Chanel Porchia-Albert and her mission to help New York’s mothers

Chanel Porchia-Albert, doula, founder of Ancient Song Doula Services and a mom we love.

In addition to seeing clients who need doula services and attending births, Chanel runs Ancient Song, a Brooklyn-based program that provides doula services, trainings and workshops, midwifery care, well woman services, and advocacy through community engagement and campaigns to address the lack of resources to communities of color.

On one busy day, Chanel had just come from a meeting to help develop a city-side doula coalition and then spent her afternoon sitting with a young mom who needs a little nurturing. Chanel said, “This young woman is discovering she might be a single mom. Her relationship is in transition and her partner is moving out of town and this experience isn’t at all what she expected. We sit together every week to process her feelings and discuss options for making sure she’s prepared for her birthing experience and post-partum period.”

This is the kind of attention to detail and dedication to service we so admire about Chanel and the other doulas she works with at Ancient Song. It’s woman-to-woman, compassionate, knowledgeable and essential, especially when so many women of color fall through the cracks in terms of traditional prenatal care and pregnancy services. New York Family Magazine did an article last week about Chanel in their “Moms We Love” section. Read about Chanel, her mission to help New York’s mothers and why her one key piece of advice for pregnant women is, “question everything.”

How did Chanel celebrate Mother’s Day? Along with other Ancient Song doulas she hung out in subways and at other local spots assisting mothers with their strollers and bags and handing out information about doula services. That’s what doulas do — show moms the love.