MEET SIMONE

Raised in rural Berkeley County in South Carolina, R. Simone received her Bachelors of Science degree in Psychology from the College of Charleston. After over 15 years in business administration, Simone pursued her interest in birth services. As owner and DONA trained birth doula for Birthing with Purpose, LLC., Simone is also a Certified Lactation Counselor, Placenta Encapsulation Specialist, Choose Well Certified Family Planning Health Worker, Community Champion for Berkeley Early Education and Care Collective and Nurturing Parenting Facilitator with Berkeley County First Steps. Most recently, Simone became a Certified Reiki Master/Teacher. 
 

Simone believes the experiences we have during our lifetime, especially during childhood, have the possibility of shaping our perspectives in all areas of life. When trauma is introduced, the effects of that trauma remain in the psyche of the individual until it has been thoroughly processed. The same is true with childbirth; even breastfeeding can be seen as reminiscent of a traumatic experience. At Birthing with Purpose, it is important that both Culturally Responsive and Trauma Informed Care are provided for that very reason. By having an advocate who is capable of assisting in the processing of those traumas, the likelihood of a positive birth experience is drastically increased.  

Culturally Responsive Care

Often times women of color enter birthing spaces where there is no one else there who looks like them. Also, statistics show that women of color do not receive the same level of bedside care as their white counterparts. This all plays into the unfortunate disparity of black women being almost 4x as likely to die as a result of childbirth-related illness. Having a birth worker of color assists in decreasing these disparities by ensuring that all birthing people are aware of their options and have their concerns listened to.

Trauma-Informed Care

Trauma-informed care acknowledges the need to understand a patient’s life experiences in order to deliver effective care and has the potential to improve patient engagement, treatment adherence, health outcomes, and provider and staff wellness. Trauma-informed approaches to care to shift the focus from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?” by:

• Realizing the widespread impact of trauma and understanding potential paths for recovery;

• Recognizing the signs and symptoms of trauma in individual clients, families, and staff;

• Integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices; and

• Seeking to actively resist re-traumatization (i.e., avoid creating an environment that inadvertently reminds patients of their traumatic experiences and causes them to experience emotional and biological stress)

OUTREACH

FEATURED IN

Featured in South Carolina First Steps Blog, June 10, 2019

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Vital Village Community Leadership Summit, Boston, Massachusetts

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