I believe in and practice a Physiological Birth model! Whether your birth takes place in the Hospital or Home, whether its medicated or unmedicated I am here to support you and the physiology of your birth and body!
“It’s impossible to predict how a birth experience will unfold, and now that ours has, I can’t imagine going through it without Shannon’s support. From our first meeting, she took the time to understand our story, our values and birth preferences and provided a wealth of resources to guide us as we approached our due date. Her check-ins on how things were going physically and emotionally leading up to the big day were so helpful, along with reassuring words and advice when things felt scary or uncertain.
From the time my water broke and on, she was there for us with words of encouragement, hands-on assistance, homeopathic aids, and positivity. Shannon stepped into our labor room with poise, empathy, and confidence. She spent long hours helping me with comfort measures, positioning, and emotional support, and advocated for me every step of the way. The experience of labor and birth exhausted me and my partner, but Shannon never wavered from our side and was attuned to both of us when we needed it most; we were blown away by her strength and stamina.
Her support extended beyond the birth, from staying with us until we felt more comfortable that day to postpartum check-ins. We are so grateful for the photos and videos we now have of this life-changing experience, thanks to her! Shannon will forever have a special place in our hearts for her guidance and help in bringing our baby into the world. We can’t thank or recommend her enough.”
Tanya R.
Or come see me at the Meet The Doulas (click to RSVP) event in Asheville hosted by The Flow Of Life Doula collective here in town. Meet the Doulas are the first Saturdays of every month from 10-11am - Come say hi to me!
I am your biggest birth ally! I am your cheerleader and your confidant throughout all the intricacies of pregnancy and birth. I never want you to feel like I have an agenda for your experience, your goals are my goals. My ONLY agenda is providing you with evidenced based research and helping you know your real options all along the way. We will meet 2-3 times before your birth and really get to know each other, my hope is that when I walk into your birth room your body relaxes a little bit and you say “awesome, Shannons here” - not because I am a birth savior or anything like that, but because I am a part of your trusted intimate team and when I join the gangs all here and we can settle in for the journey together. During our prenatals we will talk about a multitude of things that all have a purpose in preparing you and your partner for every direction that birth can take. Not to plan for undesirable outcomes but to know your choices and feel empowered no matter the outcome. I want you to feel proud of the birth story you get to write! No matter how your pregnancy and birth unfolds I will walk with you through it and share my hot tips, evidenced based info, local resources, and physical/emotional support along the way. I will help you and your partner get clear on what exactly your birth preferences are and help make sure they are clearly communicated to your birth team. I will bring you herbal teas and tinctures to every prenatal meeting and during postpartum - if you are experiencing anxiety, nervous system stress, nausea, heartburn, insomnia, GI upset - I have blends for you! I always bring uterine toning/mineralizing tea for my clients prenatally and a Sitz bath/nipple cream postpartum if needed. You can text and call me whenever you need during your pregnancy, and during early labor we will be in very close phone contact so you can say “is this normal?” “When do I go to my birthing location or call my midwife?” “What positions should I be in for the next couple hours while I labor at home?”. During labor I am supporting you through position changes that help your baby and your body move through the stages of labor and the pelvis. I am trained in pelvic mechanics and love to offer as much hands on physical support as you want! I will hip squeeze, hip shift and jiggle you for hours! No matter what your pain management goals are I am either helping you through every contraction without an epidural or helping you decide when the right time to get an epidural is and supporting you to make it to that goal. I am making sure your partner feels supported and is right where they want to be in your birthing room - right next to you, holding you, loving on you. I love to do all the extra hands things in the room so you and your partner can be in your bubble and keep the oxytocin flowing (Imagine you rocking side to side with your arms around your partners neck in labor while I am doing hip squeezes from behind - pretty fun right?). I will help set up your birthing room in a way that supports your natural oxytocin: low lights, candles, music, good smells, quiet voices, good food/drinks and massages. I will help you process and navigate any left turns or interventions being offered or suggested during your labor. I will help SLOW THINGS DOWN when safe in the birth room so that we can talk through benefits, risks, alternatives and intuitions before making any decisions. I want you to feel like your body, your baby and your experience is being honored and held sacred. I will take lots of photos and videos of you being the biggest bad ass in the world, you and your partner being the cutest couple ever and your baby being the craziest little thing you two have created yet! Some people say “I don’t think I want photos” - and heard! But all I will say is you can always delete them later, because they may become the most precious photos of your life.
Okay Whew that was LONG! but to be honest that is only part of what I offer you as your birth doula, there is so much more! If you want to meet up with me and talk about what my support during your pregnancy and birth would look like specifically to YOU, click HERE to fill out my contact form and we will set up a time asap!
A lot of people don’t really understand what a birth doula does… Let me help! - I know it’s long just read it.
2-3 prenatal visits (depending on when in your pregnancy I am hired)
Phone and email support throughout pregnancy as soon as you hire me
On call 24/7 starting at 37 weeks
Phone support in early labor
Access to my herbal knowledge and custom herbal blends to support you prenatally, in labor and postpartum.
Hands on support during your birth and 2-4 hours postpartum for up to 16 hours
A reliable and capable backup doula if my time goes beyond 16 hours
1 in-home postpartum visit
One month of phone and email postpartum support
Ask me about my sliding scale rates!
**I also offer extended Postpartum support to families that hire me as their birth doula - ask me about my extended postpartum package!
My Birth Doula Package Includes:
