Hello! My name is Naima Bond and I am the owner of Oya Birth and Wellness !!!!! Why become a doula and then a vaginal steam facilitator? Who does that?!?!? I do... I do that.....
I have an a wonderful for-filling profession for the last 25+ years supporting young children and families with and without disabilities. I have been a pre-k teacher, early education teacher trainer, consultant for programs, CDA Professional Development Specialist, ABA therapist, Community Interventionist working on a parent mediated intervention for children showing red flags for autism and communication delays. I know my sh**. As I reached these amazing heights i felt like there was more I needed to do. Yes I am a slight over achiever, but it was more than that. I need to live a life on purpose. My father always asks, "what is your mark going to be on this planet". So, with that the first thing that came to me was to become a doula. I do not even know where I learned what that work means. What is doula is, is a non-medical person who supports birthing people with education, physical and emotional support before and during labor. Not for the faint of heart at all. People depend on you to provide answers to questions, information and more than anything support. Birth can take a few hours to days in some situations from start to finish. I am proud to say I have been able to attend and support 13 families so far on my journey. Now doulas technically do not have to be certified, but of course being who I am I sought out certifications and mentorship.
I am a part of Interlight Holistic Doula Mentor Program lead by Shaconna Haley. I was a part of her first co-hort and it was deep! It helped me get in tune with myself as a black woman and then as a black doula who has been called to support black women on their birthing journey. I am now going through DONA and Matrona certification. DONA is one of the oldest and well respected doula organizations in the country and is recognized internationally. Matrona is a very holistic approach to child birth and recognizing the signs of a natural physiological birth process. I am arming myself with the tools to start this next phase of my life and how I will support others. My V steam story is more personal.
So I had fibroids. This was wrecking havoc with my cycles. I am very open but I will spare you the details... just know it was bad. Went to my doctor and she suggested I just double up on my pads that time of the month. My fibroids were small. I said, " WHAT!?!" She said , " What?" right back. Did not see anything wrong with that advice and why was I looking crazy. She did not want to cut me, however if they got bigger, she would have to talk to me again. That was it. I started looking into alternative. Someone had mentioned steaming and Streamy chick was the first company to come up.The owner was also Black....representation matters.... i looked into it and started steaming. I then found a practitioner locally to make sure i was doing it right. In four months my cycle changed. It was manageable again then it went to, am I even on my cycle? I went back to my doctor for an ultra sound. She wanted me to do another one, I questioned, why. Finally she said because she does not see the fibroids. I said no, because you charge for these this means they are gone. I told what I did and she scarfed at me. Nose snort and everything. I walked out with a new career. Assisting women with their cycles, menopause symptoms, short and long cycles, BV to name a few. Then I learned that you can steam for labor prep, fertility , postpartum and pregnancy loss . Now my worlds are fully aligned. As to date I have assisted about 20 women with mensural cycle challenges
I love who I am and who I am evolving into. This is who I am......
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