Maternal Love: S.U. Alumna First Doula in Louisiana Hospital

In a time where women, especially Black women, are more likely to experience maternal and infant mortality, a Southern University graduate works alongside the hospital to accommodate this issue. Ashaki Tobias, BA, CBS, a graduate of Southern University’s class of 2014, is a childbirth educator, doula, certified breastfeeding specialist, Healthy Birth Ambassador, the founder and co-owner of Maternal Love, and the very first doula to work directly for a hospital in Louisiana.
Ashaki was hired to bring a more diverse community to the hospital setting. She and her business partner go on behalf of their personal business when they go into the hospital to support a mother. Kiara Carnes, BSN, RN, IBCLC, a graduate of Southern University’s class of 2013, is also the co-owner of Maternal Love as well as an international board-certified lactation consultant. The two women were friends in high school and roommates their freshman year at Southern. Their business, Maternal Love, would come much later. The services and name of Maternal Love were erected in 2018 as both women have always had a passion for mothers and caring for children since they were in high school.
Maternal Love is a business committed to the well-being of families, especially low-income families, and succeeding in healthy, successful births. Ashaki Tobias describes a doula as someone who can provide emotional, physical, spiritual support for women during their pregnancy and birth. Doulas are trained to help increase vaginal births, lower Cesarean births, and produce better birth outcomes. They are advocates and teachers for women who have questions but can’t go to doctors or the women in their families.
“I provide information for my clients. I provide classes to my clients. I educate them,” Ashaki assures. She explains, “There’s so much talked about maternal death rates, fatality rates, infant death rates, but sometimes, it can be as simple as taking a class. Or, it can be as simple as having a doula there that’s educated and has the information to give you the resources so you can have the birth that you want.”
Ashaki was inspired by an experience she had while working for a previous employer. “…At that time my daughter was 4 or 5, and I was breastfeeding my son. I remember how they passed me up for a promotion because I just came from maternity leave,” she reminisces. Ashaki decided that she will rewrite her own rules and go forward with her dreams as a Black woman.
She accomplished her goal but realized soon, she didn’t want to be in corporate America anymore. “That was the point where I was like, ‘you know what? I’m going to take this energy and put it into a business where moms can feel supported, and we can do it…and I can share my story.’”
While Kiara’s story is different from Ashaki, they both experienced struggles that ultimately brought them into their collaboration today. Kiara’s story of her nursing journey dives into the struggles and frustrations of her schooling process that the majority of college students can understand: failing and dropping classes. With the valedictorian title behind her, she unwittingly assumed that college was going to be easy for her.
After graduating, the longtime goal was to go to nursing school and become a nurse practitioner, but Kiara grieved the idea of going back to school. She ended up in the hospital setting, where she started on the adult floor, switched to the children and babies after a year, and ended up in the NICU and gained more knowledge on being a lactation consultant.
“When I first graduated, I didn’t even know that was an opportunity for me. And then when I started working in the hospital, there weren’t any Black ones.” She continues, “You know, a lot of Black women coming in that aren’t breastfeeding because they didn’t see that in their family, they don’t have the support or anything like that.”
Ashaki was one of those women, as she also had complications with breastfeeding and didn’t have the information, resources, or money to take care of herself and her kids as she was fresh out of college.
“If I could give advice to my younger self, it would simply be to follow your passion. When I came to Southern I knew what I wanted and I was easily misguided away from that when I failed one class…It’s all about knowing who you are, what you want, and not stopping until you get it.” Tobias affirmed.
Carnes shared her thoughts to her younger self and for anyone who’s discouraged. “The advice that I would give to my younger self is to not put myself in a box…It was a journey, but here I am!” Kiara expresses.
“ I say that to say, Southern University actually put me on the path to where I am today because I am in the community. I’m set in the community. ” Ashaki Tobias acknowledged. To contact Ashaki and Kiara on their services or to simply be educated, you can follow their Instagram @maternallovebr or their website at www.maternallovebr.com.