Preconception Coaching; Pilates; Massage

• Birth Doula
• Childbirth Educator

My name is Karen Bayne. I have been a birth doula since 2003 and a birth educator since 2006. I am passionate about serving women and families and believe that women can be trusted with their births. Please visit my website for more information about how I work!

Cradle is an independently owned pregnancy, childbirth, and early parenting wellness center located in Northampton, MA. We offer carefully selected essential retail products for pregnancy, birth and infancy, a wide variety of classes on childbirth, newborn care and early parenting, numerous support groups, prenatal and postpartum fitness and movement classes, parenting workshops and wellness services such a massage, acupuncture, craniosacral therapy, nutrition and lactation support for expecting and new moms.

Our space is warm and inviting, with plenty of places to nurse and care for your baby or toddler. Cradle facility includes a large teaching studio, retail area with comfortable seating, a suite of offices for our practitioners and a private bathroom with comfortable changing area. We are conveniently located on the 3rd floor of Thornes Marketplace with garage parking, an elevator, and we are accessible via the PVTA.

We look forward to you stopping by and visiting us. Have a cup of tea, chat with one of our knowledgeable and caring staff members and connect to all your new and expecting parent needs at Cradle.

Our philosophy:
At Cradle, we believe parenting is a transformative experience, enhanced through informed choices and connection to community. We encourage parents to educate themselves, explore their options, and cultivate informed discussions with all care providers. We provide a variety of classes and services for new and expecting parents to care for themselves and their babies both physically and emotionally. We believe in family-centered birth, whether birth takes place in a hospital, home, or birth center. Our hope is for new and expecting families to find the connections and support they need to feel secure in their parenting journey from conception through early childhood.

• Childbirth classes (14 hours total)
• Refresher classes for experienced parents (3 hours)
• Classes scheduled according to the needs of the group
• 6 families maximum, to keep classes small and friendly
• Home/hospital, couples/singles, lesbian/gay/straight, all are welcome
• Emphasis on confidence, strength, joy, informed choice

Doula Training

I'm a doula myself with many years of training and experience. I love to prepare and inspire new doulas by teaching in an enthusiastic and interactive way. My trainings offer you the opportunity to learn hands-on techniques and skills needed to support women in labor. You'll learn a combination of evidence-based information and time-honored wisdom and skills that acknowledge that women are endowed with the ability to give birth.

Childbirth Preparation

I teach Childbirth Preparation Classes at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield, MA and at Cradle Maternal Wellness Center in Northampton. Classes weave a tapestry of birth philosophies and inspirations that empower, educate and inform women of tools they can use for labor and birth.

• A continuum of care from Pregnancy through Infancy
• Birthing From Within® Childbirth Preparation Classes - 12 hour series, Immersions, and private sessions.
• Birthing from Within® Doula Support - Labor and Postpartum
• Birthing From Within® Birth Story Workshops
• Mama Journey Mindfulness Support Groups

My own journey through pregnancy, my son's birth, and becoming a mother was deeply transformative.
I realized that birth offers us a profound opportunity for personal growth, which can be very helpful in our parenting!
I have since been in training to offer mothers, their partners and newborns a unique and meaningful continuum of care from pregnancy through postpartum.

Please read below for more information, visit my website at www.mindfulbirthjourney.com, or just give me a call. I look forward to hearing from you!
(Sliding scale is available for all my offerings.)

In Birthing From Within® Childbirth Preparation Classes we learn Mindfulness practices (based on age old meditation traditions) which are proven to be very helpful for coping with pain, un-wished for surprises, and life postpartum. In BFW classes we also:

• Explore personal concerns and release fears with thought provoking processes and creative expression.
• We learn about and explore:
  • Creating the optimum environment for birth,
  • Labor physiology and psychology,
  • Home birth and hospital culture,
  • Handling un-wished for events and getting information and giving consent,
  • Finding your voice,
  • Birth from the baby's perspective,
  • Preparation for life postpartum - family, food, support.
  • Special class for Partners and much more.
• Each couple receives a BFW Keepsake Journal with over 200 pages of thoughtful questions for both you and your partner, from pregnancy through postpartum.
• My BFW classes are fun! We dance, sing, work with art materials, hear stories, and make friends.

