Well… I host rooms on the app; clubhouse since last February 2021 when the pandemic was at its peak. So in the rooms, I get quite a turnout when I am LIVE, and through the attendees, one Dr. Tenisha Bibbs joined a few of my rooms. She frequented and then made contact privately. At first, I thought it was a scam as I had been scammed just recently by some ‘publishing company’ who in their misery failed to get me to sign a €7000 bill to publish my book, that I have been writing for a while now

So we made an appointment to zoom call and the rest is history! :-)

So what exactly is my contribution to the book? I was asked to contribute to a subject close to my heart. My clubhouse rooms are all about Postpartum and the need for support. We all know a new mother and baby need support, a new family needs support to adjust and the mother needs support to find herself and adjust too, in her new role but how is that done?

No spoiler! I wrote quite some pages in this book that I am proud of. In my words as a Mother, a granddaughter to a traditional midwife, a granddaughter whose wisdom is passed down through generations and as a birth worker who sees the difference in maternity care in the current western world and the connections to Ancestral wisdom :-)

I contributed to topics that are oftentimes overlooked, dismissed, or underestimated. Of topics that can be a game-changer in how we care for, nourish, support, and embrace the new changes in these families’ lives, we are invited to be a part of the change.

Birth work is instilled in me. For generations before me, my female lineage has always served in the realm of birth and postpartum. Needless to say, I am now a student in MBO Rijnland with a working agent Zorg-Vuldig to achieve the Dutch Diploma as a Maternity Nurse. How did I come by the company and why did I do it? I did a whole video on my decision to take the training and why I chose this organization too. The beauty of working and learning with this organization is that

1. Distance - the offices are 8 minutes away by bike from my home

2. Childcare: Even in case of emergencies, I am not too far out, I can always get home

3. School: is also 8/10 minutes by bike from home

4. Work area: Lumc and Alrijne which are both 10 minutes away from my house and the families I get to work with are within the area also!

So you see… I could have gone to an online school but I love the practical part of my current education and I don’t think I would have enjoyed commuting if I trained with an organization far from home like Utrecht or so, and working away from home. so this is a Win-Win!

My own book is on the way too, scheduled for publication in October! I have been working hard to achieve this.. and so glad I found a lovely illustrator to work with. I will be looking for beta-readers soon, so if you are up to it, please email me directly info@upendo-doula.com

Thank you in advance!