On October 19-20, Barbara Zust attended the first National Prison Doula Retreat with over 70 Doulas across the country!
Barbara was certified as a Prison Doula in 2016 and will begin to work on a contract with the Waseca Federal Women’s Prison. Roughly 7- 10% of women across the nation who are in correctional facilities, were pregnant when incarcerated. Prison Doulas teach individual prenatal birthing classes, serve as the support person during the birthing process, and follow-up with postpartum visits.
Barbara Zust is pictured in the second row ( Behind the woman in pink).
A little more about the Minnesota Prison Doula Project:
The Minnesota Prison Doula Project (MnPDP) provides pregnancy and parenting support for incarcerated women. We provide birth support from trained doulas, as well as group-based and individual education and support to pregnant women and mothers. The goal is to nurture healthy mother-child relationships and increase parenting confidence and skills.
We work with women serving sentences in the Minnesota Correctional Facility – Shakopee (Minnesota’s only women’s state prison) and women held in county correctional facilities. – MNPDP
It is important to also become informed of what this project is about so feel free to visit the website and maybe even help by donating.