Ashley Engram, CLC

04/12/2024

In honor of I am so pleased to officially announce my new program called "Sister Circle: Black Birth & Breastfeeding Initiative." It was created in hopes of eliminating social barriers to to black maternal-child health equity and decrease the maternal-child health disparity among Black/Latin women.
..a bit of history...
In 2016, I founded Mohawk Valley Prenatal/Maternity Support (MVPMS), which at first was simply a Facebook group bringing together local moms and professionals (doulas, lactation support, midwives, nurses, infant care specialists, body work specialists and more) into one space to socialize, network and support one another.

Since then, I've been offering free childbirth edu, doula support and breastfeeding counseling to low-income moms. I've also been a resource for baby care items, breastfeeding aids and other maternity essentials. Over the years I've been able to bless familes with food, diapers/wipes, training pants, baby bathtubs, manual & electric breastpumps, maternity clothes, kids clothes/shoes, strollers, car seats, a standard sized crib and much more.

We've partnered with sooo many local agencies/organizations on various events, workshops, giveaways, etc.

In 2021, I hosted my 1st very own event in celebration of where I came up with the idea of black moms gathering together in a "sister circle" to talk about black mama stuff ... fast forward ----> I was given the funding to finally launch my own doula agency and it starts with our "Sister Circle" initiative.

We are providing free training to local black women to become birth doulas and they will be providing free doula support to local black pregnant moms. These newly trained doulas will also receive 6 months of business mentorship where we walk with them through their first client and help them launch their own doula businesses. This is called our 'Sister Circle: Nurturing the Doula' sessions.

Our pregnant "clients" will also be participating in monthly social gatherings called 'Sister Circle: Nurturing the Mother' where they can bond with eachother and share their fears and concerns about birth and hopefully overcome them to birth fearlessly!

I hope you will support our efforts by sharing information about our program and helping us raise awareness about the need for doula support for black childbearing women.

BIG Thanks to Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and Sharon Baugh of Hope Chapel AME Zion Church for this incredible opportunity to change the trajectory of our black race in helping more black women to not only survive childbirth but to give birth fearlessly, vigourously with power and control of their body/experience!! Like the Hebrew women we are!!!!!!!

🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

02/27/2024

Tune into 95.5 The Heat radio station TODAY from 5-6pm where I'll be interviewed for my upcoming workshop on the "History of Black Reproduction" and the maternity practices that have caused a great disparity in the health of our black mothers & babies!!

PLUS an ANNOUNCEMENT at the end! You don't want to miss this!!

TUNE IN 5pm !!

Utica NY has a new classic hip hop station, 95.5 The Heat. The station also plays classic R&B. Visit the website to live stream anywhere in the world.

02/23/2024

Welp, because last years' black (maternal) history workshop was such a success, we are doing it again!!!

Next FRIDAY, Feb 29th I'll be speaking at the Patrick L. Johnson Comm. Youth Center at their Black History Workshop 4:30-8pm!

This is a FREE Workshop about the history of maternity practices in America that have disproportionately impacted the lives of black families and contributed to the stagnant growth of our race as a whole!

There will be vendors & dinner refreshments will be provided at no cost!

This workshop is interactive; we'll be discussing the issues that cause the rate of black maternal mortality to be 3-4 TIMES the rate of white/Caucasian women.

Contact Roosevelt Patterson for more info!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

08/17/2023

So, I just found this email in my spam folder, claiming they added my business to their directory. It's suspicious to me because I NEVER signed up for this. They just showing up in people inbox with a whole website listing for you?? Lol... so against my better judgment I copied/pasted the link to "my listing" and I gotta say it's not bad. A bit weird though how they just took a bunch of my Facebook posts and added them to their site 🤔 but yall check it out and tell me what you think. Legit?

https://www.findhealthclinics.com/US/Utica/1673509972923586/Manger-Born-Doula-Services

07/31/2023

Happy !!

