Interview with doula Ari micek from lunation full circle care

Photo by Kimberly Kimble @rushesandwaves

How did you get into doula work? 
The first time I had even heard of the word doula, I was less than 3 weeks away from giving birth for the first time. I was receiving care at Providence hospital which had doulas available to anyone requesting one during their labor. There were many helpful things my doula did, but what I remember most was that she brought a steady calm to my birth right when things were beginning to feel really wild. When I reflected back on my birth in early postpartum, I remember thinking what a difference her grounding presence made. After I got the hang of being a new parent, I attended a doula training a couple of years later which was taught by the same doula who supported me through my birth. ​

Why would someone want to hire a doula, especially if they are being cared for by midwives in a home birth setting?
Since birth unfolds in such a different way for everyone, the support that a doula can offer for each family is unique to them and their birth. The textbook answer of what we do is that we offer physical, emotional, and informational support. We are also there to advocate for our clients and help them navigate decisions throughout labor and birth. We also tend to partners and any other family or friends that are supporting the birthing person. We build relationships with the families we work with throughout their pregnancy and offer this element of continuous support into postpartum and make sure our clients have the support they need with referrals, resources and connection to the community.
I do think there is a common misunderstanding among birthing people that providers, whether they are midwives or OBs, will be more present throughout their birth. You want your medical provider to be able to focus on caring for the physical well being of you and baby. It would be too much to expect them to be physically present for the earlier parts of labor all the way into early postpartum. This is where doulas are such a valuable addition to the care team! We help our clients with reassurance and ideas of coping with sensations throughout labor, we can help them know when to call their midwives in as contractions get closer together or to go to the hospital if that is where they are birthing.

Ari, tell us a little bit about yourself!
        Hi! My name is Ari (they/she) and I’m a queer birthworker in the Portland/Vancouver area. When I’m not working, I get to spend most of my time with my favorite people, my husband Nate and our super rad kid, Stori. She will be 8 this year and I have the privilege of being able to homeschool her due to the flexibility in my schedule. In the last couple of years, our family has been working on creating a little urban homestead. So far, it consists of edible plants tucked into just about every corner of our property and the usual start up farm critters: a couple of cats, a dog, some chickens, honey bees and composting worms (can’t forget the worms!) 
     Last year, I discovered cut flowers and became OBSESSED with growing, drying and arranging them. Bringing flowers into the birth space when I join clients as they labor or adding a little dried arrangement to jars of placenta capsules has been a sweet addition to my work life. For now, I am content keeping this a hobby. But I am contemplating creating some sort of cut flower business during the growing season and to take some months off-call from births. I’ve come to realize how healing gardening is for me after I attend births, so I’m making an effort to get my hands in the dirt as much as possible. I want to be a birthworker for a long time and I recognize how easily doulas can burn out. Growing things might just help me find the right balance in my life.

Photo by Kimberly Kimble @rushesandwaves

What services do you offer and how can we get in touch with you? 
         Birth support is my main offering, but like many doulas, I have additional services as well. I offer postpartum care, abortion and loss support, placenta encapsulation, placenta prints using either blood or colorful India ink, and Bengkung belly binding for postpartum healing. I also have an online apothecary where I sell handmade herbal care products such as teas, sitz baths and salves. And you might see flowers pop up on my site from time to time! You can learn more about me and my business at Lunation Full Circle Care.

Photo by Kimberly Kimble @rushesandwaves

Can you talk about what a Traditional Health Worker is and how it works to get OHP to cover doula care? 
Because doulas are such an amazing and effective way of improving better birth outcomes, a lot of states in the US are in various stages of providing reimbursement to doulas through Medicaid. There are currently 10 states with fully active programs and many other states are working on putting their policies into effect in the near future. 
Doulas in Oregon can become certified through the Oregon Health Authority as a Traditional Health Worker which then allows them to bill Medicaid for clients who have OHP insurance. In 2023, there was a sizable payout increase from $350 to $1500, which means that we are now able to serve more clients who might not have been able to access or afford doulas services otherwise. We are all very excited about the traction that doulas are getting these days and hope that it only keeps getting better!

Photo by Kimberly Kimble @rushesandwaves

How can I find a doula who accepts OHP? 
          To find a THW doula, you can start by reaching out to your CCO (such as PacificSource, Trillium, CareOregon, etc.) to see if they have a list of doulas that are contracted to bill your particular OHP insurance. Community Doula Alliance is a wonderful organization that provides culturally specific doulas to the BIPOC community. Another great organization that has been serving Portland for many years is Gateway Doulas and they have a growing network of newer and seasoned doulas to choose from.  I am a THW and am excited to accept OHP for doula clients at my business Lunation Full Circle Care!