Nyxara Linwei-Marabin

As a Black woman, I went into my pregnancy knowing the statistics. I'd read the studies. I knew that my pain was more likely to be dismissed, my concerns more likely to be minimized, my birth more likely to end in intervention. That knowledge is heavy to carry. Nyxara carried it with me. She didn't minimize the reality or tell me not to worry. She helped me prepare for it — how to document, how to ask questions, how to insist on being heard without being dismissed as "difficult." My OB was actually wonderful, but I didn't know that going in. Having Nyxara there meant I could trust the process while still advocating for myself. I deserved to have someone in my corner. So do you.

Cuando llegué a Estados Unidos, no esperaba encontrar una doula que hablara español de verdad — no solo algunas frases, sino de verdad. Nyxara habla mi idioma, y eso cambió todo. Pude decirle exactamente cómo me sentía, exactamente lo que quería, exactamente lo que tenía miedo. Y ella pudo explicarme exactamente qué estaba pasando durante el parto — sin que yo tuviera que adivinar o depender de mi esposo para traducir. Mi bebé nació sano y hermoso. Me sentí escuchada en todo momento. Eso no tiene precio. When I came to the United States, I didn't expect to find a doula who actually spoke Spanish — not just a few phrases, but really spoke it. Nyxara speaks my language, and that changed everything. I was able to tell her exactly how I felt, exactly what I wanted, exactly what I was afraid of. And she could explain to me exactly what was happening during labor — without me having to guess or rely on my husband to translate. My baby was born healthy and beautiful. I felt heard the entire time. You can't put a price on that.

As a same-sex couple, we'd had experiences in medical settings where we had to do a lot of explaining — who we were, how we got here, why both of us mattered in the room. With Nyxara, there was none of that. She just got it. She used our language, asked about both of our roles, and treated us like a family — because we are one. It sounds like a low bar, but it wasn't for us. Our son was born in October, and Nyxara was there for every hour of it. She coached my wife through transition when I needed a minute to breathe. She cried when he came out, and honestly so did I. Find someone who shows up for your actual family, not the one they assumed you'd have.