The Grand Rapids Doula

02/08/2026

Yes 👏👏

Did you know that we accept barter/trade for birth services? We are happy to trade for skills: roofing, painting, landscaping, cleaning, construction, car mechanics, and more!
If you’ve wanted to utilize our services but weren’t sure how to afford it, don’t be afraid to reach out. We’ve had many people gifted time/skills by their family/friends toward their birth as well - get creative!

02/04/2026

Your every day life skills show up in birth.

If you tend to be anxious in everyday life, that anxiety will likely follow you into labor.
If you look for someone to save you when things get hard, you may feel that same pull in birth.
If you muscle through, shove things down, and deal with it later… that pattern often shows up too.

Because birth is one of the few times you can’t stay guarded.

When you’re raw, vulnerable, and working hard, your subconscious takes over.
Your default coping patterns rise to the surface.

And that’s not a flaw.
It’s information.

This isn’t about fixing “who you are.”
It’s about knowing yourself well enough to support yourself well.

It’s about learning coping skills that fit you,
not some generic list for the average birthing mother.

This is why birth prep is mostly mindset work.
Not perfect plans.
Not memorized positions.
Not eliminating fear completely.

But learning how to meet fear without letting it paralyze you.

Because when you know yourself, you can birth from a place of steadiness instead of survival.

12/31/2025

Happy New Year from my family to yours!
2025 brought me so many of you, needing support & birth education… and maybe just a friend that understood the great unknown of pregnancy, birth, and new parenthood.
The blessing that is being trusted by all of you is not lost on me, forever so so grateful.

Here’s to 2026, and all the babies I pray I’m able to help you welcome into the world 🥂🥰

12/18/2025

We’ve all heard the stories.

The mom who spent her entire pregnancy learning coping skills, labor positions, and how to support a physiological birth… and then she walks into the hospital and watches her entire plan unravel. Not because of complications because of hospital policy.
And then there’s the mom who did the same preparation, walks into the same hospital and (barring any true complications) gets the birth she desires.

The difference isn’t luck, or even the staff on call. It’s knowing how to say “no” and when/why you’re saying it.

A great example is the hospital bed.
Is there anything in here wrong with the hospital bed? Of course not. It’s serves a purpose, especially with mommas who choose medicated births. It also makes the medical team’s job easier - it lowers their sense of risk. They can see more, reach easier, and overall feel more in control.
But it’s proven that laboring and pushing on the bed is not the best way to help your baby descend and is also just plain uncomfortable for the majority of laboring mommas even in different positions than the typical laying on their back. It limits movements, positions, and the ability to work with your body. Because you’re already on the bed, it also becomes easier for interventions to happen with little to no conversation… like starting a routine IV of fluids and/or other meds.
Saying no to the bed can be uncomfortable. Doctors are especially pushy about it, because again, it lowers their perceived risk.
But if you want to stay in control of your birth, that “no” really matters.

And an important reminder, even if you have a doula present it’s your job to advocate! Were there for physical and emotion support, education, conversation about medical things happening… but ultimately that responsibility of advocacy falls to you the birthing parents. That voice HAS to be yours.
This is why doing the research for yourself matters, understanding why something may not support your goals, and learning how to communicate clearly to the medical team is so important.

“No” is a complete sentence and does not equal being difficult.

12/10/2025

✨ gentle reminder for all the new parents + all the people who love them ✨

Your baby doesn’t need a giant Target haul.
They don’t need ten different seats or swings or gadgets.
They need milk, weather-appropriate clothes, and a loving caretaker who understands their deep, biological need for closeness. That’s it. That’s the magic.

Instead of spending money (or asking friends + family to spend money) on more things designed to hold your baby so you can “get stuff done”… consider redirecting that support to things that actually lighten the load:

Birth doula support; for education, grounding, and understanding why closeness matters so much + that much looked forward to labor and birth support

Postpartum doula support; someone who can do the dishes for you while you soak in the baby snuggles, or someone who keeps baby close while you catch up on much-needed sleep

Meal trains + meal prep kits; food is postpartum gold

Cleaning help for late pregnancy and those hazy newborn weeks; because restoring your home restores your nervous system.

If you’re making a registry (or just writing a last minute Christmas list) soon, consider a non-traditional one:
💛 funds toward doula support
💛 gift cards for cleaning services or meal kits
💛 direct contribution toward postpartum help
💛 contribute towards necessary lactation support prenatally so that the relationship is built and some things are learned before mom has bleeding nips 😉

If you’re headed to a baby shower soon, tuck this into your heart as you choose how to give. Your time, your service, and your presence can matter so much more than another swaddle set or baby bath seat.

And if you have someone close to you having a baby soon… don’t offer to hold the baby so they can wash the dishes…just roll up your sleeves and wash the dishes 😉
(Unless mom wants you to hold the baby so she can shower or sleep… then by all means, settle in and enjoy those newborn snuggles.)

11/21/2025

A week ago today we got to say happy birthday surprisingly fast to a little girl in the wee hours of the morning in her parent’s bathroom at home even though that was not the original plan! What a blessing that this client happened to be a sweet friend, who had been a bit anxious about this birth up until a few weeks ago when she said she “had the most unexpected peace from the Lord that it would all go exactly how it was supposed to and that He would teach me something through all of it” I think many lessons were learned in this birth, but the biggest?? That she KNOWS her body well. She knew she was in labor from the first few contractions even with a history of prodromal labor. She knew baby wasn’t engaged and she knew as soon as baby DID engage. She felt this little girl making her way further and further down with each contraction. She knew if she sat on that toilet “something is going to happen” and happen it did! I was able to catch this sweet little girl and hand her to her momma and I will be chasing that high for the rest of my life! What a sweet sweet blessing.

10/12/2025

FAQ:

Cost: $995 will get you 2 prenatal visits + full labor and birth support + 1 in home postpartum visit to debrief your birth experience
*I can not accept any form of insurance at this time*

When should I hire you for birth support? : as soon as you know you want a doula! It’s never too early to get on my calendar as spots do fill up quickly - but if you’re further along I will do my best to make a spot for you, and if I can’t I’ll give you all the recommendations I have up my sleeve 🙂

What resources can you provide for things you don’t do yourself? : I have recommendations for so so many resources outside of myself and I typically hand those out over the course of your pregnancy as needed. Some of them include Lactation/Feeding support, OT support, pelvic floor support, chiropractor…and the list goes on!

09/17/2025

Okay, I just love being a doula and advocate for you in general 😘

09/09/2025

After doing everything possible to avoid an induction, we finally headed to the hospital well past momma’s “due” date to serve an eviction notice to her little man. A single dose of cytotec was all it took to get things moving, and soon enough her contractions were consistent.

She worked her way to 5cm while we laughed, swapped life stories, and walked the halls… only to find after hours of laboring that she was still sitting at 5cm.
Cue a bit of discouragement (despite some great progress in effacement and station, dilation tends to get all the spotlight, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle)

Eventually, she chose to add some pitocin. Hours later, still at 5cm is when I had to decide that I needed to call in backup. I never want to miss the birthday party, but once I’m too tired to truly serve, I know it’s better to step aside to allow someone whose brain isn’t mush to step in.

Fast forward: a backup (and even a backup to the backup), endless position changes, a stubborn cervical lip, and finally an epidural as her last resort before facing a c-section…

✨ SHE DID IT. ✨
She brought her little guy earthside vaginally after the most intense and exhausting labor, and in her words:
“he is 100% worth every moment of it all”

I rarely get a picture with baby and momma to share but managed to remember one at her 2 week follow up yesterday so just had to add them in 🩵