Susan Petrus
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 parenthood!
Susan is an experienced, DONA-Certified Birth Doula, Lamaze-Certified Childbirth Educator, and certified Body Ready Method® (BRM®) Pro.
My Story
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.
Certifications and Training
Workshops and Continuing Education Attended
Body Ready Method
Instructor: Lindsay McCoy
October 2023 - March 2024
Holding Space Consultant Training
Instructor: Amy Wright Glenn
October 2023 - December 2023
ReThinking Prenatals
Instructor: Adriana Lozada
July 9, 2022
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 TrainingInstructor: Elizabeth SteeleMarch 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
Neonatal Resuscitation
Instructor: Karen Strange
March 23, 2014
Rebozo Training: "Make the Partner Do It"
Instructor: Gena Kirby
January 25, 2014
Breastfeeding Workshop
UAB Hospital
July 25-26, 2013