Today we’d like to introduce you to Carmen Antonetty.
Carmen, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am what’s called a crunchy Mama. Some of my friends refer to me as a ghetto ass hippy. I had both of my children at home, mostly unassisted and that Is what introduced me into birth work. After the birth of my youngest child, I became a Doula because even though my births were technically unassisted I relied on my birth team and community support. Oh, I should mention, before I became a mother, I was and I remain a community organizer. So yeah, after I gave birth, which was a transformative experience in itself, I knew I had dive deeply into this Birth work life. I became a Doula in North Carolina, but there was little support for me, and I also knew that I wanted to be more than a doula. I wanted to be a Midwife. So, I did a little research and found out there was this school in Miami that had a program with really cheap tuition. So, I picked up and moved. When I got here, I found out the program went belly up some years back, and that we had to make our own. Long story short; that’s the work we are going now.
Has it been a smooth road?
Oh no, the road is certainly not smooth. I am still bumping up against walls, barriers and obstacles. But at least, I have a community. The best advice I can give is Build Community, find community and be the community. The community has saved me so many times.
It’s not easy being a single mother, and community organizer and a birth worker… I have BIG WORK and I 100% couldn’t do it without the community.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Souther Birth Justice Network/ Dancing Doula story. Tell us more about the business.
So, Black women are dying, at an alarming rate in childbirth, and the statistics have been this way for at least 40 years (4-1 is the maternal morbidity and mortality rate in American for black moms vs white moms). Having access to doula and midwifery care changes these poor outcomes one birth at a time. Through our organization, Southern Birth Justice Network, we educate and train the community to be our own advocated, leaders and Saviors. I believe the answer is always in the community. People just need to be given the opportunity to voice their grievances and the resources to find their solutions, We work from the framework of birth justice.
Birth Justice recognizes that all peoples can birth and be parents; People of color, immigrant peoples, and LGQBT communities, in particular, have survived a history of trauma and oppression around our decisions to have and not have babies. We know that when we, mothers and parents, are empowered, our community is transformed. If we bring our babies into the world, with justice, in a natural way, without anyone telling us how to do it, then it nurtures our innate power as mothers and parents to create a free world for our children to play and learn and grow.
Birth Justice includes access to health care during the childbearing year that is holistic, humanistic, and culturally centered. This health care is across the pregnancy spectrum including: abortion, miscarriage, prenatal, birth, and postpartum care. Birth Justice includes the right to choose whether or not to carry a pregnancy, to choose when, where how, and with whom to birth, including access to traditional and indigenous healers, such as midwives and other birth workers, and the right to breastfeeding support. The complete range of pregnancy, labor, and birth options should be available to everyone as an integral part of reproductive justice. These are our rights as mothers and parents. (https://southernbirthjustice.org/birth-justice-framework)
I strongly believe that everyone who wants/needs a doula should have one. We are moving mountains at SBJN.
I think what sets me apart as a doula though is movement, I have my BA in Dance. I, as a birth expert, see and understand the importance of movement in the birth experience. I also take a really hand on approach with my clients. Birth is a holistic process so when I am in service to my clients I pay attention and to not only what they are saying and but they aren’t saying and I do my best to serve them on all levels. Connecting families to resources that are out of the scoop of my practice.
I am most proud of the work SBJN does with young people. We have two programs Circle of Mamas, which is a year-long childbirth educations program, and Young Mamas Leadership, which is a summer program class on becoming a birth worker and/or community organizer.
Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
Again, build out your community, Network—> which is more about giving than receiving and to move with integrity
Pricing:
- Private dance lessons $35 per hr group rates available
- Childbirth edu class $50 per session
Contact Info:
- Address: We are a part of Miami Birth Collective. and our Office is in 9999 NE 2nd ave
- Website: https://southernbirthjustice.org/
- Phone: 6463996051
- Email: Dancingdoula.mia@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sumvixen/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarmenDancingDoula/
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
