Birth Doula Serving Southern Maryland
“The fruit of the womb is a reward.”
Psalms 127:3
Thank you for showing interest in Birth Doula services. I am a stay-at-home wife to a loving husband and I have had a long-time passion for pregnancy and childbirth.
In 2021 I gave birth to my first child, a Boy, via Cesarean. I am now enjoying the blissful days of early motherhood, and as such, I have taken a step back from Doula work taking on only a limited number of clients per year.
I work as a doula for Birth As You Wish Birth Doula services. If you would like more information, have questions about hospitals and birth centers I serve, or would like to set up a meeting, please email me at:
birthasyouwish@gmail.com
Doulas in our area tend to book up quickly! So please email as soon as you can to inquire about services.
Free Downloadable Hospital Bag Checklist
When should you hire a doula?
You should think about contacting a doula as soon as you find out you’re pregnant! You should hire a doula near the end of your first trimester or beginning of your second trimester. Doulas book up very quickly in our area, the sooner you contact and meet with a doula, the better your chances are of meeting one who will help your family best!
Hospitals I serve
Anne Arundel Medical Center
MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital
INOVA Fairfax
I also attend midwife attended home births.
Hospital not on my list? Don’t worry, let’s chat about it!
What is a Birth Doula?
A Birth Doula is a trained informational, physical, and emotional support person, typically privately hired by an expecting mother and father. A doula provides continuous support during labor and is trained in various coping and comfort measures to help a mother through.
What are some facts about Doulas?
Studies show that when a Doula is present at a birth there is:
- Shorter labor
- Reduction in epidural requests
- Reduction in cesarean rate
- Reduction in Pitocin usage
- Reduction in forcep delivery
- Reduction in pain medication requests
Facts and research found here!
What do Doulas do for partners?
A doula supports both the mother and father during this special time. A doula will actually help a partner understand what is happening better and encourage him to take an active part in the pregnancy and delivery.
Is a Doula the same thing as a Midwife?
No! Although doulas and midwives often work side by side, a doula is not the same as a midwife. A midwife acts as your medical care provider, they handle everything medical. A doula only provides informational, emotional, and physical support. A doula does not preform any medical tasks such as taking temperature, blood pressure, monitoring fetal heart rates, or vaginal examinations.
Do I have to be having an “all natural” birth to hire a Doula?
You can hire a doula for:
-
- Birth at a hospital
- Birth with an epidural
- Planned induction
- Planned cesarean
- Birth at a birth center
- Birth at Home attended to by a midwife.
Testimonials
“It is without hesitation that I recommend Victoria’s doula services. Her immense wealth of knowledge, passion for her work and commitment to me as her client was more than I could have ever hoped for.
Victoria always went above and beyond from start to finish. She was readily available to answer questions and share helpful information such as videos, websites and recommendations. She was always willing to lend an ear to listen and offered incredible emotional support for my husband and me. I chose to do a birth centered on the Hypnobirthing methodology. While I was Victoria’s first official client using this method, she did not skip a beat in immediately immersing herself into learning all about this approach and familiarizing herself with the appropriate comfort measures. I am truly grateful for her willingness and enthusiasm to quickly gain the knowledge of this method and help my vision of having a medicated free birth become a reality. I could not have done it without her.
My husband and I can both attest to Victoria’s role being irreplaceable during those long hours in the birth center. She was always by my side, through every contraction, all while making sure my husband was staying hydrated and taking breaks as well. She came fully prepared with her bag of tricks to make labor as comfortable as it possibly could be. Her labor techniques made all the difference, (especially the head massaging tool that I loved, which instantly relaxed me during contractions!).
We are so thankful for everything Victoria did for us during this entire journey and have developed such a special bond with her that she is like a part of our family now. I hope more families get to experience the heart and compassion Victoria has for her career as a birth companion like we did.”
-Ebner Family, Annapolis, July 2018
“I used Victoria as my doula for my second birth and my oh my what a fantastic difference! I would never go through birth again without a doula by my side and Victoria went above and beyond. She was extremely patient and always had a helpful answer to any question or concern.
I was induced and she used the knowledge and resources she has to help me move my labor along naturally as well and provide much needed support through a painful epidural free labor. Even when doctors asked my support people to leave the room Victoria was allowed to stay and provide me with emotional and physical support. I will never forget the calm that was brought over me by having her by my side when I thought I may have to do this alone.
She made sure to know what I was wanting, thinking, and concerned about ahead of time which made labor so much easier when I felt like it was hard to communicate due to pain.Victoria was extremely helpful post birth as well. Being a new mom is exhausting and the last thing you want to do is look all over for resources you may not know anything about. She had a list of helpful tips and other Organizations that could be of help. For example I strongly wanted to breastfeed and it was a difficult beginning. She provided me with information on La Leche League as well as tips and helpful online videos. Pregnancy, birth, and bringing home your newborn is difficult and tiring but it is also one of the most beautiful and wonderful experiences you will ever have in your life and I highly recommend having Victoria by your side making the hard times easier so you can live in the moment and enjoy it because it’s one thing you will never be able to relive.”
–Kathleen Miller, Baltimore, November 2017
“We used Victoria as our doula and she exceeded our expectations. My husband and I can’t say enough good things about the services she provided us during the birth of our second child.
From the very beginning, Victoria was friendly and always available to answer a question or offer a suggestion to help me manage discomfort during my final trimester. She was a tremendous help.
Victoria took the time to find out about the birth story of our first child and she asked a number of questions to understand what we wanted this go-round as a family. The labor and delivery with our first child was traumatic and the memories of that birth caused both my husband and I a lot of angst. She is gracious and compassionate so working with her relieved much of our stress.
Victoria is knowledgeable, endlessly patient, and incredibly generous with her resources and time.
We highly recommend Victoria!”
–The Burton Family, Annapolis, June 2017
Thyme and Tenderness 