I officially began my doula journey in October of 2023, where I attended Melissa Chappell of Songbird Maternity's Birth Doula Workshop and her certification process. Since then I have had the honor of attending births and continuing my education alongside the incredible birth worker community here in Utah. I am excited to gain more experience and expand my abilities to support my community.
Something to consider when budgeting for a doula is that evidence shows that if a birthing person has continuous labor support (doula), both birthing people and babies are statistically more likely to have better outcomes. This means, doulas significantly reduce the risk of interventions. Hiring a doula can help you avoid costly interventions, cesareans, formulas, and more. I also offer payment plans and a trust-based sliding scale to make my services more accessible!
I only take two clients per month. Since birth is very unpredictable, births that overlap can still happen. I am a part of the Northern Utah Doula Collective where I have a group of trusted and experienced backup doulas on-call at all times. In case I cannot make it to some or all of your birth, my trusted backup doula will be there for you. The collective meets every second Saturday of the month so you can come and meet everyone!
A doula provides evidence-based information so that you can make informed decisions, empowers you to ask questions and give informed consent about your care, supports you and your partner physically and emotionally, listens to your wishes without bias to help you organize and build a birth plan that is best for you, and helps you process and remember your birth story. A doula does NOT provide medical treatment, as we are not trained medical professionals. We do not make decisions for you and your family nor do we push an agenda on you. Only YOU know what is best for you! We do not take the father's/partner's place, promise, or guarantee outcomes as birth is unpredictable and we do not only attend home births. We attend all kinds of births: birth centers, hospitals, scheduled cesareans, etc.
I believe both partners and doulas play a vital role in supporting the birthing person. Doulas can also support partners! Having a doula can allow your partner to eat, rest, and take breaks during the long hours of labor. Which allows them to better show up for you. Studies have shown that the most positive birth experiences for birthing partners are ones where they have continuous support from a doula or midwife. According to a randomized trial, doulas working alongside or with partners can reduce cesarean rates from 25% to 13%! This becomes even more apparent when labor is induced, with the cesarean rate going from 59% to 13% with partners and doulas.