Both. And birth center births, too!

The biggie is that midwives are trained health care (aka “deliver”) babies., doulas are not. 

Midwives are responsible for watching over the health and safety of parent & child before and during birth as well as in the early days postpartum. Midwives take blood pressure readings, listen to baby’s heart tones, and are trained in life-saving skills for parent & child, too, just to give a few examples.

Professional doulas like me are trained, too, but I attend births in a non-clinical capacity. My job is to witness, comfort, encourage, and support you and your partner. This might include making sure you’re eating & hydrating, helping with position changes throughout labor, showing your partner where to massage your back during contractions, and (importantly) making sure that you feel confident throughout your baby’s birthing time. 

But my role goes beyond just the feel-good stuff. 

Research shows that people who choose doula support are statistically more likely to have: 

• shorter labors
• decreased risk of Cesarean
• decreased use of any medications for pain relief
• increased likelihood of a positive birth experience

I take no stance on this. 

I simply help you understand your options and each one’s risk / benefit profile. Then I teach you how to make empowered decisions for yourself & your family. 

After that, it’s up to you. You have my support 100% no matter what. 

The sweet spot is somewhere between 20 – 34 weeks. 

Why so early? Because part of what you’ll learn is what to do during pregnancy to stack the deck in your favor for the kind of birth you want. The more time you have to practice, the more likely it is to work. 

That said, I’ve also had happy clients wrap up their class and give birth the next day (yep, that’s happened more than once). So if you’re past week 34, it’s okay. Contact me. It’s never too late for a great birth class.

1. I don’t just know stuff, I know how to help you know stuff.

How? Because I’m not just a childbirth educator. In my previous career, I was a high school teacher with training & expertise in multiple subject areas. I was also a lacrosse coach (youth through NCAA). That means I have spent almost two decades helping others succeed: starting in 2002, in the classroom & on the field, and since 2013, in the birthing room. 

2. I’m here to celebrate you.

How? As a doula, all those years of coaching sure come in handy. Yes, I’ll be there to offer you hands-on support, but my biggest role is to witness & coach you so that no matter what twists and turns your baby’s birth may take, you come out of it feeling like a champ.

3. You’ll learn things here that will benefit you for the rest of your life.

At Sweetwater Doula, it’s all about helping you gain skills that won’t expire once your baby is born. That means giving you tools and information you can use for labor and when your two-year-old is expressing big emotions in public and when you send them off on their own for the first time, and, and, and. That’s why I’ve spent years researching, testing, and updating my curriculum to make sure it’s built for the long haul.