Congratulations to our newest DGM Awardees, Jael and Rachell! Please take a moment to learn about them.
Jael Marajh
Jael is a mother of 2 who brings over 8 years of experience as a postpartum doula in the DMV area, alongside 3 years as a birth doula. Recognized for her role in connecting the community with birth and postpartum doulas through her company @wenurtureup, Jael embarked on this path after witnessing the alarming disparities faced by black women in childbirth. This encounter compelled her to venture into midwifery, currently pursuing her studies as a third year student at MEAC-accredited school, South West Technical College where she holds a 3.1 GPA. Jael aspires to become a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), with a focus on serving the communities of D.C., Baltimore, and Prince George’s County. Her dedication extends to improving access and advancing health tech for birthing personnel. As she approaches the culmination of her studies this semester, this scholarship will greatly assist in covering her tuition costs, enabling her to continue her invaluable work with two precepting practices which she loves dearly. You can follow her journey @ceomidwife @marajhmidwifery
Rachell Williams
Rachell Wiliams (she/her) is known in the birth world as the one with the purple hair. She is the single mother to two children, one in college and one in high school. She has always been involved with birthing people, babies or young children. As a teenager shecaught her first baby on the back of an ambulance as an EMT and was “bit by the bug.” She worked as a childcare director while her children were young but never forgot the feeling of helping that mom in the ambulance. Fascinated by the whole birth process, she attended the births of her friends helping them find comfort and support while bringing their babies earthside—not knowing that she was doing doula work until a nurse pointed it out to her. She then got trained officially and began her journey into working birth work full time as a full spectrum doula. Midwifery was always in the back of her mind. When her son graduated high school, her kids sat her down and said, “Mom it's your turn to complete your goals!!” Deciding on the Portfolio Evaluation Process (PEP) for midwifery, Rachell began the search for a preceptor, which is not an easy process here on the east coast. But she persevered.....
Now in phase 3 (primary apprentice) she plans to take her NARM exam once she has finished her primary “catching”stage. Being chosen for this scholarship takes the load off of her shoulders to pay the fees associated with becoming a CPM. This process is costly and requires a lot of sacrifices that can be especially hard for a household with one income.
As a BIPOC woman who never got her home birth, Rachell wants to help other BIPOC birthers achieve their dream of a safe home birth. Living in Baltimore, MD, she is familiar with the roadblocks we see in the birth world for home birthers and wants to be one of the people to help knock down barriers.
Her doula support is still available for limited bookings at: The Parent Concierge - Birth, Doula
Services, Postpartum Doula
Please support her journey by donating to her midwifery wishlist
Wishlist
Please follow her for updates @the_parent_concierge on Instagram