• Volunteer birth and postpartum doula services.

My work as a doula is influenced by my commitment to reproductive justice and my professional work in the field of public health. I was initially drawn to support birthing women after my own experience giving birth with the support of two wonderful doulas. In 2005 I received my training through a DONA International trainer and joined the volunteer doula program at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital in Brattleboro, VT. In addition to my work supporting birthing women, I have conducted a variety of research on maternity care through my academic work. Currently I am a doctoral student in Public Health/Community Health Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where my work focuses on the intersection between community health, social justice, and critical education. From a public health perspective, doulas have the potential to help improve maternal/infant health outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and promote positive birthing experiences for women and their families. The high cost of doula care means that women without economic resources are less likely to receive this care.

I seek to support women and their families in having the best birth experience possible, however they define it. I provide volunteer doula services because I believe that all women should have access to a doula-attended birth, regardless of their income, life circumstances, age, and presence or absence of a partner/spouse.

• Birth Doula
• Postpartum support
• Overnight care
• Breastfeeding consultation
• Help with home, siblings, errands

During the time of my midwifery studies and training, I was employed by a company called Mothercare. I worked as a postpartum doula, helping new moms with breastfeeding, baby care, household help, overnight support and simply offering companionship and attentive guidance through her transition. It was an opportunity to do such needed and important work for the whole family. I found that dads were eager for support also, from baby-wearing to baby baths. I loved this work and found it extremely rewarding.

Now as a midwife and mom of 3, I continue to love this work, and feel that postpartum support is truly necessary, and believe that good postpartum care lends itself to faster and gentle healing due to rest and nurturing, and inspires self-confidence and ease for the childbearing year.

• Birth Doulas
• Postpartum Doulas
• Childbirth Education and workshops
• Professional development (for doulas and other care providers)

Providing calm, confident and continuous support for the woman and her family during labor and childbirth, and empowering them with the tools and knowledge to achieve a positive pregnancy, birth and parenting experience. At Brattleboro Birth and Doula Services, your local childbirth and postpartum doula network, we contract with professional birth and postpartum doulas. Our doulas are professionally trained and for peace of mind, all doulas have verified credentials and references and you are guaranteed a back-up doula. Visit our website to see a list of doulas available.

• Classes - hospital-based and private
• Deep Relaxation for Pregnancy Birth and Beyond©- self hypnosis for birth
• Former certified HypnoBirthing® instructor
• Birth support

• Overnight infant care and parenting support is my specialty.
• Pregnancy Support
• Blessingway Ceremonies
• Birth Doula Support
• Postpartum Services
• Babywearing Instruction
• Parenting Skills Mentor
• Special interest in twins!

Mother of four children, two girls and two boys, I have birthed both in a hospital and at home. Having experienced a range of fully supportive and less than supportive births, I am committed to helping women have positive, supported births. Knowing that preparation for postpartum is absolutely irreplaceable, I offer counseling and ideas for ways to make the fourth trimester the special time it should be, while minimizing difficulties.

For the past decade I have been involved in the parenting community in myriad ways: parenting community leader, LLL Leader, lay-labor support, birth advocate, and now as a professional doula.

I am dedicated to a learning-all-the-time lifestyle and am constantly researching, reading and exploring the world. My love of the birth process led me to seek out training with Birth Arts International as a Labor and Postpartum Doula.

I believe that each mother knows deep down how she needs and wants to birth and parent, and see my top priority as helping mothers to find that personal parenting style. There is no one right way to birth or parent, and I love offering options and support to families on their parenting journey.

• Birth doula
• Postpartum doula

This is your birth experience. As your doula, I am there to facilitate, and realize that this means something different for each individual.

