BABY DOVE LAUNCHES A NEW BLACK DOULA DIRECTORY TO HELP CLOSE THE BLACK MATERNAL CARE GAP IN THE U.S.

In Partnership with Sista Midwife Productions, the Black Doula Directory Provides Access to Doulas to Improve Health Outcomes During the Birthing Experience for New and Expecting Moms

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., April 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Baby Dove has partnered with Sista Midwife Productions, a birth advocacy, training and consulting agency, to launch a NEW Black Doula Directory. The 'Black Doula Directory' is a national resource offering expectant moms and birthing individuals access to Black doulas nationwide along with doula members from around the world, including Canada, Australia, England, and Germany. To-date, there are over 1,000 Black doulas featured on the directory, with a goal of doubling the list of qualified doulas by April 2024.

Research shows that with the support of a doula, moms are two times less likely to experience birth complications, four times less likely to have a low-birth-weight baby and are more likely to experience overall positive health outcomes during the birthing journey.¹ The Black Doula Directory comes as Baby Dove's continued commitment to closing the Black maternal care gap in the United States. Black expectant mothers face significant disparities in care before, during and after childbirth. This gap in care has created a world where Black women are dying at 3-5x the rate of white women.² 

"At Baby Dove, we believe Black moms have the right to superior care at every step of their journey, which means making quality care accessible and affordable is a top priority in closing the Black maternal care gap in the U.S.," says Neha Minj, Brand Director for Baby Dove. "We are hopeful that the Black Doula Directory, created in partnership with Sista Midwife Productions, will limit barriers to accessing Black doulas who can provide quality care to Black families across the country."

Many Black mothers and birthing families experience discrimination and mistreatment during their birthing journey and postpartum. Baby Dove's partnership with Sista Midwife Productions on the Black Doula Directory was created to provide access to doulas to assist in improving outcomes and amplifying the safety and comfort of the overall experience.

"Providing an easier way for Black families to identify and connect with Black doulas who look like them and have similar lived experiences is a critical part of improving Black maternal health outcomes and experiences," says Founder of Sista Midwife Productions, Nicole Deggins, CNM, MSN, MPH. "Having access to qualified Black doulas, can allow for Black moms and birthing families to be even more empowered to make decisions about their birthing experience and care."

Expecting mothers and birthing individuals can access the Black Doula Directory at BlackDoulaDirectory.com. Doulas who are interested in being listed on the Black Doula Directory can make a request to join the directory online.  

In 2021, Baby Dove set out on a mission to close the Black maternal health gap by working towards systemic change to improve the birthing journey for Black moms and their babies. In partnership with Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Baby Dove expanded access to doulas through the Black Birth Equity Fund, which provides Black expectant mothers in the U.S. with immediate financial support so they can access doula services. One-time grants of up to $1,300 help cover the cost of a doula. During its first year, Baby Dove has pledged $250,000 for grants. Since the launch, Baby Dove has invested $650,000 into the Black Birth Equity Fund, which is set to provide approximately 500 moms with financial support for a doula from the start of the initiative.

Reinforcing our partnership with organizations at the forefront of maternal justice advocacy, Baby Dove is continuing our partnership with Black Mamas Matter Alliance, the founders of Black Maternal Health Week. Baby Dove will sponsor this year's Black Maternal Health Week (April 11 – 17). During the virtual conference, Baby Dove will host a panel titled, "Celebrating the Birthing Journey: The Importance of Doula Care and Introduction of the Black Doula Directory" featuring Angela D. Aina (Co-Founding Executive Director of Black Mamas Matter Alliance), Nicole Deggins (Founder of Sista Midwife Productions), and Neha Minj (Brand Director of Baby Dove) as they spotlight the Black Doula Directory, powered by Baby Dove and Sista Midwife Productions; highlight the value of Doula care across the care spectrum, and vital need for expanded doula access for Black moms and birthing families. Join the panel virtually today April 13th at 2:30 p.m. EDT HERE, and follow along with national Black Maternal Health Week updates on Instagram via @blackmamasmatter and #BMHW23.

For more information on Baby Dove and our commitment to closing the Black Maternal Health Gap, visit www.BabyDove.com.

About Dove
Dove started its life in 1957 in the US, with the launch of the Beauty Bar, with its patented blend of mild cleansers and ¼ moisturizing cream. Dove's heritage is based on moisturization, and it is proof not promises that enabled Dove to grow from a Beauty Bar into one of the world's most beloved beauty brands.

