Margaret Charles Smith was a prominent black "granny midwife" in Alabama, serving black families who were often unwelcome, unsafe, or unable to afford hospital settings. She served as a midwife for approximately 35 years, until Alabama outlawed midwifery in 1976, limiting access to affordable and supportive maternal-infant care for many black communities. These laws against midwifery were widespread across the country at the time.

In honor of Margaret's work, we are offering a scholarship to reduce the cost of all doula services by 35% for clients that meet the following eligibility criteria:

• on Medicaid and/or food stamps (or whose income would qualify them for Medicaid or food stamps)

Adjusted costs per package:

Birth Doula Package: $572 - $143 to reserve your due date, payment plans available for the remaining balance

Mama Molla Doula Package: $1,170 - $147 to reserve your due date, payment plans available for the remaining balance

Postpartum Doula Package: $572 - $143 to reserve your due date, payment plans available for the remaining balance

Charlotte Lenore Kirk Carmody was a fierce advocate for the once-feminist-touted "twilight sleep" until she died in childbirth in 1915. Charlotte and many others had believed that by demanding "twilight sleep" they were demanding control over their births, but as time went on it became clear that scopolamine actually robbed women of autonomy - often resulting in them being placed in straight jackets and other significant restraints. Today women are still often needing to demand true control over their births in order to avoid present-day anesthetics and medical interventions during childbirth.

In memorial of Charlotte and recognition of the complex history around childbirth in the United States and the many ways in which we have taken wrong turns, we are offering this scholarship to make maternal-infant care that places women in control of their own births more accessible. Charlotte died in 1915, and so this scholarship will reduce the cost of all doula services by 15%.

To be eligible for this scholarship you must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• doula services not fully covered by insurance

• gross income limits as follows by family size (NOT counting baby in utero): $50k for 2, and $10k for each additional family member

• must not be eligible for the Margaret Charles Smith or Right to S.A.F.E. Birth Scholarship

Adjusted costs per package:

Birth Doula Package: $748 - $187 to reserve your due date, payment plans available for the remaining balance

Mama Molla Doula Package: $1,530 - $192 to reserve your due date, payment plans available for the remaining balance

Postpartum Doula Package: $748 - $187 to reserve your due date, payment plans available for the remaining balance

At Pax & Gaudium LLC, we believe everyone should have access to S.A.F.E. birth. If you are seeking doula services because you are at risk of having a birth experience that does not fall within S.A.F.E. standards (click here to learn more), we hope this scholarship will improve accessibility of our services to you in your time of need. We don't want anyone to be at risk of an un-S.A.F.E. birth due to financial restraints.

To be eligible for this scholarship you must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• doula services not fully covered by insurance

• seeking doula services specifically to help avoid and prevent an un-S.A.F.E. birth, especially if seeking birth services in the third trimester, or postpartum services at 36+ weeks gestation

• be on WIC (or whose income would qualify them for WIC) OR already have significant medical debt or other financial burdens that would exclude you from affording doula services

Adjusted costs per package:

Birth Doula Package: $695 - $174 to reserve your due date, payment plans available for the remaining balance

Mama Molla Doula Package: $1,422 - $178 to reserve your due date, payment plans available for the remaining balance

Postpartum Doula Package: $695 - $174 to reserve your due date, payment plans available for the remaining balance