• Labor Assistance
• Postpartum Support
• Lactation Counseling
• Supervised Homebirth Services
• Labor/Birth Tub Rental
• Belly Casting Services

I am committed to supporting you and your family during pregnancy, birth and beyond. Having a baby is a time of sacred transformation. It is my purpose and joy to support you and your family during this time by being a resource for evidence-based information on pregnancy, birth, the postpartum period and breastfeeding. During your labor I will be a constant presence, providing both physical and emotional support as you give birth to your baby. As your Labor Assistant it is my duty to provide you with the support you need during your time of transformation, thereby empowering you and your family for years to come.

I am an ALACE trained Labor Assistant and the mother of 3 children. My youngest child was born at home. I have completed a 45 hour Lactation Counselor Certificate Training Course. I am training to become an ALACE Childbirth Educator. I am a believer in birthing the way nature intended. I am at the beginning of my journey toward becoming a Midwife one day. I believe that all women in all settings deserve all-embracing support during labor, however they decide to birth, should they choose it.

• A continuum of care from Pregnancy through Infancy
• Birthing From Within® Childbirth Preparation Classes - 12 hour series, Immersions, and private sessions.
• Birthing from Within® Doula Support - Labor and Postpartum
• Birthing From Within® Birth Story Workshops
• Mama Journey Mindfulness Support Groups

My own journey through pregnancy, my son's birth, and becoming a mother was deeply transformative.
I realized that birth offers us a profound opportunity for personal growth, which can be very helpful in our parenting!
I have since been in training to offer mothers, their partners and newborns a unique and meaningful continuum of care from pregnancy through postpartum.

Please read below for more information, visit my website at www.mindfulbirthjourney.com, or just give me a call. I look forward to hearing from you!
(Sliding scale is available for all my offerings.)

In Birthing From Within® Childbirth Preparation Classes we learn Mindfulness practices (based on age old meditation traditions) which are proven to be very helpful for coping with pain, un-wished for surprises, and life postpartum. In BFW classes we also:

• Explore personal concerns and release fears with thought provoking processes and creative expression.
• We learn about and explore:
  • Creating the optimum environment for birth,
  • Labor physiology and psychology,
  • Home birth and hospital culture,
  • Handling un-wished for events and getting information and giving consent,
  • Finding your voice,
  • Birth from the baby's perspective,
  • Preparation for life postpartum - family, food, support.
  • Special class for Partners and much more.
• Each couple receives a BFW Keepsake Journal with over 200 pages of thoughtful questions for both you and your partner, from pregnancy through postpartum.
• My BFW classes are fun! We dance, sing, work with art materials, hear stories, and make friends.

• As a BFW doula, I offer you at least 6 hours of BFW classes, both in group and privately.
• My first consultation is free.
• I am on call for you anytime during day hours and then 24 hours a day after 37 weeks.
• I support you with Mindfulness techniques, and will support you and your partner in making your own best decisions.
• If wanted in labor, I can be very hands-on, and will massage, offer aromatherapy, hold hands, talk and breath with you.
• I will stay with you for the first few hours after your baby is born to help with breast-feeding and to get you nourishing food.
• I will visit you within three days of the birth, if possible, at your home.
• And again within the next month.

As a postpartum doula I will offer you basic house cleaning, and cooking and support you emotionally and physically in your care of your baby.

Mama Journey Mindfulness Support Groups

In the months that follow, you can come with your baby in the pre-crawling stage, or by yourself to practice Mindfulness with other mothers, have time to talk, and renew, and build community.

BFW Birth Story Workshops

You can also come for a 4 hour class and explore your birth experience through healing visualizations, drawing, and writing and sharing with other mothers. Partners are also welcome to this class.

I have over 60 hours of mentor and doula training with Pamela England, author and founder of the Birthing from Within® movement.
I have also trained with Michelle L'Esperance of Warm Welcome Doulas.
I have been offering my services to families in Western Mass. for two years. References available.
I bring my love of meditation, expressive art-making, mothering, children and families to all that I offer with Mindful Birth Journey.

• Labor and postpartum doula

Midwife in training looking to gain experience as a doula.