12/06/2022

We've known this for a while, but now there is new evidence from recent animal studies to support this. This is why I always say breastmilk is the best "medicine" for your baby...

https://toni-harman.medium.com/breastfeeding-does-baby-backwash-trigger-an-immune-response-in-the-mother-s-milk-62f9fdb3580c

07/21/2022

“AFTERSHOCK”, will premiere on Hulu, Disney+ and Star+ NEXT Tuesday, July 19, 2022


AFTERSHOCK depicts the tragic and preventable death of Shamony Makeba Gibson who died in 2019, just died 13 days following the birth of her second child. The film picks up two months following her death, as Shamony's surviving mother, Shawnee Benton Gibson, bereaved partner, Omari Maynard, their family and community begin navigating their new normal.

Amber Rose Isaac, a 26-year-old first time mother, died due to an emergency c-section after medical providers failed to address a treatable condition that she had during her pregnancy. Within weeks of Amber's death, Omari reaches out to Amber's surviving partner, Bruce McIntyre, and a lifelong bond is formed. Together, Omari, Bruce and Shawnee begin the fight for justice for their lost loved ones while caring for the children that were left behind.

Through the film, we witness two families who become ardent activists in the maternal health space, seeking justice through legislation, medical accountability, community, and the power of art, ritual and healing. Through their collective journeys, we find ourselves on the front lines of the growing birth justice movement that is demanding systemic change within our medical system and government.

IMPORTANT: We encourage every person who is able, to watch Aftershock individually to amplify the views on the Hulu platform and to demonstrate that we are committed to stopping the scourge of black maternal morbidity and mortality.

Please visit hulu.com to access the film. If you don’t have an account, create a free trial today!

For more information about the film, visit:
https://www.aftershockdocumentary.com

04/05/2022

🖤April 11-17, 2022 marks the fifth annual Black Maternal Health Week, founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance .

🖤In celebration and recognition of this important week, BirthNet invites you to engage in a Forum for Change – Centering Black Mamas, Black Families and Black Doulas. Our focus for this forum is to deeply examine our systems of care in the Capital District #518

Join us on Thursday, April 14, 2022 at YouthFx, 25 Warren Street, Albany, NY 12202. Food will be available from 5-6pm and the forum will run from 6-7:30pm

☑️Did you know the Capital District is in a health-care crisis? The maternal and infant mortality rates for Black and Brown families in the Capital District are among the worst in NY State
☑️NY State ranks 30th in the US with 15.3 white women dying per 100,000 births and 54.6 black women dying per 100,000 births and the rates have been rising in the last five years, not decreasing.

☑️In NY State, the maternal mortality rate for all women is 20.9 deaths per 100,000 births.

☑️In Albany County, the maternal mortality rate for all women is 31.7 deaths per 100,000 births.

☑️In Albany County, white babies die at a rate of 2.2 deaths per 1,000 births.
☑️ In Albany County, Black babies die at a rate of 11.2 deaths per 1,000 births, and in Arbor Hill specifically, the rate is 14.9 deaths per 1,000. This is deeply shameful and unacceptable!!

🖤BirthNet has been instrumental in helping to magnify the numbers and voices of Black and Brown Doulas in the Capital District. Not all personnel or providers have been welcoming to black and brown doulas in area hospitals. Racism continues to deeply impact the experiences of these birth professionals and the outcomes of the families that they serve.

03/18/2022

📣 Hey, doulas! 📣

Wondering what to do for World Doula Week? My doula friend  and I made a list for you! 

🎉 World Doula Week Challenge 2022:

March 22: LISTEN. Seek out information (books, websites, podcasts, etc.) about a birth tradition or difficulty you don’t know much about. Reflect on how this will impact how you approach your work with clients. 

March 23: EDUCATE. Either reach out to a more experienced doula and ask a question, or reach out to a newer doula and chat with them about what brought them to birth work – or both! 

March 24: INFORM. Write a blog post or a long-form social media post about one of the many ways doulas support families; or contact your local news outlets to let them know it’s World Doula Week!

March 25: CONNECT. Reintroduce yourself on the internet and let potential clients know how to get a hold of you. 

March 26: GIVE. Do a giveaway; a book, birth ball, diaper bag, or gift card might be good places to start. Or, plan a diaper drive in your community. 

March 27: SHARE. Make a reel, a tik tok, or a video about an aspect of doula life

March 28: THANK. Thank a doula mentor or another person who has supported you in doula work.

Tag us if you're participating! We would love to see what you come up with.