VOICES Feature: Alia Barnes

The Stockton Younger Women’s Task Force works to amplify and uplift the voices of women in Stockton. We share interviews with amazing women who are making a difference in our community on our website, social media, and in our email newsletters.

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Alia Barnes

Birth Doula, Mother + Earth Doula Services

Interviewed May 18, 2021

What do you do? Tell us a little about yourself and your work.

My name is Alia and I am from Stockton. The fact that I’m from Stockton is actually really important to me and my story into birth work. I’m a birth doula who specializes in advocating for Black birthing families in the hospital. Coming from a healthcare background, I am comfortable helping families navigate the hospital system.

What inspired you to become a doula?

Initially, I’d always had an interest in birth work and knew at some point in my life, I wanted to become a doula. My great grandmother was a labor and delivery nurse at Dameron for over 30 years. I was born with the help of a labor coach, basically a doula but in 1990. I have a cousin who was born at home.

When 2020 turned the world upside down, I had time to reevaluate where I was in life (like many people) and decided it was time to pivot. I took my first doula training at the very beginning of the pandemic. During the summer, I first heard that Black women were 4x more likely to die from childbirth related causes than white women. That’s what truly sparked my passion for my own community. I took another doula training in the fall and founded my business shortly after.

What are the benefits of having the support of a doula during pregnancy, childbirth, and post-partum? What barriers or social justice issues does having a doula help address?

First and foremost, continuity of care. Your doula might be the one care professional that remains constant throughout pregnancy, birth & postpartum. I develop a very close bond with my clients during pregnancy that allows for me to best support them during labor & delivery. This is also helpful during postpartum, because they trust me with their feelings surrounding the transition.

Additionally, having continuous labor support has proven to decrease the likelihood of Cesarean section and the use of pain medications. Evidence also supports that having a doula can help positively impact the outlook on the birth experience.

Having a doula can help address the disproportionate Cesarean rates in the Black birth community. There are multiple contributing factors to the inequity, but one of the main issues is systemic racism in the healthcare space. As a Black doula, I often act as a buffer between my clients and hospital staff. Representation matters in all spaces, but particularly in an experience as intimate as birth.

Alia speaking about Black Maternal Health with the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors during Black Maternal Health Week in May, 2021. Click on the image to view the full video.

What can people do to support access to doulas for all people?

Keep doula work unregulated! Doulas should always be trained. Some doulas are certified, but there’s no requirement for it. Certification can be very expensive for a lot of people and is often a barrier to entry for many people interested in birth work. For many BIPOC birth workers, myself included, birth work is sacred. Certification by primarily white owned organizations is colonization of an ancestral tradition.

What can people do to support your work?

The best way to support my work is to tell a pregnant loved one about me. Another way to help support my work is financially. If you want to help as a financial sponsor of doula services for a family in Stockton, contact me via email.

How can people work with you?

My website!

www.motherandearthdoula.com

Instagram: @motherandearthdoula

What do you do to treat yourself? Any self-care recommendations to share with other women?

My love language is physical touch & quality time. I encourage everyone to use their love language to love on themselves. I treat myself accordingly with massage therapy, chiropractic care, bubble baths with salts & herbs. Sometimes self-care for me is turning off social media for 24 hours or setting solid boundaries with family. It’s okay to put yourself first. No one else will.