• As a BFW doula, I offer you at least 6 hours of BFW classes, both in group and privately.
• My first consultation is free.
• I am on call for you anytime during day hours and then 24 hours a day after 37 weeks.
• I support you with Mindfulness techniques, and will support you and your partner in making your own best decisions.
• If wanted in labor, I can be very hands-on, and will massage, offer aromatherapy, hold hands, talk and breath with you.
• I will stay with you for the first few hours after your baby is born to help with breast-feeding and to get you nourishing food.
• I will visit you within three days of the birth, if possible, at your home.
• And again within the next month.

As a postpartum doula I will offer you basic house cleaning, and cooking and support you emotionally and physically in your care of your baby.

Mama Journey Mindfulness Support Groups

In the months that follow, you can come with your baby in the pre-crawling stage, or by yourself to practice Mindfulness with other mothers, have time to talk, and renew, and build community.

BFW Birth Story Workshops

You can also come for a 4 hour class and explore your birth experience through healing visualizations, drawing, and writing and sharing with other mothers. Partners are also welcome to this class.

I have over 60 hours of mentor and doula training with Pamela England, author and founder of the Birthing from Within® movement.
I have also trained with Michelle L'Esperance of Warm Welcome Doulas.
I have been offering my services to families in Western Mass. for two years. References available.
I bring my love of meditation, expressive art-making, mothering, children and families to all that I offer with Mindful Birth Journey.

Prenatal and postnatal chiropractic care, pediatric chiropractic care, Webster Technique Certified.

After having my first son in November 2004, I realized how important chiropractic care is for a woman during pregnancy and beyond. The Webster Technique is special for dealing with in-utero constraint, a condition of the mother that often presents as a breech positioning of the baby. The technique uses specific adjustments to reduce interference to the nervous system, release the torsion on the uterus and the pelvic ligaments, allowing a baby to get into the best possible position for birth. Chiropractic care is safe and effective for dealing with not only the musculoskeletal changes that occur during pregnancy, but can also help prepare a woman's body for delivery. I can also help a pregnant woman and her partner by showing specific home stretching, exercises and massage techniques.

For the newborn, even the most gentle birth can be a traumatic event. Examination and adjustments of a baby are extremely gentle, and most babies enjoy them. My office is in Easthampton, and I prefer to work there, but I will travel if a situation requires it.

• Birth & Postpartum Doula
• Birthing from Within® Childbirth Classes
• Prenatal Yoga, Baby & Me Yoga, Tots & Tykes Itsy Bitsy Yoga®
• Fluent in Spanish

I discovered my passion for working with new moms and dads and their children after giving birth to my son Kai. I believe that the birth of a baby offers parents a profound opportunity for transformation, empowerment, and healing and that sharing yoga provides a unique opportunity for parents and children to connect with one another and themselves. I am committed to helping parents nurture themselves, so that they can nurture their children. As your doula and mentor, I will support you in birthing in awareness, regardless of where or how you birth. 

I have completed the Birthing From Within Art of Childbirth Mentorship training as well as doula training with local midwife Michelle L’Esperance and midwives in Mexico. I am a Registered Yoga Teacher, certified prenatal yoga instructor, and graduate of the 200-hour Forrest Yoga Foundation Teacher Training with Ana Forrest and the Tot and Tyke Itsy Bitsy Yoga teacher trainings. 

I offer Birthing from Within childbirth classes at Green River Yoga in Greenfield, and soon at Cradle in Northampton. I offer prenatal yoga, baby & me yoga, and Tots and Tykes Itsy Bitsy Yoga at Green River Yoga in Greenfield, Bhava Yoga in Brattleboro, and soon the Hadley Yoga Studio in Hadley.  My practice is inclusive, and I work with families from all income levels, single moms, young mothers, immigrant families, and LGBTQ families.

I offer a full array of birth support and care, including:

• Doula Care - Labor and Postpartum
• Homebirth Midwifery Care, including Water Births and VBAC
• Herbal Consultation and Classes
• Herbal Formulas to Support Pregnancy and Birth (Hot Mama Medicinals)
• Placental Encapsulation
• Fertility and Pre-Conception Counseling
• Well Woman Care
• Facilitated Mother/Baby Blessing Ceremonies

As a birth professional, my role is to promote and protect the health and wholeness of the birthing family, and to nurture their strength, courage and wisdom. Birth is always transformative, and it can also be joyful, creative, and empowering. My goal is for my clients to give birth with confidence and trust in their bodies.

