Here I am wearing my son in my favorite stretchy wrap in Fall 2007. It's an old photo, but I love it! And this wrap is in my postpartum kit, so if we work together, you may see me wearing your baby in that very same carrier!
About Meema:
I am a DONA (Doulas of North America) trained and certified postpartum doula (since 2006), a Certified Lactation Counselor (since 2010) and am also certified in infant CPR. The New York Times described me as “a modern Mary Poppins: a combination friend, teacher and spirit guide…” I teach lactation, pumping, back to work, weaning and newborn care classes. I enjoy working with nursing parents, demonstrating infant massage and “baby wearing,” and supporting parents who are struggling with postpartum mood disorders, including postpartum depression and anxiety. I regularly pursue continuing education opportunities and am always deepening my knowledge about newborn care, lactation support and postpartum parents. I've been lucky to work with a diverse range of families, including single, adoptive, and LGBTQ+ parents. I'm a former documentary maker and my films about body image and family issues have been broadcast on PBS, HBO and beyond; my short radio pieces can be heard on This American Life; and an autobiographical essay of mine was included in the anthology Out of the Ordinary: Growing Up with Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Parents. I left my documentary career and became a postpartum doula after seeing a dear friend go through a severe postpartum depression. That experience convinced me that more support is essential for all parents-- whether it's their first baby or not. As a part of my volunteer work, I am a board member of Niecy’s Purple Heart Foundation, an organization founded in the wake of the death of Denise Williams, a Black mother who died at Queens Hospital while seeking treatment for postpartum depression. I also am active in The Movement to Birth Liberation and I give 10% of my doula and CLC income to organizations and people working on solutions to inequities in perinatal and infant outcomes. I am the proud mother of a son born in July 2007 and I live with my family in Kensington/Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn.
Here I am on the job. (And look, I’m still wearing that magical stretchy wrap!)
Photo credit: Lucky Gordon