What I Do

Birth Support

As a birth doula, I

• Recognize birth as a transformative experience that you as the birthing person will remember all your life
• Understand the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a person in labor
• Assist you and your partner in preparing for and carrying out your plans for the birth. This includes creating a birth plan, providing information about what to expect, and offering referrals.
• Stay by the side of the birthing person throughout the entire labor
• Provide emotional support, physical comfort measures, an objective viewpoint and assistance to you in getting the information you need to make good decisions. This might look like massage, verbal affirmation, making sure the environment of your space is comfortable and safe, or providing evidence-based information.
• Facilitate communication between the you, your partner, and clinical care providers
• Perceive my role as one who nurtures and protects the memory of your birth experience. Labor and birth can be intense and overwhelming, and it may be difficult to remember everything as it happened. It is my job to help you tell your story of your birth. 

                                                                                                                                                                *source DONA International

My Birth Doula Fee is $1600 (on a sliding scale) and includes:

• 1 free initial consultation. You can ask me questions, I will talk a bit about myself and what I do, and we can see if we are a good fit.
• 2-3 prenatal meetings, either in your home or somewhere convenient. I will help you reflect on and create your birth plan, offer information, and give support or referrals as needed
• 24/7 phone support starting at 37 weeks of your pregnancy, including early labor phone support
• In-person uninterrupted support once you are ready for me, through your labor and delivery.
• Use of my Elle TENS unit during labor if desired
• I will stay with you immediately after your baby is born for up to two hours, answering questions, checking in with you, and making sure you are comfortable.
• 1-2 postpartum visits within a week or two after the baby is born. I will answer questions, offer emotional and physical support, offer lactation/feeding support if needed, and give referrals where necessary.
• Phone support up to 6 weeks postpartum during business hours.

Contact me to get started!

Postpartum Support

As a postpartum doula, I:

• Know birth recovery and how bodies heal after birth. I draw on my knowledge and experience of the postpartum period to help you rest and heal in the best way for you and your family.
• Know newborn care - I can help answer questions, provide assistance, and most importantly, reassure you that you are doing a great job as a new parent!
• Assist you and your partner in carrying out a postpartum plan: this includes drawing on the community that you already have, reflecting on your family/heritage/chosen family's postpartum healing traditions, and deciding what is best for you and your family.
• Offer individualized hands-on care: I meet with you to make a plan that works with the rhythm of your life - sometimes this means doing laundry throughout the day or cooking a nourishing meal.
• As a Certified Lactation Counselor, I provide individualized lactation support if you choose to breastfeed. 
• Listen to your concerns in creating a safe, non-judgmental space. There is nothing you can't share with me about your experience - I want to hear all of your joys, concerns, little and big accomplishments, and frustrations.
• Connect you to resources in the community.
• Serve as an ally for you and your family, in and outside the hospital setting.

My Postpartum Doula Fee is $35/hour (on a sliding scale) and includes:

• 1 free initial consultation, either before or after your baby is born, usually in your home
• Regular 3 to 5 hour shifts of daytime postpartum care that can include anything from:
  • Self care support and problem-solving
  • Breastfeeding support and instruction
  • Infant care and sleep support
  • Light household chores (laundry, tidying, grocery shopping, cooking)
  • Nutritional support, including providing and sharing nourishing meals for you and your family
  • Respite care (attending to your baby as you take time for yourself if needed)
  • Referrals
  • Sibling care (reaching out to care providers or community members for support or providing occasional childcare and support)

Contact me to get started!

Childbirth Education

Childbirth is a profound process of initiation. Preparing for childbirth begins long before you take a pregnancy test, take classes, or hire a doula. While there is much you can do to prepare for and learn about birth, pain, and the modern medical system, your birth remains ultimately unknowable. In Birthing From Within, we will work together to awaken a coping mindset, to encourage resilience, flexibility, and coping skills for you to navigate the great unknowns of birth and parenthood.

Class Topics include:

• Physiology and stages of labor, pushing, birth, and postpartum
• Birthing in our bodies (eating in awareness & nutrition, positioning for labor and birth, yoga, massage, laborland, pushing and birthing)
• Choosing a Birthplace and Making Informed Decisions with Informed Consent
• Exploring birth and the unknowns through Birth Art and storytelling
• Pain-coping techniques using mindfulness, meditation, visualization, as well as the wise and compassionate use of drugs and epidurals
• Welcoming Baby & Postpartum Adjustment (postpartum expectations and moods, planning for help and support)
• Rituals and Celebration for the childbearing year

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Upcoming Classes

Stay tuned for upcoming classes in 2025!

sign up here

Sibling support

As a sibling doula

• I am there to provide complete emotional support your child(ren) as they experience the birth of their new sibling. A new baby is a big transition for a child, and part of having a meaningful birth experience is knowing that the people you love are being taken care of while you are laboring and giving birth.
• I am more than a babysitter - I help your child process the labor and delivery as it happens, while at the same time maintaining their normal sleep/meal/daily routine.
• With over 10 years of experience as an educator and nanny, I am deeply comfortable with and empathetic to the emotional needs of young children. 

My Sibling Doula fee is $1000 (on a sliding scale) and includes:

• 1 two-hour "get to know you" session prior to the birth at your home where I meet and spend some time with your child(ren) and become a familiar face. During this time we might read a book or two about new babies, I will help them to understand what to expect, or we might just spend time together. You as the parent can choose to be at home with us during this time or your may leave to run errands or do something for yourself.
• 24/7 on-call availability starting at 36 weeks of your pregnancy
• Up to 48 hours of continuous care once you are in labor and giving birth. During this time, I will talk to your child about what is happening, take them somewhere out of the room if the child is feeling overwhelmed or frightened, and be overall emotional support for your child while you and your birth team do what you need to do!
• 1 hour-long postpartum visit within a week or two after the baby is born. I will check in with your older sibling(s) to reflect on the birth and help them start the transition to life with a new baby.

Contact me to get started!

More Information

Resources in the Pittsburgh area:
Cortney Seltman - Birthing from Within Childbirth Education classes 
New Parent Support Group with Marlee Malone-Franklin - for new parents looking for community and support

More information on doulas, pregnancy, and childbirth:
DONA International - for learning more about doulas, trainings, and certification
Evidence Based Birth - an online resource for the latest, proven evidence-based information surrounding everything birth
Birthing From Within - a heart-centered approach to childbirth, focusing on its transformation, creativity, and deep challenges