“It was a crazy journey.”
Paola James’ first birth was anything but typical. But, as she will tell you now, there is nothing typical about any birth, any baby or any mother. Like most women, Paola’s entered her first pregnancy with a lot of unanswered questions.
Her search for answers led her to EveryStep’s doula program and eventually to a new career and a new calling in life. Paola is now a CAPPA-certified birth and postpartum doula on the EveryStep doula team.
Paola, a Costa Rican-native, took the first steps on that journey at a community event in Des Moines. It was there, at the Supply Hive at Evelyn Davis Park, that she met Jazzmine Brooks at a booth staffed by EveryStep. “When I got pregnant – in the beginning – it was so hard to find a black doula,” James says, “then I met Jazzmine.”
The bond between the two formed instantly, and Paola says she was soon getting emotional as she talked about a recent miscarriage and her plans to again try to start a family. The two women stayed in touch and, when James became pregnant again, she chose Jazzmine as her doula. Soon Paola welcomed another member to her care team, Audrey VanKamen – a member of EveryStep’s Nurse Family Partnership program.
“I’m very hesitant about people visiting in my house, but she quickly earned my trust,” Paola says about Audrey, “She was very welcoming, very caring, very genuine.” Paola says her pregnancy was not an easy one as she struggled with sickness and depression. But her EveryStep care team was there for each step of the journey and quickly became like family.
“Audrey really gave me a lot of support during that time. Having that friend next to me during pregnancy was very important to me,” Paola remembers, and “beside Jazzmine being my doula, she was also my friend ... I was very happy and confident that I had Audrey and Jazzmine.”
Audrey and Jazzmine explained to Paola what labor would be like, what she would and wouldn’t have access to during a home birth and helped her develop a Plan B and a Plan C in case things didn’t go as expected. As it turns out, those backup plans became necessary.
“When I had my baby and I saw Jazzmine work. She was a warrior,” Paola says, “I don’t know what I would’ve done without her. My mental health, my mental capacity, how she talked to me during labor was so important.”
Paola felt her first contraction at 3:00 AM and Jazzmine and Audrey were soon at her doorstep. As a nervous Paola anxiously awaited the arrival of her daughter, she says Jazzmine and Audrey kept her centered. “One of the things both of them helped me to understand is to embrace the waiting.” Around midnight, after 21 hours of contractions, she was ready to welcome her baby – but the baby had other plans.
“I’m glad that I was at home. At the same time, while I was in labor Jazzmine reminded me that things go longer because there are no interventions.” After three hours of pushing, it became apparent to Paola that medical intervention was going to be necessary.
Her baby was in OP – or posterior fetal presentation. After trying every position imaginable to encourage her daughter to turn without success, Paola knew it was time for Plan B. “I shouldn’t stay here any longer and I need to get this baby out right now,” she remembers thinking at that moment.
Paola walked into a local hospital at 3:00 AM – 24 hours after contractions began - equipped with the knowledge and confidence she gained from Audrey and Jazzmine that a forceps delivery would be necessary. Paola’s research led her to choose a doctor with years of experience in the technique. Five hours after she arrived at the hospital, she welcomed a beautiful, healthy baby girl.
But that wasn’t the end of the journey for the trio of Paola, Jazzmine and Audrey. Paola wanted to exclusively breastfeed her daughter – a plan that included some bumps in the road as well. “Both Jazzmine and Audrey helped me a lot with breastfeeding,” she says, focusing on soothing her anxiety which can affect milk production. “You have what your baby needs,” they assured her, “Don’t let anyone tell you that you aren’t producing milk.”
“My breastfeeding journey was amazing because of the assurance and advice that they gave me.”
That wasn’t the only postpartum council she received. “We talked about ‘mom guilt’. Audrey helped me to feel calm and confident about what I was doing," Paola says, “As first-time moms, we have this creature that is on our watch. Society has so many views on blaming the mom for everything ... Audrey really helped assure me that I’m doing a good job.”
“Jazzmine helped me to not look at social media too much, don’t look at what other people are doing, don’t listen to what other people are saying,” Paola says, “She helped me to give grace and set boundaries with family.”
Paola says the care and comfort she received from Audrey and Jazzmine helped her to realize she was ready for something else new in her life. “I’d never been interested in the medical field. I don’t think I want to do that. But then I had my baby,” she says, and Jazzmine told her: “you are perfect” for taking on the challenge of becoming a doula.
“I signed up in November 2023 and I became a doula,” said Paola. EveryStep was able to help Paola become enrolled in a local doula training program. While she completed her training, Paola was still able to rely on EveryStep for help with her growing family thanks to the Nurse Family Partnership program and the Stork’s Nest, an educational incentive program that allows families to earn points for healthy behaviors that can then be redeemed for diapers, baby clothes, strollers, cribs, car seats and more.
Fittingly, Paola helped her first client welcome a child on Mother’s Day. It was the first of 22 births with which she’s helped. Paola quickly learned how much she was needed in the community as she is the only Spanish-speaking doula in Polk County.
Paola says she is proud of the work she and all doulas do to lower the infant mortality rate in the country. “We are breaking generational curses just by the information and the care that we provide.” Now pregnant with her second child, Paola has a dozen more births to attend to before her own family grows again.
When she’s not working one-on-one with expectant mothers, Paola finds other ways to uplift her community. Her handmade jewelry business, Piedras Haseya, has a space at Mainframe Studios in Des Moines. She shares that love of making art with area kids through the Be Well Foundation, making school visits to open the eyes and minds of elementary school students. “I try to stay connected with the community and see where I can be involved.”
Her advice for anyone wanting to follow in her footsteps: “Take time for yourself. Self-care is very important,” she counsels, “Difficult births, difficult situations can make you put stress on yourself ... Births can be traumatic not just for the families but for you as well. Doulas need doulas. Set boundaries.”
And, she says, her healthcare career may soon evolve as well. During a recent birth, she talked with a retiring nurse about a future as a midwife. It’s an idea she is seriously considering. “This year is the decision-making year, and it is thanks to that nurse.”