Melissa Tuton, The Doula
As a seasoned doula, Melissa can approach each pregnancy and birth
journey as a unique experience. She meets each person where they are, having a
unique set of skills and dreams. This means care will and should look a little
bit different from person to person, family to family, yet align with her three
guiding principles of compassionate doula care:
1. Provide
the highest quality emotional support
2. Approach
physical support as a dynamic and multi-dimensional system
3. Seek
and share evidence-based education and advocacy through presence and
preparation
Melissa's ultimate vision is to design care that empowers you to make
informed choices that give you autonomy and presence through a birth you
will love to remember. She hopes to navigate this journey together so you can meet the
challenges head on and find receptive, open arms to the triumphs and joys of
birthing and parenting.
The Three Key Guiding Principles of Compassionate Care In-Dpeth:
1. Emotional Support: Fear of the unknown quickly moves to fear of the “known” with learning what to expect through the birthing process; be it through other’s birth stories or a comprehensive birth course with loving and experienced educators. When labor starts, we are looking for a familiar voice, in a reassuring tone, that reflects back, what we are going through is perfectly normal and that we are moving through the process safely and well enough. As your doula, Melissa meets you here, right where you are; she knows this space and she sees you. Melissa offers you encouragement and the right presence at the right time, beginning with a light and calm demeanor.
"We are in this together!" ~ Melissa
2. Physical Comfort: Birth is a physical event as much as it is emotional and spiritual. Stacking the cards in your favor for more ease and efficiency in labor during your pregnancy allows you to show up fully for your labor and birth days. This means having presence and a sense of calm confidence that allows you to tune into your needs, and move more intuitively. The hormones of birth can bring excitement and anxiety – the two, similarly felt in the body, can ebb and flow and circulate depending on how you're interpreting the sensation. Anxiety leads to tension, tension to pain, pain to fear and back around again. While there is a natural progression of the intensity of the sensations felt in labor, there are ways to stay excitement and curiosity. Melissa can help you sit with them, less afraid, and with more gratitude for the transformation you are going through and the prize on the other side. She teaches breathwork and movement as a means to cope with the sensations as well as provide hands on support to ease sore muscles, tension, and pressure.
"My hands are an extension of my heart, I am here to serve you." ~ Melissa
3. Education and Advocacy: There is power in being clear about what to expect and what your options are. Yes, options. And no, choosing one birth plan or place over another, does not mean you are beholden to a particular path. Your path is unwritten. During your prenatal meetings with Melissa, you'll discuss informed consent and the benefits, risks, alternatives, intuition, and power of doing nothing when it comes to assessing what to do at various points in labor. Birth places have protocols, like scaffolding to provide a specific model of care, so you know what you’re getting when you choose a particular facility or care provider. This model of care holds them accountable to a standard of care that keeps you and your baby safe and on track. You'll talk about approaching the standards with curiosity and discernment all while allowing for flexibility through plan changes. You'll feel more prepared and supported along the way.
"As your experienced companion, I’ll be by your side, observing and empowering you to choose what is most healthy for you and your baby." ~ Melissa
What People Share About Melissa
"Melissa, aka
Wonder Doula, assisted my quick birth at home. I chose her not only because she
is also my sister-in-law, but because her presence is uplifting, empowering and
joyful. She helped me connect to my own strength and wisdom during my labor,
yet intuited what I needed in every moment. She was able to step in and make
suggestions when I didn't know what I needed, yet gave me the space to follow
my own intuition. She showed my husband (her brother) new ways of being
supportive, and meshed really well with my midwife and birth assistant." ~ Marie Metz
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