens. With your support we will be able to provide scholarships, ongoing childbirth education classes, birth tools and community based programs at a consistent, ethical and sustainable level.

Donate today and help us build the first Doula Collective in Saint Lucia.

Saint Lucia Community Doula Fund

DOULA SCHOLARSHIPS AND DOULA CARE FOR SLU

Team Members