What is a birth doula?

A birth doula is a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to a mother/ parent and their partner/ spouse before, during and shortly after childbirth to help her achieve the healthiest, most satisfying birth experience possible.

What do birth doulas offer?

Physical Support

Position ideas for comfort and labor progression cross over with hands-on comfort measures like comforting touch, counter pressure, breathing techniques and other support for families. A doula’s skilled hands and positioning tools can often help a malpositioned baby find its way through the pelvis and into the birthing parent’s arms.

Emotional Support

Doulas help families to feel supported, easing the emotional experience of birth and also helping to create a space where the hormones of labor can work at their best. Whether a birth is completely unmedicated or medically very complex, every family can benefit from nurturing and connection at this tender, incredible time in their lives. Word of encouragement, birth affirmations and visualization technique are some additional ways to provide emotional support.

Partner Support

Whether it’s a spouse, life partner, a friend or another family member, the birth partner’s experience matters in birth. Doulas are there to support every birth partner in being as involved as they’d like with the birth. Physical and emotional support make a huge difference for everyone involved.

Evidence-Based Information and Advocacy

Doulas are trained to help families connect with evidence-based resources so they can ask great questions and make informed decisions about their births. Doulas serve as a bridge of communication between women/ parents and their providers, helping them find their voices and advocate for the very best care.

What do my birth doula services include?

- A FREE interview to see if we are a good match

- Two Prenatal visits - First one to discuss your Birth Plan, Important Questions and my List of Comfort Measures for Labor, Second one to practice positions for labor and childbirth, Spinning babies techniques, Dancing for birth moves

- Being on call 2 weeks before your due date until the baby is born

- Attending the birth from the time you would like me to come ( early labor at home or hospital), during the length of the labor and delivery and 2 hours post-partum

- One post-partum visit to discuss the birth and check on you and your baby

- Please, email me at bellevuepregnancymassage@gmail.com or text/ call 425-504-9216 for my current birth doula services fee and number of births attended. I will be happy to email you my birth contract. I accept credit cards, HSA cards or checks for  my birth doula services. 

DOULA RESUME

EDUCATION:

Doula and Birth Related Training:

2012 - Birth Doula Training with Penny Simkin – Bastyr University

2016 - Birth Doula Training – Childbirth International

2017- Massage Doula Training –Institute for Somatic Therapy

2018 - Postpartum Doula Training - Childbirth International

2016 - Healing Birth Trauma

2012 - Dancing for Birth Training

2017 - Spinning Babies Training

2017 - Aromatherapy for Pregnancy, Childbirth and Postpartum – Birth Arts International

2016 - Belly Binding Training with Sacred Postpartum

2020 – TENS unit Training with Sharon Muza

2021 - "Birthing from within" Doula and Childbirth educator ( in training)

2022 - Fertility Doula ( in training with Midwifery Institute)

2022 -  Bereavement Doula - Pregnancy and Infant Loss  ( in training with Midwifery Institute)

Prenatal, Postpartum and Infant Massage Training:

2008 - “Bodywork for the Childbearing Year” – Prenatal, Labor and Post-partum Massage

2018 - Lactation Breast Massage

2017 - Prevent and Manage Pelvic Dysfunction in Pregnancy and Childbirth

2008 - Infant Massage Educator

2012 - Manual Therapy for Newborns and Infants

2005 - Bellevue Massage School – Licensed Massage Therapist

EXPERIENCE:

Locations of Births Attended:

Hospitals: Overlake, Evergreen, Swedish Issaquah, Swedish First Hill, Swedish Ballard, UWMC

Types of Support Provided:

-In-Home in early labor

-Hospital during labor and 2 hours postpartum

-Operating Room during C-section

-Support for birthing parent, birth partner and sibling

-Support of parents with baby in NICU

-Support of birth partner during emergency C-section with general anesthesia

-In-Home and Hospital Postpartum Doula Support

Types of Births Attended:

-Vaginal Unmedicated

-Vaginal Medicated – Epidural, IV and injection pain medications

-Emergency C-sections for – breech presentation, fetal distress, failure to progress

-Twin Birth

-VBAC

-Inductions for – high blood pressure, low amniotic fluid, past due date, Preeclampsia

-Births of – 1st baby, 2nd baby, 3rd baby, twins, birth after miscarriage, IVF pregnancy, High risk pregnancy, planned C-section 

Also, check out DONA international helpful information on the benefits of hiring a doula and ways to do it.

https://www.dona.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/DONA-Birth-Position-Paper-FINAL.pdfhttps://www.dona.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Interview-Guide-for-Parents-final-2022.pdf

https://www.dona.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/DONA-Postpartum-Position-Paper-FINAL.pdf