Hey friends!!! My sister, Yusra Shireen, is a brave mama-to-be and we are raising funds to support her through the beginning of this journey. She's due to bring a little one into this world at the end of August and single mommin it with limited financial resources, so I'm hoping we can pool together as much as possible for her to receive the care that every new parent needs. As the old saying goes, "it takes a village," and as many of you know, caring for a newborn and a new mama is hard work—emotionally, physically, and mentally.
Through the money we raise, Yusra will have access to services that would be otherwise unattainable for her. She is in a vulnerable position due to the fact that she has no co-parenting support and Governor Hogan is ending Maryland Federal Pandemic Unemployment Benefits in July, instead of September. Yusra works as a freelance hairstylist, dog sitter, and nanny, and like many of us she depends heavily on her unemployment benefits to make it through this time. For the first few months of motherhood, it's important that she can focus on her own physical and emotional health, and have the equivalent of a maternity leave. Here are some of the costs that this GoFundMe will help defray:
- 48 hours of Postpartum Doula Support through The Womb Room, a Baltimore-based community maternal health and wellness center ($1,995)
- Meal Train and daily meal support for the first few months of newborn life (mamas gotta eat!!!!!)
- Visits to the laundromat to wash baby blankets, clothes, and other household items
- Self Care: access to an occasional massage, yoga class, acupuncture, etc
- Mental health services and therapy $300/month
- Probably lots of other things that I can't think of but that come with newborn territory!!!
Please contribute if you are able, and consider it a massive gift to both Yusra and baby! If funds are tight, you can also help by distributing this call widely! Thank you so much. We are so proud of Yusra and can't wait to welcome her little pup into the world, let's make it a loving supported world for them both.