Kamloops doula Crystal Bullock with a newborn baby named David in the NICU.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Crystal Bullock

 A Kamloops woman is shedding light on the harsh realities street entrenched pregnant mothers are facing, often in the shadows, away from the eye of the general public.

Crystal Bullock is an Aboriginal infant/child development consultant with Secwepemc Child and Family Services. On the side, she volunteers her time to work with street entrenched mothers and help them deliver and care for their babies.

“Deliveries are happening on our streets and in shelters on dirty floors,” she said. “There is work to be done.”

Since she became a Doula in October 2019, Bullock has assisted 27 pregnant moms with their pregnancies, most of whom were homeless and addicted to drugs. She helps them overcome barriers around health and safety, stigma and housing. She said society has a long way to go to adequately support street entrenched pregnant mothers. 

“A referral comes in from a street outreach group, often someone who is connected to the shelters here,” she said. “Typically the mom is six or seven months along by the time I get the call. I show up where they might be on the street or at a shelter.”

Bullock first shows up to a client with hot food and warm clothes and a blanket, items she gets from other helpful local collectives and humanitarian groups.

“These moms are often homeless and using so they need everything from shelter, food, prenatal care and ultrasound appointments,” she said. “Some babies are either aborted or miscarried. When I support women I support whatever decision they have regarding their own bodies.”

Bullock said there is a lot of judgement when it comes to addiction and stigma around pregnant women who are actively using, which deters them from reaching out.

“It makes them fearful of who they might encounter,” she said. “They need to talk to someone who can lend an empathetic ear which can be a hard person to find. I listen and then help them make a plan to get them out of the crummy situation.”

Of the mothers who have been in her care, Bullock said Aboriginal mothers are overly represented and are stigmatized when it comes time to deliver their babies.

“When I take Aboriginal women to the hospital they are treated so poorly I use my white privilege to get them better treatment,” she said. “It is sad it takes someone with a different skin colour to get them what they need. Some are high while delivering and they still need to be supported with dignity and respect, we are all human and deserve to be treated the same."

Bullock said newborn babies will have withdrawal when a baby is exposed to addictive drugs while still in the mother's womb. The baby can develop a dependency on the drug and may have withdrawal symptoms shortly after birth.

“General basic care is given however mom will often leave, leaving the baby in the NICU, to go out and get drugs,” she said. “Some never to return again. There is no postpartum care provided there.”

Some women want to keep their babies despite their harrowing life situations and are able to do so through collaboration with local supportive programs.

“For obstacles like poverty and addiction we refer them to detox and work together to achieve successful outcomes for moms and babies,” she said. “I have seen amazing things come from women who have been able to successfully change their lifestyles after becoming mothers.”

Finding housing for these new mothers is the hardest task, especially during a housing crisis. Many end up raising their kids in motel rooms or poor living situations.   

“To advocate for housing for a pregnant woman who is actively using is really tough,” Bullock said. “I think shelters are great assets but I don’t think pregnant women and new mothers should be in them. The worst case scenario is a mom who is sober and we can’t find her housing. Some of these moms have done the work and still the last barrier is housing.”

Bullock's dream is to have a big house that would act as the centre point of contact for pregnant mothers. It would be a place for women to feel welcome, have a shower, clean their clothes and make a phone call.

“It would be a place that is judgement free,” she said. “It would be a safe place for women fleeing domestic violence. It you are pregnant it is where you go, no questions asked. It would be a dream to get funding for a building like this to provide needed supports.”

There are a few other volunteers helping Bullock support pregnant street entrenched women and growing collaboration with other social agencies. There isn’t a name for the project yet. It is volunteer and they do it to fill in the gaps they see in the system.

“We have to keep in mind there is a fetus there we have to have a voice for,” she said.

Bullock works with families and youth and used to run a daycare. Her focus has always been on children, and when she had the opportunity to advance her education she chose doula work as her point of interest.

She wants to see more awareness brought to the health and safety of street entrenched mothers, less stigma and more available housing.

"At Christmas I got to see one of the successful moms with her kids," Bullock said. "In the same breath, I learned one of the moms died of overdose, leaving a child behind." 

To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

News from © iNFOnews, 2022