AthensBorn Blog - AthensBorn Birth Services

Meet Christine!

2/17/2021

Hi! I’m Christine. Where to start?! A bit about me before I tell you more about my fascination with and deep reverence for pregnancy, birth, and the incredible life transition that is ‘Becoming A Parent’. I grew up in Charlotte, NC, where I spent many years of my youth as a competitive gymnast and soccer player (Notable, since my early love for movement and the body has informed my passion for all things birth!). College brought me to Athens, GA in 2006. After graduating and finding a home here, I pursued work in our local restaurant, coffee and yoga community. I soon became interested in sustainable agriculture and spent 6ish years working on small, organic vegetable farms, including a year at UGArden, UGA’s teaching farm. It was at UGArden where I discovered my love for one-on-one mentorship (Also notable, since I believe a doula can serve as a kind of mentor!)

Fast forward to early Spring 2018 -- my husband and I found out I was pregnant. I spent most of May and June feeling exhausted and hungover from the “All-Day Sickness” of my first trimester. I found relief (and even energy!) by mid-summer, and gave birth to our sweet boy on a cold and misty December evening. Life in our small house has never been the same!

My positive birth experience was only possible because I felt 100% supported by my husband, doula, and care providers. I was listened to and cared for. My decisions were respected. During my pregnancy I had the means to pay for a childbirth education class, and the privilege of time to read books and listen to a million birth-related podcasts. A few months after having my son, I realized that my empowering experience should not be the exception when it comes to birth stories, rather the norm. Since then, I’ve viewed birthwork as advocacy work.

I believe all birthing persons need an advocate. And support. And someone to help navigate the complexity that is our Western medical system. And someone to say “Yes, what you’re feeling is valid and true and I hear you”. And someone to bring you food and fold your laundry when you’re in the throes of newborn days! I believe doulas are a natural choice for a birth advocate. And I TRULY and STRONGLY believe there should not be any barrier to accessing one. My hope is that in pursuing this work, I can normalize people being supported by a doula during their pregnancy, birth, and postpartum days.

Birth is beautiful and unpredictable. Transitioning into parenthood can be difficult and overwhelming. I am honored to be in the work of supporting your pregnancy, your labor, and your postpartum healing. Cheers to this incredible line of work, and to many more empowering births in our community!

Schedule a free consultation with Christine & Emily!

Meet Emily!

2/17/2021

Oh, hello there! I’ve just been given the most exciting opportunity to pursue my dream of being a birth worker. Something you should know about me is that I’m a dreamer and a do-er. I hope to someday become a Certified Nurse-Midwife and deliver babies. Some may wonder, and many ask me, why is this something you’re passionate about? Do you really choose to do this? I get asked this question about why I’m a competitive long-distance runner, as well. No one just wakes up one day and decides they want to run a half marathon in their neighborhood, run 60+ miles a week, race Division 1 Cross Country for the University of Georgia, and train for marathons. Similarly, no one wakes up and randomly decides they want to help people have their babies.
Well, I can tell you this: everyone deserves to know what their own body is capable of achieving. I’m amazed and inspired by women and the entire birth process. I want everyone to see giving birth as the incredible, life-changing experience that it is. Women can come out of birth a stronger, more confident version of themselves, ready to take on parenting and a new chapter of life. The female body is a powerhouse, and labor is an opportunity to harness your power, your inner strength.
While women are independent and capable, we still need someone to help us tap into our strength, to minimize fear, and be there for us during our most vulnerable time. Here’s where I come in! First and foremost, I want you to feel safe. In order to have a positive attitude about your birth, I plan to help you trust your body. Minimizing fear will promote relaxation and smoother labor.
A little about me… I’m very compassionate, warm, and maternal by nature. Also, I have boatloads of energy, day and night, plenty to share with you. I’m 21 years old, and I’ve never given birth myself, but that doesn’t mean I cannot relate to you. In fact, I see it as a good thing because I have no biases. I’m not here to impose any of my own values or preferences. I’m open and excited to support you through whatever plan you envision for your birth.
I have been given the honor to commit my time and energy to magnificent, child-bearing women. I hope you hire a doula and have the opportunity to be a dreamer, as well, and have the birth that you envision!

Schedule a free consultation with Emily & Christine!

What does a doula do?

8/27/2019

We're often asked what it means to be a doula. It's such a wildly varying experience every day, it's hard to put into words. But, we've tried to express what life is like for us over here at AthensBorn.