• Birth & Postpartum Doula
• Birthing from Within® Childbirth Classes
• Prenatal Yoga, Baby & Me Yoga, Tots & Tykes Itsy Bitsy Yoga®
• Fluent in Spanish

I discovered my passion for working with new moms and dads and their children after giving birth to my son Kai. I believe that the birth of a baby offers parents a profound opportunity for transformation, empowerment, and healing and that sharing yoga provides a unique opportunity for parents and children to connect with one another and themselves. I am committed to helping parents nurture themselves, so that they can nurture their children. As your doula and mentor, I will support you in birthing in awareness, regardless of where or how you birth. 

I have completed the Birthing From Within Art of Childbirth Mentorship training as well as doula training with local midwife Michelle L’Esperance and midwives in Mexico. I am a Registered Yoga Teacher, certified prenatal yoga instructor, and graduate of the 200-hour Forrest Yoga Foundation Teacher Training with Ana Forrest and the Tot and Tyke Itsy Bitsy Yoga teacher trainings. 

I offer Birthing from Within childbirth classes at Green River Yoga in Greenfield, and soon at Cradle in Northampton. I offer prenatal yoga, baby & me yoga, and Tots and Tykes Itsy Bitsy Yoga at Green River Yoga in Greenfield, Bhava Yoga in Brattleboro, and soon the Hadley Yoga Studio in Hadley.  My practice is inclusive, and I work with families from all income levels, single moms, young mothers, immigrant families, and LGBTQ families.

I offer a full array of birth support and care, including:

• Doula Care - Labor and Postpartum
• Homebirth Midwifery Care, including Water Births and VBAC
• Herbal Consultation and Classes
• Herbal Formulas to Support Pregnancy and Birth (Hot Mama Medicinals)
• Placental Encapsulation
• Fertility and Pre-Conception Counseling
• Well Woman Care
• Facilitated Mother/Baby Blessing Ceremonies

As a birth professional, my role is to promote and protect the health and wholeness of the birthing family, and to nurture their strength, courage and wisdom. Birth is always transformative, and it can also be joyful, creative, and empowering. My goal is for my clients to give birth with confidence and trust in their bodies.

As a mother, I know how special the time surrounding pregnancy and birth is, and also, how challenging it can be. Finding the support you and your family need and deserve during this unique passage is important. My priority is to help you connect with the people who are right for you, drawing on birth professionals and other caregivers as well as family, friends, and community.

I was raised in the Rocky Mountains and the deserts of Eastern Oregon, whose majestic landscapes inspired an early interest in plant medicine and natural healing. At 19, I began formal study to pursue this path, enrolling in a yearlong Clinical Herbalism program at the California School of Herbal Studies. I continued my extensive study of healing plants with a number of mentors over an eleven-year period. During this time, I also trained in massage and bodywork, studying at The Institute of Conscious Bodywork and Heartwood Institute in Northern California. Combining my knowledge of plant medicine and bodywork, I developed a private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area, and taught classes on herbal medicine.

In 1999, to pursue a growing interest in birth and midwifery, I became a DONA-certified Doula, and began attending births. Shortly thereafter, I began a 15 month apprenticeship with Cindy Haag, a homebirth midwife in the Bay Area. Following completion of my apprenticeship, I moved to New Mexico to pursue a 2 year training program at the Northern New Mexico Midwifery Center. There I received an Associate's of Science in Midwifery through the National College of Midwifery. In February of 2006, I sat for my certification exam and received the title of CPM (Certified Professional Midwife) from The North American Registry of Midwives.

Since moving to Massachusetts with my partner in the Spring of 2006, I have attended births both as a doula and midwife. I helped found an annual herbal conference, the Grassroots Community Herbal Convergence, and served as both Vice-President and then President of the Massachusetts Midwives Alliance. I gave birth to my son at home in the Fall of 2008, and, as he rounds the corner of 9 months out of the womb, I am excitedly returning to practice.

