Our Barefoot Birth doulas work together very similarly to our midwifery model of care but instead of three midwives and a student, you receive support from two doulas, Brandi Morales and Vanessa Kekuewa.

What is a Doula? If you’re pregnant and on the internet you may have come across the word “Doula”, questioning what they are, and what they do, but also, “do I need one?!”

A doula is a person who provides emotional, informational, and physical support during your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Ok, but what does that mean?

***TRIGGER WARNING***
Our little angle is two months old! I can't believe it has been two months since I faced my fears about an un-medicated birth, and brought this wonderful blessing into the world!  I want to tell my birth story to help any woman who has been through anything similar, to let you know you too can take back your power!  And to shed light on what a home birth is, how empowering it can be and what a fantastically, amazing experience it is! 

Mother's Day brings us to think of the women in our lives. As a doula there is a special honor of remembering the moments my clients became mothers themselves.

"...I think it’s time that we transfer your care.”

If you are planning an out of hospital birth, these are words you hoped you’d never hear, or thought wouldn't ever apply to your birth. I mean come on--you've eaten right, done all your prenatal yoga, read the latest Ina May book, and attended that 12 week long childbirth education class! You’ve done everything possible to prevent having to leave your intended birthing location. However, birth is unpredictable. As you and your labor partner prepare to transfer into uncharted waters, you’re feeling uneasy and wish that you would have hired a doula.

This story comes to us from a lovely family Charlie had the honor to walk with through their second birth journey as their doula. Sarah's stories are that of trauma, heartache, determination, and ultimately strength. Through everything, this family has navigated bumps in the road with so much knowledge and peace knowing that they were in control (even when they were not!)  We love to point out that this also shows that doula support is not just for unmedicated vaginal birth! Doulas support families through all sorts of events surrounding childbearing and parenthood.

"This story comes to us from a previous client who, despite several obstacles, had an amazing birth. This story highlights in detail what it is a doula ACTUALLY does. Stereotypes and preconceptions aside, this is how we as doulas help support families to feel confident in themselves. We are not there to do it for them, we CAN'T do it for them....we are there to make sure they are informed, loved, and feel heard every step of the way without our own agenda. Even when things don't go as planned, a doula helps you to find your path and feel confident in the decisions you're making."  

At the time, she was dubbed “Baby Poptart,” and no one but God and my very precocious 3 year old knew she was a girl. We were, of course, already in love with her, but worried a bit too. Not about her health, no, everything seemed on track and we had no reason to expect anything was off - and I’ll save you skipping to the end - nothing was, she was perfectly healthy. No, we were worried because we ended up in the middle of a situation in which we had far less control than we should have we had. Let me start at the beginning, 3 years prior.

This birth story comes to us from our dear friend Susan. Susan is an ICAN leader and radical unschooling mother of 2. We are excited to share her story with you as it shows how having the right support, appropriate preparation, and belief in yourself can help you achieve the birth you and your baby deserve. 

"Kai was a planned but surprise pregnancy just like our first son. We had been trying for over a year and had basically given up on having more children. We decide to be happy with our 3 person family. I also decided that if I was going to be a mommy to one, I could also handle a new career and went back to school to become an architect. I had finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up and that was to work on sustainable community development  About 6 weeks into the semester, I found out I was pregnant with our second baby. I was so excited that all of our new plans were now going to have to be re-planned once again.