Speak Up Moms: Listen To Your Body In A Crisis

NEW YORK - Feb. 1, 2018 - PRLog -- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 700 women die each year in the United States, as a result of pregnancy or delivery complications. Black mothers are three to four times more likely to die or have post complications than white mothers. "I tell moms to listen to their bodies, especially during pregnancy, post-delivery and when they get home from the hospital. Your body knows when it is in crisis," says Naima Beckles, Co-Founder of For Your Birth, (http://www.foryourbirth.com) (http://www.foryourbirth.com).

For Your Birth, located in Manhattan, with a dedicated team provides labor support for all births and all people. Naima Beckles is a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator, DONA certified birth doula, lactation counselor, and mother to two boys. She was drawn to the field of childbirth after being cared for by amazing perinatal health professionals - a community that she hardly knew existed before giving birth for the first time in 2008. Beckles has been featured in the following media outlets: Tom Joyner Morning Show, Sirius XM Karen Hunter Show, ABC-TV, Amsterdam News and popular public access show, BronxNet.

Tennis star Serena Williams, rang the alarm loud and clear recently, and shared her life threatening post-delivery complications by speaking up to the medical staff, which ultimately saved her life. "Regardless of socio-economics, post-delivery complications are common amongst black and Hispanic women.  Women know when something does not feel right. If something doesn't feel right, speak up. Get help. If you are not being heard, escalate the situation. It's your life, no compromising," pleads Beckles.

Naima Beckles Talks Pre-and Post-Delivery Tips for Mothers:

Preparation: What's most important in crisis prevention is being prepared. In pregnancy, we get a nesting instinct.  This is nature's way of saying it's time to prepare for birth and caring for a baby, but we must also care for ourselves. Most of the time, birth is normal and uncomplicated.

Share information: Know your medical history and share it with your team.  Make sure that your partner, family member, and doula know it too so that they can advocate for you.

Team work: Doulas care for the head and the heart.  We have informational, emotional and spiritual support to give during what can be an intense and blissful time. Giving birth is a profoundly human experience.  Our doulas are hired to protect that humanity from start to finish.

Self-care: No woman should have to fight for anything when giving birth.  But if we do, having a partner and doula with us will amplify our voices. Self-care in birth involves having a tightly knit support team that's put into place well before the baby's born.  This team should include your primary healthcare provider, a partner or family member (this person will be your lead advocate) and a doula.

Educate self: Arm yourself with information before birth.  Take a childbirth class or hire a birth consultant to meet with you for an hour.  Know what normal birth looks like.  Become familiar with what isn't normal.

Invest in help: Have support in place for after your baby is born.  A postpartum doula can come to your home to cook a meal, do a load of laundry, and hold your baby while you cry in the shower.  She can help you identify additional resources.

The mission at For Your Birth is to lovingly educate families and mothers about the journey and stages of childbirth, pre, and post. The real work begins once the baby is delivered and mothers are in a fragile state mentally, spiritually and physically. "Mothers must trust and rely on their voice, body and support team to ensure a successful pregnancy, delivery and at home care. Doulas are a second set of eyes, ears, and support," states Naima.

To learn more about For Your Birth, visit their website, www.foryourbirth.com. To schedule an interview, contact Karen Taylor Bass, TaylorMade Media, 917-509-3061.