Meet Sara
Hello! My name is Sara Epstein and I am a certified birth doula, childbirth and lactation specialist who loves supporting growing families through their birth and newborn journeys. An experienced doula for over 17 years, I devote myself to learning and growth and rejoice in seeing clients have satisfying and empowering birth experiences. I have always been intrigued by birth and still relate to it as a powerful and miraculous experience. My inspiration to become a doula began through my own unnecessary Caesarean birth and since then I have had three VBAC including two beautiful water births. My births were all long, not easy and I totally believe in the power of a mother’s birthing body within a safe environment and supportive team atmosphere.
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My approach focuses on listening to pregnant mothers/couples birth wishes and provide evidence-based education to make informed choices, non-judgmental support, compassionate care and advocacy, physical hands-on support and emotional support as well as guidance throughout your pregnancy, labor and birth. I train partners and loved ones with doula skills and guidance and work with them in a team as well as provide solo support for single moms by choice. Whether you are planning on an epidural, natural childbirth or are just open to how your experience will unfold, this is your body and baby and journey through birth into motherhood.
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I am trained in Spinning Babies/Optimal Fetal Positioning, Hypnobirthing, childbirth education and lactation support and have experience in supporting twin birth, VBAC and water birth.
I love nature/hiking, exercise, making music, laughing with my kids and cuddling my miniature schnauzers, Blue and Ivy.
My Core Birth Principles
Over the years and experiences of supporting over 200 births, I've come to believe that there are certain principles that ring true for every birth experience and empower birthers and family members!
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Non-Judgemental: Creating a safe environment is where a mother’s values and health care decisions are respected.
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Birth Plans: A birth plan supports a birther to hone in on their choices and serves as a reminder of what they really want at the right time even when birth veers from the plan.
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Flexibility: Birth can be different from what you wished for and sometimes detouring off of the plan is the best choice while maintaining the ability to jump back on.
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Advocacy: Supporting the birther in their right to make decisions about their own body and baby.
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Anxiety and Fear: Fear and anxiety are a reaction in our culture to pain and medical establishments. My job as your doula is to mitigate the anxiety/fear by normalizing birth, provide information and understanding to help a birther keep their center, and offer hands-on comfort that decreases the intensity of the contractions.
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Understand the Medical Side: Understanding medical procedures and jargon, while having a heads up on what is to come is so helpful for many birthers to keep their center.
“Women’s bodies have their own wisdom, and a system of birth refined over a 100,000 generations is not easily overpowered"