The how and the why:
My work in women’s health care before becoming a doula was primarily in a volunteer capacity, and as an advocate for greater access to reproductive education, contraception, and compassionate, affordable health care for all women. After attending the birth of a close friend in 2002, I realized how limited women’s choices are during pregnancy and birth, and began looking for ways to educate myself about the post-conception side of reproduction. When many of my friends began having children and seeking help during labor, it was natural to support them during birth and afterward in their role as new mothers; what began as peer support evolved into my profession.
Hands on:
I have been working professionally as a birth and postpartum doula for just over a year. Much of my professional experience in labor and postpartum support comes from the time I spent working as a community doula for a social services agency in Chicago, Illinois, though I also began taking private clients in January of this year. I have had the distinct honor of working with women from all walks of life, and find the wisdom and strength of all birthing women both humbling and inspiring. I have witnessed a broad spectrum of birth experiences, ranging from extremely high risk, multiples, and emergency cesarean, to spontaneous, natural birth in hospital and at home. As a complement to my work as a doula, in 2007 I began study of shiatsu, a Japanese style of acupressure used extensively to aid conception, birth, and postpartum recovery. I have over 450 hours of training, with 20 hours of training specific to the use of shiatsu for pregnancy; I expect to finish my studies by summer of 2010. In addition, I cooked professionally for ten years, and have a long-standing interest and well-developed skills in nutrition and food preparation; cooking for the families I serve and teaching them to prepare great meals, themselves, is one of my favorite ways to nurture new families.
Approach:
I approach birth with a balance of reverence and levity; it is a sacred time in the life of families, and a joyful one. As a birth and postpartum doula, I consider some of my most important work to be that which comes before the arrival of the expected child or children, offering resources and referrals, information, and encouragement to expectant parents. Adequate preparation for birth and the fourth trimester means that a woman has at her disposal a well-developed tool kit, and hopefully a deep and abiding trust of her own instincts and her body’s wisdom. I believe strongly in informed consent; I believe just as strongly in its complement, informed refusal. I believe women in their hearts and minds know what is best for themselves and for their families, and that with good information, self-awareness, and access to a healthy spectrum of choices, women will make decisions appropriate to their needs. I believe our children are only as healthy as their parents and society at large; it is therefore of utmost importance to foster holistic well-being in expectant parents and our extended communities.
Certification:
I am currently preparing my documentation for certification through DONA, the organization through which I had both my birth doula training at Seattle Midwifery School in June of 2008, and my postpartum doula training in Chicago, Illinois in May of 2009. I expect to complete certification by the end of this year.
Here & now:
In December of 2008, my boyfriend and I purchased a home in his town of origin, Albion, Indiana, with our sights firmly fixed on starting a family of our own; we relocated to northeastern Indiana in April of this year. I am most often found in one of four places: the garden, the kitchen, researching online, or buried nose-first in a book, most likely in that order. I am delighted to serve birthing women in northeastern Indiana, from Fort Wayne to Goshen/Elkhart.
Contact Information:
Phone: 773.350.2594
Email: meleabritt@gmail.com
