Parents: please share your EDD & contact info in the message body šš¾ Birth doula of 13 years. This is my calling in life to be of service to labor/birth. Iām very grateful to have this as my service in this lifetime and believe every new life is a gift to be honored with care, love and respect for the process. Trained in techniques that encourage optimal fetal positioning by finding balance in the body (more comfort during pregnancy as well as labor/birth) optimal positioning helps labor be more comfortable, increasing odds of a efficient and smoother vaginal birth. I share these techniques with my clients in the third trimester to decrease the use of interventions & prevent trauma. Also practicing placenta encapsulation and massage therapy at Full Moon Birth & Family Wellness Center.
Bachelors in Fine Arts (2010)
ToLabor (2012)
Santa Cruz Birth Network, ToLabor, Blossom birth and family
English
Birth doula support including 3 prenatal visits, 24/7 on call status beginning at 38 weeks, labor & birth support in person or virtually for clients outside of Bay Area, CA. Follow up postpartum visit. Massage therapy: Practicing in Santa Cruz, CA at Full Moon Birth and Family Wellness Center www.holistic-sister.com for details Placenta Encapsulation TCM
We had the most magical natural unmedicated birth experience in a hospital and we owe so much of it to Gretchen. Right from our first interaction when we were interviewing birth doulas, we were drawn by her warm nature. Her prenatal visits were extremely helpful be it the exercises she taught us to enable an optimal baby position for birth or her inputs into crafting our birth plan. We would have been lost with the information overload if not for her timely, targeted and super informative educational resources that have been extremely helpful to us as first time parents. She has always been a text or phone call away to address anything we needed. She brought in a sign of relief when she entered the labor room...her calming presence during my final stretch of labor and the positions she guided me through definitely helped me avoid an epidural. The icing on the cake was her singing a lullaby to our little one upon birth, it felt divine. She also captured beautiful moments of our baby's birth that we will cherish forever. I will always remember her positive affirmation 'You are stronger than you think!'. Can't thank you enough Gretchen for being the rockstar that you are and all your support to growing families :)
- Gita Sowmya P.