As a mother, I know how special the time surrounding pregnancy and birth is, and also, how challenging it can be. Finding the support you and your family need and deserve during this unique passage is important. My priority is to help you connect with the people who are right for you, drawing on birth professionals and other caregivers as well as family, friends, and community.

I was raised in the Rocky Mountains and the deserts of Eastern Oregon, whose majestic landscapes inspired an early interest in plant medicine and natural healing. At 19, I began formal study to pursue this path, enrolling in a yearlong Clinical Herbalism program at the California School of Herbal Studies. I continued my extensive study of healing plants with a number of mentors over an eleven-year period. During this time, I also trained in massage and bodywork, studying at The Institute of Conscious Bodywork and Heartwood Institute in Northern California. Combining my knowledge of plant medicine and bodywork, I developed a private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area, and taught classes on herbal medicine.

In 1999, to pursue a growing interest in birth and midwifery, I became a DONA-certified Doula, and began attending births. Shortly thereafter, I began a 15 month apprenticeship with Cindy Haag, a homebirth midwife in the Bay Area. Following completion of my apprenticeship, I moved to New Mexico to pursue a 2 year training program at the Northern New Mexico Midwifery Center. There I received an Associate's of Science in Midwifery through the National College of Midwifery. In February of 2006, I sat for my certification exam and received the title of CPM (Certified Professional Midwife) from The North American Registry of Midwives.

Since moving to Massachusetts with my partner in the Spring of 2006, I have attended births both as a doula and midwife. I helped found an annual herbal conference, the Grassroots Community Herbal Convergence, and served as both Vice-President and then President of the Massachusetts Midwives Alliance. I gave birth to my son at home in the Fall of 2008, and, as he rounds the corner of 9 months out of the womb, I am excitedly returning to practice.

• Preconception coaching
• Pre and Postnatal Pilates based classes
• Pre and Postnatal Massage
• Birth Doula
• Postpartum resources and phone/email support

As a Doula I am 100% there to support my clients - the Mama and her partner. I support all the choices available to a woman and don't believe that there is a "best way" to labor or give birth. I believe that however she or he arrives every baby's birth is natural.

• Doula Training Workshops and Mentoring Program
• Postpartum Doula Workshops
• Creative Movement for Birth
• Pre-conception Counseling
• Birth Doula Care
• Postpartum Doula Care (day or night)
• Free initial consultation
• Inclusive of all family configurations: LGBTQ, adoptive, single parents, stepfamilies, or traditional
• Support for loss or birth after loss
• VBAC, multiples
• Natural breech-to-vertex support

Women approach their pregnancies, birthing-times, and early months of parenting with such a wide range of beliefs, hopes, and personal history.

For some women, birth is an exciting physical/athletic challenge; akin to a high mountain ascent. While it may be daunting, there is also the potential for a meaningful inner experience, and ultimately an exhilarating victory.

For some, it is a spiritual or religious rite of passage; an invitation to deepen in faith and trust, and to welcome a new soul into their family and the world.

For some, it is a frightening unknown; a time to revisit and hopefully revise self-perceptions around issues of strength, power, knowledge, safety, and trust. Sometimes past negative experiences resurface during the pregnancy, prompting women to reach a new level of healing and resolution.

For some parents, birth is the passage into a much longed-for life as a family; the joyful welcoming of a child after uncertainties of infertility or assisted conception.

For some women, it is a solitary passage into motherhood. By choice or circumstance, single mothers are called upon to dig deep for courage and strength.

For most of us, birth is a marvelous homegrown hybrid of several of these meanings. As your birth doula, I'm interested in hearing what this pregnancy and baby are to you; and developing a deep understanding of how I can be of service to your growing family.

Families of all configurations, beliefs, and birth plans are welcome. I support women in home or hospital; natural, epidural, c-section, VBAC, birth after loss, birth for adoption, and multiples.

I've been honored to walk this path with women and families for over thirteen years. While each birth is unique, there are also common themes in the passage. My role is to serve as an experienced companion and guide, supporting your highest hopes and shining a light on your own wisdom, courage, and strength.

• Acupuncture
• Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Labor Preparation
• Labor Support
• Postpartum Care
• Lactation Support
• Fertility Support
• Well Family Care

I am committed to supporting and sustaining health. Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine, and visualization are some of the tools I use to help you create the changes you are seeking to sustain dynamic balance. The heart of my practice is my faith in the body's ability to heal itself and the knowledge that every thought we have, every emotion we experience has a direct biochemical reaction in the body.

