Destiny Muhammad
“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”
I work with families during pregnancy, birth/labor and delivery, and post-outcome (postpartum). I advocate for choice and remind parent(s) of their birth rights.
I was holding my phone and a notification appeared on my screen. I exited out of it and the screensaver took over view. It was a silhouette of an expecting mother with her child in her womb with the galaxy roaming through their bodies and throughout the universe.
The sister sitting next to me asked if I was doula. I responded with, “A do what?” She said, “You have the spirit of a doula. You should look into it. It’s in alignment with the work you’re already doing with women.” She followed that with a brief description of what a doula does. After departing from her, I researched the role of a doula and could not stop looking into birthwork. This is where my doula journey began. Her words to me was not a question. It was an instruction from Allah (God) telling me what to do.
Two years later, after serving a mother during her birth, I made a visit to my great-aunt. While sitting on her porch, she said, “You think you’re smart, huh?”. I had no idea where her sarcasm was coming from. She stepped into her home and came back outside with mini booklets. Then she asked, “Do you know what this is?” I said, “They look like birth record books.” She said, “Do you know whose they are? They belong to your great-great grandmother. Her and her mom were midwives.” I’m sitting there shocked wondering why no one told me about the history of my great-great-great grandmother and great-great grandmother being midwives.
That confirmed and heightened the priority of my doula journey. I hadn’t known much about my grandmothers. I think it was for me to begin this path on my own without a hint of being being forced, but more-so of a chosen journi. Being a birthworker is in my DNA—it runs deep in my soul.
My specialities are to mother mamas and coach on consent.
I have supported mothers with unmedicated births, having VBACs, having a freebirth, a cesarean, and miscarriages.
My calling was in 2017 and I’ve been training ever since. Being a doula is a lifestyle for me, so my learning will never come to a halt. I don’t plan to certify because I am doula who believes in the choice to freebirth with plans to be a traditional midwife. Being a traditional midwife means that I have zero plans to go to college for a degree. I strongly believe in my roots and that our bodies were made to freely birth babies. I take this work serious. Being a birthworker is more than work, it’s my calling, my lifestyle, my mission, and my purpose.
Where have I trained?
- Doula Mentee (July 2022 – Ongoing) with Doula Of The Divine
- Advanced Doula Skills Training to be a Maternal Health Consulant (March 2022) with SisterSong, Inc. and Love ‘N’ Touch, LLC.
- Childbirth Educator (August 2020 – January 2022) with BADT
- Intro to Infant Massage (May 12, 2021) with Mama Glow
- Virtual Doula Course (June 2020) with Doula Moula
- Level 1, Birth & Level 2, Postpartum (November 2018) with Mama Glow
- Unofficial training under the wing of another doula (2017)
You can ask how many births I have attended, but the better question is how have I served mothers/families and what type of births were they.
My very first birth was a VBAC: vaginal birth after 2 cesareans (Chicago/in-person, June 2019).
The mother was told she couldn’t have a vaginal birth after two cesareans. With preparation, support, and an unmedicated birth, she got the VBAC she desired.
Unexpected support person (Atlanta/in-person, August 2021)
What happens when your doula doesn’t show up? I do. At my second in-person birth, straight from my six-week check-up, I stepped in when no one was in the room for the mother.
My third birth was heavy on enforcing birth rights (Chicago/virtual, August 2022).
The mother and father left the hospital to continue progressing labor and returned when they knew it was time. Following they had a smooth labor.
My fourth birth was a freebirth (Atlanta, September 2022).
I asked the father if he wanted to catch the baby. He said yes, I moved and was right next to the mother guiding her to breathe baby down. I moved the umbilical cord and placed the precious baby on mommy for skin-to-skin.
My fifth birth was a home birth (Atlanta, June 2023).
I partnered with a doula and collaborated with a midwife to witness a powerful birth with a mother and her husband.
My sixth birth was a hospital birth (Atlanta, July 2023).
I partnered with the father to offer comfort to the mother in the hospital.
All of my other experiences have been helping mothers throughout their pregnancy. I may not have the number of births you hope for, but I have a wide range of experiences. The best of all the experiences is that I personally have my own with being a mother to a beautiful babygirl (July 2021).
I have a gap in attending births because I said “I do”. Taking care of my husband and rearing our baby girl has been my number one priority. When God says it’s time to support another family that’s what I do.