Parenting from Within

Parenting from Within is a gender-responsive, trauma-informed, support group for people in the childbearing year who are either pregnant, or have had a baby within the last 18 months. Sessions include prenatal and postpartum yoga, breathwork, discussions about prenatal and postpartum wellness, nutrition, movement, self-care, stress-management, maintaining healthy relationships, and how to parent successfully when released.

Breastmilk for Babies

Breastmilk for Babies is a lactation support program for people who have given birth in prison and wish to provide pumped breastmilk for their babies. Parents return to prison with a breast pump from the hospital and are set up in the infirmary. The milk is safely stored and shipped to the infant's custodian. This program not only promotes the overall health of the mother and baby but strengthens the new mother’s bond with her baby from behind bars. She must pump every three to four hours around the clock to sustain her supply. This dedication, along with knowing that her body is continuing to nourish her baby despite their separation, helps her to build her confidence as a parent and nourish connection to baby.

Doula Support

Pregnant inmates have access to doula support during pregnancy, labor and delivery, during separation from the infant, and throughout postpartum recovery. Doula service includes three prenatal visits and on-call labor and delivery support. We offer daily postpartum visits while our client and the baby are at the hospital and we are present during the separation when our client has to say goodbye to the baby and return to the facility. We offer two postpartum visits back at the prison and provide continuity of care through other program offerings.

What we have achieved

  • In 2019 we provided the first ever doula-supported birthing year experience for a pregnant person in prison in Virginia and have since supported many others. We are the primary community partner for perinatal support services for pregnant people in prison in our state and have an established referral system.

  • “Breastmilk for Babies” in 2019 facilitated delivery of over 10,000 ounces of breastmilk to babies from parents behind bars. We recently began shipping the milk from the prison. Infant custodians no longer need to drive to the facility or meet us halfway as we now safely overnight-ship the milk directly to them.

  • We are collaborating with prison doula projects across five other states in an unprecedented multi-site research project funded by the NIH. “Enhanced Perinatal Programs for People in Prison” research will span five years, studying the impact of support services on birth & postpartum outcomes and evaluating barriers to implementing these services.

  • COVID 19: Meeting Clients Where They Are

    Movement across facilities halted, volunteer access to the prison was restricted and programs were paused at the start of the pandemic. Our lactation program and birth doula support at the hospital resumed in July of 2021. This year we were allowed back into the prison to resume one-on-one doula visits and perinatal peer-group sessions.

    Since movement from jails to prisons resumed in July 2021, we’ve been seeing fewer pregnant people arriving at the prison than in previous years. It seems the pandemic has slowed down sentencing to prison and pregnant folks are instead cycling through jails or being released on bond to state-sanctioned rehabilitation facilities, recovery houses, or back into their communities on house arrest until they have their babies. We pivoted to offer them services where they are.

  • We lead weekly peer-groups and offer birth doula support at a county jail in Richmond. These 90 minute peer-group sessions include perinatal education and promote the hallmarks of perinatal wellness: nutrition, hydration, rest, social support, stress management, removal of toxins, and movement. The doulas facilitate peer-led discussions about a range of topics, such as navigating the challenges of pregnancy and parenting while incarcerated, preparing for reunification with their children and re-entry. Every session includes prenatal yoga and/or guided meditation and breathwork. With permission from the Sheriff, we bring in healthy, nutritious meals for the people who participate in these groups– a longtime dream of ours!