Recognizing Birth as a key life experience
As a Doula…
It is my mission to provide families with a wholistic model of care during their childbirth experience. I help families step into their role as parents feeling confident & empowered, with the necessary education to make informed choices in our modern day maternity care system.
Parenting begins with conception. As you step into the world of birthing, it is necessary to understand the choices being made, and how they will affect you and your family for a lifetime. Being informed about the many choices you will be making during your pregnancy is key to being an active participant in the childbirth care you will receive.
Birthing is a time of deep reflection and preparation. It is my joy to assist families in navigating these emotions and to be a consistent and strong supporter who offers compassion, understanding & education in the many changes you and your family will experience.
- Jenny Spangenberg
“Of all the ways birth outcomes could be improved, continuous labor support seems like one of the most important and basic needs for birthing people. Research has shown that labor support from doulas is both risk-free and highly effective”
— Evidence Based Birth®
Evidence-based health care means that you are informed accurately about risks and benefits of different medical procedures, so that you can make the most informed choices for your unique situation. I guide each family in making informed choices, through education, and participation in the prenatal series of classes that I offer. I assist you in obtaining the highest standard of childbirth care that provides your family with an empowering birth experience.
Loving Hands services
I offer a range of services, that can be uniquely tailored for your care. Whether you are a first time birthing family or growing your family with a new sibling, a customized package is curated to suit your specific needs. Integrating birth preparation, labor support, postpartum care and/or lactation services, you and your family will receive the education, nurturing and nourishment for this season of life.
Birthing support
Doulas nurture and support the birthing person throughout labor and birth. Their essential role is to provide continuous labor support to the mother, no matter what decisions the mother makes or how she gives birth. The doula plays a specific role while assisting the labor/delivery process. When attending a birth my role as a labor doula is to ease the family into the birthing focus and to assist the partner in providing the best support for the birthing person.
Postpartum CarE
As a postpartum doula I focus on “mothering the mother” by ensuring that the mother receives proper nutrition, sufficient fluids, and rest so that she can heal. I am a companion who can listen to the mother, provide options, resources, and referrals so that there can be a reduction in feelings of anxiety, stress, and isolation. As a postpartum doula I provide essential support to help families get the best possible start with their new baby.
LactatioN Education
As a lactation support caregiver I offer encouragement, companionship, an experienced point of view, and I help to foster confidence and a commitment to breastfeeding. Due to the limited breastfeeding information given in standard medical pactice, it is my responsibility to the family to prevent, recognize and solve breastfeeding difficulties as they arise.
What Is a Doula?
A doula recognizes birth as a key life event, that the mother and family will remember all their life. She understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor. A doula assists the woman and her birth partner in preparing for and carrying out their plans for their birth. She stays by the side of the laboring woman throughout the entire labor, providing emotional support, physical comfort measures, and an objective viewpoint to obtain information she needs to make good decisions. A doula facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her birth partner, and her clinical care providers. She perceives her role as one who nurtures and protects the woman’s memory of her birth experience.
Inside the Mind of a Doula…
Birth is a mind altering event, not just in the life of the new family, but in the mind of the doula. Here I share my experience as a doula, and how birth shapes and reforms my life. Each birth I attend is unique and fills me with great wisdom that supports me personally and makes me a stronger and more compassionate doula with each family that I serve. I invite you to join me on the journey.