Maya Gwynn
With KVCR Public Media, I'm Maya Gwynn with Black Perspectives IE, a show we learn about the amazing things members of the Black community are doing in the Inland Empire. My guest today is Aiyana Davison, Certified Nurse Midwife, Women's Health Nurse Practitioner and Founder of The Village House, a space dedicated to providing safe, healing and holistic support for birthing families, specifically those within the black diaspora. Thank you so much for being here today.
Aiyana Davison
Thank you for having me.
Maya Gwynn
So when people think of midwife, even talking to family members, they think of like the old school nurses with like the hats and kind of outdated. But in the simplest terms, how would you describe what a midwife is and what roles they play in today's maternal health care and landscape, or what role should they be playing?
Aiyana Davison
Basically, we offer care, we like to say from menarche, which is the start of your periods, to and through menopause. So any type of reproductive care that you can think of, whether it be contraceptive counseling, fertility counseling, period management, menopause management, birth and prenatal and postpartum care. We can also care for newborns up to about 21 to 28 days of life. And some people do a little bit beyond that too. Extra training. We do cervical cancer screening, also known as your Pap smear. Abortion care, anything that you can think of that is reproductive related. We can either begin the process of and sometimes have to refer you out for higher level of care or manage if it's low risk.
Maya Gwynn
Okay, that is so eye opening. I only associated midwife with someone giving birth. I didn't even know that it was before and after. So it's already so interesting. Yes, a lot of us have seen recent viral stories of black women in labor, and it's been really heartbreaking, like one was denied timely care and forced to give birth in a pickup truck after being turned away, and another screaming in pain while the hospital delayed treatment, asking intake questions that could have been asked later. These moments definitely underscore the urgency of your mission to create a safe, healing community space, especially for black individuals, because those two women were black individuals. In your opinion, for these women who came in contact with nurses who have been educated, where do you think the disconnect comes from?
Aiyana Davison
Hard to say I wasn't there. There's a disconnect in the humanity of it all. And even talking with some colleagues who are nurses, they were like, we could never see ourselves treating somebody like that. And you never say never, but like how we operate is we're listening even in our judgment and what we expect of folks when they come in. And you know, you still go and do the assessment, you still give them the proper amount of time. If someone comes in here that uncomfortable, we're going to talk to them. We're going to call the provider that call me to come in to talk to them about that. But you know, I think there's a huge piece about the humanity of it all, and seeing somebody who is at their most vulnerable. And I think midwives do a great job of taking the time to like, really see the people for who they are.
Maya Gwynn
Yeah. On your website, your organization draws deeply from ancestral traditions of communal care, the idea that healing, guidance and support comes from the village, which I love. How does honoring those ancestral practices shape the way the Village House supports birthing families? And what are some for example?
Aiyana Davison
I will go back to the Deep South always, because we're talking 1930s/1940s, there are 100,000+ black midwives who are serving that community and keeping whole families and communities alive. So one of the things that comes to mind is actually kind of on the tail end of having a baby - the Closing of the Bone Ceremony, and so essentially, after the birthing person has had their baby, and we've spent some time in the postpartum time together. There's a whole process to it where we kind of wrap them and it's like to settle the bones back from being such in an open and horrible state. Because birth opens you up. Pregnancy, birth, postpartum, I won't say it breaks you, but it transforms you, you know. And some people may describe it as being broken. And then you, you know, kind of heal, and you are this new being. But that's one of the ones that I love. Another thing I think of too, is like, oftentimes midwives will cook for their clients, and so it's not only a way to nourish somebody, but it's also kind of keeping track of what you're doing nutritionally. But there are many different things even down to, like, how we cut the umbilical cord, some people do other types of processes to kind of break that connection, again, a very spiritual, re-energetic process.
Maya Gwynn
Yeah. And like, honoring that exactly, because that's something my mom has said, giving birth was the closest thing you ever come to death and then she's like, and then you don't remember the pain. She says she doesn't.
Aiyana Davison
There are hormones for that.
Maya Gwynn
Yeah. The Village House offers a wide spectrum of services, from prenatal and postpartum support to specialized offerings like placenta nourishment and sound, healing and holistic wellness. How do these interconnected services work together to create a truly comprehensive model for birthing families?
Aiyana Davison
So again, birth is not just this boom, it happens. We have to prepare for it, and also to take a step back and to kind of lean into what I was saying before. We have to prepare for pregnancy too. And a lot of times we aren't taught that, you know, in our upbringing, be healthy, so that if at any point in time you're pregnant, you're ready to have that baby. We look at all the components, like I said, nutrition, exercise, the psychological component, how stressed are you? And when I'm entering people's homes, which is where I have their appointments as of right now, sometimes I get to see the stressors right in front of my face. Even if it's not stated out loud, your body shows me too. So, like, if you're stressed because your two kids are running around and you're trying to have this appointment - which is no problem, it's a family affair, we love to have the family involved. I often have the kids come and listen to the baby, too. But if you're stressed because of that or something else, your blood pressure is going to reflect that. Or if you haven't been eating well, if we haven't been exercising, or you haven't eaten all day, we're taking urine samples at your house, like, I'm putting the full picture together, and then we come up with a care plan that really targets like, your needs. So you're not able to exercise every day. Like, how often can we make this happen? And having partner support or some type of family support around is so critical, because then they are that extra support for them that is calling in part of your village to make sure that you're taking care of yourself on all aspects. So again, we're looking at all the components that make up who we are as people to bring about a healthy pregnancy and a healthy birth and healthy postpartum.
Maya Gwynn
Yeah, that's amazing. We're gonna move on to our rapid fire portion. I'm excited to hear your answers. If your work had a theme song, what would it be?
Aiyana Davison
Push It.
Maya Gwynn
I knew it was gonna be so good. That's so good. If you had to teach a master class or give a TED talk on a random skill you have besides the job that you do already, what would it be?
Aiyana Davison
Sewing? Well, suturing. I'd love to do that. Periods, like a master class for teens. That would be really important.
Maya Gwynn
Yeah, definitely. As someone who's lived in the IE for over 20 years, what's your favorite IE restaurant or landmark that reminds you of the Inland Empire?
Aiyana Davison
Oh, I think R Burgers. I feel like it's a Inland Empire staple. Maybe that's a Riverside thing.
Maya Gwynn
And how can people keep up with you and support the amazing work you're doing?
Aiyana Davison
So you can keep up with me on Instagram, at the Vagina Chronicles, or Village House Wellness. And also my websites, which are the vaginachronicles.org, and then VillageHouseWellness.com
Maya Gwynn
Thank you so much for being here. This is a great conversation.
Aiyana Davison
Thank you.
Maya Gwynn
Of course. Aiyana Davison is a Certified Nurse Midwife, Women's Health Nurse Practitioner and Founder of The Village House. Find this segment and others at kvcrnews.org/bpie. Support for this segment comes from the M.E.C.C.A. IE Fund at the Inland Empire Community Foundation, advancing racial equity and supporting long term investments and black led organizations in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Join us again next week for Black Perspectives IE. For KVCR Public Media, I'm Maya Gwynn, thank you.
