Bio

Hi! I'm Melissa and I am a CAPPA Certified Labor Doula, a Hypnobabies®️ Childbirth Hypno-Doula, a Virtual Doula, and the owner of Start In Love.

My journey into becoming a labor doula began in the spring of 2000 when I brought our child into the world. My husband and I had gone through the childbirth classes the hospital recommended, and I knew that my husband and my mom would be with me during labor and delivery. But I felt that I would need a little more support, someone not so emotionally invested. Someone who I connected with and who cared about me and our child. So I asked a dear family friend to be with me/us for the birth of our daughter. She was amazing. She reminded me to breathe (I tend to hold my breath when I am feeling pain) and she was honest about what was going on through the delivery (could they really see her head?). She was definitely the calm in the room that evening and the support that my husband and I needed. I am forever grateful that she was there for all of us on the momentous occasion of the birth of our sweet baby.

Several years later - as I was sharing my birth story with a friend - she told me that doing what my friend had done for me was an actual profession. I did some research and found that she was correct - that being a labor doula was something that I could study and train to do. I was excited because I knew then that this was something that I wanted to do. I wanted to be there to support, encourage, and help women during their pregnancies and then during the births of their babies.

I started the process of becoming a CAPPA Certified Labor Doula with a 2 day, in-person training. That was followed by online classes and videos, reading books on pregnancy-labor & delivery-breastfeeding-advocacy-etc., exams, writing papers, attending 3 certifying births (in which I had to get evaluations from each doctor, nurse and client, and writing papers on each one), ending with a final exam. It was a lot of hard work, but I am proud to be a CAPPA Certified Labor Doula.

Going through all the training and becoming certified was important to me. I wanted to make sure that my future clients knew that I take my role as a labor doula seriously, that I am committed to providing a professional service, and that I will always do my best to be there to help them achieve the birth they are seeking. With CAPPA, recertification is required every 3 years - which means continually adding on to my education, increasing my knowledge and always learning new things about being a doula and supporting moms and families. I finished my latest recertification in February 2021.

In the fall of 2019, I had a doula client that used Hypnobabies®️ for their birth education. This was my first Hypnobabies®️ birth - and it was amazing to watch that mom handle her labor in such a calm and controlled way. This experience is what led me to taking the Hypnobabies Doula training to become a Hypnobabies®️ Childbirth Hypno-Doula, which I finished in early 2020.

I also provide Virtual Doula and Pregnancy Doula services.

I am passionate about what I do and I doula with all my heart. As a former cast member at Walt Disney World, I strive to provide the best client service I can, including taking only 1-2 clients per month. Because I believe family means different things to different people I welcome clients from all walks of life. This means I am committed to providing support and encouragement to anyone expecting a child regardless of marital status, sexual orientation or gender identity. Whether this is your first child or your last child, whether your birth takes place in a hospital or in your home, whether you have a support person or not, or whether I provide my services in person or virtually, I am here to support you.

Outside of being a labor doula - I am a wife and a mom (1 human child & 1 furbaby). I enjoy dancing, going to concerts, traveling, reading all types of books, hanging out with my husband and friends, and I love it when it snows. I am a Peer Facilitator with Cherished Mom/The Bloom Foundation; facilitating perinatal support groups. I also volunteer with the Walk to End Alzheimer's Tri-Cities.

Location

Johnson City, TN

Languages

English

Birth Doula Services

ART and IVF

C-sections

Families of color

High-risk

Inductions

LGBTQIA+

Preemies

VBAC

Birth Location

Hospital