Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Culpeper - Virginia

Motherwit Birth and Postpartum Doula Service Is . . .

a professional doula service providing caring, nonjudgmental support to birthing women and their families in a variety of circumstances, from pregnancy, throughout labor and delivery, and well into the postpartum period. My services also extend to antepartum care for mothers on bed rest, and support for families who have adopted a baby.

As a doula, my highest priority is always to help my clients create the most fulfilling birth and postpartum experience possible, as they define it. Every family has a different situation, different needs and goals for this miraculous and challenging time. My job is to ease the transition to new parenthood by supporting the entire family with the information, practical help, emotional and physical support and comfort that best suits their needs. There is a wide variety of ways in which a doula might help "her" families. We wear a number of hats! Below are brief descriptions to give you an idea of what birth and postpartum doulas are all about. Please continue on to the Services and Fees page to find out more specifics.

Doulas Are . . .

women who are specially trained to care for, or "mother," women during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. Doula is a Greek word that originally referred to a women's servant, and while we prefer not to think of ourselves as actual slaves, doulas nowadays are still devoted to serving our clients. Our sole interest is seeing to their comfort and meeting their special emotional needs during pregnancy, birth, and the early months thereafter.

Birth Doulas . . .

offer emotional support, physical comfort measures, and nonmedical advice, as well accurate, evidence-based information during the entire labor and birth process as well as in the immediate postpartum. Many studies have proven the benefits of the presence of a doula during childbirth, including a decreased likelihood of cesarean section, fewer requests for pain medication, and greater satisfaction with the birth experience. As a birth doula, I am happy to support women who choose either natural or medicated births, whether at home, in a hospital, or in a birth center setting.

Postpartum Doulas . . .

provide practical support to new moms and families. Historically, women have always helped other women in the postpartum period, allowing the mother to recover physically and emotionally from giving birth, while the whole family has a chance to bond with the new baby. Nowadays, extended families are not always able to help out when a new addition arrives, and parents may find themselves exhausted if they try to go it alone. This is where the postpartum doula comes in, cooking, running errands, entertaining siblings, answering baby care and breastfeeding questions, helping moms process the birth experience and changes in their postpartum bodies, and much more. As is the case when providing labor support, I make the priorities of my postpartum families my own, acting as a resource for accurate, useful information and nonjudgmental emotional support so that they have the tools and help they need to parent in the way they feel is best.

Why Should I Use A Doula?

The benefits of doula support during labor are well-documented. In its Position Paper: The Birth Doula's Contribution to Maternity Care, DONA International, perhaps the best-known of several certifying organizations for doulas, cites the results of a meta-analysis of 15 studies of the benefits of continuous labor support. Compared with women who received only usual care (i.e. no doula) during labor and delivery, those who were cared for by a birth doula were -

• 26% less likely to give birth by cesarean section*
• 41% less likely to give birth with a vacuum extractor or forceps
• 28% less likely to use any analgesia or anesthesia (pain medications, including epidurals)
• 33% less likely to be dissatisfied or negatively rate their birth experience

*Some studies have shown even higher rates in cesarean reduction, as much as 50%.

Doula care has also been shown to result in a shorter average length of labor, to have a positive impact on breastfeeding, and to reduce the likelihood of postpartum depression. Babies born to moms who had doula support tend to be healthier and have fewer difficulties at birth. (See The Doula Book by Marshall H. Klaus, M.D., John H. Kennell M.D., and Phyllis H. Klaus C.S.W., M.F.T. and The Doula Advantage by Rachel Gurevich.)

Researcher John Kennell, M.D., who has studied the benefits of doula care for many years, has commented, "If a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it."



