Your motherhood journey- whether it's your first time or your tenth- deserves to be nurtured and reinforced in every way. As a birth doula, I am by your side each step, to give you nonjudgmental, comforting support before, during, and after labor, physically and emotionally. You are embarking on a path to care wholeheartedly for another being. Allow a doula to care for YOU with the utmost compassion during this remarkable voyage of creation.

What can a doula DO for you?

Offer evidence-based information
Aid you in writing a birth plan/preference
Support you in choices you make throughout pregnancy and beyond
Be a sounding board for you to work out any concern or idea you have
Listen without judgment or bias
Help you learn ways to manage intense sensations during labor
Offer physical touch to ease discomfort in labor
Offer emotional support throughout pregnancy, labor and beyond
Help you make informed decisions and advocate for yourself
Prepare for postpartum
Help you meet long-term, personalized feeding goals for you and your baby
Support your birthing partner
Assist partner in being more involved
Allow partner to be less directly involved and take breaks
BE your birthing partner
Bridge the gap of communication between you and your medical provider
Begin your breastfeeding or bottle-feeding journey
Help you learn ways to cope with discomfort in labor
Encourage you to know your rights and use your voice!

How does a doula support partners?

Doulas do not replace spouses, family, or partners.

Guide partner in implementing practices learned in childbirth classes and applying them to the less predictable labor and birth scene
Relieve partners so they can replenish their eating, sleeping, and bathroom needs
Help partner become a more confident, active participant in keeping laboring person comfortable
Reassure partners when unexpected circumstances arise
Help partner communicate effectively with laboring person and medical providers
Help partner understand and feel at ease about signs of progress, and interpret the normal reactions of laboring person
Guide partner to be in tune with the emotional and physical needs of laboring person
Create an intimate setting for you and your partner to bond and connect

What a doula does NOT DO:

Give vaginal examinations to check dilation
Diagnose or offer treatment for conditions
Perform medical procedures
"Deliver" or "catch" baby
Make decisions for you
Tell you what to do
Displace birthing partner
Judge you or your choices in any way

Did you know...?

Reduce likelihood to use pain relief medications (if that is the mother's goal)
Reduce likelihood of having a Cesarean birth *planned Cesareans deserve support too, of course!*
Decrease likelihood of receiving artificial oxytocin (inducing labor)
Result in laboring person being more satisfied overall with their birthing experience

Reference: Having a Doula: Their Benefits and Purpose. (2017, July 22). Retrieved from

WHAT PEOPLE SAY about MELISSA

"Her worth to us was beyond measure...When I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, her calm demeanor in the face of my uncertainty and the possibility of risking out of the birth experience I so desperately wanted, was unprecedented. She was as much a foundational element in my pregnancy as in my actual labor"

— Stephanie C.

I'm Ready to Book!

When you decide to invest in your birth experience with The Birth Butler, you can expect...

Instant access to unlimited communication over email, text & phone

Our prenatal Visits:

I'll address any questions you and/or your partner have about labor & birth and help you choose birth preferences based on what is right for you (informed decision-making for the win!)

You will get to work through fears surrounding childbirth, and learn to develop affirmations that speak to you

We will workshop effective comfort measures tailored to YOU- breathwork, meditation, Rebozo uses, acupressure, labyrinth tracing, yoga, partner bonding, etc.!

Together, we will come up with a roadmap to help you through the sacred healing space so that you are fully prepared once baby has arrived

Professional education and support from me as an Infant Feeding Specialist

Access to my list of resources as well as my lending library

Our Postpartum Visit:

Debrief the birth and get any questions answered

Process emotions, both from childbirth and postpartum newness

Check-in with how you and family are transitioning to life with a newborn

Virtual Postpartum Care:

24/7 communication with Melissa about infant feeding, breast care & lactation, postpartum moods, and general infant care

"Matriarch" Doula Bundle

For those seeking the full spectrum of continuous support throughout pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum

"Just the Bread" Bundle

For those who do not want in-person labor support, but still desire prenatal support and labor preparation for themselves & partner

Storytelling

Continuous Photography of Labor & Birth

I'm Ready to Book!