By Emily White
REXBURG, Idaho—Celia Elkalla is one of Rexburg’s devoted doulas with a passion for guiding expecting mothers through one of the most exciting events of their lives. She is certified and completed her training with DONA International and offers a free in-person consultation to anyone wanting or considering hiring a birth doula.
For those who don’t know, a doula is a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to a mother before, during, and shortly after childbirth to help her achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible.
Elkalla’s services include:
-Two prenatal visits (one visit consists of me meeting your provider)
-Creating a birth plan complete with preferences you may have.
-Continuous support throughout your labor, birth, and immediate postpartum care (up to 2 hours including breastfeeding support)
-24/7 text or on-call support especially as your dude date gets closer
-One postpartum visit catered to your specific needs (i.e. breastfeeding support, holding baby, helping with pets or other children)
-A brief written recap of labor & delivery
-Services for surrogates, transgender people who are pregnant, those who are incarcerated, or those who are wanting to place the baby for adoption are all births Elkalla advocates for and people she is passionate to help.
It is important to note that some of these services may not be applicable to all. During your first visit, you and Elkalla will go over what your needs are. She is located in Rexburg, but is willing to travel to surrounding areas and offers online support.
Elkalla was born in east Los Angeles and raised in South Central. As the proud daughter of Mexican immigrant parents, she learned to value the sacrifices her parents made to offer a better life.
“As a Latinx woman, you have no idea how exciting it is to offer my doula services to our community. Growing up in such a diverse neighborhood exposed me from a young age to have interaction with people from all over the place” Elkalla explained when asked about her story and what inspired her to start her business. “I had the privilege to grow up surrounded by diversity. These experiences have influenced me to be inclusive of all.”
In her 10 years of living in Rexburg, Elkalla noticed that there were many first-time mothers who weren’t informed enough about what pregnancy, childbirth, and the early stages of parenthood would be like. Being informed and prepared are two good ways to make the birthing process and transition into motherhood smoother, she said. Physical and mental health can change rapidly during and after pregnancy, and having someone in your corner to advocate for you and help you can take some of the stress away.
An article published in the Journal of Perinatal Education and backed by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institute of Health states that “Expectant mothers matched with a doula had better birth outcomes. Doula-assisted mothers were four times less likely to have a low birth weight (LBW) baby, two times less likely to experience a birth complication involving themselves or their baby, and significantly more likely to initiate breastfeeding. Communication with and encouragement from a doula throughout the pregnancy may have increased the mother’s self-efficacy regarding her ability to impact her own pregnancy outcomes.”
Elkalla’s goal is to see a community where everyone, women, partners, families, BIPOC, teen moms, and LGBTQ+ people, have support & advocacy prior to birth.
In Elkins’ words, “It would be an honor to help [them] be part of something so special,”
Celia can be reached at her Instagram: @rootedearthmother and via email at rootedearthmother@gmail.com
