Interview w/Doula &Life Coach Tameca Boston

·24 min·2 clips

Tameca Boston explains why African-American women face a mortality rate four to five times higher in childbirth.

The episode begins with host Angela Bless introducing her podcast and guest Tameca Boston, a licensed doula and life coach. Tameca explains that doulas are non-medical advocates who support women and families during labor and postpartum care. She immediately highlights a critical statistic: African-American women face a mortality rate four to five times higher than white women during childbirth. Angela reacts with surprise, prompting Tameca to list factors like healthcare access and pre-pregnancy health. Angela then shares her personal miscarriage story at 17 weeks, where doctors ignored her concerns, leading to a hemorrhage that required emergency surgery and nearly cost her life. This personal anecdote underscores the episode's theme of medical dismissal. Tameca recounts her motivation for becoming a doula, citing experiences with her daughters' pregnancies, where one received excellent care and the other was ignored during preeclampsia. She emphasizes that doctors work for patients and advises finding ones who listen, comparing it to finding a good hairdresser. The discussion shifts to midwives, whom Tameca describes as providing medical and emotional support, often working with doulas. Angela asks if race matters in childbirth outcomes, and Tameca shares her own experience: with private insurance, she was treated well, but on Medicaid, a doctor rushed her delivery for a surgery. She details a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) where a doctor falsely documented a cesarean, which she attributes to insurance fraud. Angela mentions a coworker's wife who was given an unnecessary cesarean during COVID, showing these issues cross ethnic lines. Tameca advises patients to assert their rights, such as asking for a head nurse or changing doctors, and stresses that patients are experts on their bodies. She critiques the misconception that Black women have higher pain tolerance, tracing it to slave-era beliefs that are still applied today. The conversation touches on BMI charts and medical biases, with Tameca noting that outdated standards affect care. She briefly mentions her life coaching services for goals and corporate skills. Tameca discusses the growing recognition of doulas, with states like New York and Florida offering funding, and shares resources like the Children's Board in Hillsborough County. She provides her contact information and encourages listeners to seek support groups and research doctors. The episode concludes with a call for doctors to listen better and provide more educational resources.

As heard by us

A grounded conversation about doulas, birth, and the strain between patients and doctors.

Angela Bless introduces Tamika Boston, who describes herself as a life coach and licensed doula, and the conversation centers on what a doula does and how that role sits alongside patients and the medical profession.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want straight talk about doulas before your doctor starts doing all the talking.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from The Angela Blessed Show