• Pre-natal, birth and postpartum

I have been a teacher for over 20 years, and have taught everything from infant and toddler pre-school to adult education for the handicapped. For six years I taught child development at the high school level, which included birth control, conception, pregnancy and birth. As a mother of three, pre-teen, tween, and teen, I am versed in all areas. After training and working at Cooley Dickinson for a short period as a post partum doula, the program ended. I continued to be interested in furthering my training as a doula. I took the birth doula training with Michelle L'Esperance in 2/08. I look forward to being of help to you as you bring into the world your miracle of life.

• Doula Training Workshops and Mentoring Program
• Postpartum Doula Workshops
• Creative Movement for Birth
• Pre-conception Counseling
• Birth Doula Care
• Postpartum Doula Care (day or night)
• Free initial consultation
• Inclusive of all family configurations: LGBTQ, adoptive, single parents, stepfamilies, or traditional
• Support for loss or birth after loss
• VBAC, multiples
• Natural breech-to-vertex support

Women approach their pregnancies, birthing-times, and early months of parenting with such a wide range of beliefs, hopes, and personal history.

For some women, birth is an exciting physical/athletic challenge; akin to a high mountain ascent. While it may be daunting, there is also the potential for a meaningful inner experience, and ultimately an exhilarating victory.

For some, it is a spiritual or religious rite of passage; an invitation to deepen in faith and trust, and to welcome a new soul into their family and the world.

For some, it is a frightening unknown; a time to revisit and hopefully revise self-perceptions around issues of strength, power, knowledge, safety, and trust. Sometimes past negative experiences resurface during the pregnancy, prompting women to reach a new level of healing and resolution.

For some parents, birth is the passage into a much longed-for life as a family; the joyful welcoming of a child after uncertainties of infertility or assisted conception.

For some women, it is a solitary passage into motherhood. By choice or circumstance, single mothers are called upon to dig deep for courage and strength.

For most of us, birth is a marvelous homegrown hybrid of several of these meanings. As your birth doula, I'm interested in hearing what this pregnancy and baby are to you; and developing a deep understanding of how I can be of service to your growing family.

Families of all configurations, beliefs, and birth plans are welcome. I support women in home or hospital; natural, epidural, c-section, VBAC, birth after loss, birth for adoption, and multiples.

I've been honored to walk this path with women and families for over thirteen years. While each birth is unique, there are also common themes in the passage. My role is to serve as an experienced companion and guide, supporting your highest hopes and shining a light on your own wisdom, courage, and strength.

• Birth Doula and Postpartum Doula support

I am trained as a doula as well as an assistant midwife by Ina May Gaskin on the Farm in Tennessee. My specialty is postpartum doula; I have run a childcare business for 29 years and have as of today raised 90 infants from 2 weeks to 12 yrs old. Evening hours and overnight availability.

After almost 30 years of raising them, I am enjoying the redirection of assisting in their arrival! There is nothing more rewarding than helping two people become a family. I am still working in the childcare field and am raising children from 2 weeks and up!

Before, during, and after birth support for moms, babies, and those who love them.

Postpartum Services Include:

• breastfeeding support
• infant care
• instruction in infant -swaddling and soothing
• in-home cooking/baking of fresh, nutritious meals
• housecleaning
• and childcare for siblings

Also possible are services specially tailored for moms and their new infants to encourage healing, bonding, and confidence. These include:

• aromatherapy baths
• moxibustion or "mother roasting"
• massage
• use of the faja/rebozo
• and childcare to allow mom to indulge in well deserved rest and rejuvenation.

My birth philosophy is that every woman deserves a satisfying and secure space in which to birth. As a doula, I work to facilitate the creation and maintenance of that sacred space before, during, and after birth through emotional, physical, and information support for mothers and their families. Just as each individual is unique, so are births and those that support mothers during this special time. All services are tailored to meet the specific needs and preferences of clients in order to provide the support that will best fit moms, babies, and those who love them.