A Little About Me

I began working as a birth and postpartum doula in 2007 after spending several years trying to find my niche in the world of mothers and babies, to which I've always felt a strong pull. My own two daughters were born in 2001 and 2003, the first in a hospital with a certified nurse midwife, and the second at home, in a birthing pool, attended by a licensed midwife and her student, along with my husband, older daughter, and our attention-seeking cat! It was the radical difference in the quality of these two birth experiences that set me on the path to becoming a doula. Both my homebirth midwives had been doulas themselves, and at that birth I had the absolute best support I can imagine. I delivered my second daughter in total comfort and confidence; I felt no fear, and any pain seemed secondary to the joy and wonder of the whole process. I had bonded closely with my midwives prenatally, and I knew without a doubt that they would be sensitive to my needs and respect my wishes during labor. There was always a set of strong, gentle hands available to massage my back, a companion to talk or breathe me through a difficult contraction, bring me a drink, encourage me to eat, and remind me to reach down and catch my own baby as she emerged. While my hospital birth had been "good," in terms of being uncomplicated and everyone coming through in good health, I definitely felt the lack of continuous, skilled support. My epidural, which hadn't worked very well, was not an adequate alternative!

Somewhere over the course of the next couple of years, as I was nursing babies, changing diapers, and active in La Leche League and MOMS Club, International, I realized that I really wanted to work with birthing women and new families. I've had a lifelong fascination with pregnancy and birth, since even before I thought I wanted kids of my own. During my pregnancies, I'd envied my midwives, but it took me a little while to finally realize that was because I was being called to attend births and take care of new moms and babies, too.

After two years in training, I am certified as a birth doula through DONA International. I am also certified as a postpartum doula through Full Circle Childbirth Consultants, Inc. I have been attending births both with paying clients, as well as volunteering through the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board's Teen Lamaze classes, and the Paul Stefan Foundation in Orange County. I have attended various trainings and workshops, and plan to continue my education. Long-term, I will be training to become a homebirth midwife, as well.

My trainings so far include:

• Midwife Assistant Workshop at The Farm Midwifery Center, March 29-April 4, 2009
• DONA International Birth Doula Workshop with Penny Simkin in 2007
• Full Circle Postpartum Doula Training
• Lamaze International's Creativity, Connection and Commitment: Supporting Teens During the Childbearing Year
  Hypnobabies' Hypno-Doula certification
• Supporting Women Through Perinatal Loss workshop with Miriam Maslin
• Basic Reflexology with Janice Marsh-Prelesnik, and Labor Massage Techniques with Elaine Stillerman workshops at Midwifery Today Conference March 2008
• Various classes at the 2009 DONA International Conference

I am also very proud to be a student of the Virginia School of Traditional Midwifery in its inaugural year! How long it may take to complete my midwifery training, I don't know, but I'm enjoying the learning process immensely.

Another important facet of my work is educating the public and promoting awareness of healthy birth and baby-care practices in my community.  In the last year or so, I have had the good fortune to collaborate with two other local doulas, Sarah Winfrey and Leah Paul, on the Fredericksburg Area Family Childbirth Circle, a free, public support and education group for expectant and new families.  Our group started off small, but has been growing steadily, and is now well-attended, with both loyal attendees and new faces every month.  We meet at 7pm at the Salem Church Library in Fredericksburg on the second Tuesday of each month; every meeting covers a different pregnancy, birth, or baby-related subject, with frequent guest speakers and lots of time for questions and answers.  This group is great fun and an excellent resource, and I encourage all expectant and new parents to attend (babies and little ones are welcome, as well).

I am also currently serving as the Virginia State Representative for DONA International, Secretary of the new Central Virginia Chapter of ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network), and as a member of the Virginia Breastfeeding Advisory Committee.  

Over the past few years, I have had the privilege of attending births both in and out of hospital settings. I've helped first and fourth-time moms, married and single, of varying backgrounds, supporting them through long or short labors, cesareans and, happily, VBAC! In my postpartum work, I've worked with both breast- and bottlefeeding mothers, and cared for singletons and twins, as well as older siblings and pets! Every mother, every baby, every labor and postpartum is different, and I am thankful to the families I've supported for all they've taught me. I have been richly blessed by this work, and I look forward to continuing it!

In addition to attending births and answering baby-related calls at three a.m,  I am a mother to two amazing daughters, one of whom created the artwork for this website, and wife to a very patient husband. We live in Spotsylvania county, with two dogs, a cat, and a fish.  In the very little spare time I have, I enjoy hiking, quilting, and attempting to play bluegrass banjo.