Today we’d like to introduce you to Morenike Tyehimba
Hi Morenike, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I became very interested in assisting families after giving birth to my third child in 2002. After experiencing a water birth without interventions, my interest and desire was sparked. Feeling how I felt made me compelled to help women recognize their abilities, power, and strength. The experience motivated me to begin assisting my family members and friends with their pregnancies, births, and postpartum recovery. The opportunity to help those closest to me created a driving passion for me to continue to help others as they go through one of the most transformative experience in life- becoming a parent. After doing the work and helping many, I started doing more research to see how I could do this as a full time occupation. I found out about Doulas and decided that becoming the best Doula I could be would be my first step to truly being a birth worker (anyone that assists parents during the perinatal period). Blending my holistic health and wellness knowledge with my passion to help pregnant and new parents is one of the best and rewarding decisions that I have made.
In 2014, I completed both the birth and postpartum doula workshops offered by DONA International and became a Certified Lactation Counselor through ALPP. In October 2016, I became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. In 2020, I became a Certified Holistic Doula Trainer and started training others to provide support and comfort to families. This life changing profession has created a very fulfilling and satisfying life for me.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been the easiest journey. A lot of people still do not know what a Doula is or what we do or understand how a Lactation Consultant can help parents with most feeding challenges they may have, rather breastfeeding or not. Educating people is the key to shifting the knowledge about maternal health and the support needed to help improve the experiences that people have during the perinatal period.
Getting into this industry can be challenging so having mentors and doing continuing education has been my standard and has created the stability I needed to succeed. I am sure my mentors will say that I annoyed them and I was persistent, but it has paid off and I appreciate all that they have poured into me.
For those that are interested in being a birth worker my word of advice is first find a mentor, second when you are looking for a mentor, it is important that you do not give up on the search. Generally your mentor will be a busy person, so your consistency with connecting with them and your willingness to help them in some way can make a difference in obtaining a mentorship. Just don’t give up, your dedication will yield results.
Being a mentor is what lead me to becoming a Doula Trainer. I am passionate about being a mentor, trainer, and listening ear to other Doulas. This is not an easy profession to navigate, it takes dedication, persistence, and patience. I want Doulas to know that they are not alone in their journey and that they have someone supporting them while they are supporting families. Supporting other birth workers so that they can make a difference in the birth outcomes of families is rewarding and also feeds my drive to make a difference in Maternal Health.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Akwaaba Wellness is a support system for pregnant and new parents. When traveling to Ghana, I learned the word Akwaaba, it is a twi word that means Welcome! At Akwaaba Wellness, we are welcoming parents to parenthood and wellness! Our team provides prenatal classes on Lactation, Infant Feeding, and Newborn Care. We offer full service lactation/feeding consultations, Birth and Postpartum Doula Services, and Maternal Reiki care for parents during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. We offer a holistic approach to our care, our goal is to make sure each of our clients feels supported, heard, and guided to wellness and balance for their family.
In addition to the services we provide for families, we also train and certify Doulas. Our fully comprehensive Holistic Doula curriculum provides students with all the skills they need to be a Holistic Birth and/or Postpartum Doula! We pride ourselves in offering a training that not only gives you the skills needed to support families but also the knowledge on how to run a Doula business.
We are proud to help families and our students achieve their goals!
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Maternal Health is changing every day, unfortunately we are in the midst of a Maternal Health Crisis. The www.whitehouse.gov states, “For far too many American mothers, complications related to pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum can lead to devastating health outcomes—including hundreds of deaths each year.” More and more research has been addressing what support is needed during the perinatal period. Studies show that when a birthing person is supported they can reach their birthing goals. Research shows that having a doula present at your birth leads to better birth and health outcomes.
Years ago, getting lactation support was generally only available during your short stay at the hospital. It is refreshing to see all the opportunities that parents have now to assist them with feeding their baby. It is important for an expectant parent to receive support and education on how to feed their infant before baby arrives and again wants baby is born. I am very happy to be able to offer lactation support at my office, virtually, and in some cases in a client’s home.
As far as Maternal Health, I believe as knowledge continues to grow and expand about maternal health, doula support, and lactation education, we will begin to notice a shift. Many hospitals, doctors, and nurses have started encouraging parents to have a doula and ensuring that they get feeding support from a lactation specialist. Health insurance carriers are changing their rules and have begun to cover the cost of services provided by lactation consultants and doulas. Currently, I have also noticed that more providers have awareness about the variety of desires and needs of a birthing person. Providers are recognizing that they may not be able to meet all of the needs presented by their patients. Doulas are not medical providers but we offer emotional, educational, and physical support that allows parents to be supported and feel empowered. As time continues, there will be more education shared and obtained, I imagine that this will lead to more parents wanting and getting support from birth workers (doulas, midwives, lactation consultants, etc).
Our team at Akwaaba Wellness is happy to be a part of the change and the solutions needed to improve Maternal Health and birth outcomes!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.akwaabawellness.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/akwaabawellness/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Akwaabawellness/
