Lori Stafford: The bebo mia be brave award

My name is Lori Stafford and I am grateful to be the runner up of the Brave Award.

I have three sons ages thirty, twenty-six and twenty-two and I am a grandmother fourteen month granddaughter named Riley. My current career as a caregiver taking care of my mother. My previous career experience has been in the medical field as a medical secretary, medical receptionist, medical records clerk, diet clerk and a pharmacy technician. I physically got burnt out working in the medical field; because of some of the things that I saw as a pharmacy technician and my passion changed from being a Pharmacist to helping people with their physical, mental and nutritional health.

My work experience community is a mixed community of people that are low income and middle class income in Rockford, Illinois. I gained a lot of experience working with lower income people, homeless and AIDS population at a non- profit medical clinic. This made me aware everyone’s story is different in nature, but we are all human and have a past. Being a survivor of emotional, mental and verbal domestic abuse this gives me an opportunity to help women who are alone during the birth process.

I wanted this scholarship because at this time my funds are limited and working at home as a caregiver would give me an opportunity to become a doula. If I had not won this scholarship I don’t wouldn’t be able to take the classes. I had originally signed up with International Doula Institute and one day I went on you tube watching videos about becoming a doula and a bebomia videos and I heard was positive reviews about bebo mia and the scholarships that you offer and then I started to researching online and all of the courses you had to offer.

I want to train in the bebo mia community; because I can take the classes at my own pace, my doula license can be used nationwide.

I have wanted to become a doula for about three years because to help minority women get help when going through postpartum depression and we often get singled out when it comes to the birthing process.

The reason why I chose this community is because bebomia help all types of demographics no matter the age, sex or race. I want to become a birthworker to help all women during birth; because the medical staff tends not to listen to the mother while in labor. I plan on being the mouthpiece for mothers and let mothers know the steps on how to handle medical staff whenever she is being ignored. I want to help postpartum parents and get them mental help before leaving the hospital.

My business plan is to add doula to my current business that I am re-branding and to reach out to my cousin who worked in labor and delivery to give some pointers on how to help mothers before and after labor. I love to have professional nurses as consultants on my team to answer questions.

It’s my responsibility to help minorities who want to have their child naturally without being forced to have a c-section, especially young teenagers.

Lori Stafford

Learn more about MSP Scholarship here!