34 | A Restorative Journey in Motherhood and Birthwork - Divine Nicholas

Divine Nicholas is well versed in birth work support, not only from the spectrum of which her children were born - birth center to hospital transfer, homebirth, and unassisted births but also in how she has supported families.Her journey as a birth worker began after the birth of her second child, when she trained as a doula with the International Center for Traditional Childbearing (ICTC), under the founder Shafia Monroe. In the early days of work, the sentiment that resonated with her was being a resource for other mothers. With the age of her children, she moved as they moved. She was finding ways to incorporate them within her birth work and being creative within the many facets of supporting families on their parenthood journeys. Divine started her nonprofit - community birth companion, becoming a doula, certified lactation counselor, and now with her children being older working towards becoming a midwife. It was essential for her that on her journey, she also honored her children's childhood.Being a foundation of support rooted in the Southern Tradition of healing is etched throughout Divine's family. Her 6-week in-person and online workshop Grandma's Hands Pregnancy and Postpartum Herbs & Nutrition in the Southern Tradition is a reflection of that. It is an ethnobotany course based in the folk, historical healing traditions of the South and particularly Black Southern Midwives. A modality of healing that focused on how we feel about sickness, where do we think it comes from, and focused on healing the whole person.Divine's support and teachings are intended to be a reminder to the community - a reminder that we have the tools for our healing. She reminds us that to hold onto those tools and traditions; we must pass these on. Sharing our stories creates a connection and lineage to do so. To connect with Divine, you can find her on Instagram and Facebook @divinebirthwisdom. To find out more about Grandma's Hand workshop or to register head to Divine Birth Wisdom.