Doula Services
Your Doula is there for you. We prepare you prenatally through discussing nutrition, exercise and education. We help build your confidence. We normalize the process and the experience. We hold space. By creating a calm environment with dim lighting, soft sounds, counter pressure and massage, you are more likely to labor well and efficiently. We bring you amazing, cold things that smell good. We show your partner how to press on your back, your feet, your hands. We explain what is happening. We explain to your partner what is happening. We make sure you both know your options. We remind you of your goals. We remind you again. We encourage you. And your partner. We help you both feel safe. We guide you, we listen, we believe in you.
Birth is a mystery until your baby lands on your chest.
Unfortunately, you can’t control how this day will take shape; how your body will respond to the hormones of labor, how you will react to your body’s way of working or even how your baby will cooperate with the labor you create…the only aspect of your birth that you can truly control and plan… is your Birth Team. The people who will hold you up, reassure you, support and care for you…a team that you trust, a team that YOU choose.
This decision is the most important one you will make around your birth experience. Partner, Birth Location, Medical Care Provider and Doula- this is what makes up your team. Your Doula believes in YOU, in your individual goals and desires around this special day. We work with you prenatally, through Birth Consults, Childbirth Education, Breastfeeding/Chestfeeding Education, Prenatal Appts, + countless Emails, Texts and Phone Calls to prepare you for all of the mysteries that may unfold. There might not be a way to control your birth, but there are certainly choices you can make to ensure that the day your baby is born you are surrounded by safety, joy and trust. We want you to know all of your options, to feel that you are making informed decisions all along the way, but most importantly, we want you to LOVE your birth experience.
Having a Doula present for your birth can…
∙ Offer you a Consistency of Care
∙ Lower Cesarean Section rates by 60%
∙ Heighten your likelihood of a Vaginal Birth
∙ Facilitate Early Bonding with your Baby
∙ Increase your Breastfeeding/Chestfeeding Success
∙ Decrease Postpartum Depression
∙ Enhance your Birth Experience
Doula Package
Free consultation via Zoom to see if we’re a good fit.
Signing of contract/retainer fee is due to become an official client
Two prenatal visits. The 1st is a group appointment with all of the ABB Doulas, held via Zoom every 1st Tuesday of the month from 7:00-8:30pm, usually around your 34th week pregnant. The 2nd meeting is typically in your home, or an agreed upon location around your 37th week of pregnancy. *The 2nd half of the fee is due at this appt. During these visits we’ll get to know each other better and simply talk birth. We want you to go into your birth feeling confident and ready. We’ll figure out together what that means for you. We’ll discuss birth options and your vision. We can also work on labor positions, pertinent topics to your pregnancy, fear release, and comfort measures with the goal being to fill your “tool box” with different comfort items for you in labor, creating confidence and fostering the belief that you can do anything! But especially this.
One Postpartum appointment following the birth. Your Doula comes to you to process your experience, share insight, photos (if you wanted any taken) and help with any newborn/feeding questions. Your Doula will check in on how you are doing physically and emotionally, normalizing the postpartum phase and giving you and your partner some tips and tricks on how to navigate. We will also oooh and ahhh all over your baby.
A well curated, hand crafted list of local resources offering ALL kinds of services pertinent to pregnancy, labor, birth, breastfeeding/chestfeeding and beyond.
A Lending Library of books, articles, A Brighter Birth handouts/lists, videos and more…
Your Doula is on call for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, until you give birth to your baby. We want to hear from you with all the “is this normal?’s” and the “is this it?’s” That’s what your Doula is for. We want to hear about each of your prenatal appts with your Provider, screenings, ultrasounds. We want the phone call when you’re 41 weeks pregnant and OVER IT. Seriously, call us. We’ll listen to you vent and then reassure you that this is in fact, normal.
We are also available for texts + phone calls in the first year postpartum. Additional Zoom, in person consults or lactation appointments after your baby is born can be scheduled additionally
Birth Doulas
Melanie Russell
FOUNDER/OWNER OF A BRIGHTER BIRTH
CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL BIRTH DOULA
CHILDBIRTH EDUCATOR
LACTATION COUNSELOR
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ToLABOR, AN INTERNATIONAL BIRTH DOULA TRAINING AND CERTIFYING ORGANIZATION
I went to VCU straight out of high school for Fashion Design and Communication Arts with grand plans to move to NYC to begin my art career. Instead, I finished college in 2004 a brand new mother of a squishy little boy, with a fresh fascination for all things birth. Fast forward to now, 6 babies (now teenagers) later, and I have fully dedicated myself to the world of birth work. I have attended over 500 births, taught thousands of families their childbirth education classes and supported countless new parents with feeding and newborn care. Watching my clients transform into parents is my favorite thing ever. Supporting people in their own power, offering choices and options, and reminding them that they can do this, they can do even this, have been staples in my practice since day 1. Birth has become my life’s passion, my career being the vehicle to my soul purpose.
