The Work of the Doula Is Rootwork Too!

I’ve been a full spectrum doula for over a year now. I’ve been a doula concentrating on menstruation since the inception of my charity’s programming. Every time I show up as a doula, I’m practicing rootwork. I’m not just holding space for periods, fertility, or birth — I’m standing at a spiritual threshold.The womb has been undervalued and underestimated for too long. Where new life enters. Where blood moves. Where ancestors whisper. Where protection is required. The womb holds more than life. It holds memory. It holds spirit. It holds every woman who came before. As a doula, my practice is never just physical — it’s spiritual labor.Before I enter a birth space, I cover myself.* I pray.* I anoint my hands.* I cleanse my spirit.* I call on my great-grandmothers, on my ancestors, to walk with me.The hospitals may not see them — but they’re standing right beside me. Black women have always done this work. We were the midwives, the birthworkers, the root women who delivered babies while holding both physical and spiritual knowledge.Granny midwives or lay midwives, were Black and Indigenous women primarily living in the antebellum south, that delivered babies and took care of mothers. I’d like to honor some historical figures that paved the way and dedicated their lives to their communities. Ancestor Honorings* Onnie Lee Logan (1910-1995)* Margaret Charles Smith (1906-2004)* Biddy Mason (1818-1891)* Mary Coley (1900-1966)* Gladys Milton (1924 – 1999)* Maude Callen (1898-1990)Hoodoo isn’t separate from my doula work, it is my doula work.Every time I light a candle. Every time I prepare an herbal bath. Every time I protect a mother and child with prayer — I am practicing the work passed down in my blood. Shoutout to all of the Black, Indigenous, and Latina doulas and midwives out there. You don’t have to compartmentalize your gift. You don’t have to separate your calling from your culture. Your work is already your rootwork.Covered by spirit, guided by blood.🎙 Listen to this full reflection now on The Practice of a Hoodoo Baptist. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.chelseavonchaz.com/subscribe