PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Chinelo Nkwonta’s fourth child, Okoorie, is thriving at 8 months old. She is also thriving in motherhood. This birth was a lot different from her previous experience.
This positive birth experience is completely opposite her first traumatic birth that led to a hemorrhage and a week-long hospital stay. She attributes her healthy, happy birth to her doula, Jesse Remer.
“I had a wonderful doula. I got to navigate the birthing space on my terms, set the tone for what I wanted to experience, what I wanted my labor to be like and what I wanted my baby to enter into,” Nkwonta told KOIN 6 News. “It was wonderful.”
Jesse Remer is a birth-and-postpartum doula. Doulas are not medical professionals and do not provide medical services, but work alongside health care providers. For example, Remer provides her clients with continuous physical, informational and emotional support before, during and after the birth. She guided Nkwonta through her fourth pregnancy.