A healthy, supported birthworker ultimately benefits the entire community.
Undeniably there are aspects of our work that put us in contact with joy and celebration, but equally true is our high rate of exposure to trauma. We experience bias, racism, and disrespect ourselves, and witness it impacting those we serve. We hold the emotional experience of perinatal loss, birth trauma, and even the past experiences of our clients as they tell us about their histories.
So where do we go and what can we do? Ignoring the risks of exposure isn’t helpful. To do this work asks of us to be committed to radical self-care.
Mental Health Support: We need access to mental health resources. Counseling and support groups are effective in supporting health workers and activists in general to process their experiences and develop healthy coping mechanisms.
Education and Training: How well can we recognize signs of trauma? Do we have access to tools and community to manage stress? We need to take proactive steps in maintaining our mental health.
Peer Support Networks: Peer support, in an intentional and safe space, can allow birthworkers to share our experiences and support each other. Peer support is known to reduce isolation and build resiliency.
Organizational Support: As organization leaders, we can prioritize the well-being of our staff by implementing policies that promote work-life balance, such as flexible scheduling, adequate rest periods, and access to mental health resources.
Self-Care Practices: What are meaningful self-care practices to you and what can be maintained in our unpredictable schedules? Accessing mindfulness, exercise, and engaging in activities that bring us joy and allow us to unplug from our work, helps us to manage stress and prevent burnout.
Because we often work in small community-based organizations, collectives, or even in solo practices, we often lack access to these critical resources or budgets to build and to provide trauma first aid and other resources.
Okkanti is surveying birthworkers to identify solutions to this challenge in our industry and will be offering trauma first aid support based on our findings.
Sign up here to be included in a brief anonymous survey and to be notified of upcoming free or low cost support opportunities to build your support system.
