Hudson Valley Based Childbirth Education, Birth and Postpartum Doula Support

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Where Preparation meets Surrender

With over 25-years of experience, I blend up-to-date, evidence-based information with trauma-informed, empathetic guidance as a birth and postpartum doula and childbirth educator. Trained in prenatal education, mindfulness-based coping techniques, and postpartum care that emphasizes the profound psychological shift parenthood asks of us all, I tailor each service to your unique journey so you feel heard, respected, and fully prepared for the labyrinth of labor and new parenthood.

What does a Birth Doula DO

Black and white photo of a woman giving birth to a baby, with the newborn crying and being held by the woman.

I came into my work as a doula and midwifery assistant over two decades ago with a few opinions, and the first few years of that work offered me beautifully humbling experiences and opportunities for unlearning my preconceived ideas about birth. These days, I begin my work with the question, “What does this person need in order to prepare for this birth?” The answer is different each time. From there, I shape my offerings around each family’s values as we learn more about what kinds of coping techniques resonate, what information, research and decisions are compelling to you, and what tools might be most helpful.

I offer Childbirth Education in the form of fun, emotional small-group classes where we explore which coping techniques work best for you, the physiological needs of a laboring person and baby, effective partner support, breath work, body balancing and fetal positioning. My hope is that people leave my class feeling prepared rather than overwhelmed. We explore decision making alongside the common trauma responses that can make advocacy challenging in the moment and a birth rehearsal that allows partners to feel confident in their ability to effectively support you in labor.

I offer a workshop centered on Lactation and Postpartum healing where we discuss ways to prepare for breastfeeding for those planning on doing so. We talk about the most commonly confusing newborn cues and how to soothe an overly-tired newborn, We come up with a postpartum care plan that prioritizes the mental and emotional wellbeing of new parents alongside the needs of their baby, and, for those who are partnered, we discuss ways to strengthen your relationship during the more challenging postpartum weeks.

When my clients feel ready for support in labor, I offer hands-on labor support that includes massage, counter-pressure, breath work and fetal positioning techniques amongst other tools. I often support families in their home before moving to their birth location, and work frequently in hospitals, birth centers and home births. I support each family in finding what feels right for them and their birth, prioritizing the autonomy of birthing people above all else.

After birth, I offer assistance with infant feeding, whether that be breastfeeding and lactation support or bottle feeding. I am there to fully support each family’s preferences in regards to their goals around sleep and parenting techniques. Some families I work with want support in safely co-sleeping and others make use of my gentle sleep conditioning and sleep coaching. Through the years I’ve witnessed everything work for someone and nothing work universally, and this is true both in birth and in parenthood.

Two women sitting on a bed in a bedroom, with a yellow and white bedspread, a wooden headboard, and wall art. One woman is lying down with tattoos, the other is sitting next to her, appear to be talking or comforting. A large dog with black and white fur is lying on the bed near them.

I find it’s best to approach each birth with beginners mind, free of preconceived ideas about when it will begin, how long it will take and what it may ask of us. There are really only a few things that still feel universal:

  1. The importance of current, evidence-based information alongside your own intuition in order to make fully informed decisions

  2. Everyone deserves to feel fully autonomous over their decisions and supported by their entire birth team in choosing what feels right for them. You remain the legal authority over your body.

  3. Birth is not just a physical event but an emotional and psychological transformation, though understanding the true physiological needs of a laboring person, such as optimal fetal positioning, movement, and food, are a great place to start.

  • "Dawn is amazing. She's generous, present (so present, always), calm, confident and nurturing. She was such a rock for my husband and me throughout my whole labor and delivery, plus afterwards. She came over and cleaned and brought us food. So so helpful! Dawn went above and beyond what I thought any doula would do for us. She stayed with my husband and me the entire labor, encouraging us and making sure all was well. She will totally speak up on your behalf, and will be there to answer your questions after the baby is born (I had a lot of questions!). Dawn is a wealth of resources and support. Her generosity astounds me, plus I just love hanging out with her! As others have said, she is most certainly an angel :)"

    —Ariana

  • "I had a tediously long and unyielding labor. By long, I mean, I was feeling multiple inconsistent contractions Sunday afternoon till Wednesday night when I finally gave birth. Dawn came over Sunday night and helped position the baby correctly with her exercises. Her constant consideration and reassurance helped us get through the latent phase to my actual consistent contracting labor. She convinced me to face my fears, as I was in denial of being ready at merely 37 weeks. She came over to massage my sore back for hours on end at home at the hospital. She coached me on the process and what interventions might arise. We went through every position possible for my labor to progress. I had a very hard time dilating and she made sure I was hydrated and well rested. When the time came to aid my progression, it was Dawn who convinced us that an epidural was the best choice to keep my goal of having a VBAC. Without her experience and knowledge, I would have surrendered to another c-section. We are perpetually grateful for Dawn’s dedication to her craft and calming guidance in helping me experience the miracle of a vaginal birth. She continued to provide nurturing support for the month after and even took our 3 year old daughter to the park, as well as made us soup, to help us ease the transition.  Dawn is a true gift to the birthing world."