We hold hands and rub shoulders.
We whisper in ears and cheer loudly for milestones.
We teach and we learn.
We give back to our community.
We’re activists, we listen, we support, we protest, we vote.
We’re small business owners. We work from home, from coffee shops, in waiting rooms, our cars, wherever we find the minutes.
We miss special occasions.
We leave our homes in the quiet of night.
We witness birth in awe. Every time.
We marvel at the strength of people.
We celebrate with our clients.
We grieve with them, too.
We make mistakes. We hate that. But, we’re learning to forgive ourselves.
We’re nerds. We love science and research and learning new things.
We talk loudly about placentas in public places. Oops.
We laugh together. Really hard. Like shushed in the library kind of hard.
We still get excited every time we're hired.
We meet the very best people and feel so grateful for it.

We know how lucky we are to be living this doula life. Thank you to our AthensBorn Families for making it possible!

What to ask your potential doula...

6/26/2017

We've heard it so many times when sitting down to chat with potential clients.

"Umm...we're not really sure what to ask."

Many people first hear about doulas from their midwives or from friends who've had a great experience with a doula during a previous birth. But, they don't always understand what a doula does or what they should ask during an interview to help them figure out which doula is the best fit. In fact, we've heard this same sentiment from so many people that we actually made a list to help them out.

Here are our most frequently asked questions and some suggestions of our own. Of course, these aren't the only questions you can ask and you should always ask anything you like. More personalized questions based on your individual needs, wishes, and personalities are great! Take a look at our list to get started and let us know if you have any additions!

Do you have availability for my due date?

Where do you work/what area do you cover?

What's your guiding philosophy for supporting women in labor and birth?

What training or experience do you have?

Why did you become a doula?

Can you provide references from past clients?

What is your birth fee and what does that cover?

How many clients do you take per month?

How do you feel about the use of pain medication during labor?

How do you work with and involve partners?

Do you offer other birth-related services? (breastfeeding support, postpartum care, placenta encapsulation, etc)

Remember, these are just a starting point. Always feel free to ask anything that's on your mind!

Take care,
Kate & Becca

What's the deal with placentas?

5/15/2017

Photo by Megan Brown Photography

I remember the first time I heard about women eating their placentas. I was watching Pregnant in Heels on Bravo and the host made a placenta smoothie for one of her clients. I thought it was totally gross. Why on earth would anyone want to do that?? Well, now I feel like I need to apologize to that mom for judging her, because there are some pretty compelling reasons to consume your placenta.

I have two kids who are equally amazing, but their entrances into this world could not have been more different. My son's birth was traumatic and I had a very difficult time coping afterwards. I wasn't eating. I was barely able to take care of myself and my son. Everything was overwhelming. Fortunately with the love and support of my family I got through that time. When I became pregnant a second time, I knew I wanted things to be different. Honestly, I was terrified that I would go through postpartum depression again.

Here's where my placenta came in. Now...I am a doula and have a few hippie tendencies, but I am all for evidence-based practices and medicine. I was fairly skeptical about the whole placenta pill thing, to be honest. I really appreciated how up front Becca (who was my doula for my daughter's birth) was about the lack of proper research that existed on placentophagy. She told me what women had reported about their own experiences and left it for me to decide what to do.

I decided to take the pills...because if it helped me avoid feeling like I did after my son was born, it would be worth it. Becca encapsulated my placenta and a few days after I gave birth I received around 200 pills. They weren't gross at all. It was just like taking any other supplement in a capsule. As soon as I got the pills I started taking them every day.

So what's the verdict? Personally, I believe that they helped me a great deal. The first few weeks postpartum were nothing like what I had gone through before. I actually felt pretty amazing. I wasn't weepy. I didn't have the anxiety that plagued me after my son was born. I could function and I could bond with my new baby. It took me by surprise how easy it was.

I can't say whether it was a placebo effect or not. It really doesn't matter to me, to be honest. Either way it was effective and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Truthfully, I would be willing do much more difficult things than having my placenta encapsulated if it meant avoiding postpartum depression. It was completely worth it and I would encourage any pregnant woman to give it a try. Talk to Becca, because she won't steer you wrong!

Take care,
Sarah Weaver
sarahisadoula.com

Legacy... and the New Year

1/1/2017

Happy New Year, loyal AthensBorn readers!

To kick off our exciting year, let’s jump right in with a Birthday Party!

AthensBorn Birth Services - Birthday Party Invitation

Yes, our beloved doula business is turning one, and we want to celebrate with you! We’re inviting our former and current clients, our fellow doulas in town who’ve been so influential in the building of our business, our friends, family, and anyone else who has supported us in our journey. Please come hang out with us at The Natural Baby, on the day we deemed our Birthday - January 11.