This Collective was grown from a tiny seed planted during my own pregnancies. A Brighter Birth began in my living room as a childbirth education class. I was just as pregnant as my students with my 3rd baby, handing out my own vetted and trusted resources of practitioners that I was using for my own care. As ABB grew, so did my circle of curated providers in our area and beyond. Since 2008, we’ve become a full one stop shop offering support from fertility to postpartum. Taking the stress of googling and Reddit deep diving for resources off of everyone’s plate. If you’re working with anyone in A Brighter Birth, rest assured, you’re in impeccable hands.
Hunter Moore
CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL BIRTH DOULA
A BRIGHTER BIRTH COLLECTIVE COORDINATOR
CHILDBIRTH EDUCATOR
LACTATION COUNSELOR
Hunter Moore is a ToLabor trained and Certified Professional Birth Doula, a Certified Lactation Counselor through the Healthy Children’s Project and an A Brighter Birth Childbirth educator. Hunter is also a VCU alumni with a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies and years of experience in fashion and merchandising. She is a mother of two and it wasn’t until after the birth of her own daughter in 2015 that she realized how education and support from community could successfully impact the journey to parenthood. Hunter is over-joyed to feel settled into her true calling of supporting local parents and families through birth. Since 2016 Hunter has supported over 150 local families as a birth doula and so many more through education and lactation support. After personal and professional experience navigating the journey she holds a special place for VBAC candidates. Hunter believes everyone deserves to feel love and feel supported through their birth and parenting journey.
Sarah Cole
PROFESSIONAL BIRTH DOULA
A BRIGHTER BIRTH EDUCATION COORDINATOR + INSTRUCTOR
BREASTFEEDING SPECIALIST + EDUCATOR
Mothering isn’t something we were ever meant to do alone. From pregnancy to postpartum, Sarah is passionate about bringing back personal woman to woman supportive care. Sarah is a mother of 4 boys ranging in ages from toddler to tween and has spent nearly 7 years of her life breastfeeding. With these boys as her first teachers, wise women as her mentors, and breastfeeding and postpartum doula training, Sarah provides non-judgemental, compassionate support to new families. In addition to being a CAPPA trained postpartum doula, Sarah is a Certified Breastfeeding Specialist and is currently pursuing her 200h yoga teacher training (Beloved Yoga), and labor doula (ToLabor) certificates.
Elise Benoit
PROFESSIONAL BIRTH DOULA
PLACENTA ENCAPSULATOR
Elise is a ToLabor trained Professional Birth Doula, a CAPPA trained Postpartum Doula, an IPPA trained Placenta Encapsulation Specialist, and a Lamaze Trained Childbirth Educator. Elise also attended the University of Georgia and Piedmont College and holds a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies. She is a mother to Theo and Georgia and is married to Todd. She entered into the doula field after her own birth, which showed her the importance of building a supportive birth and postpartum team. She continued to add trainings to help extend her knowledge about the many facets of birth and offer assistance through the postpartum time. Those trainings and workshops include: Acupressure in pregnancy and childbirth, Perinatal Loss and Grief, and Spinning Babies Techniques.
Elise believes that education and unbiased support lead to each birthing family feeling empowered and informed when making childbirth decisions. After personally enduring a battle with postpartum depression, she hopes to help her clients feel supported through the entire childbirth experience including the fourth trimester. Through her work as a birth doula and her own experience, she saw her clients have beautiful births, but still struggle with energy and emotions during the postpartum experience. She offers placenta encapsulation as a holistic option to balance hormones, replenish iron, increase prolactin for milk production, and boost energy levels.
Outside of the birth world, Elise enjoys cheering for UGA (Go Dawgs!), arranging flowers, reading, retail therapy, and watching Hallmark Christmas movies.
Sarah Hendricks
CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL BIRTH DOULA
Sarah is a ToLabor trained and Certified Professional Birth Doula and a CAPPA trained Professional Postpartum Doula. She is also a UNC-Greensboro alumni with a BS in Elementary Education and taught elementary school for many years before becoming a mother and doula. Educating and supporting others have always been her passions. Feeling supported by her doula during both of her births led her to become a doula. After personal and professional experience, Sarah holds a special place in her heart for those parents experiencing infertility, IVF, cesareans, VBACs, and perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.
