Embodied Birth Support

Your resource for support and care during pregnancy and motherhood. 

I understand that bringing a new life into the world is one of the most profound experiences you will ever have. As a doula and bodyworker, my mission is to provide you with unwavering support, knowledge, and encouragement throughout your entire journey—from pregnancy to postpartum. 

Nurturing Your Birth Journey

My Approach

Every birth is a unique journey deserving of support and compassion, and every birthing person should be informed and armed with resources as they traverse the threshold into motherhood. 

As your doula, I aim to create a personalized experience, to help you feel safe, and to serve as a resource so that you feel a sense of agency no matter what decisions come your way. I’m there to hold space, offer physical comfort and reassurance, provide the information you need to make informed decisions, and facilitate communication between you and care providers. More importantly, I am someone to nurture you as you nurture your baby.

As a bodyworker and kinesthetic being, I have ways of using my hands and trusted techniques to relieve discomfort and promote relaxation, not only during labor, but also during the transformative days of pregnancy and postpartum. 

Every mother deserves to be seen, to feel heard, nurtured, and supported.

As your Doula I:

What to Expect

  • Help you explore ways to surrender, ground, and discover what makes you feel safe so you can settle into more excitement and joy.

  • Share knowledge, options and resources so you can create your authentic birth plan.

  • Prepare you for the “unpreparable” so you feel more empowered and intentional throughout the birthing process.

  • Help you surrender to the process, as well as set clear boundaries and wishes.

  • Help ensure that your “yeses” and “nos” are heard.

  • Impart in you the wisdom that it’s all within you, so you can better trust the natural, physiological process of birth.

  • Provide continuous support as you navigate the transition into motherhood.

  • Help you build connection and community so you feel more comfortable and supported in your new role as mother.

What’s Included?

My Birth Support package typically includes the following; however, we can also discuss any additional services you may need.

  • We’ll meet monthly (with increased contact as the due date approaches) to discuss your birth preferences, fears, and expectations.

  •  I’ll share information and tools to help you and your partner feel more confident and prepared, as well as help ensure that your birth plan aligns with your desires and values, leading to a more satisfying birth experience.

  • As a licensed massage therapist, we can customize a birth package that includes prenatal or postpartum massages. I can also offer acupressure to promote natural induction. 

Prenatal Support

  • Once you’ve gone into labor (or think you are in labor), we will determine the best time for me to begin supporting you based on your needs and labor progress; and I will stay by your side throughout the duration of your labor and birth, providing reassurance, honoring your preferences, and advocating alongside you.

  • Benefit from personalized comfort and support measures, such as massage and relaxation exercises, and positioning and movement designed to ease discomfort and promote relaxation.

  • I support your partner, too, helping them engage and feel confident in their role during labor.

Labor Support

  • I will remain with you for the first couple of hours after birth, helping to ease the transition to parenthood by listening and providing support as you adjust and recover. 

  • I’ll provide 3-5 postpartum visits with a goal of coming to visit you the day after birth, three to five days following the birth, two weeks postpartum, four weeks postpartum, and six weeks postpartum—during which, I’ll offer advice and resources on infant care to help you feel more confident in your new role. I will also connect you with a community of local support groups, classes, and services to nurture your growing family. 

  • As a Community Lactation Educator, I offer tools, resources and support to help you navigate the unique challenges and joys of breastfeeding/chestfeeding. We can discuss any misconceptions and discover options that best support you and your baby’s health.

