Supporting Birth Diversity

SBD Doula: A Pregnancy loss is still a birthday

Not every pregnancy results in a perfectly healthy baby. I want you to know that your baby, and your birth, matter, regardless of the outcome. When I chose to complete my doula training through StillBirthDay.com, I did not know how much healing I needed after my own miscarriages. I did not know how meaningful the training having to do with bereavement would be to me. I did not know how grateful I would be to know that I can be there for someone going through a loss.

Supporting birth diversity means that I am prepared to support you, even if you are facing an uncertain outcome, a possibly fatal diagnosis, or a loss in any trimester. The support you need will depend on how far along you are and what diagnosis your baby might have, and there is no one-size-fits-all package. Please contact me directly to talk about pricing, as I will not charge the same fee for bereavement services as I do for most other births. If you cannot afford to pay anything, I encourage you to contact me anyway, as there is a good chance I may be available to donate my services to you.

Welcoming your baby

I encourage parents to lovingly think about and bond with their baby before birth as much as possible. However, it is during and after the birth that we welcome the baby. Your baby may live only a short time after taking her first breath, or he may never take that first breath. Slow down. Look at and hold your precious baby. Take as much time as you can to welcome your baby to the world. Sing to her. Dress her. Smell his head. Take pictures or footprints. When you look back, these memories and moments will give you strength.