Doulas for dads: A new movement for "strengthening the whole family"

MINNEAPOLIS – We all know who bears the brunt of the pain when it comes to childbirth. But a new program is focusing on dads during pregnancy, and advocates say this could be a win-win for everyone.

Phillip McGraw is a doting dad.

"She wakes up with a big smile on her face. She's very cheerful. She has a great sense of humor. She loves to sing," McGraw said.

It's a sound that fills this father's heart with joy. But like many know, a baby changes the rhythm of life. McGraw, who became a parent years ago at a young age, wanted to make sure this time he was prepared.

"I don't want to repeat what I have displayed or what I was going through or what I've seen or what I was not aware of, so I wanted this to be the healthiest, most efficient, loving process," he said.

So he got a doula, a holistic birth coach, so he could have support as he supported his partner physically and emotionally. Doulas are typically for women, but McGraw's doula is helping change that.

Minkara Tezet is his doula, based out of the Cultural Wellness Center in Minneapolis.  

"I want him to realize that in terms of supporting the child and the mother, he is the primary support person for that," Tezet said. "That's what we were after. We were after creating a space where this child could some into the world and know that peace, harmony are a part of Black life as much as anything else."

The Medica Health Insurance Foundation is helping support this mission and these bonds. Gina DiMaggio is with the Medica Foundation. 

"You're strengthening the health outcomes of moms and babies by engaging fathers and them as birth support advocates," DiMaggio said. "You're really strengthening the whole family, and not just the mom, not just the baby, but really the whole family unit, which is really neat."

"Healing family is in fact healing community," Tezet said. "Investing in the individual health of a child is investing in the health of a family."

And McGraw's family is thriving.

The Cultural Wellness Center is hosting the program. They're looking for volunteers to become doulas to dads. The training starts in May. Email info@culturalwellnesscenter.org for more information.