Welcome to Your Birthright Blog: I’m Doula Darnicia
Read Time: 7 minutes
Hey, beautiful humans! I’m Darnicia, and I’m so excited to have you in this space. Get comfortable because we’re kicking off something special. Welcome to Your Birthright Blog—where every voice, every story, and every experience matters.
A Little Bit About Me.
I’m a mom to two incredible humans. I feel so blessed to have been chosen and charged with guiding them through this life. My kiddos are eight and 18 months old, and they keep me on my toes. I also am partnered with the most understanding, insightful, and kind man. My husband does an incredible job of helping me live true to my values and supports me to do what I say I want to do — like writing this blog. (Thanks, babe!) I am also in a committed relationship with social justice and activism. They stole my heart over a decade ago, and we’ve been inseparable ever since, shutting down streets, boycotting businesses, calling representatives, and doing digital activism. This part of my life uniquely energizes me. In my free time, if I am not spending time with family or participating in any activism or advocacy efforts, you can find me “being IN community” with people who fill my cup, reading Birthing Liberation, or watching something Marvel-related with some Thai iced tea or mushroom coffee. And then there’s my work, which is all-encompassing of my passions and easiest to understand in parts.
Darnicia, the Doula.
I’m a full-spectrum doula. That means that I support people through all of their reproductive experiences — fertility, pregnancy, postpartum, abortion, you name it.
If you’ve been around the birth or reproductive community, you’ve likely heard a few descriptions of what a doula is and what we do. The term “doula” takes on many definitions. But, to me, a doula is someone who’s got your back, shows up for you in the ways you need, and we know a little something-something, too. I like to think of myself as a professional advocate and space holder. I respect your choices, trust your intuition, and prepare you for various challenges and situations that can arise on your unique reproductive journey. In my doula practice, I have four pillars that inform my care model: advocacy, holding space, knowledge, and trust.
1. Advocacy - knowing when to speak up for my clients and, more importantly, teaching them how to speak up for themselves. My journey to birthwork started with fiercely advocating for myself during pregnancy, so teaching folx self-advocacy and fostering an environment that supports their autonomy is super important to me.
2. Holding Space - mindfully listening, honoring their experiences and choices, validating their feelings, and remaining nonjudgmental.
3. Knowledge - providing education, or rather knowing when to educate and when to encourage self-education.
4. Trust - trusting in the innate wisdom of my clients, trusting my boundaries and instincts, and trusting that every situation will unfold as it should.
Additionally, I have implemented three principles that uphold my beliefs about the foundation of doula care: openness, community, and inclusivity.
1. Openness - I seek to create an inviting, judgment-free space where people can express themselves without fear.
2. Community - I want people to know they belong, and I support their choices and identity. I encourage them to show up comfortably and authentically. I invite them to be in community with me and bring their community into their reproductive experience when it is safe, restorative, and appropriate to do so.
3. Inclusivity - My approach to serving clients is that “all bodies, all cultures, all genders, all births, ALL journeys” have validity and value. My business, branding, and offers are inclusive of people’s identities and experiences, always keeping in mind that creating family or not is a personal decision informed by who people are. To serve people best, I must listen to them when they tell me who they are, what they want, and what they need.
These pillars and principles guide my doula practice and make me a better reproductive justice advocate.
Darnicia, the Reproductive Justice Advocate.
I’m a reproductive justice advocate. Reproductive Justice is defined by SisterSong as the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities. As I see it, Reproductive Justice is the human right to self-determination. There is power in being able to decide our destinies.
Let’s be real; we live in a world where our social location, i.e., our race, sex, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, upbringing, etc., impacts the choices we have available to us. One of my least favorite phrases is something to the tune of “You have to make good choices to have a good life.” The truth is you have to have good choices available to you to make good choices, and not everyone has that privilege. Reproductive Justice is about giving us choices, whereas oppressive systems seek to set limitations on our options. The goal of reproductive justice is to put the power to choose back in our hands so we can say what happens next with our bodies, families, and futures. Some people think that this only means the right to an abortion— it does, but it’s also everything else. All reproductive experiences are deeply connected, from fertility to birth to abortion. They’re happening to the same people, in the same bodies, in the same communities. The same places that offer prenatal services are often the same places where people are coming for contraceptive care, possibly abortion care, and gender-affirming care. A full-spectrum doula can support people through all these experiences. However, Reproductive Justice advocates go beyond serving. They educate others about the necessity of the work and also work towards systemic and policy change. Reproductive Justice advocates are necessary, doulas are imperative, and I’m proud to be both.
Darnicia the Human.
Putting the many parts of my identity and titles aside — I’m human, and I believe it’s our birthright to choose our path. The human right to self-determine has always been important, and right now, more than ever, the work of Reproductive Justice is both crucial and critical. We are all too familiar with the fight for bodily autonomy. We are protesting for it. People are voting on it. Folx are living and dying for it. And here — we’re going to talk about every aspect of it.
All About Birth Theory.
Birth Theory is the formal name for where my passion for serving birthing people and birthworkers (and all the ideas that come from that passion) lives. Birth Theory is a Black and queer-owned reproductive justice and wellness company that provides direct services, hosts educational courses, and produces creative content like this blog. Birth Theory is named for my ideas and principles about the “what” and “why” of people’s reproductive experiences. A theorist considers given facts and comes up with a possible explanation. As a shutdown streets activist turned reproductive justice advocate bent on dismantling oppressive systems within reproductive healthcare, you can bet I’m always thinking about how we got here — 45% birth trauma rate, Black folx three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white folx, the reversal of Roe v. Wade, and over 500 anti-trans bills introduced across the country just this year. My goal through Birth Theory is to empower folx to make informed decisions and exercise their autonomy throughout their reproductive journeys.
You’ll notice a certain vibe when you enter this, and any, Birth Theory space. Everything I do is intentional— the language, the colors, the images, the identities, experiences, and the communities I center are with purpose. I created Birth Theory as an inclusive, culturally humble, gender-affirming, trauma-informed, and body-positive space. It is a space guided by reproductive and reparative justice principles and deeply committed to harm reduction and collective liberation. The space recognizes birthwork as social justice, activism, healing, therapeutic, grief, loss, joy, and pain. Birthwork is interconnected to every part of the human experience. And so, this blog will focus on broadening and deepening our understanding of humanity and affirming our birthright — to create our lives as we see fit.
More About This Blog.
Your Birthright Blog is a platform that advocates for reproductive justice, empowering individuals to reclaim their right to bodily autonomy, equity, and dignity. It seeks to amplify diverse voices, challenge stigma, and foster community engagement in the fight for inclusive and equitable reproductive healthcare. In this space, I intend to co-create conversation with you, folx who want to share their experiences, educators, and birthworkers whose work aligns with and expands on Birth Theory’s Mission and Vision. We’ll use the power of storytelling and the power of intimate human connections and conversations to understand reproductive and human rights issues and how to get better involved. Topics I look forward to exploring with you include:
The Principles of Reproductive and Reparative Justice;
Reproductive Health;
Doula Care and Other Birthwork;
Reparative Birthwork;
Social Justice, Activism, and Anti-oppression;
Mindset and Holistic Care;
Community Care;
Current Events;
and more…
This space will challenge us to have an open heart and mind, think critically, and act with compassion. This blog is a space for collective understanding and growth. Together, we can grow our capacity to show up for equity, justice, and each other.
Stay Connected.
In the next blog, I’ll define and discuss the principles of reproductive and reparative justice plus learn how you can incorporate these principles into your life or business. Please stay tuned and connected by subscribing to the mailing list. I look forward to building this space with you!
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