• Full scope midwifery:
  • Pre-conception care
  • Prenatal care
  • Water birth option
  • Postpartum care
• Gynecological care:
  • Annual exams
  • Gyn problems
  • Menopause issues
  • Fertility issues
  • Alternative insemination
• Bilingual staff
• Offices in Holyoke and Northampton

We are a long-established practice in the Valley that is committed to a woman's choice of how she will labor and deliver her baby and supporting her in where she chooses to have her baby.

We have the lowest Cesarean rate in the state and have been able to keep our epidural and intervention rates down. We work with a midwifery-supportive and friendly hospital staff.

• Birth and Postpartum doula care
• Massage therapy and Reiki for doula clients

Offering services as a volunteer as I complete my doula certification.

• Complete Home Birth Midwifery Services
• VBAC and Water Birth
• Fertility Awareness Classes
• Reiki Healing
• Homeopathy
• Well Woman Care

My midwifery practice is based on the knowledge that birth is a sacred and natural process. Women already have the wisdom within them to give birth. Women can become empowered through birth. It is my belief that women give birth with their hearts and bodies, NOT with their head. I strongly encourage and assist women to educate themselves about birth options and make choices based on their knowledge and intuition.

People who choose homebirth see pregnancy as a normal healthy process. Some reasons couples may choose homebirth include: quality care, increased safety for mother and baby, the lack of separation from the baby and the family, increased relaxation in the comfort of your own home, and continuity of care. Homebirth Midwifery care includes complete prenatal care, labwork, nutritional counseling, homebirth care, postpartum care, newborn exams, and recomendation and assistance in using alternative therapies such as Reiki, massage, yoga, AquaNatal, nutrition, meditation, hydrotherapy, exercise, herbs and Birthing Classes to achieve and maintain a healthy pregnancy.

Beth Anne Moonstone, Midwife, CPM

Beth is the mother of three beautiful children, all born at home with midwives. Beth is a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), Midwifery Instructor, Certified American AquaNatal Instructor, Reiki Master/Teacher, lay homeopath and Children's Yoga Instructor (RCYP). Beth is CPR and Neonatal Resuscitation certified and regularly attends workshops, conferences and other continuing education opportunities. Beth has been attending homebirths since 1994 and in private practice in the Pioneer Valley since 2001. She has attended homebirths, birth center births and has traveled overseas to work in two Jamaican hospitals and a rural clinic. Beth has been the director and lead teacher of the WomanCraft Midwifery Education Program for the last 9 years. This program offers academic study programs and workshops for aspiring midwives. For the last 8 years Beth has been the facilitator for a Waldorf inspired cooperative called "Community School" in Amherst, MA. She has also hosted numerous individual classes and workshops for children and parents. In addition to her work in midwifery, Beth is deeply involved in natural parenting and living, homeschooling,Waldorf education, women's issues, feminism, earth spirituality, yoga and community activism.

Fine art portrait photography of pregnancy, newborns, children and families.

After a career in photojournalism, I realized my heart lies in photographing the profound beauty in everything relating to family. It is my personal belief that each family's story is unique, precious, and deserves to be told in a beautiful artistic way.

• Free Initial Consultation
• Holistic hour-long prenatal sessions
• Nutritional Counseling
• 24/7 support throughout pregnancy & postpartum
• Compassionate labor support & skilled monitoring
• Birth attendance by two midwives and an apprentice
• Water Births and VBACs
• Immediate postpartum care of mother & baby
• Initial comprehensive newborn exam and newborn screening test
• Postpartum home visits at 24 hours, day three, week two or three and six weeks
• Cranio-Sacral massage for mom & baby
• Caring childbirth preparation for siblings & family
• Herbal & alternative remedies to support pregnancy, labor, birth & postpartum
• Complimentary consult with a naturopathic physician & a Mayan abdominal massage therapist
• Payment Plans/Assistance with Insurance Coverage
• Inspired wise women, with over 20 years of combined experience, guiding women through their most sacred journey
• Together we have attended more than 1400 births – and counting!