Women have always been our inspiration and since the beginning, we have been wholly committed to providing superior care to all women and to championing real beauty in our advertising. Dove believes that beauty is for everyone. That beauty should be a source of confidence and not anxiety. Dove's mission is to inspire women everywhere to develop a positive relationship with the way they look and realize their personal potential for beauty.

For 60 years, Dove has been committed to broadening the narrow definition of beauty in the work they do through a series of actions, including:

• Supporting diverse imagery in media and advertising via The 'Dove Real Beauty Pledge:
• Portray women with honesty, diversity and respect. We feature women of different ages, sizes, ethnicities, hair color, type and style.
• Portray women as they are in real life, with zero digital distortion and all images approved by the women they feature.
• Help young people build body confidence and self-esteem through the Dove Self-Esteem Project, the biggest provider of self-esteem education in the world.
• Ending race-based hair discrimination via The CROWN Act:
• The CROWN Act is a law that prohibits race-based hair discrimination, which is the denial of employment and educational opportunities because of hair texture or protective hairstyles including braids, locs, twists or bantu knots.
• Dove co-founded the CROWN Coalition partnership in 2019 with the National Urban League, Color Of Change, and Western Center on Law & Poverty to advance The CROWN Act.
• Dove is committed to progressing The CROWN Act until hair discrimination is abolished in all 50 states and at the federal level. To date, 18 states and 43 municipalities have enacted the CROWN Act or similar legislation into law.

About Baby Dove
As a brand born to bolster the belief of first-time parents in their ability to care for their babies with confidence, Baby Dove products deliver superior care with moisturizing ingredients and gentle formulas. With care at the foundation of every product clinically developed, Baby Dove was created from the long, trusted heritage of Dove, with the goal to bring the 60-year care credentials to the most delicate skin: baby skin. Baby Dove is available nationwide in food, drug, and mass outlet stores.

About the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Inc. (BMMA)
BMMA is a national network of Black women-led organizations and multi-disciplinary professionals who work to ensure that all Black Mamas have the rights, respect, and resources to thrive before, during, and after pregnancy. BMMA honors the work and historical contributions of Black women's leadership within their communities and values the need to amplify this work on a national scale. For this reason, BMMA does not have chapters. The alliance is composed of existing organizations and individuals whose work is deeply rooted in reproductive justice, birth justice, and human rights frameworks.

About Sista Midwife Productions (SMP)
Sista Midwife Productions is a birth advocacy training and consulting agency based in New Orleans, LA. SMP provides education, training and consultations for communities, birth workers and organizations that work with childbearing families. Their Mission is to improve pregnancy and birth experiences and to eliminate perinatal disparities by increasing the number of black birth workers, teaching families about their rights and options; and creating transparency and accountability within childbirth education and the medical obstetrical system. The SMP uses workshops, seminars, and edutainment experiences to educate communities and to move them toward a paradigm shift to change the ways they think about conception, pregnancy, birth, and mothering. 

About Unilever North America
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Nutrition, and Ice Cream products, with sales in over 190 countries and products used by 3.4 billion people every day. Worldwide, we have 127,000 employees and generated sales of €60.1 billion in 2022. Our leading brands in North America include Dove, Knorr, Hellmann's, Magnum, Axe, Ben & Jerry's, Degree, Seventh Generation, TRESemmé, and Vaseline.

Our vision is to be the global leader in sustainable business and to demonstrate how our purpose-led, future-fit business model drives superior performance. We have a long tradition of being a progressive, responsible business.

The Unilever Compass, our sustainable business strategy, is set out to help us deliver superior performance and drive sustainable and responsible growth, while:

• improving the health of the planet;
• improving people's health, confidence and wellbeing;
• and contributing to a fairer and more socially inclusive world.

For more information on Unilever U.S. and its brands visit: www.unileverusa.com
For more information on Unilever Canada and its brands visit: www.unilever.ca

¹ Gruber, K. J., Cupito, S. H., & Dobson, C. F. (2013). Impact of doulas on healthy birth outcomes. The Journal of Perinatal Education. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3647727/.   
² Petersen EE, Davis NL, Goodman D, et al. Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Pregnancy-Related Deaths — United States, 2007–2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2019;68:762–765. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6835a3external icon 

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SOURCE Baby Dove