Sarah believes in empowering parents to make their own informed decisions by giving them options and teaching them about choices. She also believes that it is equally important to prepare for your fourth trimester and postpartum time as it is to prepare for your birth. In addition to her ToLabor and CAPPA trainings, Sarah is trained in Spinning Babies, Perinatal Loss and Traumatic Grief, and so much more. She is also a member of the Greater Richmond Maternal Mental Health Coalition.
When she’s not at a birth, Sarah, a native Richmonder, enjoys spending time with her partner and two elementary aged children. Together, they enjoy traveling, hiking, and sampling all that the RVA restaurant scene has to offer.
Alina Betts
PROFESSIONAL BIRTH DOULA
Alina is a ToLabor trained professional birth doula and lactation counselor in training with a Master's in Communications from the VCU Brandcenter. Throughout her pregnancy, birth, and the life-changing “Year One” of parenting, she realized that there are three key factors that can set the tone of this time period — knowledge, support, and confidence. As a birth doula, this is what she strives to provide you with. The knowledge and education to make informed decisions about your body, your birth, and your baby. The emotional and physical support to remind you of your own strength and power. And the confidence in yourself, your partner and the community you build together, as you transition into parenthood. Every pregnancy is different. Every birth is different. But that feeling of empowerment can always remain the same. Beyond her role as a doula, she is a mom to a beautiful 4 year old boy, 2 puddly Basset Hounds, and 2 sweet cats. She loves to cook, devour good books (or ebooks or audiobooks), and dabble in different art projects (right now, it’s embroidery!)
Victoria Epps
PROFESSIONAL BIRTH DOULA
POSTPARTUM DOULA
Victoria is a toLabor trained professional birth doula. She is a wife and a mother of two small children. In between births Victoria enjoys spending her time with her children and family. After training and starting birthwork Victoria fell in love with all things birth and labor- she enjoys supporting families prenatally, through childbirth, and after. She finds joy in assisting all parents in advocating for themselves and helping them achieve their own ideal birthing experience. Victoria also provides postpartum doula support for families needing that extra hand after baby arrives. Victoria is passionate about enabling all parents to have access to the same information, physical and emotional support throughout their pregnancy. It is her mission as a doula to help you access this information so you are able to birth however you desire.
Cece Peace
CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL BIRTH DOULA
Cece is a ToLabor trained and certified professional birth doula. She is a high school chorus teacher turned stay-at-home homeschooling Mom of 3 by day and a certified birth doula by night… because, you know babies, they like to come at night.
“It started off as an inside-joke, a play on my last name. But, when I began thinking about my role as a doula, and about the goal I have for every family I support, it made sense: Who wouldn’t want a sense of peace as they brought a child into the world?”
Cece trained with To Labor and began building, growing and shaping Birth with Peace in 2021. It is her joy and passion to walk with families through pregnancy, birth and beyond! Each and every family shapes her into a better person, Mama and doula. She also couldn’t do this work without her supportive husband Jason and various other family members. Cece is here for the hard work… the heart work of birth work!
Haley Lawler
PROFESSIONAL BIRTH DOULA
Haley Lawler is a ToLabor trained professional birth doula who knows firsthand how invaluable doula support is. As a Registered Nurse, she thought she was well prepared for childbirth. At the urging of her Midwife, she sought doula support for the birth of her first baby. Her doula’s physical and emotional presence during a long labor and strenuous deliver was crucial, and Haley left the experience convinced that a doula should be present at every birth. Soon Haley’s friends began to come to her for birthing support, and she attended more and more births as a friend and advocate. She fell in love with birth work and completed doula training with To Labor in April 2020.
Haley helps her clients navigate their options (even ones they didn’t now they had) to make informed decisions that work well for their family and their goals. She wants to make sure you are seen and heard. She loves walking alongside families, encouraging and educating them along the way. With 7 years of hospital nursing experience, she understands the ins and outs of the hospital system. As a Mom of 3, she knows the transition into parenthood is no small thing- and she wants to be a part of your village!
Paiten Dodd
PROFESSIONAL BIRTH DOULA
Paiten is a Professional Birth Doula trained by DONA International and Labor and Delivery Nurse. She graduated from VCU in 2019 with my Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and will soon hold a Master’s in Health Administration from Pfeiffer University. Paiten is passionate about continuing her education and feels there is so much more to come! She launched her doula business “Blissful Beginnings Doula Services, LLC”, with the mission to advocate, educate, support, and empower families during their childbirth experience. She is dedicated to providing compassionate and skilled doula care to create a positive and memorable childbirth story for birthing people and their partners. She strives to support parents-to-be by providing them with the 1:1 experience they deserve by gathering their desires for their birth and helping them come to fruition.