To truly be "with women" -- the very essence of midwifery -- we know that families deserve the benefit of both skilled care and sensitive attention to all aspects of welcoming a new child. Our roles as your midwives can take many forms. We advise. We inform. We guide. We observe. We reassure. And while we are trained to rescue, we very rarely need to. We listen to your concerns and problems, feel your growing belly and baby, wipe your tired brow in labor and eventually gaze with you at your precious newborn nursing in your arms. This journey is one that we feel so honored to make time and time again with birthing women and their families.

We are committed to assisting women and their families achieve the birth they desire through natural and holistic means. The care we provide is both highly skilled and individualized. We build a personal, warm, and trusting relationship so that by the time we reach the day of your baby's birth, we are able to seamlessly monitor your labor and care for you and your baby; facilitating the perfect process that is birth.

Kristen Bernard, RN, Midwife

At the age of 18, I set off for New Mexico to begin my midwifery training, but was turned away by the school I wished to attend because I was too young! Returning east, I began my midwifery training in 1987 with direct entry midwife Elizabeth Mazenec at her school in New Hampshire. Realizing that wasn't enough training for me to feel competent in birth, I chose to travel to England, where I attended a 3-year midwifery training through the University of Bournemouth. While living in England, I attended over 250 births in hospitals and at home, and worked as a NICU nurse. In 1996, I completed my U.S. nursing training and work as a labor, delivery and neonatal nurse on a per diem basis. I have an extensive background in massage therapy and specialize in cranio-sacral work for pregnant women and newborns. I have two beautiful children, one born at home and one adopted from Nepal. I have been with River Valley Midwives for the past 11 years.

Jharna Harvey-Ahmai, RN, Midwife

My first experience of homebirth was while attending a woman in Calcutta, India in the early 1980s. I was struck by the inability to tell who the midwife was, and who were the family members and supportive women of the neighborhood. At that time, Copenhagen Denmark was my home base and while there, I experienced a culture where over 60% of the births were attended by midwives at home. From this place my interest and believes about birth strengthened. I began my midwifery training in 1989 and completed it in 1992 after studying at both Hands of Light School of Midwifery in New Hampshire and Maternidad La Luz in El Paso, Texas. In 1993, a year after returning to the area, I joined River Valley Midwives. I went on to get my nursing degree in 1999, and specialize in psychiatric nursing. I am a mother of two children born at home and have been honored to attend over 500 births in the Pioneer Valley.

Kirsten Lane, BA, MPA, Midwife

After completing my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, I gave birth to my first child and discovered my calling to serve women in birth. My second birth at home only deepened my commitment and set me on my path to becoming a homebirth midwife. I completed my midwifery training through a combination of didactic work in the Stepping Stones to Midwifery program and at Hands of Light School of Midwifery. I also undertook a two-year full time apprenticeship and clinical intensive in San Ignacio, Belize with the Arizona Midwifery Institute. I have been attending births since 2001, running a busy birth doula service for several years prior to becoming a midwife. I have been practicing as a midwife since 2006 and joined River Valley Midwives in 2009. I have significant training in lactation counseling and a passion for research on women's health care policy. I make my home in Northampton with my husband and children and consider my life blessed to have attended over 350 births.

Chana Luba Ertel, Apprentice

My journey to midwifery began through reading the classic book, Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin. I was amazed and intrigued by the miracle of birth and the beauty that women possess when surrendering to the power of birth. I have been attending births as a doula since 1998 and began my midwifery studies and apprenticeship in 2007. I am a childbirth educator and a doula trainer. I have had the privilege of birthing three children at home with the River Valley Midwives and am honored to be their apprentice.

(413) 695-2143

• Home Birth
• Comprehensive prenatal / postpartum care
• Well woman care
• Pregnancy nutrition counseling
• Newborn screening exams for homebirth clients
• VBAC and Water Birth
• Breech and twin births
• Prenatal testing, lab work, & diagnostic referrals
• Contraceptive Fittings/Counseling

Midwifery is an art form – combining the arts of nurturing and guidance with current knowledge, science and evidence-based care. Our practice is based on the belief that the woman is the central decision maker in matters regarding her birth and her baby. Because of this, we respond to a mother as her caring and collaborative partner. We provide comprehensive prenatal visits – each appointment is one hour long – skilled guidance during labor and birth, and complete postpartum care for mother and baby. But what makes homebirth midwifery truly special is the value we place on connecting with a woman and her family to offer a deeper level of care. We recognize that each birth is a unique opportunity for a family to gently bring another person into the world.