Postpartum Support

  • My journey through pregnancy, labor and early postpartum would not have been the same without Altranise’s doula support. Having recently moved away from family, I knew I wanted doula support for labor but was unsure what that would look like. Altranise’s practice is unique in that she is able to offer massage. It was so healing in pregnancy and early postpartum to receive this kind of care from a trusted professional. During early labor, I experienced a lot of back pain and Altranise’s deep tissue work really helped me tolerate the intensity of contractions. With Altranise supporting my back, my husband was able to hold my hand through contractions which really helped me feel supported through that. I cannot imagine laboring without that support. Altranise was a great listener as we made our birth plan and offered us the comfort and affirmation we needed to prepare for the unpredictability of birth. With the support she offered, I was able to approach labor with confidence and flexibility. Every birth and every birthing person is different but for me it was important to avoid any unnecessary interventions in my labor. In large part because of the preparation work we did with Altranise to bring intention to my movement and breath during labor, I was able to birth my baby unmedicated and avoid many of the interventions I wanted to avoid. I strongly feel every woman deserves this kind of support and care during pregnancy, labor and postpartum. We are beyond grateful we had Altranise to support us and witness our first baby’s birth. 

    —Bernadette L.

  • The emotional and physical support Altranise provided during my pregnancy, labor, and delivery is invaluable. This was my first pregnancy I carried to term and in those later stages a lot of weird or embarrassing questions can come up; nothing ever felt awkward with Altranise and she took great care to help me process all my worries. I'm so grateful for the grace and care she provided throughout our journey and for helping me bring our baby girl into the world.

    —Ari L.

  • Embarking on my journey to motherhood as a staunch type A was no easy feat. Endless nights of researching the latests parenting trends, safest baby gear, constantly browsing mom forums and blogs (don’t recommend) and enthusiastically preparing for an unmedicated hospital birth. All things that I *thought* would help ease my anxiety and prepare me for the new journey ahead. Fast forward to a stubborn breech baby, pre-eclampsia, a failed ECV and a cesarean (where the epidural failed!). Definitely not the plan! However, hiring Altranise as my doula to navigate pregnancy, birth, and postpartum was everything. She was transparent about her own birthing experiences, helped me to advocate for myself and my needs, made referrals and recommendations and made me realize that I was going to be ok. Altranise was such a bright light in my life and a nurturing friend. Her body work, wisdom, and laughter created ease. She respected my wishes, offered her advice, advocated for me as a patient, took an interest in my physical and emotional care, and supported my journey into motherhood. The biggest lessons I have learned about motherhood is that hardly anything is predictable or goes according to a plan (no matter how badly I want it to). However, having Altranise as my doula helped me to prepare for the “unpreparable” — to surrender to the process but also to set clear parameters, boundaries and wishes. I look forward to working with her in the future.

    —Kara C.

  • As a first time expectant mom, Altranise guided me in my journey and brought comfort, support, and positive energy in a time when I wasn't able to have family or friends close. Altranise was my stability and knowing she was by my side during delivery, I was able to find strength to deliver my baby without medication—a long feat that I didn't believe I was capable of. Altranise's support continued after, and assisted me to breastfeed and learn to love my new self. I am so grateful for Altranise's talents and support in my birth journey.

    —Carleen P. 

  • During my pregnancy, especially in the last trimester, I felt pretty awful all the time. I was swollen, and constantly out of breath, both perpetually hungry and too full at the same time while experiencing persistent aches and pains. While being super excited that I was carrying my growing daughter and for everything to come, I was consistently in a really bad mood. Receiving both prenatal and postnatal massage was one of the few things I could do during this time that brought relief from my symptoms. Receiving such a knowledgeable and caring touch was special because when I was relaxed and happy, with both the literal and figurative weight lifted off my back, I had space to feel joy, and relish in the connection I felt with my growing little one from a really wonderful and positive place. I am grateful for Altranise's gifted intuition as a massage artist and how her knowledge of birthwork helped me feel more connected to myself and my baby during a time when it was difficult to find a place of joyful connection. 

    —Sarah B.

Birth Support Pricing

Standard package

My standard Birth Doula package is a sliding scale fee of $2000-$2500. However, in an effort to keep this work accessible, I offer payment plans. Please reach out if you are interested in learning more or if you have questions regarding your insurance. 

Let’s Start This Journey Together

You deserve to be supported, informed, and nurtured during your birth experience. Let's connect to discuss your vision for birth and how I can help.