As queer doulas gain popularity, Pennsylvania couple credits theirs for making difference in daughter's birth
Queer doulas are gaining recognition for providing inclusive care to LGBTQ+ individuals and couples during pregnancy, birth and postpartum. For one Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, couple, their doula made a huge difference in the birth of their daughter.
"Family is everything to us," Mary said.
Mary and Marissa welcomed their youngest daughter with the help of doula Elizabeth Weinstein.
"I identify as queer," Weinstein said, "and so I really love being able to support other queer families in the community."
The Montgomery County couple said it was important to have a doula with an LGBTQ+ perspective and sensitivity.
"When you're in those high moments of already stress and anxiety, it's to be able to be surrounded by people who you know, understand, don't question it, without a doubt supportive, is crucial," Mary said.
Mary carried their last two babies. Marissa had their first daughter.
"I think it's such an intimate experience that I needed to know that we were with somebody who wasn't going to call me dad," Marissa said.
It was also an emotional journey for Tristian Reese, a transgender man who gave birth eight years ago. He now provides fertility support for trans people and highlights the advantages of working with a doula.
A doula is a non-medical professional who gives physical, emotional and informational support to parents during and shortly after childbirth.
"There are lots of studies that show that the amount of stress you experience during labor and delivery impacts how long the labor process goes for," Reese said. "It can even impact your postpartum experiences."
With a growing number of people who identify as LGBTQ+ having babies, doulas who specialize in LGBTQ+ pregnancies, like Ari Eisen and Weinstein, are becoming more popular.
"I am a queer, full-spectrum doula," Eisen said. "That identity is important because it makes it known to queer families, or gay families, or trans families, that they will have somebody in the room who understands, knows and respects them."
Mary and Marissa say the delivery of their 4-week-old was a great experience, mainly because of Weinstein, with whom they felt an immediate bond.
"The second that we met Elizabeth, we were like, 'Yep, yep, this is the baby's middle name because it was just so serendipitous to me,'" Mary said.
Making Weinstein more than just their doula, but also part of the family.
"A big, gay, happy family," Marissa said.
