Prison support

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BDP Prison Support: What do we do?

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The Baltimore Doula Project has been providing doula services at the Maryland Correctional Institute for Women (MCIW) since 2016, but we experienced a pause in programming from 2020 until May 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As you can see from our recent blog posts we are excited be able to work at MCIW again and are eager to share our work with our supporters. Since June 2023, when we were able to be back in person at MCIW, to October 2023, we have:

  • Spent an average of one hour and 56 minutes at each doula session for a cumulative 23 hours and 20 minutes

  • Served eight unique clients, including seven who were currently pregnant and one postpartum client

  • Provided a welcoming space where no one who is eligible for the program and invited to attend has declined to do so

  • Seen an average of three clients per meeting

  • Donated a multitude of lactation supplies including a deep freezer for milk storage, ten breast pumps, two boxes of milk storage bags, and one box of nursing pads

  • Provided a breast pump to all clients who have expressed interest in pumping milk (a total of five clients)

  • Donated $3,000 worth of infant care supplies between June and October 2023, not including breast pumps

Support our work here!

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Thank you to the Mitzvah Fund!

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Thank you to the Baltimore Community Foundation Mitzvah Fund for Good Deeds!

We are a fully volunteer-run operation. Our ability to do our work depends on support from foundations dedicated to improving the Baltimore community as well as individual donors. We recently were awarded a grant from the BCF Mitzvah Fund in order to provide infant supplies to our clients at the Maryland Correctional Institute for Women (MCIW).

We also know that for pregnant people, a baby registry can be an important part of the preparation for baby. Within our MCIW doula program, we have six clients, three are in their third trimester, two recently gave birth, and one is in the second trimester. Our baby registry campaign on behalf of these clients allows us to directly send infant care supplies to the infants’ caregivers.

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Gratitude

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To all of the long time followers of the Baltimore Doula Project, our organization is one of constant evolution as our volunteers come and go and the needs and interests of our core stakeholders—our doulas, our clients, our community members, our volunteers—evolve as well. With all of the changes, we often forget to take pause and show our gratitude for the work of our doulas and the support of our funders.

Recently, we were able to restart our doula program within the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women (MCIW). As a society, we often neglect that our reproductive needs do not stop when we are incarcerated. Find below a letter of thanks from one of our clients within MCIW. Someone we have been able to serve because of your support.

August 17, 2023

To The Doula Project,

I am writing this letter to your organization to express my gratitude. This program that is provided to us pregnant inmates is absolutely amazing. I enjoy the groups so much that at the end of Monday’s session I am literally on my homemade calendar counting down the days until the following Monday’s group. These sessions are therapeutic and they are great of rate soul. The information provided by these ladies is amazingly helpful and to think they don’t get paid to come and see us. I want to thank you all for not only being there as friends you could say but for all the services provided by your organization. I went from feeling helpless because I am pregnant and incarcerated unable to do things to prepare for when my daughter is born to feeling hopeful because I have a whole team of people who have my back.

I am sending my thanks to your entire team for all that you guys do and prove for us inmates who find ourselves hopeless in most situations involving our incarcerations, because of what services your program [provides] we are no longer helpless but hopeful. Thank you again for all you do.

I want to give a special thank you to Shelby and Jamira. These two ladies go above and beyond to help us [and are] always encouraging us, speaking up for us, and dealing with the comings and goings involved in providing a service at MCI-W. Thank you for all your time, dedication, and loyalty to us.

Sincerely,

A client of the BDP Prison Program

It has been a long time coming, but we are truly grateful for your continued presence and support of the Baltimore Doula Project and our work.

Baltimore Doula Project