Families come to choose homebirth for a variety of reasons. For some it is a deeply held belief in the naturalness of birth – a choice made long before the pregnancy even occurred. For others it is a desire for a change – a chance to heal from a previous birth experience or have the birth they have been told they cannot achieve in the hospital. Others still discover somewhere during their pregnancy a desire for a different kind of care – one that honors their unique wishes and needs as a birthing family. However you have come to consider a homebirth, we look forward to meeting you and discussing all the options available to you.

Tanya Rapinchuk, Midwife, CPM, Vermont LM: Tanya has been practicing midwifery for nearly fifteen years. She began her journey as an apprentice in British Columbia. After the homebirth of her first child, she returned to the Pioneer Valley to raise her son closer to family. She continued working with other midwives in the area and at the same time completed and later, student taught, the Massachusetts Midwives Alliance Midwifery Program. Shortly thereafter she completed a four-month clinical intensive at Casa de Nacimiento, a busy maternity center in El Paso, Texas. When she returned from El Paso she gave birth to her second child at home and later that year opened Sacred Birth Midwifery Care. Tanya is a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) and a Vermont Licensed Midwife, has been in continuous practice as a primary midwife for nine years, and has attended more than five hundred births during her career.

Lucinda McGovern, Midwife: Lucinda McGovern has been involved in midwifery for more than 15 years. She apprenticed with Mary Lawler, CPM, for many years and has also completed the Massachusetts Midwives Alliance Midwifery Program as well as a clinical intensive at Casa de Nacimiento in El Paso, Texas. She is the mother of two grown sons and a teenage daughter, all born at home.

• free initial consultation
• birth doula services
• prenatal & postpartum massage
• private yoga instruction to manage prenatal & postpartum adjustments
• sliding scale fee
• gift certificates are available!

I believe that nurturing & supporting mothers leads to healthier happier families, and that leads to a more peaceful society.

In supporting women during pregnancy, labor, birth, & beyond, I have found a path where all of my skills as a yoga teacher, massage therapist, and compassionate human being are brought together in harmony. As a practitioner, I love being a supportive element in a woman's life as she adapts to the many changes of pregnancy & motherhood. Many women step into my office feeling anxious, stressed, exhausted, or uncomfortable in their changing bodies, but they leave feeling peaceful, nurtured, and at ease. When a woman receives massage on a regular basis throughout her pregnancy, we create a routine that is relaxing & familiar. When I accompany that same woman during her labor, that routine becomes an anchor that helps her to feel grounded and secure despite the flood of emotions and sensations that may arise. I have found compassionate & skillful therapeutic touch to be the greatest tool that I have as a birth doula. Of course, massage & doula service are both available individually and clients do not need to receive both in order to receive one.

As a doula, I honor every woman's individual decisions about her birth. I have attended natural births that were completely free from medical intervention, and I have attended births where women have chosen to utilize pain medication. What is important to me, is that each woman feel empowered & supported throughout her birthing experience.

Also, I consider postpartum massage to be just as helpful as (perhaps even more helpful than) prenatal massage. Even though the baby is now born, he or she is still attached to you for all intents & purposes, and lifting, carrying, and nursing a growing baby can be very physically demanding. Massage can relieve physical discomfort as well as help a mother to cope with interrupted sleep, and the mental & emotional challenges of adapting to life with a newborn.

It is my joy to support women into & throughout the journey of motherhood.

• Prenatal and Postpartum visits.
• Assistance creating a birth plan.
• I have (with a local collaborator) written a pregnancy resource and information book to share with clients.
• I will be on-call for you 24/7 from 37 weeks until your birth.
• Emphasis on Nutritional Support before and after the birth (In addition to going over dietary recommendations I can provide meals or cook in your home if that is a set-up that works for you).
• Lactation support.
• Assistance with family adjustment and support in the home and with siblings.
• Experience as a postpartum doula for both singletons and twins.
• Photography services (I have done private contracted work for families, non-profits and schools).
• I am open to sliding-scale payment options based on individual need.

I came to being a doula by way of a passion for female reproductive rights. I believe that it is the entitlement of all women to have access to the health care they desire. In my work as a doula I have sought to create a model where that is applicable to all women, and have focused my work largely with single and young mothers in addition to a private clientele. I am able to offer guidance in obtaining local Public Assistance for women and children in Western Mass.

