Support. Guidance. A shoulder to cry on. In our START program, we play a lot of different roles.

Our START Doula/Case Managers tell clients their rights and offer life-saving advocacy. This story is a perfect example.

Erica Pulliam, Site Manager of our Newark START office shared, “When a recent client birthed her baby, I was excited to learn that one of our doulas, Jewell Garcia, had the opportunity to guide her on her birthing journey. But my excitement quickly turned to shock after hearing that she was released just 13 hours after having a c-section.”

Once at home, this new mom started having problems and noticed a large red mark on her stomach. After talking to her doctor, she felt she wasn’t being taken seriously. So, she called Jewell, who listened to her and validated her concerns, urging her to go to the emergency room.

Turns out, she had a blood infection. Without Jewell's intervention, this could have been a tragedy.

A few months later, Erica sat with this client to learn more details of her birth story — it didn’t get much better.

"I was not offered skin-to-skin contact with my baby," the mother said through her tears. “I even inquired if dad could do skin-to-skin, but my request went unheard. When it comes to Black mothers, they do not listen to us” 

There was also a lack of postnatal care and an abundance of stigma. The maternal grandfather was treated poorly due to his physical appearance. And when she complained of pain, our client explained angrily, "They just assumed I was looking to get high off the pain medication."  

Jewell explained, “Due to Covid-19, I wasn’t able to be there, in person, to support this mother during delivery. True access to doula care would have definitely changed the birth experience and outcome for her. But even without me being there, this client still applied what she learned in the START program and advocated for herself and her newborn.” 

According to Jewell, “This client was committed to her journey in her recovery in substance use. And since giving birth she has successfully completed our START program. This reassures me that my work has an impact on the families I am honored to support and serve.”

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The Center for Great Expectations provides a safe place, safe presence and a safe path for pregnant and parenting women and their children, and men, seeking treatment for substance use and mental health disorders.

Learn more: https://www.cge-nj.org/