Ava Fouchea
Research Mentor(s): Kayana Sessoms
Mentor Department: Hitha Healing House, Inc
Authors: Ava Fouchea, Josephine Perkins, Kayana Sessoms , Danielle Pettway
Session: Session 2 (10:00am – 10:50am)
Presentation Type: Poster 36
Abstract
The Hitha Healing House is a non-profit based in Detroit focused on supporting postpartum mothers on their healing journeys. The Hitha Healing House consists of a safe, comforting space with a multitude of practices to be utilized by the mothers including but not limited to chiropractic adjustments and massages. Research performed by the Hitha Healing House aims to provide mothers with a foundation of care they can utilize on their postpartum journeys by implementing programs and surveys focused on assessing maternal health and well-being. The Hitha Healing House surveys mothers in both the prenatal and postpartum stages to assess their overall well-being and the effects of the stereotypical ‘perfect mother’ societal standards on their mental health. Surveys include descriptive questions aimed at determining maternal experiences by having participants select their agreement from very strong to rarely. Additionally, programs like Nurturing Roots provide mothers with a foundation of knowledge and support they can utilize to improve their experience of care. Furthermore, interviews directed at practitioners and recovering mothers help the researchers gauge the successes and failures in female healthcare and expose changes needed for better experiences and outcomes in the health field. Overall, through the use of survey assessments and interviews, the Hitha Healing House gauges the best practices for female health and maternal well-being while implementing these ideas into programs that can directly care for maternal well-being and promoting the idea that each experience is unique and cannot be described by a single ‘perfect mother’.
