A journey of redefining motherhood

I bet if you heard the word, Doula, you would have loved to google it.? I will save you the trouble, doula /?du?l?/? - a woman, typically without formal obstetric training, who is employed to provide guidance and support to a pregnant woman during labour, reads a definition from Oxford dictionary.

For Dorah Mwima Barrak, this happened the other way around. “There must be a name for this service of supporting pregnant women, I said to myself, so I went to the internet and started at search, helping pregnant women…” she says. “And there it was, DOULA.” For a couple of years since co-founding the store, Dennan Baby to Kids, Mwima had immersed herself in catering to the needs of mothers and babies, first through merchandise and later through counsel.

“First we were supplying clothes and items, but then especially during the COVID pandemic, mothers kept asking for more support and guidance,” the former Miss Uganda (2008) shares with me on the Her Story 256 show hosted on Mama FM 101.7.

?Driven by her entrepreneurial spirit, which has been alive since childhood, Mwima leapt to fill the gap by starting her Queen Ma enterprise.

A wellness brand that is dedicated to providing essential, quality pre and postnatal products that ensure a healthy and safe journey for mother and baby. Redefining motherhood reads the tagline.

“Redefining motherhood for me is just sending a message to every single woman looking at that journey from preconception, prenatal, and postnatal that as much as it comes with its challenges, you should know that you can do it. Your body was built to do this,” she enlightens.

To serve better in this space, the mother of 6, including twins, sought training and certification as a Doula. “Many think I am a midwife, but no, a Doula isn’t clinical. I share evidence-based advice and give you resources. We render support, emotionally or physically, and we give information.?

“We also get into gynaecologist “shopping” so you can get the best possible service. We meet different doctors and listen to their language and see if it sounds the same as yours. This is very important because if it doesn’t sound the same at the beginning, at the end you are going to have a birth you never desired,” Mwima explains.

The support enables mothers to better understand their anatomy, nutrition, and exercise, and generally know what to expect so they are ready and equipped.

The burning desire to make childbirth enjoyable for every woman exudes in Mwima’s voice as we chat and chuckle about her journey. ?

A strong advocate for quality maternal health care services, Mwima has metamorphosed into a childbirth educator. “I believe birthing women need to be educated not only about caring for themselves but also their rights. This is why I also address issues like obstetric acts of violence like misdiagnosis, or unethical behaviour by medical personnel.

Are women for instance taken through risks or benefits or just coerced into doing procedures? If I voice out a concern, listen to me, we deserve to know what is happening,” she quips. Mwima reveals that taking the step to seek a second and third opinion saved her from deciding to terminate one of her pregnancies.

“Some healthcare providers think I am taking their job, so they are not cooperative, however, we are here to all serve mothers, and this is why the facilities exist. It is the same message, but I’m a different body. If we are all here to reduce maternal and infant mortality let's work together,” she says.

According to the 2022 Uganda Demographic Health Survey, the Maternal Mortality Ratio reduced from 336 to 189 per 100,000 live births while the infant mortality went from 43 to 34 per 1,000 live births, which is still high.

Through her latest enterprise Wow Mum, Mwima supports, educates, and empowers birthing women through preconception, pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. “You are a Queen and every moment in your journey deserves a WOW,” chuckles Mwima who also founded The Dorah Mwima Foundation which supports teen mothers.

“I was still Miss Uganda when I became pregnant with my firstborn at 18. It was quite a challenging time for me because I kept on thinking to myself, I have let my parents down, I have let the young girls down, I’m supposed to be a role model and here I am pregnant.

“But what I will say is that being a role model is about coming out and saying this has happened, how do I move forward, thus the birth of my foundation to support teen mothers.

A strong believer in family and living a purposeful life, Mwima shares some wisdom from her cup:

“We tend to start thinking healthily once we conceive but you must start early. If you have a girl child, you have to start now with healthy habits, taking care of her mental physical, and emotional health is very important. That journey needs to start way before, so when you get pregnant there is a prepared ground like a farmer would prepare the ground for planting.”

“Passion is key, you have to do something you love and be on the ground. Many businesses fail because the vision bearers are not on the ground to continue enforcing the vision they had. Lay structures and procedures that will ensure that the business is running.”

“Who do you have on your team? How are you empowering them? These need to be people who rub off you and your vision. If am not at any of the branches they should be able to fit in. But if they don’t understand the vision, then you will find them aloof.”

“Being humble is key because when you are humble, you don't put yourself in uncomfortable situations and deal with unnecessary pressure.”

“Be your cheerleader. Rejection is usually close by. There are days when you will walk alone, but don’t give up, keep going. Rejection can be a blessing, you have to sit down and get back to the drawing board.”

“Self-care means caring for yourself. The aim should be to become a better version of yourself than yesterday. It requires effort and being intentional.”