Today we’d like to introduce you to Whitney Graham.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I birthed my first baby in 2015, and in the months leading up to birth, I spent my time trying to understand the process physically, emotionally, and mentally. All my evidence-based research (and my love of rites of passage) made the decision to birth out of the hospital pretty easy. I was so moved by my own birth experience that it was always a dream of mine to support families in childbirth and beyond. My pre-children career was as an attorney, and I never thought I could make such a drastic career shift and engage in my calling. A few years (and three kids) later, the opportunity presented itself.
In 2020, birth community leader and author Britta Bushnell opened up an apprenticeship program, and I was fortunate enough to be accepted on a scholarship. This was the start of my deep dive into childbirth education and full-spectrum doula support. After my initial study with Britta, I went on to receive my birth education certification and full-spectrum doula certification through BADT (Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings).
I spent months working on my values and guiding principles, and I made sure the organizations I trained with reflected those. I set goals for myself regarding community outreach: that I’d always offer a sliding scale all the way to $0, that I’d engage in routine continuing education, particularly in the field of birth justice (a legal/birthwork intersection well aligned with my unique qualifications), that I’d do my best to help my community of Long Beach and make a difference for families in town.
This led me to launch my first of two childbirth education classes, Birthing Expectations, both over live Zoom and in-person. I initially taught six- and four-week programs, which covered both childbirth and postpartum. I was later asked by Meredith Bowling, owner of The Long Beach Birth Center, to develop a one-evening class that would help families birthing at LBBC find meaning and realize their birth intentions during their time there. This is how my one evening class, Flow State, came to be. All families birthing at LBBC were offered my class as part of their package at the Center. It was a wonderful way to reach my community and learn with a diverse group of families each month.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I think one of the things I still struggle with is how to reach the members of my community who would most benefit from my services. I understand that owning a business can be an absolute grind, and “getting” clients often can become the main goal of someone working solely for profit – and I say that without any judgment. Yet, I work less for profit and more to do my part in improving birth outcomes physically and mentally for local families. As such, community outreach and networking remain very important parts of my business. I don’t work with people in the birthwork community who gatekeep or withhold resources. I look for peers who, like me, know they aren’t the answer for every family and are happy to provide recommendations to inquiring clients. I’ve been very fortunate to be uplifted, supported, and recommended by people all over Southern California.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
How do you prepare for something both well-understood and beyond comprehension? Creation of thoughtful and evidence-based childbirth education classes that take into account the whole birthing person and their partner is something I’m most proud of, for certain.
Childbirth can be such an incredible rite of passage, something that leaves you expanded, strengthened, and awed. Parents need more support than simply an understanding of physiological birth (though that helps). They need to consider how the power required to birth a baby will affect them physically and mentally, how having a new baby changes their feelings of autonomy or intimacy with their partner, and how universal and profound this experience is. One of my closely held tenets is that a birthing person needs to be informed, supported, and celebrated. I’m not here to tell anyone the “correct” choice for them; I am here as a guide to expand their expectations for birth and beyond.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I want to reiterate that the Long Beach (and South Bay) birth community is doing excellent work. Families seeking care, education, and support are well-resourced. However, we aren’t all the best at optimizing our websites or slick marketing. Finding a provider for doula support or education may require some research and referrals, and above all, a good gut feeling when you meet the person you’re interested in. We all save so much money for things society has long told us we “need” when we have a baby, but I cannot emphasize enough how well education and support serve you both long and short term. If you spend as much time researching childbirth education and birth support as you do looking up car seats and cribs, you’re much better positioned for a meaningful and successful birth and postpartum journey. Put us on your registry! Start a little rainy-day savings account! The payoff is huge.
Pricing:
- Birthing Expectations 4 week – $325
- Birthing Expectations Sliding scale – $245 or $175 or full scholarship
- Flow State one-evening – $125
- Flow State Sliding scale – $85 or $65 or full scholarship
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wdbirthwork.com
- Instagram: wdbirthwork
