About Susan
Like many women, I grew up disconnected from birth. I didn’t see any siblings born, didn’t attend the births of neighbors or friends, and didn’t question American birth practices. When I was pregnant for the first time, I attended the hospital’s childbirth classes, but otherwise didn’t give too much thought to the process of giving birth. I had a standard, medically managed labor where the decisions devolved to my doctor and nurses. Too late, I realized I was not mentally prepared for the experience, and I did not like being a passive participant during this huge life experience.
The second time around, I researched risks and benefits, feeling confident that I had the information I needed to make decisions during pregnancy and labor. I faced my fears about childbirth and learned to distinguish between “normal labor pain” and “suffering.” I listened to positive birth stories from other women who had walked this path. I chose a team of care providers who believed in my body’s ability to birth and supported me emotionally and physically through the process. I was an active participant in my son’s birth—and it felt great! There was an enormous difference in how I felt during the birth, how I recovered afterward, and how I bonded with my child during his first weeks.
This experience inspired me to be an advocate for better birth options. For two years I served on the board of the Alabama Birth Coalition and, along with Dalia Abrams, facilitated Birmingham Birth Stories & More, a free support group we started for parents seeking information about low-intervention birth. In 2011, Dalia and I co-founded BirthWell Partners, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to training birth doulas and providing free and reduced cost doula services to low-resource women in central Alabama. We continue to serve as co-directors of this organization. In 2014, I became a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator (LCCE) and DONA Certified Birth Doula.
It is a privilege to be a doula and a childbirth educator; to provide information, to offer emotional and physical support along the journey, and to witness the powerful transformation to motherhood.
I am fully vaccinated for Covid-19
The second time around, I researched risks and benefits, feeling confident that I had the information I needed to make decisions during pregnancy and labor. I faced my fears about childbirth and learned to distinguish between “normal labor pain” and “suffering.” I listened to positive birth stories from other women who had walked this path. I chose a team of care providers who believed in my body’s ability to birth and supported me emotionally and physically through the process. I was an active participant in my son’s birth—and it felt great! There was an enormous difference in how I felt during the birth, how I recovered afterward, and how I bonded with my child during his first weeks.
This experience inspired me to be an advocate for better birth options. For two years I served on the board of the Alabama Birth Coalition and, along with Dalia Abrams, facilitated Birmingham Birth Stories & More, a free support group we started for parents seeking information about low-intervention birth. In 2011, Dalia and I co-founded BirthWell Partners, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to training birth doulas and providing free and reduced cost doula services to low-resource women in central Alabama. We continue to serve as co-directors of this organization. In 2014, I became a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator (LCCE) and DONA Certified Birth Doula.
It is a privilege to be a doula and a childbirth educator; to provide information, to offer emotional and physical support along the journey, and to witness the powerful transformation to motherhood.
I am fully vaccinated for Covid-19
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Workshops/Continuing Education Attended:
GOLD Midwifery Online Conference 2020 April 2020 Group B Strep (GBS) Online Course Instructor: Microbiome Courses March 11, 2019 Gentle Birth Conference/Waterbirth Education Instructor: Barbara Harper, RN, CLD CCCE, CKC November 18-19, 2016 Spinning Babies Workshop Instructor: Tammy Ryan, Adv CD/BDT(DONA), SpBT November 11, 2016 Advanced Doula Training Instructor: Elizabeth Steele March 18 2016 Stillbirthday Bereavement Support Workshop for Birth Workers Instructor: Lauren Bishop June 14, 2015 What They Didn't Teach You About Breastfeeding Instructor: Dr. Jack Newman March 23, 2015 Lamaze and DONA 2014 Confluence September 18-21, 2014 Rebozo Training: "Make the Partner Do It" Instructor: Gena Kirby January 25, 2014 Breastfeeding Workshop UAB Hospital July 25-26, 2013 |
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Birth doula fee: $1000
(Every year I take some clients on sliding scale based on financial need; please ask if you want more information.)
Contact Susan for more information or to schedule an interview:
albirthnorth@gmail.com
205-222-0343
My Services:
Birth Doula (you can see my availability on Doula Match)
Private and Small-Group Childbirth Classes
Birth Prep Coaching
(Every year I take some clients on sliding scale based on financial need; please ask if you want more information.)
Contact Susan for more information or to schedule an interview:
albirthnorth@gmail.com
205-222-0343
My Services:
Birth Doula (you can see my availability on Doula Match)
Private and Small-Group Childbirth Classes
Birth Prep Coaching
Testimonials
To read testimonials in full, click here
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“She was very professional and personable. Susan helped me feel confident in myself and my decisions for my pregnancy and birth. She gave my husband and I information and helped me develop my birth plan. We developed a great relationship and I felt comfortable with her during my delivery.”
"She was able to show us our own strength that we could not see on our own and was a silent confidence at every corner of decision making." |
“Susan empowers you to take as much control as you can throughout your pregnancy, labor and delivery.”
“Susan was an absolute essential part of what made my birth journey a positive one.”
"My goal was an unmedicated, vaginal birth, which I was able to accomplish with Susan’s guidance and belief in the capability of the female body." |
“Her knowledge and experience were invaluable. She stayed flexible and patient as my needs changed through the progressing stages of labor. She was a wonderful doula.”
"She was a reassuring presence during the pregnancy and in the hospital...doing whatever it took to keep me calm and comfortable, from kind words to physical pain relief to helping my husband stay strong, always reminding us how much joy was on the other side of the pain." |