A Season of Care and Connection: CoCo Doulas Across the Community
Through five events and partnerships, CoCo Doulas strengthened mental health support, birthworker wellness, access to doula care, and family advocacy.
Between May and June, CoCo Doulas carried its commitment to culturally responsive care into conference rooms, community workshops, wellness spaces, and family conversations.
Each gathering addressed a different part of the support system surrounding Black birthing people and their families. Together, these experiences demonstrate how mental health, birthworker wellness, accessible doula services, and family engagement all contribute to birth justice.
Sharing a Model for Whole-Person Care
On May 5 and 6, CoCo Doulas Program Coordinator Lauren and program therapist Krista traveled to Los Angeles for the Black Maternal Mental Health Summit, hosted by the Black Girls Mental Health Foundation.
Following an invitation from the foundation’s CEO, Lauren and Krista presented a comprehensive roadmap of CoCo Doulas’ approach to integrating mental health support directly into its program.
Pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period can carry significant emotional demands. By connecting families with both doula care and mental health support, CoCo Doulas is building a model that responds to the whole person.
The presentation gave other doula organizations an opportunity to learn from the program’s process, reflect on its lessons, and consider how similar support could be developed within their own communities. Sharing this model extended the impact of CoCo Doulas beyond Contra Costa County and contributed to a broader conversation about Black maternal mental health.
Caring for the People Who Provide Care
CoCo Doulas also participated in a Birthworker Retreat hosted by UCSF’s Embrace program during Maternal Mental Health Week.
Doulas regularly carry the physical and emotional demands of supporting families through deeply personal and sometimes difficult experiences. The retreat created space for birthworkers to rest, connect with others in their field, and care for their own well-being.
As Lauren reflected, the experience “reignited our own wellness and our why.”
Supporting birthworkers in sustaining their wellness is essential to building a healthy and resilient network of community care. When doulas have opportunities to restore their energy and reconnect with their purpose, they are better equipped to continue showing up for families.
Expanding Pathways to Doula Support
On May 21, CoCo Doulas collaborated with Contra Costa Health to host a Spring Medi-Cal Doula Workshop.
The workshop helped community doulas, including doulas trained through local programs, better understand the process of becoming Medi-Cal doula providers in Contra Costa County.
Helping doulas navigate this pathway can strengthen the local provider network and make it easier for more families to connect with doula services. It also supports experienced community birthworkers in bringing their knowledge, cultural understanding, and trusted relationships into systems serving Contra Costa families.
Centering Mothers’ Wellness Throughout the Year
A virtual self-care session on May 28 reminded mothers that their wellness deserves attention throughout the year.
The gathering welcomed current clients, new clients, and people interested in learning more about CoCo Doulas. Participants explored motherhood as a deeply transformational experience and reflected on the importance of caring for their emotional and physical well-being.
Creating accessible spaces for these conversations helps mothers feel seen, supported, and connected to a community that understands the many dimensions of pregnancy, birth, and parenthood.
Bringing Fathers Into Birth Advocacy
On June 10, CoCo Doulas partnered with the East County First 5 Center and father advocate and facilitator Chris Gibson for Dinner, Dads and Dialogue.
The gathering introduced fathers to the ways doula services can support their families while opening a thoughtful conversation about birth advocacy, communication, and the emotional adjustments that can accompany fatherhood.
Fathers and partners often help families make decisions about pregnancy and birth support. Some are also the first to seek doula services for their pregnant partners. By welcoming fathers into the conversation, CoCo Doulas helped participants better understand how they can advocate for their families and provide informed support throughout the birth experience.
Continuing to Show Up in Community
CoCo Doulas will continue building relationships and increasing its community presence at two upcoming gatherings:
While CoCo Doulas is not hosting these events, participating each year creates valuable opportunities to connect with families, strengthen partnerships, and ensure community members know where they can find culturally responsive doula support.
Across five recent events and partnerships, CoCo Doulas shared knowledge, supported the people who provide care, and created meaningful opportunities for families to connect.
Each effort advances a shared vision in which Black birthing people are surrounded by dignity, trusted support, informed advocates, and a community prepared to care for them throughout pregnancy, birth, and beyond.
