Teddy Gant Jr. is bringing a different kind of care into the delivery room.
The Houston-based certified full-spectrum doula has built his work around helping Black mothers feel informed, supported, and safe throughout pregnancy and childbirth.
Before becoming a full-time doula, Gant worked as a bank security guard, sometimes putting in long hours while taking clients on the side. After his wife finished school and began working, he was able to step into doula work and massage therapy full-time.
His path into birth work was deeply personal. PBS’ REEL SOUTH reports that Gant was inspired in part by his mother’s own birth story and by the disparities Black women continue to face in maternal health.
Gant says he sees himself as a natural protector, whether he is working security or standing beside a family in the hospital. His role is not to replace doctors or nurses, but to help clients prepare, ask questions, understand their options, and feel supported through the experience.
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His work is especially notable in a field where men remain rare. In the documentary Teddy, Gant shared that he knew of only a small number of male doulas in Texas and even fewer nationwide.
Now, his story is reaching even more people.
Filmmaker Lauren Santucci centered Gant in the short documentary Teddy, which follows his work supporting Black mothers in Houston and explores masculinity, caregiving, and reproductive justice. The film premiered on REEL SOUTH in June 2026 and has also been recognized at several film festivals.
For Gant, the work comes back to making people feel safe.
“When you’re around me, just know that you should feel safe,” he says in the documentary.
From security guard to birth worker, Teddy Gant Jr. is showing that care, advocacy, and protection can take many forms.
