Community Walk/Run for Mamas with Limited Needs

September 24, 2023 will mark the Third Annual Miles for Mamas starting at 9:00AM with communities walking and running in Santa Monica, New Jersey, and in their own “virtual” satellite groups across the country for women with limited means. Hosting this event is The Village for Mamas, a non-for-profit 501c3 organization that offers no-strings attached one-time grants for birthing classes, doula services, lactation consultation, childcare, housecleaning, and personal care, as well as free meal kit or food delivery subscriptions, diapers and wipes, formula and laundry services for new and expecting mothers who need assistance to cover these costs. The Village believes that pre and postpartum support should be available to all new mothers, not exclusively those with means to pay.
Doulas are employed to provide guidance and continuous support to a pregnant woman during labor, and assist with prenatal or postpartum visits. Currently, insurance companies in the US do not cover doula services. This out-of-pocket expense, for care that should be covered, makes doula support and the comfortable birthing experience many women would prefer, out of reach.
In 2017, Bohren et al. published an updated Cochrane review on the use of (birth doulas) during childbirth, and found people who received continuous support were more likely to have spontaneous vaginal births and less likely to have any pain medication, epidurals, negative feelings about childbirth, vacuum or forceps-assisted births, and Cesareans. In addition, their labors were shorter by about 40 minutes and their babies were less likely to have low Apgar scores at birth. There is a smaller amount of evidence that doula support in labor can lower postpartum depression in mothers. There is no evidence for negative consequences to continuous labor support.
“Since The Village incorporated in 2020, we’ve given out over $20,000 to new and expecting moms to help them pay for birth and postpartum doulas, lactation consultation, pelvic floor physical therapy and more. Helping one mama can feel like slow progress but is incredibly impactful. The Miles for Mama’s event is a really fun morning spent on the beach for a good cause,” says Village co-founder Sarah Croce.
In Santa Monica, the walk and run will take place at the North Beach Playground from 9:00AM-12:00PM. Every registered attendee will receive a t-shirt, a tote bag, two tickets to enter a raffle, plus prizes and giveaways from local sponsors such as Primo Passo Coffee, Rejuice, The Pump Station, Perelel, Hey Babe Wellness, Women Making Waves, and more.
Register to walk or run for mamas in need here:
More information.