We’re sharing heartfelt stories from our postpartum doulas and the strong bonds they’ve formed with families. Their experiences show the deep impact of our work—supporting parents in vulnerable moments. We can't emphasize enough how much we LOVE our doulas! At Portland New Family Fund, we aim to pay doulas their full fees, breaking the cycle of expecting doulas—often women and low-income themselves—to provide care to under resourced families for little or no pay.
Here's what PNFF postpartum doulas have to say:
"As a Black birthworker, often times clients come to me seeking care from someone who they know, looks like them, and can really see the humanity in them but they don't have the means to pay for doula care. Being able to care for the clients who are called to seek out care from me with the support of Portland New Family Fund means I get to be sustainable and care for my own family while doing my heart work of caring for my community too."
- Tierra, Midwife, Birth/Postpartum Doula
"I felt my impact for my client was offering her support and companionship through this transition into having one child to two. I also felt that by being there I gave her the space to also take some time for herself, so that she could rest and prioritize her wellbeing while going through this transition."
- Raylea, Postpartum Doula with Bridgetown Baby
"When I started working with Eva*, she wasn't quite sure how to use my time and seemed a little uncomfortable having help in the household; she wasn't used to receiving help in this way. By the end of the first visit, though, she had opened up a bit about her experience of parenting young children, and by the end of our work together, she was comfortable bringing up intimate and vulnerable topics and receiving suggestions for resources. When we parted ways, she was emotional, saying this experience had "helped them so much." I was really moved by the way that nonjudgmental, unconditionally supportive postpartum doula care was able to reach through trauma and the stress of parenting on the economic margins to leave Eva feeling more resourced and more confident in her strengths as a parent."
*Name changed for anonymity
- Brita, Postpartum Doula with Bridgetown Baby
"Postpartum is such a vulnerable and raw time, and it is so valuable to get individualized, compassionate support during it. This kind of support should be available to everybody, and I'm so glad that Portland New Family Fund is fulfilling this need for those who ordinarily wouldn't have access to it. Because of PNFF, my client felt she had a faster recovery and was more confident in her ability to care for her family."
- Katherine, Postpartum Doula with Bridgetown Baby
"As a postpartum doula, I meet my clients where they are at. With this client, basic cleaning was what was needed: being able to get the kitchen cleaned and organized and floors swept and laundry washed, folded and put away gave the time and space for the birth mom to relax and bond with her baby, while giving the support parent a chance to feed her soul by reconnecting with her online community. It felt good to walk in and literally see what they needed and at the end of my shift be able to walk out with a real sense of a job completed and a family grateful."
- Postpartum Doula with Bridgetown Baby (Anonymous)
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