Peaceful Birth for a Peaceful Earth: Labor Support/Doula Services

As a massage therapist certified in pregnancy massage, Echo would inevitably get the request after working with a client throughout their pregnancy, to attend their birth and provide the same supportive role. Initially feeling ill-prepared to be a support in the awesome experience of birth, Echo decided early on to take additional training on support techniques for labor and delivery.

The process of birth, and supporting new moms, quickly wiggled its way into Echo’s heart, and became an absolute passion. She trained and became a certified doula (labor assistant) through Doulas of North America (an organization which has now expanded to become DONA International). She volunteered as a doula with UNC-Chapel Hill’s BirthPartners program and has attended and provided labor-support during the births of many of her clients at several local hospitals, including Duke, Durham Regional, UNC, and Greensboro Women’s Hospital. She continues to read about birth voraciously, cherishing the words of Ina May Gaskin, Penny Simpkins, and others. One of her first doula clients was so appreciative of the supportive role that Echo provided at her birth that she contacted a local newspaper, which did a full-page spread on Echo’s work as a doula.

The phrase “Peaceful Birth for a Peaceful Earth” popped into Echo’s head and heart one day, along with the signature logo she created to symbolize this thought in visual form. This simple phrase summed up a lot of why she had become so passionate about helping mothers through the birth process. She strongly believes that birth is a natural and beautiful process that women are immensely equipped and capable of handling with strength, pride, and joy, if they are encouraged and supported. She views birth as inherently natural, though she does recognize and appreciate the superb technology and medical interventions available to birthing mothers, when necessary.

She believes that birth is an intensely personal experience and that women should be given the space and encouragement to birth in the manner that feels right for them, whether at home with a midwife, in a birthing center with midwives and other birthing professionals, or at a hospital with ready access to medical options. She believes that a mother who has been educated about the birth process, encouraged in her own innate ability to handle the power of birth, and educated about her many options for support, is uniquely suited to then determine what is right for her, and should be supported in that choice.

Peaceful Birth Doula Services include:

• Birth education and access to extensive collection of childbirth literature
• Unlimited telephone consultation throughout pregnancy and postpartum
• Meetings with mom, as needed, to discuss birth options and available labor support techniques, specific to the facility she has chosen
• Assistance with writing a birth plan/vision, though Echo always emphasizes that the plan is merely a way of summarizing preferences. Flexibility and openness of the mind and heart are integral to opening of the pelvic floor!
• On-call availability beginning 3 weeks prior to mom’s due date
• Meeting the family at the chosen birth facility
• Continuous labor support throughout the birth (unlike many traditional labor support professionals, there will be no changing of shifts with a doula!)
• Help with ensuring that other people the mom chooses to have present at her birth (husband or partner, mother, sister, etc.) are given ideas for ways to be involved and supportive
• Postpartum visit to discuss the birth and present mom with a Birth Story which is a wonderful keepsake for baby!
• Assistance with arranging for additional postpartum support, as needed

The fee for Peaceful Birth Doula Services is $500.

50% is due to secure services, with the remainder due by the beginning of on-call availability (3 weeks prior to due date).