Hello friend, and welcome!
I’m Susan, midwife and lactation consultant with a passion for helping you prepare for the birth, breastfeeding, and postpartum experiences of your dreams.
And it doesn’t matter what your dreams are … way crunchy or très chic … I support you! My goal is for you to feel equipped and empowered to THRIVE through this daunting glorious life change.
I offer interactive, online, on-demand childbirth preparation classes and private birth, lactation, and postpartum sessions that walk you through the entire childbearing year.
I’ve supported hundreds of families through birth and beyond, and I would love to support you.
Want a little taste? Sign up here for your free Comfort Measures in Labor cheat sheet!
Care to know a little more about me? Well, if you insist …
I had been in birth work as a doula, midwife, and lactation consultant for a combined 15 years before I FINALLY had a baby of my own. (Two thumbs down for infertility, which I would be HAPPY to talk about more if you’re in those trenches, friend … Bless you. I know how dark it can be.)
So, while you’d assume (I ASSUMED!) I was owed a magical fairytale home birth the likes of which I’d helped hundreds of families enjoy over the years, my story just can’t be that simple. Instead, I had the all-you-can-eat buffet of birth experiences … and I sampled EVERYTHING … from my planned home birth to a calm hospital transfer to an unexpected but, indeed, necessary cesarean. (I know, can you even believe it?)
But the good news … great news, really … is that instead of feeling filled with bitter rage about my home birth gone hospital c-section, I actually kind of felt like a badass. (Perhaps in part because Lady Gaga was belting “Shallow” on the OR radio when my star son was born. That definitely helped.)
I felt GRATEFUL that I knew enough about birth to have acted with agency and clarity at every turn. I felt impressed with my ability to pivot and surrender in the face of the unexpected. (Did this mean that maybe I’d be able to pull off this mothering gig after all?).
Don’t get me wrong. I was not without grief … such grief … I wanted that home birth deep down to my toes. But I had the benefit of both personal preparation and a trusted birth team to fall back on when facing the unexpected. What could have been my moment of greatest defeat was a moment of clarity, confidence, and joy because I was standing on solid ground, and my husband was right there beside me (him, and Lady Gaga). We had our support team, we knew comfort measures for natural labor at home and in the hospital. We knew what questions to ask, and when we forgot what was what, our team helped us.
I would love to help you experience this kind of support and preparation … this kind of solid ground. We know that life brings the unexpected, and I know that you have within you all that you need to birth, nourish, and care for your baby (babies?!). So let’s do this thing!
Also, since I already sampled everything at the all-you-can-eat birth buffet, I can tell you all about it so you can just pick one delicious dish to enjoy. (You will, by the way, want to eat your baby’s face. They’re that cute … a little creepy right out of the gates … but SO. CUTE.)
Sign up here for your free Comfort Measures in Labor cheat sheet and to learn more about my online childbirth preparation course Smartt Birth: Practical Tools for a Mindful Birth.
Credentials and Certifications
- North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) certificate # 10030043
- Alabama Licensed Midwife license # LM-0026
- Associates in Midwifery, National College of Midwifery, Taos, NM
- International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)
- Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers (CPR)
- Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP)
- Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO) certified, 2009
- Reiki Practitioner
- Graduate of the Living School for Action and Contemplation
Testimonials
“I cannot imagine my labor without Susan there! She was incredibly calming, encouraging, communicative, and knowledgeable. Susan was indispensable throughout my labor!
~ Cara
“Susan was an invaluable asset at the birth of our first son … Her knowledge, expertise, and physical support were a true blessing to us. I highly recommend Susan to any parents-to-be.”
~ Annie
“Susan provided invaluable support and encouragement during my pregnancy … She is assertive and steadfast, but is never pushy with the mother and father, and has an easygoing personality. She is kind and gentle, and a servant and partner in the labor process. She is appropriately funny, and has the emotional awareness to realize what it is that will make the mother and father feel most comfortable at different times. She is simply a wonderful, trustworthy person, and I think that’s the kind of person you want with you when you’re doing the monumental work of birthing a baby. I would recommend Susan without reservation”
~ Nicky
“Susan provided wonderful guidance, care, and encouragement throughout my pregnancy, labor and birth … she is genuinely invested in the quality of your birth experience and treats you with compassion and respect, truly taking your individual desires to heart.”
~ Whitney
“Susan was the doula at the birth of my daughter. She has a wealth of knowledge and a wonderful personality, effervescent but down-to-earth, and we felt grateful to have her presence at an intimate time in our lives. She was of great help and comfort before and after labor as well as during it. When she walked into the room during my active labor, she acted confidently but with sensitivity to my changing needs and desires. I was able to have the natural birth I had planned for, and it was more comfortable and celebratory thanks to her presence. I can’t recommend her highly enough.”
~ Zoe
“Susan was unbelievably helpful before and during my labor. She helped calm my fears in the weeks leading up to the birth, soothed me during the pain of childbirth (which lasted 31 hours!), and followed up afterward, when I was struggling with breastfeeding … I truly feel like I couldn’t have done it all without her support!”
~Angela