As a doula I offer whole support and am completely open to doing sliding-scale pay-rates to enable doula-supported births for all women. I believe in the sacredness of all ways that families grow and evolve and have had experience doing home care for adopted infants and their new parents.

In addition to birth work I have done sex education in an international sphere, and am involved with an array of local non-profits aiming to serve and enable mothers from all backgrounds. My doula care includes prenatal visits, nutritional consultation, birth and labor support, postpartum care, lactation support and can be catered to the needs of individual families.

I have experience assisting a midwife in a clinical setting and bring with me great knowledge of fetal positioning and optimal birth positioning from that work.

I am devoted to providing unbiased and continuous support that melds with all lifestyles via a model of candid care-giving.

• Birth Doula
• Postpartum Doula
• Nanny
• Free Consultation
• Birth Photographer

As a birth doula, I will provide 2-3 prenatal visits, depending on how far along you are in your pregnancy when we meet. During your labor, I will provide physical, emotional, and informational support for you and your family. After birth, I will provide one 3-hour visit with you and your newborn at your house.

I have a special interest in multiples (extensive experience as a nanny with multiples), low-income teenage mothers (as I was one myself) and non-traditional families (I am part of one). I am supportive of all faiths, family orientations and birth plans.

As a postpartum doula and nanny, I have had the pleasure to work with many families in raising their children, and help new parents adjust to parenthood. I will provide a sense of ease with my knowledge of newborn care. I will help guide you into a routine that works for your family and lifestyle. As a nanny for over 8 years, I am able to jump into most any household and maintain a sense of balance and peace by staying ahead of daily chores, including laundry, dishes, meal prep, pet care and errands. With me I will bring great knowledge of newborns, multiples, and older siblings.

I am also available to help new parents with information on baby products and gear. I can provide recommendations on the top rated baby products: car seats, strollers, breast pumps, etc.

I am starting my first year of Midwifery at Woman Craft Midwifery, in hopes to become a CPM. I am excited for this journey to begin, one family at a time.

I look forward to working with your family.

• Acupuncture and Chinese herbs for women through pregnancy and postpartum.

From common symptoms of pregnancy such as nausea to more serious and threatening situations such as polyhydramnios (excessive amniotic fluid), acupuncture and Chinese herbs are great allies to pregnant women and new mothers. This medicine has been used for thousands of years safely and effectively for most complications of pregnancy and postpartum.

In addition, it has been shown through research that women who receive acupuncture during pregnancy experience smoother and quicker labor with faster recovery.

• Doula Services:
  • Free consultation
  • 2+ prenatal visits
  • 1+ postpartum visit
  • Email & phone support
  • 24 hour on call service at 38 weeks
  • Labor & postpartum support
  • Sliding scale fee available
• Massage & Sound Therapy
  • Prenatal & postpartum
  • Partner training
  • Partner massage
  • Gift certificates available

My own personal journey into motherhood has led me to my love of birthing and doula work. I have three children whom I birthed in a hospital, a free standing birth clinic and at home. I learned about three very important aspects of myself along the way.

• The first was my voice. I have been a singer my whole life, but I did not know the depth or power of my own voice until the birth of my first child. It was there that I found my voice and its ability to move energy inside my body. I speak of this voice both as an inner soulful voice as well as a physical voice that moves both emotional & physical energy.

• The second thing I became aware of was my body's innate capabilities. I discovered that my body was created to birth (among other things) and that all I needed to do was get my head out of the way of the birthing process. Trusting my body and my voice brought me great strength and power in birthing, parenting and life.

• The third part was finding the power within myself, within my soul. It was my birth experiences that brought me the acute awareness of this amazing combination of the power of the voice, the power of the body & the power of the soul. It is these three things that keep me coming back for more. It is these three things that I enjoy experiencing and honoring in myself and other women through doula work.

I started my working journey as a nanny in 1989. I cared for infants through 12 year olds for 10 years. In 1993 I started my journey in the healing arts. In the past 17 years I have studied Shiatsu, Muscular Therapy, prenatal & postpartum massage, Samvahan Vibrational Massage, Sound Healing, & Muscle Release Technique.

It is my goal to utilize all the knowledge and experience I have gathered in my life to support women through this transformative and powerful experience of birth and early parenting. I am honored and grateful to be involved in work that empowers women, and therefore children and families and the world!