be supported. be OPEN. BE TRANSFORMED.
your growing family is worthy of support
during this formative and profound time in your life
what does a doula do?
Doulas provide emotional, physical, and informational support for both you and your partner before, during, and after giving birth. This means visits during your pregnancy to talk about and prepare for the upcoming birth, full support during labor and birth, and a postpartum follow-up visit.
“I definitely recommend S&B’s doulas. They are caring, very professional, and knowledgeable about all things pregnancy-related. They’ll leave you feeling empowered with the decisions you choose to make. Plus, you gain extra friends in your corner. The team at S&B is amazing.”
WHY ARE BIRTH DOULAS BENEFICIAL?
What is absolutely amazing—and what truly motivates our birth doula practice—is how research has shown that having a doula makes a difference in a person's birth experience. A recent review of a number of scientific studies compared outcomes for birthing people who had three kinds of labor support during birth: nursing staff support, family/friend support, and doula support. Data from over 15,000 births was compiled. The findings showed the following incredible outcomes (as quoted from the DONA Birth Position Paper).
"According to a summary of the findings of this review, the doula-supported women were:
- 28% less likely to have a cesarean section
- 31% less likely to use synthetic oxytocin to speed up labor
- 9% less likely to use any pain medication
- 34% less likely to rate their childbirth experience negatively"
Having a trained support person devoted to your emotional and physical care during the birth process makes a difference—no matter what kind of birth you envision or how your baby is born.
WHAT ABOUT my BIRTH PARTNER?
Our support does not diminish the role your partner will play in your birth. We promise! Your partner is an important part of your birth team—and it is important to us to support your partner. Partners need breaks, sustenance, reassurance, and guidance on how to support you. Your birth partner will be well-supported so that they have the energy and confidence to continue to support you as only they can.
WHAT CAN I EXPECT FROM MY DOULA?
Your doula care involves your doula(s) being on-call 24/7 during the weeks surrounding your “guess” date. When labor begins, we will be in touch by phone until in-person support is needed. You may want your doula to come support you at home before heading to the hospital or birth center, meet you at the place of birth, or come to your home birth when the time is right. Support continues until a couple of hours after the baby is born. Sprout and Blossom doulas are trained to offer breastfeeding support immediately after birth as well.
We offer non-medical physical support during the various stages of labor. We will suggest measures to help your labor progress smoothly or make labor more comfortable for you. Some examples of this are helping you move into new labor positions, supporting your rhythmic motions, trying a bath or shower, massaging you to relieve the intensity of contractions and help you relax, maintaining a calm and peaceful birth space, and offering words of encouragement and affirmation. We can also offer to assist with Spinning Babies techniques to help labor progress as smoothly as possible (if you’ve never heard of Spinning Babies, check it out!).
Our doulas have worked with most home birth midwives in West Michigan and have attended births at every hospital in the area. We provide back-up support for each other if needed, and we have a strong network of additional back-up doulas that we know well and trust completely.
We will get to know each other before your birth, and you will be provided with the resources you want to make informed and empowered decisions about your birth. During your birth, we will never speak for you or your partner, but we will facilitate making sure that your voice is heard.
“We hired Randi for both photography and doula services. She made us feel comfortable right from the beginning. We had fun during photography sessions, felt supported during birth, and she continued to check in on us during postpartum recovery, which was so appreciated. And all the pictures turned out beautiful!”
you are strong enough
It is our privilege to offer you support during such a life-changing time in your life. We truly feel called to this work. It is so important to us that you feel surrounded with care, feel understood and encouraged, and know that someone is rooting for you. You are incredibly strong, and we are eager to walk with you during some of your strongest moments.
“I highly recommend Brianna for your birth doula. She is so kind, compassionate, and very well-informed. Bri was wonderful in helping me develop my birth plan and helping me have a birth experience that I am very happy with.”
Get to know your doula(s)
Elisha DeVries offers birth doula support to our clients. Brianna Trammell and Randi Armstrong work as a birth doula team and also provide birth photography. All three also offer postpartum doula support.
In our experience, even those who do not think they want birth photos end up deeply appreciating the moments that were captured. It’s not about the crotch shot! It’s about the moment you lay eyes on your baby, seeing how your partner supports you through the process, the details of your newborn’s face that change so quickly, and ensuring you never forget your beauty and strength during one of the most transformational days of your life. You also have the option to add on a birth film if you are working with Bri and Randi.
It is important to us that you feel comfortable with whomever you choose to be in your birth space with you. You can choose which of us you’d like to interview, depending on the services you are looking for and our availability. We are happy to detail your options in a phone call or over email. We would love to get to know you (and your partner, if you have one) and answer any questions you may have about birth doula support—tea is us!
BIRTH PHOTOGRAPHY
Photos documenting your birth story are included when you work with Bri and Randi. In our experience, even those who do not think they want birth photos end up deeply appreciating the moments that were captured. It’s not about the crotch shot! It’s about the moment you lay eyes on your baby, seeing how your partner supports you through the process, the details of your newborn’s face that change so quickly, and ensuring you never forget your beauty and strength during one of the most transformational days of your life. You also have the option to add on a birth film.
“Very pleased with the decision to have Brianna as my doula! It was apparent from the beginning how caring and genuine she was. She definitely has a passion and a huge heart for what she does and it was so comforting to have her calm and gentle presence during my long 16 hr labor! As a first-time mom I didn’t know what to expect, all I knew was that I wanted a natural labor experience. Without Brianna’s calm demeanor through the tough moments in labor I honestly would not have been able to achieve a natural birth! My husband and I appreciate her so much!”
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We serve clients of all kinds, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, body size, or whether or not the birth is a surrogacy, adoption, etc. Every family is different, and we see great beauty in our diversity.
Brianna and Randi are both certified through DONA International, one of the most reputable and evidence-based doula organizations in the world. Elisha is trained by DONA as well, and is pursuing certification.