Birth and Postpartum Doula Services
Christine J. Mehl, BS, C.H.E.S., DONA Trained Doula
www.geocities.com/mamabeginnings
Serving Minot, Fargo-Moorhead, and Surrounding Communities
[email protected]
(701) 412-5088
My Education & Experiences
I completed my DONA International Birth Doula Training in February 2005. DONA International is the premiere doula organization. As a DONA International doula, I�m educated to work within evidence-based standards of practice. The skills that I have learned are medically proven to make a true difference in the birth experience. I have attended over two dozen births as a doula since 2005 and have assisted dozens of families during the postpartum period as a breastfeeding counselor, postpartum doula, and parenting educator. I endorse the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative and consider it my mission statement. I am a member of Doulas of the Red River Valley and a member of the Childbirth Collective. I have taken both Lamaze and Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth classes. I have also served women who have used the Birthing from Within method of childbirth.
I hold a degree in Public Health and am a Certified Health Education Specialist (C.H.E.S.) I am also a wife and a mother to four children (ages 8, 7, 3, and a 9 month old). My interests include: optimal fetal positioning, breastfeeding counseling, and attachment (natural/intuitive) parenting. Additionally, my husband and I co-lead the local Attachment Parenting International support group.
Why I Became a Doula
My positive birth & postpartum experiences and those of my mother's experiences in Europe fuel my desire to support other women during their motherhood journey.
First a little about my mother's experiences. My father was stationed in The Netherlands serving in the U.S. Air Force when he met my Dutch mother. I was born at home, in The Netherlands. (The Dutch Model of Maternity Care) My birth was attended by a physician, a midwife, and my father. My mom also had a maternity homecare assistant (similar to a postpartum doula). Throughout my childhood my mother talked about her birth and postpartum experiences in Europe.
When I became pregnant, I knew I wanted to attain the same positive experiences. I surrounded myself with women who believe pregnancy, labor, and birth are natural processes: my midwife, my doula, and my mother. My husband and I took an independent childbirth class (not affiliated with a hospital), The Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth. All of my children were born naturally (no medications or interventions) and were nursed.
I support all birthing women whether they are planning an unmedicated birth, epidural during labor, vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC), or cesarean birth. As a postpartum doula, I serve all families. I believe every woman deserves a Doula! My first initial visit is FREE and my doula services are provided on a sliding fee scale and/or payment plan. Please talk to me before you decide a Doula is NOT for you because of financial concerns. We can work it out!
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May 2009
and
it's not that birth is painful.
It's that women are strong."
Laura Stavoe Harm
