Amara's Childbirth Education and Doula Services

09/15/2025

Welcome to the world!🌎

Philip Matthew 💙
7-27-25
8:04 am
6 lb 14 oz
20 in

Katie’s husband, Tyler, would be deployed during the time of her birth so Katie knew the support of a doula would be a wise investment. She also decided to pursue a homebirth so she could have every opportunity to birth the way she wanted. Well, birth has a way of changing plans, and Katie’s was no different. She went into labor while I was out of town, but rolled with the changes there! (Thank you to Liz Griffin for serving in my place.) Katie was in the capable hands of her midwife, Tierra. Some bleeding raised concerns, and had Tierra and Katie decide to transfer to the hospital for birth. Katie’s contractions began around 5:40am while she waited in triage. She declined cervical checks and was therefore not admitted or brought to a room. So Katie labored in that small space like a warrior for 2 1/2 hours and welcomed her son at 8:04am! And her homebirth midwife was the one who caught him. And Tyler called from the ship at 7:58 am, just in time to be virtually present to see his son born! Everything unfolded as Katie had hoped, just in a different location with a different doula. I am so proud of how Katie labored and advocated for her wishes. She showed her strength and confidence even in the midst of several changing variables. And a 2-1/2 hour labor is not easier!! Well done! Takeaways from this birth - allowing more than one support person in triage should be standard (Liz made it in eventually!), and not necessarily requiring a cervical check to establish labor when someone is showing all the signs and is a multip!

09/08/2025

Welcome to the world!🌎

Asher Theodore 💙
7-23-25
12:03 pm
7 lb 10 oz
20.5 in

Annie and Nathan couldn’t wait to meet their baby boy! They prepared for an unmedicated birth and even took my Spinning Babies class, but their baby boy settled into the breech position. This was the second surprise after an unexpected kidney infection landed Annie in the hospital for an emergency procedure just 3 weeks before she was due! Suffice it to say, she and Nathan were already aware that unexpected things happen. They decided to do an external cephalic version, and their OB was optimistic it would work. However, the first time the doctor laid hands on Annie’s belly before any attempt to move the baby, his heart rate went down. Plans changed yet again as the ECV quickly moved to a STAT C-section. Annie and Nathan embraced the change in plans knowing they were protecting their baby by doing so, and trusting the Lord to see them through. A short while later, Asher was born! Nathan was smitten and Annie was overjoyed with happiness to hear Asher’s cry. Despite the whirlwind, they believed his birth happened the way God designed it to, and they are at peace with the journey and so in love with their healthy baby boy, who has grown A LOT on mama’s milk!

08/15/2025

Welcome to the world!🌎

Alvina Joan Cruz 🩷
7-18-25
11:22 am
6 lb 6 oz
19.5 in

Jillian and Aric were students in my 7-week class so they invested a lot of time in their preparation. When the first contractions began at 2:00 am on Jillian’s due date, they were excited at the prospect of a due date baby. But there was quite the labor journey ahead. Jillian arrived at the hospital just past 10:00 pm dilated 5 cm which is excellent! She had labored a long time at home with the attentive support of Aric. And she continued to labor through strong contractions at the hospital with Aric’s steadfast support, juggling positions with her baby’s heart rate dips. At 4:00 am, after laboring 26 hours, Jillian got an epidural. And soon after, her baby had adjusted her asynclitic position and labor progressed forward. There were some stressful moments either her baby’s heart rate again but patience made all the difference as Jillian labored down gently to allow for less pushing time. And in just 30 minutes of pushing, Jillian and Aric welcomed their beautiful daughter! I am so proud of Jillian for persevering through a long labor and being flexible when necessary. Thank you for trusting me to serve your sweet family!

08/11/2025

Guess who’s available for babysitting? Introducing my daughter, Sam! She’s a good student, very responsible, and even has her own transportation! She’ll be 17 this December. She’s open to late afternoons and evenings and even weekends, basically when she’s not in school. Shoot me a text or comment below if you’d like to hire her!

