by Mars Lord | Sep 8, 2018 | doula
I had been thinking about this for a very long time and recent events made me realise that I hadn’t written about it yet. Safe, separate spaces for black women. I had posted, what I thought was, a simple request for a black doula up North (I’m in London. And yes...
by Mars Lord | Sep 3, 2018 | birth, doula
I sometimes wonder what the popular birth narratives mean to black women. My brain started moving along these lines one day when, yet again, the meme ‘It’s not that birth is painful, but that women are strong’ appeared on my social media feeds. I have no issue with...
by Mars Lord | Dec 1, 2017 | doula
What is a doula worth? I’ve started to get a series of enquiries that has me wondering what people think a doula is worth. Many are shocked when I quote my fee. This is to be expected as I am rather expensive, however, when I ask what they were hoping to pay, I’m...
by Mars Lord | May 13, 2017 | doula
I recently wrote an article that I submitted to the doula organisation that I belong to. I spent time on it and was careful to step back and review it regularly. I asked another doula to write a companion piece. I then submitted them both. The response to the article...
by Mars Lord | May 1, 2017 | doula
For the last few years I have struggled with my name. Not my actual name. I enjoy being Mars Lord. Easy to remember, to Google, to share. No. The name that I have struggled with is the name I chose for my doula work. The word doula, in the ancient Greek, means...
by Mars Lord | May 29, 2016 | doula
Women have always supported women with birth. They may not have been called doulas, they were the birth companions, the birth keepers. One would bring practical support. Food and drink. Another would bring spiritual comfort. Another emotional support. And another...
