By Shayna Mace | Photo courtesy Qwantese Winters
When we speak over video chat on a sunny winter afternoon, Qwantese Winters appears radiant, discussing her journey to becoming a doula. Winters is founder of Oasis Maternal Care and care coordinator for First Care Clinic, a pregnancy resource center for women offering free, confidential services including counseling, pregnancy and STI testing. She’s also a 2024 BRAVA Woman to Watch.
Although Winters is steadfast in her life’s direction and purpose, it wasn’t always that way. At the age of 20, she was experiencing homelessness, living in Minneapolis. She hung out with other women experiencing homelessness, and after a friend came back around after giving birth, Winters inquired how her birth experience went.
“She told me [about] … how horrible she felt while she was in the hospital room and how afraid she was. After hearing more about her experience, I walked away feeling really angry and [wondering], ‘What can I do about this?’ And how can I do my part to make sure other women who are marginalized don’t go to the hospital and fear for their life, or their child’s life — or whatever the case may be?”
Winters says this, along with Ricki Lake’s documentary “The Business of Being Born,” kick-started her doula journey. After she completed her doula training, Winters founded Oasis Maternal Care in 2021. In 2024, she shifted her focus to serving exclusively low-income women and those experiencing homelessness. Last year, she helped 30 women.
“I used to mainly serve women who could afford my services, and I’ve kind of taken a step back from that because it wasn’t why I initially got into this work. I wanted to serve those who are marginalized,” explains Winters. “These women are actively trying to find a place to live or find a job — things like that. That’s a really huge stressor while they’re pregnant.”
Additionally, as a Black doula, Winters relates deeply to her clients.
“Most of my clientele are Black women because they have a harder time finding doula care from people who understand their experience … I just think that Black women have that extra level that forces them to be more selective with who they get care from.”
To complement her doula work, Winters also teaches women what to eat during and post-pregnancy and cooks and drops off meals for postpartum mothers. Currently, Winters partners up with Farms to Families, a nonprofit that gives free produce to families.
“There’s a lack of information or even acknowledgement that food is medicine. Something that I see a lot within my family and other Black families is the lack of information about proper nutrition, which is why I’m so passionate about it,” she says.
Her doula work is a side gig for Winters, and she doesn’t charge clients for her services. She’s in the process of applying for grants to help grow Oasis Maternal Care.
“My focus [for now] is just getting a very solid program running so that I can serve more women than I can by myself. I want to be able to serve a hundred women — so I need more people, and money — all the things,” she says, with a smile.