Paiten is certified in NRP (Neonatal Resuscitation Program) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS). She also has over eight years of direct patient care in a variety of settings ranging from long term care, orthopedics, cardiac telemetry, emergency department, and labor and delivery. She hopes her clients always feel safe and educated with her support!
Postpartum Doulas
Stephanie Coleman
POSTPARTUM DOULA
Stephanie is a DONA trained Postpartum Doula. Originally a Jersey girl, she and her family have called Richmond home for 3 years. Stephanie is also a licensed attorney and felt called to birth work after attending a conference on breastfeeding, nutrition, and postpartum support. The support she gave her clients and coworkers as an attorney has easily translated into the support she provides for new and growing families.
“I’m a natural cheerleader. I love to see others succeed and I genuinely want people to win at parenting and to be confident in their abilities. I’m thrilled that I am able to help families over the threshold into their new lives. I chose the name HoneyBee Postpartum Support because honey bees labor for the good of the queen and the hive all the while making each flower they encounter their own version of beautiful. That’s my goal as a postpartum doula; to support individuals as they become parents for the good of their family and our community as a whole.”
Telisha Woodfin
POSTPARTUM DOULA
Telisha is a Certified Postpartum doula (DTI) and Educator of Infant Massage (Infant Massage USA) that has been supporting children and families across Virginia for over 18 years. In 2020 she founded LIVLoved postpartum support, offering postpartum doula services, infant massage, and parent coaching to new and expectant parents in the metro Richmond, VA area. Additionally, she is the co-founder of “The Momtourage,” an online community for mothers.
As a mother of three, through birth and kinship care, and godmother of seven, I have experienced and shared the experiences of many unique parenting journeys. My lived experiences, coupled with over 20 years as a professional supporting family in early intervention, mental health, and developmental disabilities serve as the foundation of my understanding and insight into each family’s parenting journey. LIVLoved is my call to action, to nurture the physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual well-being of others by demonstrating love. It is my gift to all families that want to be seen, heard, and supported on their parenting journey. It is my mission for every family that I interact with to give love, receive love, and live loved.
Maria Adley
POSTPARTUM DOULA
BIRTH DOULA BACKUP
Birthing her two sons and experiencing the fourth trimester first hand helped Maria discover that new parents are typically left to their own devices when it comes to learning about their babies and their new identities as caregivers. So many resources are available during pregnancy and for giving birth, but it is rare to find consistent, uplifting and nurturing postpartum care, especially when new parents are often their most vulnerable. This void is what inspired Maria to become a postpartum doula with a mission to bridge the gap between pregnancy care and the fourth trimester.
When working with Maria, you will quickly discover that she is an attentive listener who will not only answer questions but will also offer suggestions on how to help you cope with all the ways your body and your life are changing. There is nothing that brings her more joy than working with families during those early weeks with baby.
Maria completed her postpartum doula training with DONA International and birth doula training with toLabor. Prior to becoming a doula, Maria was a professional hairstylist at 1213 Hair Studio in Richmond, Virginia. She loves helping new mothers enjoy that first postpartum haircut (there is no better feeling)! She currently resides in Richmond with her family and is often found going on walks with her dogs and working in the garden.
Latisha Suitte
POSTPARTUM DOULA
Tisha Suitte is a Certified Postpartum Doula, Certified Lactation Counselor, Certified Red Cross CPR Adult and Pediatric instructor + Breastfeeding Educator. After graduating from Christopher Newport University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with minors in biology and childhood studies, Tisha set out to do what she loves; Inspiring and teaching young minds and supporting parents with effective tools to manage home life. After working in childcare for 5 years, Tisha opened Royal Feedings LLC to help parents in a new way. Tisha is available to provide in-home postpartum doula support, lactation support in-home as a CLC, leads monthly breastfeeding courses, and is our infant CPR instructor.
Kaylie Fuka
POSTPARTUM DOULA
BIRTH DOULA BACKUP
Kaylie (they/she) is a DTI and BADT trained full spectrum doula with a passion for postpartum care. With a BA in anthropology and broadcast communications, Kaylie has worked in various fields before finally taking the plunge into birthwork in 2023. As a nurturer fueled by a love for learning and growth, becoming a doula felt like a natural path for them to take—spoiler alert, it was the right path.
They provide trauma-informed care and center their clients' individual needs, ensuring that every person feels empowered and supported during their transformative journey into parenthood. Kaylie loves serving everyone in their community, but as a queer, non-binary doula, they are dedicated to centering queer and trans folks and educating other birth workers on more inclusive practices.
Outside of their doula work, Kaylie finds joy and inspiration in nature and often spends time in their garden, or virtual garden (hello fellow cozy gamers).
