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"Birth is about making mothers - strong, competent, capable mothers who trust themselves and know their inner strength."
-Barbara Katz Rothman
About Reverent Birth Services
About Reverent Birth Services
Reverent Birth Services was founded to serve those on the transformative journey of birth. Heather provides experienced support, evidence based information, and compassionate care.
As a trained, professional doula, I attend births in the home, hospital, and birth center environment. I support parents in all circumstances, from low intervention births to scheduled cesareans and everything in between.
I am honored to be chosen as part of a family's birth team and it is my passion and privilege to serve them through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. I am dedicated to helping families feel supported, informed, and empowered in their birth experience.
What the Studies Show
"Overall, women who received continuous support were more likely to have spontaneous vaginal births and less likely to have any pain medication, epidurals, negative feelings about childbirth, vacuum or forceps-assisted births, and C-sections. In addition, their labors were shorter by about 40 minutes and their babies were less likely to have low Apgar scores at birth.
The best results occurred when woman had continuous labor support from a doula— someone who was not a staff member at the hospital and who was not part of the woman’s social network. When continuous labor support was provided by a doula, women experienced a:
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31% decrease in the use of Pitocin*
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28% decrease in the risk of C-section*
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12% increase in the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth*
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9% decrease in the use of any medications for pain relief
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14% decrease in the risk of newborns being admitted to a special care nursery
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34% decrease in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience*
Conclusions:
Continuous support during labour has clinically meaningful benefits for women and infants and no known harm. All women should have support throughout labour and birth." -2012, Hodnett et al Cochrane Review
Pregnancy and childbirth is an incredibly vulnerable time. The way a mother gives birth can change the way she views herself, her baby, and her ability to mother. Studies show that what affects a woman's memory of birth is not so much how or where she gave birth, but how she was made to feel.
What is most important is that the mother feels supported, valued, cared for, encouraged and empowered.
“... I have had the pleasure of working with Heather on Labor and Delivery for the past year. She has gone above and beyond her role...Her interactions with patients and their significant others can be described as nothing less than compassionate and caring.
She has shown great dedication to maternal health and wellness and she would make an excellent teammate, one in whom I would feel privileged to work with again, given the opportunity.”
-Elizabeth VonderHaar, MD
Staff OBGYN, Providence Health and Services Alaska