There is one primary reason that January 11 became our birthday: that was the day we officially settled on the name of our business, AthensBorn. We went through countless business names, some were pretty good, some were plain-old terrible (I think my favorite reject name was “Save the Empire Birth Services”). We just couldn’t settle on the perfect name that fit our personalities, our business style, and didn’t make us feel totally cheesy. When we finally came to AthensBorn, it felt like we had come home to ourselves. We said it out loud. We tested it on our hapless, unsuspecting family members. We wrote it down, typed it out, obsessed over it, and finally we deleted all of our other potential business names - on January 11, 2016.

Another day that makes this particular day feel special to me is that it’s my mother’s birthday - my strong, sensitive, hard-working mother turns 60 the day AthensBorn turns 1. My mother gave birth to my twin sister and me… precipitously… without medication…. both of us breech. She breastfed us and lost countless hours of sleep over the years of our youth, and probably still does. My mother attended the births of both of my children, and was the person who said “Yes, you can do this. You are doing it.” I’ll never forget her strength over those long hours of my labors… and all the years of my life. So part of why I love the idea of celebrating the birth of AthensBorn on January 11 is because my life and motherhood are so firmly tied up in my mother, and loving and serving our clients is a small, precious way that I can honor her.

So I want to dedicate our first birthday to our mothers - mine and Kate’s. Kate lost her mother many years ago, and I know she still misses her with every fiber of her being. Do our mothers ever truly leave us? Our mothers live in us. They shape us, they grow us, they love us. They teach us to love and make us into the people we become. Our mothers have shaped us and, in turn, have shaped AthensBorn. We have poured our lives into it and over the last year have learned so much about love and service to others. Our mothers' legacies are a very real and present thing at AthensBorn.

So here’s to the mothers of AthensBorn. Thank you for your legacy, and for helping bring us to this place. Friends, please come celebrate our first birthday on January 11, so that we can thank you for everything you’ve done to bring us here, too <3

Love,
Becca

The unBossy Doulas

11/16/2016

Hi, loyal readers! Here’s a topic that all three of you can get on board with - we will NOT tell you what to do in pregnancy or in birth. Of all the things Kate and I are (Funny? Smart? Maybe. A little weird, definitely), we’re certainly not bossy (though our spouses and kids may beg to differ. Good thing they don’t read our blog!) Particularly to our clients.
No one likes being bossed around, especially in a vulnerable situation such as pregnancy and birth. So I wanted to tell you a little about the AthensBorn ‘birth philosophy’ … get ready, this is big.
We will NOT boss you around. We will NOT tell you what to do. We don’t make decisions for our clients, we don’t tell them what’s best for them, we don’t even give out our personal opinions if we can avoid it. We want each client to own their decisions, from which pediatrician to choose to where they give birth to what they wear while in labor. We offer helpful tips, we share our experience and what we’ve learned, and we try to stay on top of evidence-based information so we can share that too. But, we will not decide what each client should do!
“Why???” you ask. WHY?
Because it’s not OUR birth! It’s not our baby, it’s not our body, and we don’t get to make the decisions that affect those things. We support parents in the way they need, in the way that’s right for them. We don’t draw a lot of lines in the sand, because it’s not our job to police your choices.
Another thing I want to point out - other doulas may practice differently, and it’s not our job to police them, either! There’s a doula out there for every couple who wants one, and each couple deserves to find one who fits in with their own philosophy and needs. We just wanted you to know how we practice.
And, you know what? You don’t even have to believe me just because I wrote this. You’re welcome to contact us and see what we’re all about. Or not. It’s your choice <3

Love,
Becca

Give the gift of a doula...

8/9/2016

Dear Friends and Family Members of Pregnant People,

Hello, and welcome to the AthensBorn blog! This post is for you, by virtue of whoever it is you know who is currently expecting a child. Did you know that it’s possible to gift someone a doula? Yes, it’s true! You can purchase our services as a gift!

“….but why, Becca, why would I do that??? And how, and what services? Tell me more!” you say? Well, let me tell you!

First, let’s start with which services you can gift: ALL THE SERVICES!

Gift ALL THE SERVICES!

From prenatal services to birth to placenta and postpartum services, we do it all, and it can all be given as a gift to a pregnant woman.

Why gift a Mother Blessing....
Because this is a beautiful way to honor a woman as she prepares for birth and motherhood. It’s not a baby shower… it’s a feminine, powerful, spiritual, and personal ushering into motherhood by an expectant mother’s own closest female friends and family.