I am interested in working with women and families of all shapes, sizes, expression, formation, and self-definitions. I am open to journeying with clients through birth plans of any composition ; including but not limited to, natural, low intervention, medicated, Caesarean, VBAC, hospital, birth center, home, and water births. I have knowledge of aromatherapy, pressure points for use in labor, massage, guided meditation, moxibustion, use of the faja/rebozo (labor shawl), and labor positioning; all of which I seek to use according to the needs of clients. I currently serve women and families in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts and may take clients located in the greater Hartford, Connecticut area.

I proudly hold a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences and a certificate in the study of culture, health, and science with a focus on women’s health from Mt. Holyoke College (cum laude, 2009). This is where my interest and passion for maternal and child health was first sparked and encouraged to grow across the multiple disciplines of biology, anthropology, religion, art, economics, and politics. I am currently pursuing graduate studies through a master’s in public health (MPH) program with a concentration in community health education at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. I am also a trained sexual health educator and small group/workshop facilitator.

I participated in a DONA approved birth doula training with Tara Poulin, CD(DONA), CCCE(CAPPA) from Birthing Gently and completed my postpartum doula training with Michelle L’Esperance, CPM from Warm Welcome Birth Services. I am certified in first aid care through the American Red Cross and infant/adult CPR through the American Heart Association. I am also a certified small watercraft safety instructor and a nationally certified pharmacy technician (CPhT).

Temporary volunteer doula support as I gain experience and complete my certification. I completed the doula training workshop with Michelle L'Esperance.

Support Services:

• prenatal
• birth doula
• newborn care
• breastfeeding
• cloth diapering
• babywearing
• postpartum

The experience of the birth of my son, upon a foundation of a deep rooted interest in supporting the health and wellbeing of families, blossomed into an inspiration to help couples actualize the birth of their dreams and begin their journey together as gently as possible.

As I continue on my journey toward becoming a certified nurse midwife, I look forward to supporting families as a doula.

• Birth and Postpartum doula care
• Massage therapy and Reiki for doula clients

Offering services as a volunteer as I complete my doula certification.

• Offering labor support and postpartum doula services.
• Special interest in multiples, providing support for non-traditional families (adoptive, GLBT, surrogate), and writing, particularly related to birth and pregnancy.

I will tap into my experiences to provide you and your family support as you adjust to the challenges and joys of a new family. It is my intent to protect the early postpartum as both a time of excitement and healing. As in labor, mothers (and sometimes supporting family members) need physical and emotional encouragement, and relieving the mother from the daily responsibilities of life can help with both the healing and bonding process. I can help in the home, entertain your older children, serve as gatekeeper for visitors, or help with newborn baby care.

As your postpartum doula, I can also assist you in creating a written record of your birth story when it is fresh and tangible in the early weeks after your birth. I will use the tips and tricks I employ as a writing teacher to help you create a detailed narrative of your journey.

• Several prenatal visits as needed
• On-call from 38 weeks
• Attendance at the labor and delivery
• 1-3 visits postpartum as needed

I trained to be a doula because I love sharing, with women and their partners, this extraordinary experience of pregnancy and childbirth.

In times past, various women performed the doula role during the birth process: mothers, grandmothers, aunts, wise elder women, etc. Now, when communities are often so fragmented, we need to consciously create that support system.

I offer reliable support and comfort. I help to create an environment of safety that encourages the laboring mom’s body to open, soften, and do what comes naturally. Whether the couple has chosen a natural birth, or one aided by medical intervention such as induction, epidural, or cesarean, I can advocate for their wishes during the birth. I do this by getting to know the woman and partner, and by understanding their goals and expectations in advance.

The support I offer includes a wide range of methods to help the baby enter the world, including labor positions, breathing techniques, and ways to prepare for the birth during pregnancy. I also have experience working with people who have high levels of anxiety, having supported such clients throughout their pregnancy and birth. The postpartum period is crucial for the wellbeing of the new mom and her family and I offer postpartum doula services as well. Sliding scale fees.

