Proactive Birth Doula Support

Proactive Birth Doula Support

A birth doula provides emotional and physical support to expectant families in a safe and supportive way before, during, and after birth.

As your proactive birth doula…

  • I offer emotional and physical support prenatally and through your birthing journey and into the first two weeks of postpartum.

  • My support also extends into providing evidence-based resources for informed decision making and informed consent. This means helping to advocate for space and time for you to make empowered decisions and feel safe and heard.

  • I do not replace your birth partner/support person if present but rather encourage them to actively participate in the birth experience at their own comfort level in ways you as the birthing person can feel well supported…tender loving care from each of us.

  • I help you cultivate the knowledge to speak for yourself and facilitate effective communication with the birth team you have selected. The goal is to work altogether focused on your intentions and goals for the best possible birth experience for you and your baby.

Comprehensive Birth Doula Support Package

Comprehensive Birth Doula Support Package

As your proactive birth doula, I will work with you to help you feel prepared, supported and empowered to have the birth experience that you desire. My support includes:

As your proactive birth doula, I will work with you to help you feel prepared, supported and empowered to have the birth experience that you desire. My support includes:

Throughout pregnancy

  • Complimentary consultation to meet me and learn about my services.

  • Up to five Prenatal Preparation Sessions that can include Childbirth Education depending on your own unique learning needs. These can be given in my home, your home or through Zoom depending on your preference.

  • First two classes can be offered early in pregnancy (starting as early as 20 weeks and after) and focus on the proactive Body Ready Method® (BRM). This offering helps to intentionally prepare your body for birth while optimizing your comfort in pregnancy. This early preparation also helps to promote a more efficient birth experience. Special attention is given to the pelvic floor, pelvis, upper body, core and what are your daily movement patterns. Prenatal yoga can also be added if desired.

  • Throughout your pregnancy we work together to add additional proactive BRM tools as your body changes throughout your pregnancy which can also enhance comfort along with more efficient postpartum healing. We grow your confidence, increase your body awareness and also explore ways to bring in a calm mindset to your birthing experience with the focus on “labor flow.”

  • Remaining three prenatal classes incorporate a variety of other topics such as mindfulness from Mindfulness Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP), the stages of labor, labor flow, comfort measures, review of common medical interventions, creating your Birth Preferences/Plan, newborn procedures, planning for postpartum, and much more depending on your unique learning needs and experience.

  • We will also discuss what emotional and physical comfort measures are desired for your birth intentions/preparations.

  • Extra time can be spent when needed reviewing any breastfeeding/ chestfeeding questions if you desire to breastfeed/chestfeed. It is highly recommended to take an additional breastfeeding class.

  • I also include the opportunity to attend my in-person Body Ready Birth® workshop. This can be taken with other expectant couples/support person while connecting to other birthing families for community support and learning at the same time. It also can be taken one on one with just me. This workshop can be especially convenient for those who already have birthed and want an updated accelerated childbirth education experience.

  • Unlimited phone/text support throughout your pregnancy with regular check-ins along with following the progress of your prenatal visits and several weeks postpartum.

During labor and birth

  • I will be on-call for your birth from 38 weeks until you have your baby. If you go into labor before this time, I do my best to attend or reach out to back-up doula support. Whenever you think your labor has started, we stay in close contact and I can offer support at this time as well.

  • I arrange an opportunity for all clients to meet a back-up doula. A back-up doula would only be called for emergency reasons.

  • Once you request me to attend your birth, I provide continuous emotional and physical support throughout your labor and birth, in person, at your chosen birth setting.

  • If present, I can take pictures along the way of your labor and birth, while being sensitive to your privacy guidelines.

  • I will stay for 1-2 hours for immediate postpartum support. At this time, I can help you get settled, answer questions and and help initiate breastfeeding/chestfeeding if needed.

Postpartum

  • I offer a postpartum visit approximately 2-4 weeks after your birth in your home as an opportunity to discuss and share your feelings about your birth story promoting healthy memory keeping.

  • At this time, I can also offer any further referrals to resources that you feel you might need (ex. parent support groups, IBCLC, pelvic floor physical therapist, chiro care, etc.).

  • I will also offer memory keepsakes from your birth and as a way to celebrate you and your baby.

Also included with my Comprehensive Birth Doula Support Package

As a trained Reiki Master, I offer a complimentary Reiki energy session to all of my clients. It can be done at your home or mine anytime during our sessions together and is my gift to you. My intention is to offer loving kindness and promote self healing.

Collaborative Village Support Package

In addition to my private doula practice, I am now offering a village support package, with 2025 availability. I am honored to be collaborating with a highly-experienced and wonderful like-minded doula, Shalin Butterworth, and a highly-experienced Lactation Consultant, Katie DaMota. Being part of collaborative doula support offers even more holistic comprehensive benefits for birthing families. Please explore this link to see the details of what you will receive when choosing collaborative/village doula support. This is a whole new level of doula support and especially helpful for first time parent(s)!!!