Why gift a birth doula….
Because people benefit from having doulas by their side in labor. A woman with a doula feels supported and informed, which helps her have a more satisfying birth experience… regardless of the outcome of her birth.

Why gift placenta services…
Because placenta encapsulation is a great way to help a woman ease her transition from birth to having a newborn. Taking placenta pills can help ease her fatigue, hormonal imbalances, and give her back some of the nutrients she lost during birth.

Why gift a postpartum doula...
Because we don’t have the village around us - parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins - that generations past had to help care for a newborn and a mama recovering from birth. It’s less common in our society for a family to be surrounded by available, helping hands than it ever has been, but there’s more pressure to strive for “perfection” than ever, and that’s hard on a postpartum mama. A postpartum doula can help bring some of that back into the early postpartum days.

Visit our website for more information about how to make a gift of our services (electronic or on paper) for someone you know.

Whether you want to contribute a small amount toward a family’s services or purchase the whole shebang; whether it’s a surprise or something you’ve discussed with the parents, please consider this as an alternative to the traditional gifts. A family never forgets their pregnancy, birth, and early postpartum days - help them to cherish these moments by gifting them doula services to help them navigate resources, information, and options. We can answer any questions you have and even set up a consultation with you and/or the parents before you make your final choice.

Happy Gifting!
Becca

Do I need a doula and a midwife?

3/29/2016

This is a question that comes up a lot for people who are experiencing their first pregnancy or who've previously given birth without a doula. Many wonder if they really need a doula when they're already under the care of a midwife. Sometimes parents aren't sure of the distinction between the two roles, or they mistakenly think that one can be a substitute for the other.

Basically, it comes down to this...midwives and doulas make a great team. Can you have a great birth without a doula present? Of course you can. And, many people do. But, that doesn't mean there aren't many benefits to adding another skilled, educated, compassionate member to your birth team. Remember, your doula provides non-stop, emotional and physical support for *only* you and your partner during your birth. For those seeking an unmedicated birth, that constant support is a huge benefit. For many others who are working through complicated issues (past birth trauma, previous miscarriage or loss, fertility struggles, health care providers who are not supportive of their wishes, high-risk complications) the presence of a doula can be critical to an empowering birth experience.

This article offers some great points on why having both a midwife and a doula as members of your team can help your birth be an empowering, beautiful experience.

http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1039849/do-i-need-a-doula-and-a-midwife

If you're still not sure, try the following....

#1- Ask your midwife if they think a doula is beneficial to someone in labor. Most midwives are very happy to have a supportive, skilled doula in the room. The more support for their clients, the better!

#2- Ask someone who had both a doula and a midwife at their birth how they felt about their experience. We promise you'll be hard-pressed to find a person who had a doula and felt like they didn't benefit from her skills and presence.

Take care,
Kate

Interviewing Doulas- The More, The Merrier

3/9/2016

Every interview we have with a potential client is different, because every person has their own individual thoughts, concerns, and questions to bring to the table. A table that usually has a combination of coffee and dessert on it, by the way. That’s how we roll. But, some things are the same...we all share a little about ourselves, Becca and I let couples know what services we offer, we go over our scope of practice. And, we pretty much always end our meeting the same way...with heart-felt congratulations to the expecting family and encouragement to interview at least one other doula before making their decision. Many people seem surprised that we would suggest the latter. So, we thought the subject warranted a post on this fine blog of ours.

Why do we encourage women to interview multiple doulas? I don’t feel like it’s a big secret, but let it be known...not all doulas are the same. I know, crazy. Here’s a brief list of some qualities that we at AthensBorn feel are important in a doula. She (or he, it happens) should be...

Compassionate
Educated
Experienced
Open-minded
Professional

And, guess what? There are quite a few talented doulas who meet these qualifications, right here in Athens! We’re a very lucky community that way. So, when you interview a couple of these lovely doulas and you find they’re on pretty equal ground, what tips the scale in favor of one over another? The vibe. You know the one. It says “this person gets me.” You feel a connection or a gut instinct. And, there’s your answer! Truly professional doulas are not going to be offended by this because we realize it’s beyond our control. We simply cannot be the very best personality match for every couple, because we're all individuals. You’re choosing a person who will be present for one of the most intimate experiences of your life. Choose someone who is qualified and professional, but also choose someone who gets you. Because you deserve that.

We want every woman to have a beautiful, powerful experience when she gives birth and every partner to feel supported and confident. That means having the best possible match for a doula. So meet with a few and mull it over a bit. You’ll likely feel much more confident in your choice. And, if there’s one thing we love for a woman to bring into her birth, it’s confidence.

Take care,
Kate