Today we’d like to introduce you to Rae Johnson-Bundy.
Hi Rae, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My birth work began with a desire to support birthing people during one of the most vulnerable and transformative times in their lives. I became a doula because I wanted families to feel heard, supported, informed and empowered throughout their birth experience. United States has a poor report card for birth but the maternity mortality rate for Black women is worse. As an African American woman I felt stronger in my need to become an advocate for all women especially those who need it the most..
As my passion for birth work grew, I realized I wanted to deepen my knowledge and better serve families I supported. This led me to become a certified childbirth educator, allowing me to expand my work beyond the birth room and provide families with evidence-based education and preparation for labor, birth and postpartum.
Over the years, my journey has continued to evolve. Now, at 66 years (young), I primarily focus on training doulas and teaching childbirth education programs. I am proud to have trained over 300 doulas, helping prepare the next generation of birth workers to provide compassionate, knowledgeable , and respectful support to families.
Today, when families reach out to me for doula support, I often refer them to the doulas I have trained and mentored. In this way, my work continues beyond the families I personally serve – I am building a community of skilled doulas who can support even more birthing people.
I’m on the Pennsylvania Doula Advisory Board, and work with non-profits in the community to create programs geared towards helping the maternal mortality problem.
My journey has come full circle : I began by supporting families one birth at a time, and today I help equip doulas to support families for generations to come.
This is my I continue to “Doula Right Thing.”
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I would say there have been some bumps in the road but that’s life.
A mother may reach out to me and would like doula services but her family members who are not knowledgeable about what a doula is may put up a fight as to why is this person( me) would be going to be at the birth.
I have created a class specially for this challenge. It’s called Partner Prep. It’s for a spouse, partner, family members, friends basically anyone who will be attending the birth.
As a doula, I would teach an evidence based childbirth education to the parents. My parents were informed of their choices to make informed decisions. Some hospital childbirth education classes, teach the parents to be “perfect patients” and not ask questions.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Doula Right Thing Services, LLC.?
Well, I’m an independent birth worker. I do not have employees.
I’m a doula trainer and a certified childbirth educator.
What sets me apart form other doula training organizations. I offer one-to-one private trainings. We work on a schedule that suits them. Not everyone can do a weekend training.
Here is a brief history of my doula training philosophy.
I used to train with a well known organization, which was nice. However, as their trainer, the students would share their frustrations with me regarding issues over which I had no control.
They felt their emails were not being answered or they were concerned about discrepancies and an increase in their tuition.
I left that organization to give what I believed was important and most of all that I would have a relationship with my students.
As a doula, I am there for my clients before, during and after the birth of a baby.
I felt I wanted to do the same as a trainer. I wanted to be available to my students—for them to text or call me—and, most of all, to make my training payments more affordable while still providing the best instruction.
I don’t charge for the certification process (most organizations do) or handouts.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I think you have to be open minded, non judgmental.
Treat each client as a unique person. You do not want to lump everyone in a certain category.
Every birth is unique and different from the first birth a doula may have, it will not be the same as the 20th birth.
You have to be calm, compassionate and continue learning.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.doularightthingservices.com
- Instagram: @doularaej
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doularaej
- Other: Tik Tok @doularaej
