44 | Birthed From the Heart - Tara Clifton
Tara found out she was pregnant during her sophomore year of college and immediately was met with shame. Coming from a family that wasn't fond of her experience and attending a predominantly white Christian college, she spent most of her pregnancy in isolation, not talking about it and shutting herself into her dorm room. Knowing that it was important to get prenatal care still, Tara enrolled for Medicaid. She began seeing care providers at a clinic that focused on servicing those in the low socio-economic demographic.
The dismissal of her journey also showed up during the birth of her daughter. Leading up to her birth Tara recalls feeling as if something was off. When she and her mother went into the hospital, her care providers explained that she was in labor, but that, based on how she was progressing, her baby probably wouldn't come until the morning and sent her family home. While this was the message conveyed, her doctor had different intentions. Soon after her family left, he broke Tara's water to "speed" her birth along. Her doctor and nurses from there continued to ignore Tara's wishes and were forceful in their approach, resulting in Tara's explaining a traumatic birth experience.
Feeling a sense of loss from who she was before her baby, both physically and how she could live her life, Tara is clear that she suffered from postpartum depression. After an incident, Tara knew a change needed to happen. In a Facebook mother's group, she began sharing her story, finding that she wasn't alone in her experience and that others connected with her. She shared more, hoping that by doing so, others wouldn't go through the same thing, but she also found healing in sharing. Tara has turned her healing and reflection into becoming a community doula supporting families in the Mississippi area through the Jackson Safer Childbirth Program if you would like to connect with her head to her Facebook page or Instagram page.
We leave every episode with lessons, and Tara's were;
"Don't allow your truth to be silenced because it makes other people uncomfortable." - Tara Clifton
The importance and value of community birth workers with similar lived experiences working under a lens of reproductive justice.
As we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and the tighter lens of racism, the lessons learned from Tara's are even more important!
Resources:
Evidence Based Birth | evidence-based information on pregnancy and childbirth