Doulas are making a come back! Learn why we need them more than ever.

Chanel Porchia from Ancient Song Doula Services will be joining us to talk about her calling into midwifery and the training certification her organization provides to help women of color from low income families get the quality maternal care they need to give birth and care for child. Chanel founded Ancient Song Doula Services in the Fall of 2008 after experiencing the birth of her first child at home. She is the mother of four beautiful children, an Activist, a Certified Labor & Postpartum Doula, a Certified Lactation Counselor, a Midwifery Assistant and Student, a Vegan Chef, and a Certified Holistic Health Counselor specializing in High Risk Mothers.

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Ancient Song Doula Services (http://ancientsongdoulaservices.com/)' mission is to offer all women, regardless of their socio-economic standing, quality Doula Care and to empower young mothers to make healthy choices in their lives. Ancient Song is committed to the lowering of the Infant Mortality Rate by changing the way mothers view birthing, advocating on behalf of all mothers, and challenging the current healthcare system's quality of care regardless of one's socio-economic standing.

What is a doula?

The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period. — DONA International (http://www.dona.org/mothers/)

We will also be screening THE BUSINESS OF BEING BORN, an eye-opening documentary into the history of childbirth and why the maternal health system is in crisis.

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Still widely practiced in Europe and Japan, home birth has largely disappeared in the United States due to the American health care system's portrayal of it as a primitive, unsanitary ritual. Tickets are free but seating is limited and first come, first serve.

SUGGESTED DONATION: $10 at the door