During the day, Leora Wolf-Prusan is the director of partnerships and learning at the Center for Applied Research Solutions, a small consulting firm operating at the intersection of mental health, behavioral health, education and racial equity.
After hours, she is a certified pro-bono doula, a non-medical professional emotionally supporting new parents as they bring life into the world.
Trained by Bini Birth and the LA Doula Project in 2016, Wolf-Prusan is about to rack up her 15th assisted birth. “Two friends on the same week asked me to become a doula to assist them with their labor,” she said. “The next birth is in March, and at the end of the summer, it will be 18 [births], which is not much for a full-time doula − but I’m not a full-time doula.”
Wolf-Prusan said her duties always change, depending on the woman’s needs. She has been the go-between for couples and in-laws, present during labor in homes and hospitals, and has offered pre-birth education when couples wanted clarity following doctors’ appointments. She said it’s important each woman feels emotionally supported, prepared and safe during the nine-month journey.
“There was a moment when we were laboring and the nurse was supposed to just come in and see how we were doing, and in a split second, [she was] giving a dilation cervical exam without any consent,” Wolf-Prusan explained. “I saw she was about to insert her hand in my client and I turned to her [and said], ‘Nurse is about to do a cervical exam. Is this something you would like?’ And my client said, ‘No.’ And it sounds wrong, but those are really big things. I’m there to make sure that as much as possible, Mama feels she has ownership over her experience.”
Unlike full-time doulas, Wolf-Prusan assists couples for free and only asks they make a donation to charities, such as Tribe Midwifery, LOOM, Bini Birth or the Birth Justice Fund.
“It’s a beautiful journey,” the 35-year-old said. “It’s my work of tzedakah. Caring about a caregiver is really important to me.”
Not all pregnancies end in full-term, live births, and one of the major resources she provides is counseling for pregnancy loss.
“It’s a beautiful journey. It’s my work of tzedakah. Caring about a caregiver is really important to me.”
“One in 4 pregnancies leads to miscarriage,” she said. “What I find really powerful is showing up for people in the community who have experienced [pregnancy loss] in the exact same way I’d show up after a labor. The biggest function of trauma is to break up a coherent narrative … it feels discombobulated. What I feel is really healing is supporting someone or their partner to re-own their story of their experience.”
She added the greatest gift is connecting other couples who have experienced pregnancy losses so they don’t feel alone in their experience, while breaking down the stigma of the conversation. She has done this through Shabbat dinners.
Growing up in a religious household in the Bay Area and as the daughter of a rabbi, religious leaders and activism constantly surrounded Wolf-Prusan, which compelled her to help others. Ironically, the people she helps most are Jewish clergy, educators and leaders.
“There’s nothing more spiritual than seeing a human coming out of another human,” Wolf-Prusan said. “Any time I’m in doubt of where we are going in this world, every time, I remember what an incredible gift [it is] to witness.”
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