Charity Bean

I started The Doula Lab because I refused to keep watching families in Southern Illinois and the St. Louis Metro region go through pregnancy and birth without anyone in the room who looked like them, understood their history, or was fighting for them. That's not a regional problem. Black birthing people die at three to four times the rate of white birthing people across this entire country — not because of biology, but because of who's missing from the room when it matters most. Wherever you're reading this from, this crisis is already in your community, whether you've seen it yet or not. That statistic isn't abstract to me. It's why I became a doula. It's why I'm finishing my midwifery training right now, while running this organization. And it's why I built The Doula Lab. We don't just talk about birth equity. We train the workforce that delivers it. Through our Virtuous Doula Training Academy, we've already graduated three cohorts of doulas and perinatal health workers — a 16-week hybrid program that prepares people from our own communities to walk families through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. We've built a partnership with Aetna Better Health of Illinois. We've earned a Birth Equity Initiative grant from the Illinois Department of Public Health. We've sat down with our state senator to talk about what comes next — proof that a community-built model can move policy, not just serve one family at a time. We built it here because this is home. But maternal health inequity isn't a Southern Illinois problem or a St. Louis problem — it's a national one. Every dollar that funds this campaign helps prove something bigger: that community-led, culturally-matched care saves lives, and that it can be built anywhere people are willing to fight for it. Here's the truth about nonprofit funding: grants are essential, but they're not fast, and they're not flexible. They pay for specific line items, on specific timelines, months after the work is already done. They don't pay for the gap between now and reimbursement. They don't pay for the tools we need to grow. That gap is where community support comes in — from Belleville to wherever you're reading this, whenever someone decides this fight is theirs too. This $50,000 campaign is that bridge. It's what lets us keep training doulas without a funding pause, finish the technology platform our students and clients depend on, and keep this work fully funded and sustainable for the families who need it right now. If you believe families deserve someone in the room who's fighting for them — no matter what zip code they're born into — this is your chance to make that possible. https://www.doulalab.org

Help The Doula Lab Furnish Our New Office & Build a Home for Birth, Education, and Community. We’re Growing — and Moving! We are thrilled to announce that The Doula Lab is expanding into a beautiful new office at 6608 W Main St, Suite 2, Belleville, IL! This space will serve as the heart of our mission to educate, advocate, and empower every birth — and every stage of life. It’s not just an office — it’s a community hub where science meets compassion, where families are supported, and where learning never stops. Our new office will feature: ✨ A Reception & Waiting Room that welcomes families with warmth and inclusion A Doula & Lactation Room for personalized postpartum and feeding support A Simulation & Birth Lab for hands-on doula and midwifery training ‍♀️ A Relaxation Room with massage chairs and wellness therapies A Community Resource Room stocked with diapers, wipes, and newborn essentials A Teaching Office & Meeting Space for classes and workshops Lifelong Education: From Puberty to Menopause The Doula Lab will also host comprehensive health and wellness classes that span every stage of life: Puberty & Body Literacy Fertility Awareness & Family Planning Pregnancy & Childbirth Preparation Postpartum Recovery & Parenting Perimenopause & Menopause Wellness We believe education is empowerment, and every generation deserves access to accurate, inclusive, and compassionate reproductive health information. Why We Need Your Help Our new office is a blank canvas — and we need your help to fill it with purpose, comfort, and care. Your donations will help us furnish and equip every room, including: Office desks, chairs, and storage Waiting room seating and decor Doula and lactation supplies Educational materials and training equipment Artwork and affirmations for a welcoming environment Every contribution — big or small — helps us transform this space into a sanctuary of healing and learning for our community. Our Goal: $10,000 $25 – Helps add affirmation art or décor $50 – Stocks our lactation or relaxation room $100 – Furnishes a waiting-area chair or table $250 – Outfits a consultation area $500 + – Sponsors a full room (recognized on our Community Wall of Gratitude) A Message from Charity “The Doula Lab began as a dream to bridge education, advocacy, and community in maternal health. Our new office is the next chapter of that vision — a place where every person can feel safe, seen, and supported, from puberty to menopause. Your support helps us create not just an office, but a home for healing, hope, and generational change.” — Charity S. Bean, CMA, CFSD, CLC, CHW, Student Midwife How You Can Help 1️⃣ Donate – Every contribution brings us closer to our grand opening. 2️⃣ Share – Spread the word on social media, at work, or in your faith community. 3️⃣ Sponsor a Room – Local businesses and families can partner with us to furnish an entire area. Together, We’re Building More Than an Office We’re creating a safe, empowering space for families, doulas, and birth workers across the Metro East — a place where education, care, and community come together. Thank you for helping The Doula Lab grow, move, and continue to empower every birth, every body, and every stage of life. Donate today to help us fill our new home!