Birth Backup Doulas
Janelle Tensley
PROFESSIONAL BIRTH DOULA
Janelle is a toLabor trained professional birth doula and believes that when a birthing person is confident in their labor, body, and birthing team, it makes all the difference in their birth experience. Her commitment lies in supporting clients in this truth: encouraging their comfort, safety, and confidence throughout this momentous journey.
Janelle was born was born in Upstate New York. Life later brought her to England, New York City, and ultimately Virginia. In 2015 she received a Bachelor of Science in Human Development with an emphasis in professional helping skills from Virginia Tech. Since then her passion has centered around children and families. In her professional career she’s led human services efforts including family bereavement programming, community partnerships, and health navigation needs.
Janelle has a genuine and rooted respect for different cultures and personal individuality. She believes that every person has the right to bear childbirth the way they want to, while also being treated with compassion and respect throughout that process. Janelle views her work as a way to nurture parents as they explore their birth visions and walk with them as they bring these preferences to life.
Outside of doula life you can find Janelle somewhere between the city and countryside – finding comfort in the downtown bustle or enjoying the great outdoors. Above all of her favorite activities are those that include family-time and traveling.
Meredith Croskey
PROFESSIONAL BIRTH DOULA
Meredith Croskey is a ToLabor trained and Certified Professional Birth Doula. After having the support of a doula (one of the Collective’s own, Hunter Moore!) for the birth of her daughter, Charlie, she realized firsthand how valuable the role of a doula is and immediately became “doula-curious.” For two more years, she couldn’t shake the feeling that birth work might just be her calling. In December 2021, pregnant with her second child, she made the decision to invest in herself and attended ToLabor’s Birth Doula Training.
Meredith looks back on her birth experiences with feelings of love, nourishment, and confidence and fully attributes that to the support from her birth team. Meredith has made it her mission to bring all her clients this same level of support and looks forward to learning more about you and how she can help you create your ideal birthing experience.
When Meredith doesn’t have her doula hat on, you can find her spending time with her two kids and incredibly supportive husband (these three keep her very active!), reading a good book (preferably thrillers and literary fiction) or traveling, local and afar.
Mindy Walent
PROFESSIONAL BIRTH DOULA
Mindy is a ToLabor trained Professional Birth Doula. A graduate of Rutgers University with a BS in Nursing, she recently celebrated 15 years as a registered nurse. Mindy's personal experience using a doula for her first daughter inspired her to pursue her doula training while pregnant with her second daughter. She has been attending births as a doula since January 2022. Mindy uses the power of authentic connection and honest communication to empower expecting parents to be their own advocates in the birth they desire. She believes a positive birthing experience can lead to enhanced confidence in parenting. Mindy blends optimism with practicality, as her experience in nursing provides her a unique background for providing doula support. Outside of doula work, Mindy enjoys exploring places near and far with her family, socializing with friends, and eating yummy food!
Heidi Blanton-Pohl
CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL BIRTH DOULA
Heidi (she/her) is a ToLabor Certified Birth Doula, Birth Photographer, DONA trained Postpartum Doula, and former infant care instructor. Since her start in 2014, Heidi supported births in various circumstances - always with the laborer's hopes and wishes in mind. Heidi enjoys helping empower birth partners through education for the upcoming birth and postpartum as well as the laboring parent; helping parents and partners navigate their journey is her favorite part of being a doula. It takes a village no matter the size! Heidi is experienced in support for all kinds of births. Heidi is trained in Acupressure for Labor & Delivery as well as Spinning Babies techniques. Heidi also has a background in nursing as well as early childhood development. Her goal is to help support each laborer in their optimal birth, free of judgment. Heidi has lived in the Richmond area since 2007. She and her little family love living in the city. You can find them frequently at local festivals, porch sitting, and when Heidi is not at a birth, you can find her in the kitchen cooking for friends with her dog at her feet and now her own child. She always has a camera nearby!
Death Doula
Dr. Tiffany Jana
DEATH DOULA
Dr. Tiffany (Doc) Jana (they/them/hers) joins the collective as a death doula twenty years after studying to be a birth doula. Doc Jana has three living children and has lost seven pregnancies. It is their intersectional experience as a homebirthing and hospital birth parent— and the devastating loss of so many little ones that called them into service. Doc Jana is a Black, nonbinary, invisibly disabled, interpersonal terror survivor who has emerged on the other side of heartbreak ready to accompany our community through any unexpected or necessary loss. They bring the energy and experience of certified professional coaching, mindfulness and meditation teaching, yoga instruction, Reiki healing, lived experience, and spiritual open-mindedness to their death doula practice.