Birth Doula Support — Additional Services Available

All of these offerings are woven throughout my Comprehensive Birth Doula Support Package. For anyone not using my birth doula services, these options can be available for individual purchase.

Body Ready Method®

Take charge of your pregnancy and birth with individualized preparation.

Body Ready Birth®

Train your pelvis and body for a safer and more efficient birth experience.

Childbirth Education

Prepare the mind, body, and heart for childbirth and beyond.

Prenatal Yoga

Create a harmonious connection between your body, mind and spirit.

Lactation Support

Get off to a great start with bonding and nursing your newborn.

*Photo by NB Birth

Body Ready Method®

As a Certified Body Ready Method pro® with birth doula experience, I am excited to empower birthing families with this proactive method that focuses on prevention and shifting the paradigm of prenatal prep and birth care.

Through my BRM® training using a 5-pillar approach, I can help you become more aware of what daily living and movement patterns you do that can impact your birth and postpartum recovery experience. Through one-on-one individualized body alignment assessments, I offer suggestions and tools that directly apply to your unique pregnancy experience for prevention of common pregnancy discomforts, enhance your birth experience, and also promote better postpartum healing along with fostering feelings of stability, resilience, and self-confidence.

As your Body Ready Method pro®, I will work with you and your unique body to prepare for your best possible pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience.

Body Ready Birth® Workshop

I am excited to share that I now completed the first cohort of Body Ready Birth®, and I am authorized as a Body Ready Birth® teacher to teach Body Ready Birth® to the local birthing community!

We teach you specific movements that create optimal space during birth for a safer and more efficient experience. It educates you and your partner about birth positions, how to know when to do what, and how to make the process easier.

Childbirth Education

I offer a series of childbirth education classes focused on Mindfulness Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) or more generalized childbirth education that also covers how mindfulness can be helpful in childbirth and parenting… a lifelong tool.

I believe childbirth education is an important and empowering part of preparing for childbirth while at the same time not forgetting to trust and respect the intuitive and physiological process of childbirth. Also, I have taught classes to clients that preferred not to have doula support but wanted an opportunity for their partner to learn how to best uniquely support them. Whether you want to focus on MBCP or have generalized classes or special classes to work with just your partner, I love to teach them. It is important to me that you feel prepared while also having fun and grow your confidence to self trust. Please contact me, and we can discuss what classes you prefer along with my fee depending on how many classes you would like to have.

I have received training in MBCP through UCSF/Osher Center/Nancy Bardacke, CNM.

More generalized classes are approximately 3 sessions, 2 hours each.

The MBCP series is about 8 weeks long . We meet once a week for approximately 2 hours.

Prenatal Yoga

I believe the experience of birth is a sacred and transformative experience. Yoga has a way of empowering you and fostering that sacred connection between you and baby. It also helps to prepare your body for the birthing process while at the same time through movement and breath invite a harmonious connection between the body, mind and spirit.

I offer a gentle yoga practice that brings in affirmations, pelvic floor health, breath, and movement promoting well being and the opportunity to let go whatever might not be serving you. I am mindful about whatever level you come to me in your yoga practice, and we start where you are right here right now. I  provide opportunities to explore mindful movement and meditation as well.

I have my certification in Birth Wisdom Yoga, certification in Restorative Yoga and have completed a 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training through Naturally Yoga.

I teach one-on-one and come to your home or set up a class in my home. I have props and an extra yoga mat, if needed. I make sure you have an enhanced rest time and snack before we end for the day! Classes last for 1.5 hours

Please contact me directly for pricing as we can set up classes for your individual needs, and I can offer a package of classes if needed.

Lactation Support

As a Certified Lactation Educator Counselor, I offer a comprehensive lactation support class that can help you get off to a great start and build a solid foundation on how to breastfeed/chestfeed your baby. This is a unique experience for each baby, and I do my best to enhance this dance between you and your baby as you learn together.

My comprehensive lactation education class covers risks of not and benefits to breastfeeding/lactation, how lactation works, latching your baby, positioning, feeding cues, how to tell if your baby is getting enough milk, breast care, common concerns, and hand expression and pumping. I cover mindful breastfeeding/lactation and the Baby Cycle per Mindful Based Childbirth and Parenting (Nancy Bardacke, CNM). You will receive a booklet, “Understanding Breastfeeding” and many other resources that can be helpful along the way. I am available for questions and concerns during your pregnancy and initial postpartum period. For problems out of my scope of care, I have referrals to local IBCLCs and cranial sacral therapists.

Classes are held privately, in your home or virtually, and are approximately 2.5 hours long. I can offer this class outside of my birth doula services. Please contact me regarding my fee, and I can offer a sliding scale.