08/11/2025

This topic came up today in an interview wih potential clients. I wrote this blog article in 2023 but it’s still relevant in 2025. The words used to describe pregnant bodies and birth are negative and judgey. They are no way to describe the amazing process of pregnancy and birth, and in no way instill confidence in the process. Read the article and comment below with any other negative terms that come to mind that I missed.

https://www.amaradoula.com/blog/incompetent-birth-terms?rq=Wordsytfatvncy

Maybe it’s because I’m a doula and it is my job to encourage and uplift. But have you ever noticed obstetric terms and how negative and judgmental they are? The words used to describe and address the pregnant and birthing person make one feel as though they must prove that their body can birth. ...

08/02/2025

Welcome to the world!🌎

John Anthony 💙
7-3-25
8:18 am
10 lb 11 oz
22 in

Danielle and Josh are repeat clients of mine and I looked forward to accompanying them in birth again. But an nst at 41 weeks showed her baby to be very big - 11 lb 5 oz! And a c-section was strongly recommended. An induction was not an option due to baby’s perceived size. This was not Danielle’s plan at all, but she also wanted to protect her baby. Her only chance at a vaginal birth was spontaneous labor that night since they scheduled the c-section for the very next day. However, around midnight the contractions ensued and they quickly moved from 5 minutes apart to 4! Danielle was in labor! Arriving at the hospital just a couple of hours later, she was already 6-7 cm! Danielle decided an epidural was wise in case her baby was indeed 11 lbs and couldn’t come through her pelvis. Danielle’s water broke during the epidural process and by the time it was through she was 8 cm. She rested as well as she could for an hour or two and when the shift changed and the midwife came in to assess, she said, “you’re complete and +2. There’s a baby right here!” Danielle pushed with three contractions and birthed her son at 8:18 am, just 12 minutes before her scheduled c-section! And she didn’t tear. This was a very eye-opening birth for many reasons, but the biggest lesson I took from it was the amazing capacity for the body to birth and how fear does not help the birth process unfold. I’m grateful Danielle was able to have her third baby vaginally and bypass a scheduled c-section, in spite of the worries and fears posed to her!

07/26/2025

Welcome to the world!🌎

Re*****on 💙
6-15-25
9:01 pm
7 lb 13 oz
21.75 in

Corey and Jennifer are a united front and great communicators, which served them well when their son’s birth came around. Jennifer labored overnight at home and arrived at the hospital 5 cm at 11:00 am. She proceeded to labor in all sorts of positions but her baby’s heart rate was showing concerns. Thorough communication with each other and with the doctor, gave more time for progressing labor through creative positioning for the best chance for a vaginal delivery. Jennifer’s doctor was cautiously optimistic, but after more hours and an epidural for rest and relaxation, and even further dilation, her baby’s heart rate was still showing concerns. Jennifer tried a few rounds of pushing but her doctor strongly advised a c-section. Knowing they had done all they could, these parents moved forward to insure the safe passage of their son. I’m so proud of their courage to continue with labor, as well as their discernment to change the plan when it was time. Communication was key in this birth and this couple had it!

07/25/2025

Welcome to the world! 🌎

Alice Rose 🩷
5-24-25
10:10 am
7 lb 10 oz
20 in

Lauren had a strong desire for an unmedicated birth, but when a medical condition that required induction developed, her plans loosened a bit. Her body responded excellently to ripeners overnight, putting her at 7-8cm! Believe it or not, she wasn’t quite in hard active labor just yet. Since she was hoping to avoid pitocin, we did some Spinning Babies moves! Lauren did some forward leaning inversions as well as the sidelying release and then her water broke! She labored on hands and knees and in less than 30 minutes was pushing! Sweet Alice was born at 10:10am! What a whirlwind! But Lauren managed the rapid escalation of her labor by staying calm and following her body. Short isn’t easy by any means! Congratulations, Lauren and Dan!

