Brianica DeFranc's Story

My name is Brianica and I am a client of the Florida Women's Business Center in Delray Beach, who helped me develop my business roadmap.

Surviving a miscarriage at a young age was scary, traumatic, and a life-changing event. Not understanding what was happening and why it was happening to me was depressing and not easy to process. I did not truly process my trauma until I was pregnant again. When I saw a positive pregnancy test, I was overcome with doubt in myself and in my body’s abilities. Besides feeling unprepared to be a parent, I was also terrified of experiencing another miscarriage. With patience, support, and time, I began to heal and process my experience in a healthy capacity. I dove deep into educating myself on all aspects of childbearing, conception, birth, labor, and parenthood.

I discovered that women and children of color are dying at a higher rate during childbirth compared to white women. This information was disheartening and infuriating to me so I became a full-spectrum doula. I feel that being an advocate for birthing people and ensuring that all people are being treated equitably will help change the disturbing statistics we face. I had a healthy, unmedicated, natural home birth and I want people to know and see that it is possible to tap into your instincts and Birth Your Way. Birth does not have to involve interventions, be planned, or be doctor-driven unless medically necessary - and people need to know that there is more than one to bring a child into the world. My decision to become a doula is built on educating and advocating for families to have positive and fulfilling birth experiences while creating a safe space for expecting people of color to survive and thrive.

 
This loan is special because:

It supports the launch of a Black woman-owned business.

 
More about this loan

Business Description

Birth Your Way | Doula Offerings provides a holistic approach to prenatal care, labor, childbirth, postpartum care, and beyond. The foundation is established around honoring our client’s voice and advocating for families to ensure that they have a positive birth experience and life after. Parenthood is not an easy transition for most families which is why mental, physical, financial security and emotional health are some of my primary focuses with clients. As a full-spectrum doula, I have been trained to support people during the full spectrum of pregnancy - from preconception to birth, to abortion, to miscarriage, to adoption, and postpartum. I value working actively with clients and understanding their needs and wants throughout their experience. It is my goal to lower the need for medical interventions by providing optimal comfort measures and advocating for clients to Birth Their Way instinctively and intuitively.

Our services include prenatal visits; birth plan assistance; breastfeeding support immediately after birth; postpartum follow-up visit; books and videos about pregnancy, birth, and baby care; phone and e-mail support to answer questions and offer suggestions and support throughout pregnancy and early labor; public education classes on parenting techniques, parent-child bonding, and what to expect postpartum; care packages for parents and babies.

Our marketing plan includes social media engagement ads that drive potential clients to our website; search engine optimization; partnering with OBGYNs, Pediatricians, Midwives, and Birth Support Establishments to leave brochures in offices; membership in doula directories, networking with potential clients and other birth workers at local events, and word of mouth.

What is the purpose of this loan?

This loan would help me effectively market and reach more clientele, continue my education to expand my scope of expertise, and purchase the necessary tools to provide optimal comfort and support to my clients and their families.

Bringing a life into this world is a beautiful and transcending experience and it should be treated with the utmost care and respect. In the medical field, labor and birth can sometimes be transactional and indifferent because health providers are juggling multiple patients and unable to create individual experiences. This leads to birthing people receiving the same plan of care even though they may have imagined different labor and birth. It is my goal with Birth Your Way | Doula Offerings to educate, empower, and inform parents so that they can have a positive birth experience.

 
About Birth Your Way | Doula Offerings

Industry: Health
Years in operation: New Business
Website: bywdo.com