Season 2, Episode 4: Single Mother By Choice with a Donor: Leslie’s Birth Story

Episode Description: Society puts a stigma on Black single mothers, stereotyping and devaluing them. But what happens when you become a single mother by choice and choose sperm donation as your pathway to parenthood? This week’s guest, Leslie, used an app, a cup and a Black male donor she met in person to get the baby she so wanted. In this insightful conversation, Leslie takes host Kimberly Seals Allers on a lesser-told journey of reaching Black motherhood in a less traditional way, but still ultimately finding her joy.  

Resources/References

• Chanel Stryker-Boykin is the owner of In Joie’s Arms Birth Doula Services, LLC, and a Holistic Labor Support Specialist (Doula), Placenta Encapsulation Specialist, and a Community Childbirth and Lactation Educator in the Metro Atlanta area.
• Paul Ryan is the founder and CEO of Just A Baby, an app described as a “dating app for hopeful parents” where people desiring children can match with surrogates and sperm and egg donors for free. 
• To learn more about artificial insemination, check out this article on Healthline.
• Black Sperm Donors is a Facebook group for sperm donors of African descent or recipients interested in receiving donations from or coparenting with them.
• Interested in having a doula and/or midwife for your pregnancy, birth or post-partum period? Here are resources for finding Black midwives, doulas, lactation consultants, and other perinatal specialists of color: Sista Midwife Directory, The Bridge, and National Black Doulas Association.
• Download Irth, the only app where you can find prenatal, birthing, postpartum and pediatric reviews of care from Black and brown birthing people. Leave a review today to help inform and protect others!
• Learn more about having a safe and empowered birth by downloading the free ebook: Birth with Irth: A Mini-Manual to Pregnancy and Childbirth for Black People 
• For Black breastfeeding resources, visit Black Breastfeeding Week, Black Mothers’ Breastfeeding Association (BMBFA), and Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE).
• Get ready for the fifth anniversary of Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW) on April 11-17! Founded and led by Black Mamas matter Alliance, BMHW officially recognized by the White House is a week of awareness, activism, and community building. 
• Catch up on episode extras from season 1 and 2 on BIRTHRIGHT’S YOUTUBE PAGE!
• Subscribe to be notified for new episode releases every Wednesday! Love Birthright? Leave a rating and review. 
• Get full episode details and transcripts on www.BirthrightPodcast.com 
• Follow Kimberly Seals Allers on Twitter on Instagram: @iamKSealsAllers
• Birthright is funded by the California Health Care Foundation and the Commonwealth Fund.