    —Sarita

  • "Although I am a physician and my husband read every book out there regarding pregnancy and labor, we were quite anxious about becoming first-time parents. Thank goodness we found Dawn! I had no reservations about her becoming our doula since I knew that she had the natural talent and aptitude, the warmth and nurturing spirit, and the dedication. My labor was roughly 32 hours. Dawn, however, stood by my husband and me doing everything she could to make the process more bearable. Thankfully, we avoided an emergent C-section and everything still turned out amazing! And lucky for us, Dawn was able to capture many of his first precious moments. It was very comforting to have Dawn by my side. She was such a calming influence with such an easygoing nature. Aside from being our labor doula, she followed us home and was our postpartum doula as well, helping us give my son his first bath and helping me figure out the intricacies of how to feed my son while filing down his pointy fingernails. We are very grateful for all of her help in being with us during one of the happiest moments in our lives. She is a bundle of gentle positive energy and I highly recommend her as both a labor doula and postpartum doula!"

    – Carolyn

  • "“Dawn’s unique mix of warmth and strength is magnetic, and her knowledge of the birth process is vast.Her presence was absolutely invaluable. My labor was incredibly challenging, and I truly believe that without Dawn’s support, we would have had to transfer from our birth center to the hospital. After the birth, Dawn helped us for weeks as our postpartum doula. She cooked meals, watched our son while we napped, and took our dog for walks. Having Dawn around made everything easier, and allowed my husband, son, and I to bask in the joys and excitement of being a new family before “real-life” resumed again. It was absolutely magical. Our entire birth and postpartum experience was beautiful, surreal, and life-changing, and it would not have been the same without Dawn. I am truly so excited to get pregnant with baby #2 so that I can do it all over again with her by my side.”"

    – Jill

My Training:

With doula and midwife sister-in-law as my first mentor, I assisted my first home birth in 2001. I took the DONA International Birth Doula and Postpartum Doula certifications and learned Assistant Midwifery skills under the renowned midwives Ina May Gaskin and Pamela Hunt at The Farm in Tennessee, and with Orgasmic Birth author Elizabeth Davis in California. I am certified in Childbirth Education through DTI and completed the Hypnobabies Teacher Training as well as their Hypno-doula training. I have been using Spinning Babies Fetal Positioning techniques since 2009, and taken a doula training in optimal fetal positioning by Ann Gilligan of Gilligan’s Guide. I am certified as a Functional Breathing Instructor through Patrick Mckeown’s The Oxygen Advantage. I draw from an Echo Parenting Trauma Informed parenting workshop extensively in my postpartum education work. I am a Certified Lactation Education Specialists through Breastfeeding LA. I have benefitted enormously from an apprenticeship with Transformed by Birth author Britta Bushnell, and have incorporated so much of her wisdom into my work in childbirth education. I’m certified by the American Red Cross in CPR. I am trained as an Infant Sleep Coach through The Sleep Sanctuary at The Parenthood Project and certified in circle fascilitation with the Wild Woman Project Circle Leader Training. The most intensive training I’ve undertaken began with the home birth of my own daughter in 2013 and mothering her. I’m still learning every day.

Your Questions Answered

What if I know I want an epidural?

The assumption that birth doulas are anti epidural is understandable, but most experienced doulas have enough experience with birth to know that sometimes an epidural is the one tool that allows a birth to proceed. In fact, every intervention offered by your OB is a tool that has the potential to work in your favor. I support every family I work with in whatever decisions feel right for them. We all have different goals and different visions. My goal is your autonomy.

Do you attend births in hospitals, birth centers, or at home?

Yes, I support you in all birthing environments and have extensive experience in each.

Does a doula replace the birth partner?

I am there to support both you and your partner as you navigate the emotional and physically challenging aspects of labor and the postpartum journey. Prenatally this looks like teaching partners hands-on counter-pressure techniques, fetal positioning and body-balancing stretches and coaching skills to help them provide the impactful support they want to give you. In labor, it is the partner who usually has the biggest impact on the endorphins and hormones that help in labor. Many partners say they benefited from doula support as much as the birthing parent did.

Do I really need a doula?

Doulas dramatically lower the risk of unnecessary cesarean delivery, it’s true. By almost 40%, actually. But labor support changes how you experience the transition into parenthood, and feeling deeply held and supported lowers the risk of postpartum depression and the kind of complicated grief often experienced when we found ourselves reverting to old trauma responses during important decision-making instead of asking more questions and responding from a grounded place. Many of my clients went into working with a doula very skeptical and came out convinced that doula support was worth every penny and more.

Black and white photograph of a woman standing barefoot against a dark background, wearing a patterned dress, with shoulder-length hair, looking at the camera with a slight smile.

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