Meet DTI Educator, Malika Hook Muhammad
How long have you been a doula?
I have been a doula for 13 years!
How long have you been an educator?
I have been an educator for 5 or 6-ish years now.
Do you have any specialties?
Baby positioning is my jam. I’m also an herbalist.
Why did you choose to pursue birth education?
Birth work was an undeniable calling that I couldn’t escape. I felt a pull and connection to this work that just made sense.
What was your most powerful birthing experience as a doula?
Witnessing a birthing person take ownership of their experience, like switching providers late in pregnancy or putting their foot down about unwanted interventions.
What’s one thing you wish you knew sooner in your doula career?
That I don’t have to know everything and I don’t have to do everything. Sometimes my role as the doula is just to witness.
How has becoming a Doula changed your life?
Being a doula has added a flexibility to my life that has allowed me to spend more time with my loved ones. Being a business owner puts me in charge of when I work and when I don’t work, making me the boss of my time.
Where do you think the Doula world needs to grow/change/evolve? How do you hope to see it change in the future?
This is a heavy question. There’s so much tension in the reproductive health space right now, and everyone thinks that their position is right and justified. What we need is a reset so that a true understanding of what health equity means can emerge.
What’s your favorite thing to teach?
I love teaching new birth doulas!