Want to be well educated and prepared for labor and birth? Want to know all of your options? This class is for you.

You will learn how to stay healthy and low risk during pregnancy and how to prepare your body and your mind for this journey. You will learn comfort and pain management techniques and how to work with your body so that you can naturally cope with the sensations of labor. Partners will learn how to support a pregnant mother, a laboring mother, and a nursing mother. You will both learn to work as a team to achieve the birth you desire. You will learn about the perfected natural process and why it is best for most moms and babies. You will learn what normal, real, non Hollywood birth looks like. You will be well educated on common interventions and medications so that you can make an informed decision on these options. You will be educated on what to expect from a long labor, a short labor or any of the many variations that can occur. You will know the options available to you in your area and what to expect from your care provider and place of birth whether you choose to birth in a hospital, a birth center or at home. An intensive labor rehearsal is included in this class to help you learn to utilize the techniques you have learned before the time arrives. Relaxation exercises are included in each class to help you and your baby stay connected as well as help you learn to slow down and listen to your body.

Birth is not just one day, it is the beginning on your journey as a mother and a family.  You will learn how what to expect postpartum and how to nourish and care for your body so that you can nourish and care for your baby.. You will learn breastfeeding benefits and techniques. You will learn newborn care and options for your baby after the birth, what to expect in the weeks and months after your baby arrives and gentle parenting techniques.

Included with every class is an information packet with studies, articles, recipes etc and access to my lending library of natural birth and parenting books, unlimited email access for questions or specific concerns and recommendations for local professionals.


Classes include: 

• Connecting with your baby and your body before birth
• Safe, effective comfort techniques
• Natural methods of pain management
• How partners can actively assist during labor
• Nutrition and pregnancy specific exercises
• Optimal Fetal Positioning
• Stages of labor and birth
• Writing an effective birth plan
• Choosing the care provider, birth place, and support team for the birth you desire
• Complications and interventions
• Breastfeeding
• Postpartum care
• Newborn care

The word doula comes from ancient Greek and refers to a woman who is trained to provide support to women and their families during pregnancy, childbirth, and the period of time following the birth. This means she is a woman experienced in childbirth who provides advice, information, emotional support, and physical comfort to a mother before, during, and just after childbirth

My job as a doula is to bring a level head and gentle hands to your birth. I provide you with continuous positive support during your pregnancy, labor and after your baby arrives.  I support you during pregnancy with regular meetings, writing a birth plan and providing evidence based information. I work for you and your partner to create a peaceful and positive atmosphere at your place of birth and allow the laboring couple to enjoy the process together.

Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, mothers and partners are happier with their birth experiences, labors are shorter with fewer complications, pain medication is more often avoided, babies are healthier and they breastfeed longer and more easily. 

A Birth Doula

• Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life
• Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor
• Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth
• Stays with the woman throughout the labor
• Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make informed decision
• Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her clinical care providers
• Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman's memory of the birth experience
• Allows the woman's partner to participate at his/her comfort level

One of the biggest challenges for new parents is getting enough sleep. As an overnight postpartum doula I can help you get the rest you need so that you will feel refreshed and be better able to care for your baby. This much needed break can be very helpful for the whole family. Some parents choose to have an overnight doula from time to time to get rest  as needed and some choose to have help for an extended period of time to help establish sleep patterns.

Coming into your home I will help you get your baby to sleep, showing you gentle techniques and educating you on what is normal for newborn sleep patterns as well as help with setting up nighttime routines and atmosphere that will help your child gently learn to sleep peacefully during the night. I will sleep near him and wake when he wakes to soothe and take care of him. If you are breastfeeding I will bring the baby to you for nighttime feedings then burp and change your baby and soothe him back to sleep, maximizing your sleep time. If you choose to bottle feed (formula or breast milk), there is no need to wake you. 

I can also provide breast feeding help and support which includes help with latch issues, positioning and comfort. I can provide help and support for pumping and bottle feeding. I have experience with cloth diapering, baby wearing and, as your child gets older, making your own baby food. 

Daytime doula service includes all of the above (allowing mom and dad to nap or rest) and also includes light housework, taking care of older siblings, cooking for the family, infant care, gentle parenting techniques, taking care of a recovering mom and birth processing.