72 | Collective Resolve - Erica Butler

Erica Butler, founder, and Sex Educator for Happ E. SexTalk, an education consulting company focused on challenging the media and cultural messages pertaining to female sexuality, body image, and sexual pleasure – specifically the historically negative and hypersexualized images of Black female sexuality. Erica shared her birth story with us, discussed her work and its importance in reproductive health and justice.Erica opened up about both of her pregnancies. The first pregnancy was without complications and only mild nausea but eventually led to an emergency surgical birth. Her personal connection to a local doula organization, ROOTT, allowed her and her husband to envision birth with a new lens during her second pregnancy. She found herself healthily losing weight as she shifted her diet with her doula's support and recommendations. She managed a gestational diabetes diagnosis with her diet as well. Identifying stressors during pregnancy helped Erica to understand how her body worked. Despite her best plans and she was met with placenta previa that would lead to a scheduled surgical birth. The delivery went well, but the postpartum experience was met with low blood sugar levels, lactation issues, medical provider issues, and anxiety. Erica and her husband, David, leaned into their own strength and village for support to help them.Resources:Sex Positive Families | education and resources that help families raise sexually healthy children using a shame-free, comprehensive, and pleasure-positive approachAMAZE | provides young adolescents around the globe with medically accurate, age-appropriate, affirming, and honest sex education onlineGuttmacher | leading research and policy organization committed to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights in the United States and globallyBedsider | free birth control support network for women ages 18–29Dr. Lexx Brown-James l couples clinician and sex educatorSponsors:Restoring Our Own Through Transformation (ROOTT) | reproductive justice organizationROOTT is a collective of concerned Black families, community members, advocates & interdisciplinary professionals dedicated to decreasing Black maternal & infant mortality in Ohio. ROOTT’s mission is to comprehensively restore our collective well-being through collaboration, resource allocation, research & re-empowerment, in order to meet the needs of Black parents & families. If you and your family are planning, pregnant, or in your postpartum period, please reach out to ROOTT at www.roottrj.org. Financial assistance is available. You can also connect with ROOTT at 614-398-1766 or email [email protected]