LAKELAND, Fla. — A new practice in Lakeland is becoming a leading voice in making pregnancy safer for women.
Patrickia Allen and her husband welcomed baby Xahir as the newest addition to their family six weeks ago.
“Even though this was my fourth, I still was so very nervous, and it was just so beautiful,” Allen said.
Thanks to her team of experts, Allen said she couldn’t have asked for a better birthing experience.
“It was absolutely stunning, from the support, being readily available by phone, calming my nerves for the labor,” Allen said.
Guiding Allen through every step of her pregnancy and postpartum journey are certified nurse midwife Triana Boggs, certified doula Stephanie Lewis and mental health counselor Antionette Pollard.
“In our area, this is the only all Black team. We are all individual entities but all of us work really well together,” said Boggs.
After working individually for years, the three women have joined forces to open an office in Lakeland. Their goal is to care for the mother’s body and mind to create positive birth outcomes.
“In my own pregnancies being treated as a number and having issues and complications in my pregnancy that I felt were not heard, so I wanted to provide services to people like me, to be heard in their pregnancies,” Boggs said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, structural racism, implicit bias and variation in quality healthcare are factors that make Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women.
This all-inclusive practice offers prenatal and postpartum care, home birth, and women's exams. Medicare is accepted. Moms can be matched with a doula who advocates for them during and after childbirth.
“I show up to whatever birthing space they choose. I assist them through that, whether it be through massage, different moving techniques. I visit them 2-3 times after baby,” Lewis said.
When they need extra support, women have the opportunity to meet with a mental health counselor.
“We struggle with stressors on a daily basis, especially pregnant women depending on how we manage that stress can certainly impact the birth outcomes that they have,” Pollard said.
A community resource focusing on whole-person care.
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