Meeting Families Where They Are

Ancient Song Doula Services in Brooklyn, NY provided doula services to 211 individuals in 2021 free of charge, while also providing 1200 people with groceries, diapers, baby wipes, formula, and personal protective equipment, along with childbirth and prenatal education. 

Due to their expertise in this area, they assisted with the drafting of a policy to require the NYC Department of Corrections to provide doula services to all pregnant and postpartum individuals currently in transitional facilities. If passed, this will lead to a budgetary requirement to fund doula services within Rikers Island. 

Ancient Song also provided testimony at two congressional hearings on maternal mortality, and they continue to lead a campaign to address an inequitable policy in New Jersey that has allowed the exploitation of doulas.

“We take a deliberately client-centered approach, ensure that doulas have received supplemental training on LGBTQ+ healthcare, provide services in English, Spanish, Arabic, Bengali, Urdu, Russian, and Haitian Creole, and prioritize cultural humility and an approach that emphasizes meeting people where they are, not where we expect them to be.”