Today we’d like to introduce you to Callie Hodge.
Hi Callie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am a prenatal/labor & delivery doula focusing on providing a holistic, compassionate care that empowers mothers and families throughout their birthing journey. I became a doula 4 years ago. At that time, I didn’t know what a doula was. My church had the opportunity to co-sponsor a Community Baby Shower in DC with HHS and another organization, CocoLife.Black. These two organizations were going to various states around the country hosting baby showers for expectant birthing persons and those in postpartum. CocoLife.Black had just received a grant to certify more Black doulas and while sitting in the planning meetings, not only did I find out what a “doula” is but also about the statistics surrounding Black, Brown and Women of Color; how we die at a rate of 3-4 times more giving birth than White women and how our babies die at a rate of 90% more than White babies. Hearing these statistics broke my heart. As a Black woman, that could have been me. As a mother, aunt, cousin, friend to Black and Brown children, nieces, birthing cousins and friends, this scared me because it could be one of them. I firmly believe that when we hear or see a problem and we don’t do something to provide a solution, we become part of the problem. I wanted to provide a solution. So, I became a doula, a non-medical professional that provides physical, emotional and educational support throughout the prenatal period (from conception through postpartum). However, we are more than just support, we build trust, we refer families to resources that they need in order to sustain stability, we listen and we advocate with, not for, the birthing person. I felt a pulling in my spirit during these planning meetings; a deep desire to get involved. Throughout my life, I have served the needs of the community in various capacities; caring for the unhoused, as an on-call counselor for domestic violence victims and victims of rape; as a hospice volunteer – creating a space of dignity for those transitioning from this life to the next; as an addiction counselor; and as a mentor to youths and women. As a doula, I assist birthing persons and families that could be a part of all of these communities, so it was only natural for me to become a doula to provide the compassionate care during a time when a birthing person is teetering with life and death. Additionally, I focus on Maternal Mental Health as well as Paternal Mental Health. In this space, having mental stability is essential as it strengthens confidence, reduces fear, and supports the birthing person’s ability to advocate for themselves. While also supporting emotional safety, informed decision-making, and the body’s natural ability to labor and birth.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
In the beginning, I felt like an imposter. Like, how are you able to go into these birthing spaces and really assist someone during their labor and delivery or even educate them on the birthing process. Ha, BUT GOD! I stepped out on faith and God did the rest. He placed me in spaces with like-minded women who were a knowledge well-spring. And who didn’t mind sharing their knowledge. As I look back on my first few births and where I am now, there has been tremendous growth in clarity, confidence, and wisdom. It also helps to have mentors.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Well, as I indicated earlier, I am a prenatal/labor & deliver doula – a non-medical professional that provides physical, emotional and educational support throughout the prenatal period (from conception through postpartum). I support birthing persons and families from all walks of life; I hold space during one of life’s most sacred and vulnerable transitions, with a deep commitment to maternal and paternal mental health. My mission is to support birthing persons and families with compassionate care that honors ancestral wisdom, traditional practices, and the sacred transition of birth, while also centering emotional safety and empowerment through informed, respectful, and a peaceful birth experience. What I am most proud of is helping birthing persons replace fear with confidence through evidence-based education and compassionate support. Every doula in this profession is amazing. We each show up with our own uniqueness to provide the assistance a birthing person and their family needs and deserves.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
You’re in this field because you are compassionate, you carry knowledge and you long to make a difference. The training for certification is formality, to allow you to fill-in the missing information. Use all that you know and learned and be the very best you in this space as you can. Don’t try to do it all. Find your niche, what areas pulls on your heartstrings, and learn all that you can in that area. This field is so wide…prenatal, labor & delivery, postpartum, lactation consultant, monitrice….find what works for you and your family dynamics. Set boundaries early. Make sure you incorporate self-care for you. You can’t pour from an empty or depleted vessel. GET A MENTOR.
