San Antonio program 'mothers the mothers' to give babies a good start

Published: 2006-02-23

SAN ANTONIO (CNS) -- Once Suzanne de Leon found out what a doula was, she was "totally hooked." It was the same for April Todd. Doula, a Greek word meaning "to mother the mother" or "to be a servant," is something more San Antonians are becoming familiar with, thanks to de Leon and Todd and their work with San Antonio Birth Doulas, now part of Catholic Charities. A doula is a woman trained to offer emotional and physical support and comfort to a woman having a baby, to facilitate early bonding between mother and infant and teach good parenting skills. A doula is not a midwife, nor does she take over the role of the father or family members in the delivery room. De Leon, founder and executive director of San Antonio Birth Doulas, started the local program in 1999 to "address the high incidences of abuse and neglect that our young babies were receiving at the hands of their teenage parents." People sometimes question helping pregnant teenagers, feeling it advocates teen pregnancy, de Leon said. "We don't advocate that, but once it happens, this is our future," she said. "These babies are going to be the future of San Antonio. Let's give them a good start."

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