07/18/2025

Welcome to the world!🌎

Ellis Martin💙
5-23-25
8:05 pm
7 lb 3.3 oz
21.65 in

At our first meeting, I could see that Stephanie and Tatum had so much love for each other and their baby. They invested time and resources, and some stressful traffic false starts to attend my 7-week childbirth series. They were prepared to wait for labor until Stephanie’s blood pressure rose to unsafe levels that made an induction the plan. They were exceedingly patient as were their providers. They spent two days trying various ripeners to get into labor, but it just wasn’t happening. And their son wasn’t having it either. So they decided a c-section was the safest course. This boy was adorable from head to toe and indeed needed some initial time in the nursery. But he was reunited with his parents and they are settling in well at home. Their openness and flexibility with the changes in the plan were an instrumental part of the way they feel about the birth. They weighed their options, were given time, and had the chance to get all questions answered. I am so proud of them! And Ellis is one lucky little man to have two doting moms!

07/08/2025

Welcome to the world!🌎

Mariella Audilia🩷
5-12-25
7:13 pm
6 lb 15 oz
20.28 in

Melissa Andre Justin took my 7-week childbirth class and out what they learned I to action when they arrived at the hospital and Melissa was already dilated 7-8cm! Not bad for a first baby! Things took a bit longer than expected after that due to baby’s position. But Melissa continued to labor through various positions and dilated to 8cm after 5 hours, and then was 9cm two hours later, and then another nearly 2 hours more. She consented to have her water broken. It took another 2 1/2 hours, many positions and even a side-lying release for Melissa to be completely dilated and ready to push. And after over 2 hours of pushing, Mariella was born! Getting fed snow cones was a huge help during pushing! We highly recommend! Justin was supportive and patient, and stood strong with Melissa through the challenges of her labor. Melissa told me she went into her birth open to the possibility of an epidural, but in the end she didn’t have any pain medications at all. It just goes to show how unpredictable birth can be and how you might surprise yourself!

06/28/2025

Welcome to the world!🌎

Bishop Julian💙
5-8-25
1:12 am
8 lb 10 oz
20.87 in

Heidi and Eric go to my church! It really felt like a God thing that brought us together via an email that was church-related. Heidi had a strong desire to welcome her second child into the world with a birth free if pain medications and I was honored to come along side her and Eric for the big event. Heidi didn’t have it easy in the final weeks with nerve pain and confusing contractions, but her body finally kicked into gear and she and Eric headed to the hospital at the perfect time. Heidi labored in a variety of positions and went from 4 cm to 7 cm in a few hours. She was in the thick of transition and so courageous! Eric and I encouraged her and stayed by her side as she moved into pushing. She was so controlled and strong, welcoming her big boy after just 20 minutes. We were all so proud of her and never doubted. And if my memory serves, she didn’t seem to waiver either!

06/11/2025

Welcome to the world!🌎

Noah Michael💙
4-23-25
8:01 pm
8 lb 9 oz
21.75 in

Kylee and Jason crossed paths with me at our gym so I knew Kylee could do hard things! I was thrilled when Kylee reached out to me for the birth of their second. She made changes to her providers and brought a doula on board to optimize her chances for a different experience. And that is exactly what she got! Kylee was so strong and patient. Her water broke first at midnight and she went in at 8am dilated 4cm. She labored on all the positions and was 8cm by 1:00 and then she was 8 for hours! She stayed positive and so calm as she labored. And Jason was such a loving partner through it all. But their baby was OP and making Kylee work for it! An epidural gave some pelvic relaxation, which with a little pitocin, also helped baby to rotate. And Kylee and Jason welcomed their son a short 2 hours later after just 15 minutes of pushing! This birth was such a triumph and proved what I always knew about Kylee…that she can indeed do hard things!