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Informed decision-making is frequently presented as if it is simple: a provider explains, a patient understands, and a decision is made. However, in maternal care, particularly when dealing with immigrant mothers, I have learned that actual understanding is much more complicated. Being informed is not only about receiving medical information; it also depends on how that information is explained, how much time is provided to fully understand it, and whether the patient feels comfortable enough to pause, ask questions and admit confusion.

This past March, I supported the first full-spectrum doula training for incarcerated community members at Santa Rita Jail through my work as a full-spectrum doula with Roots of Labor Birth Collective. Each morning, participants and facilitators gathered around an altar we built together to ground ourselves in gratitude, reflection, and intention before moving through the day’s training. What stayed with me most was how quickly the classroom transformed into a space of mutual care. Lessons often opened into conversations about family separation, loss, grief, survival, and hope.

This past April, I had the honor of being selected to present my research poster at the Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA) Biennial Conference in Toronto, Canada. The SRA focuses on advancing understanding of the adolescent developmental period to which my work directly relates. My research poster used the CHAMACOS longitudinal cohort study to determine if early major life events (positive, negative, and neutral) were associated with adolescent mental health outcomes (anxiety, depression, and internalizing issues).