Watch on YouTube:
From Fertility to Parenthood: Better Care for BIPOC Families
There are internal and societal pressures in making birthing and parenting decisions that are magnified for the BIPOC community. My guest explains how incorporating ancestral practices can be supportive and shares her valuable work and the importance of doulas for people of color.
From Fertility to Parenthood: Better Care for BIPOC Families Show Highlights:
- Dr. Zann’s path to the perinatal work she does today
- The need to equip people with knowledge
- Everyone needs support and community!
- Pressures in birthing and parenting decisions for people of color
- Dr. Zann’s help includes guided meditation, visualizations, therapy, and education.
- The benefits of incorporating ancestral background into birth experiences
- Considerations for people of color in “mom rage” and finding safe spaces to express yourself
- Understanding the role and benefits of a doula
- Dr. Zann’s unique support for people in the transition to parenthood
- Ways of telling your birth story that bring empowerment, healing, and community
- How things are changing for the better for the BIPOC community—but it’s still not enough! More support is always needed!
- Dr. Zann’s appeal to people of color
About Dr. Suzanne Mungalez
Dr. Suzanne Mungalez (aka Dr. Zann) is a licensed clinical psychologist in CA certified in perinatal mental health, childbirth educator, certified lactation education specialist, and trained doula. She has worked in hospital settings and birthing centers alongside OB-GYNs, midwives, and other birth workers. She is black, Congolese-American, and queer, along with being a gender-expansive woman and mother who has given birth in the comfort of her own home. Her background and experience shape her expertise in clinical work and how she holds space for her patients. Dr. Zann describes herself as “tender with people, tough on systems, and relentlessly committed to our collective liberation.”
Resources:
Connect with Dr. Zann: Website and Instagram
Call the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA or visit cdph.ca.gov
Please find resources in English and Spanish at Postpartum Support International, or by phone/text at 1-800-944-4773. There are many free resources, like online support groups, peer mentors, a specialist provider directory, and perinatal mental health training for therapists, physicians, nurses, doulas, and anyone who wants to better support people for whom they provide services.
Visit www.postpartum.net for resources and support!
Visit www.postpartum.net/professionals/certificate-trainings/ for information on the grief course.
Tools, Skills and Hacks for New Moms
Manage thoughts & feelings of overwhelm
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