• Prenatal and Postpartum visits.
• Assistance creating a birth plan.
• I have (with a local collaborator) written a pregnancy resource and information book to share with clients.
• I will be on-call for you 24/7 from 37 weeks until your birth.
• Emphasis on Nutritional Support before and after the birth (In addition to going over dietary recommendations I can provide meals or cook in your home if that is a set-up that works for you).
• Lactation support.
• Assistance with family adjustment and support in the home and with siblings.
• Experience as a postpartum doula for both singletons and twins.
• Photography services (I have done private contracted work for families, non-profits and schools).
• I am open to sliding-scale payment options based on individual need.

I came to being a doula by way of a passion for female reproductive rights. I believe that it is the entitlement of all women to have access to the health care they desire. In my work as a doula I have sought to create a model where that is applicable to all women, and have focused my work largely with single and young mothers in addition to a private clientele. I am able to offer guidance in obtaining local Public Assistance for women and children in Western Mass.

As a doula I offer whole support and am completely open to doing sliding-scale pay-rates to enable doula-supported births for all women. I believe in the sacredness of all ways that families grow and evolve and have had experience doing home care for adopted infants and their new parents.

In addition to birth work I have done sex education in an international sphere, and am involved with an array of local non-profits aiming to serve and enable mothers from all backgrounds. My doula care includes prenatal visits, nutritional consultation, birth and labor support, postpartum care, lactation support and can be catered to the needs of individual families.

I have experience assisting a midwife in a clinical setting and bring with me great knowledge of fetal positioning and optimal birth positioning from that work.

I am devoted to providing unbiased and continuous support that melds with all lifestyles via a model of candid care-giving.

• Birth Doula
• Postpartum Doula
• Nanny
• Free Consultation
• Birth Photographer

As a birth doula, I will provide 2-3 prenatal visits, depending on how far along you are in your pregnancy when we meet. During your labor, I will provide physical, emotional, and informational support for you and your family. After birth, I will provide one 3-hour visit with you and your newborn at your house.

I have a special interest in multiples (extensive experience as a nanny with multiples), low-income teenage mothers (as I was one myself) and non-traditional families (I am part of one). I am supportive of all faiths, family orientations and birth plans.

As a postpartum doula and nanny, I have had the pleasure to work with many families in raising their children, and help new parents adjust to parenthood. I will provide a sense of ease with my knowledge of newborn care. I will help guide you into a routine that works for your family and lifestyle. As a nanny for over 8 years, I am able to jump into most any household and maintain a sense of balance and peace by staying ahead of daily chores, including laundry, dishes, meal prep, pet care and errands. With me I will bring great knowledge of newborns, multiples, and older siblings.

I am also available to help new parents with information on baby products and gear. I can provide recommendations on the top rated baby products: car seats, strollers, breast pumps, etc.

I am starting my first year of Midwifery at Woman Craft Midwifery, in hopes to become a CPM. I am excited for this journey to begin, one family at a time.

I look forward to working with your family.

• Birth Support
• Postpartum Support

My intention as a doula is to meet women where they are and be a trusted, honest, humble presence on the journey into motherhood. As a birth doula, I hope to ease your passage through labor by providing respectful, skilled, effective physical support and unwavering, loving, non-judgmental emotional support as well as unbiased, evidence-based information to help you make choices that are best for you and your family. As a postpartum doula, I hope to care for you, your family and your home so that you can care for your new baby.

• DONA-trained birth doula services
• Reiki during labor
• Licensed hand and foot massage during labor
• Reflexology
• Belly casting
• Postpartum doula services

Birth is the most natural thing that our bodies know how to do. Let me help make this a wonderful experience for you. As a doula, it is my pleasure to make you as comfortable as possible. This means to me supporting you in every way, from advocating for your birth plan choices, creating a relaxing labor space, coaching, to reiki and massage. Hands on or hands off, your choice. Working with alternative to conventional methods. It is all about you and your sweet baby.

I also offer postpartum services for the family. This can include cooking a meal, help with breast feeding, running errands, and helping take care of the baby or babies, of course. C-section moms and moms of multiples really benefit from this as well.