doula — Mum's The Word (Writing)

Pioneer Women in Childbirth

Maria De Los Ángeles Chero and Ariela Waltzer pictured above are the first doulas of Peru. Dr. Angela Brocker is a doctor and a midwife in Peru who learned about doulas from living in Germany (where she is from originally) and decided to bring this tradition to Peru. In Lima, Peru, of all births in the private sector, the c-section rate is 85-90%, which is much higher than the national average of 35 to 40%. As a doctor in Peru, Dr. Angela Brocker witnessed a lot of obstetric violence and was even encouraged during her training to do practices against women that she did not agree with. In 2005, Dr. Brocker created a doula training program in Lima; Maria and Ariela were some of the first ladies to learn this tradition from Dr. Brocker at her birthing center, Pakarii. Both ladies continue to be doulas today and love it.

Ariela admits that in Peru doulas are not popular (compared to other countries) and that many women still do not know what a doula is, however, over the past fifteen years, more and more women are becoming aware of obstetric violence. She is happy to be one of the pioneers to support women.

Empower Yourself, Hire A Doula

It’s International Doula Month! This month we celebrate all the hardworking doulas around the world who assist mothers before birth, during birth, and postpartum. Through their love and attention, they help to improve the health of mothers and infants.

For my book about childbirth around the world, I interviewed Maria De Los Ángeles Chero, a well-known midwife in Lima, Peru. Maria was one of the first doulas in Lima. She is a pioneer in Peru helping women to have an empowered childbirth experience. Unfortunately, Lima, Peru is a place with a very high c-section rate. Some say the c-section rate in the city is 80 to 90%. Thankfully with Maria’s calming, empathic nature, she is able to assuage many women’s fears and help them to feel supported at this vulnerable time.

health and wellness, inspiration, female empowerment, empathy, childbirth, motherhood, mothers, new mothers, parenthood, parenting, self-care, childbirth educationKhristee RichMay 19, 2020doula, international doula month, female empowerment, empowering womenComment