Lancaster and Lebanon, PA Christian Birth Doula
Helping women have natural, faith-filled, and peaceful births at home and in hospitals.
Labor is not just a process that brings your baby into this world, but it’s your story of becoming a mother.
I know you know that, but still a little nervous of how it will go?
The truth is, your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum is actually designed by God to be empowering and full of peace!
How?
Through surrender and the right people around you.
Unfortunately, preparing for a natural birth, without a lot of intervention, ISN’T THE NORM!!
(Which is so SAD because we KNOW that birth trauma can be prevented! We KNOW that higher levels of interventions don’t necessarily lead to better outcomes. So why doesn’t the medical system know this?!)
This is why it is essential to have the right support around you.
You can never anticipate what type of support you’ll need, but that’s okay. Your doula will show up in WHATEVER capacity you need… and I guarantee you’ll feel more grounded, confident, and excited.
But I’m sorry to break it to you—a peaceful, worshipful birth doesn’t happen by chance.
The most important thing when it comes to having a natural, peaceful, positive birth:
RELAXATION AND SURRENDER
Relaxation and SURRENDER is the hardest but most important thing you’ll learn in labor (no matter what kind of birth experience you have.)
2. LISTENING TO YOUR INTUITION
Often when we are being bombarded with information, our intuition gets quieter and quieter, but God instilled a beautiful voice inside of you for a reason!! As a doula, I have learned how important it is to listen to a mama’s intuition because she often knows what is right for her body and baby.
Believe me, surrendering to the process with a natural birth is difficult when you don’t have the right support.
This is why I love helping pregnant women feel confident and empowered in their decisions!!
It can be hard to stand up for yourself when you are in the thick of it, but having someone there to stand with you to AMPLIFY YOUR VOICE is essential in our modern medical world!
And I promise, when you feel more confident & relaxed. Birth is by no means “easy” but hard doesn’t have to mean traumatic.
As a birth doula, I come around women in pregnancy, labor, and postpartum—like a guide, to help you find that place of confidence and relaxation SO THAT you can have the best birth you could ever imagine!
This is the kind of advocacy and gentle support what every woman needs for a positive experience!
1. Unlimited Text/Call Support Throughout Pregnancy: Regularly checking throughout your pregnancy so you don’t have to Google everything. Valued at $250
2. 2 in-home Prenatal Visits: I’ll get to hear what kind of birth you hope for and give you resources to learn more so that you and your partner can confidently know what to expect. Valued at $275
3. Evidenced-based information: I continue to attend trainings to make sure I provide you with the best info so you can make well-informed decisions. I’ll send you resources, handouts, and videos to help you out! Any time you have questions about something your provider brings up, let me know, and I will send great resources your way. Valued at $300
4. On-call support: from 37-42 weeks your doula is available and ready to go 24/7. Even on holidays, weekends, and at 2 am in the morning, I’ll be there for you. Valued at $900
4. Labor and Birth Support: When you need support in labor, I’ll be there to support you and your partner in any way you need. I will advocate for you, reassure you, answer questions, and guide your partner to know how to support you well. Valued at $600
5. Pictures and Videos: I’d love to grab videos and pictures with my iPhone, so you can look back on these precious memories and hear your baby’s first cry over and over!
6. 60-minute in-home Postpartum Visit: This is where you get to debrief the birth, make sure you are set for a successful breastfeeding journey, and get any of your questions answered. Valued at $100
7. Text/Call Support Throughout Postpartum: The text support you had in pregnancy doesn’t end as soon as you have your baby, but continues through the first 8 weeks postpartum. Valued at $75
8. An empowered birth experience: I can’t guarantee any specific birth outcomes, but I can promise that you and your partner will feel well-supported and more at peace through your whole journey helping to avoid birth trauma. Valued at - Invaluable
NEW!!!! All cleints get a gift from me at the beginning and end of our contract!
Not only will this transform the kind of birth you have, but it will impact you for years to come!
The standard package includes EVERYTHING listed above!
Payment plans are available to suit your needs!! Starting as low as $250 per month!
Discount for previous clients, homebirth midwives, and doulas.
Standard Doula Package - $1,200
This one is recommended to first-time moms planning a homebirth!!
Includes:
Everything in the Standard Doula Package
White Birth Pool Rental (delivery & pick up, and all the necessary parts)
Childbirth Classes
Payment plans are available to suit your needs!! Starting as low as $310 per month!
Premium Doula Package - $1,550
As a bonus, you get my handbook for FREE!
As soon as the contract is signed, I’ll email you this handbook to refer to for the rest of your pregnancy.
30+ pages packed full of information I believe every couple should know before their birth!
This guidebook will help you to feel INFORMED, PREPARED, and EXCITED for birth!
Hey there! I’m Doula Karissa
I am a Birth Doula and Childbirth Educator and passionate about natural birth. My love for learning spills over into my work. I believe the more we know, the less we are afraid of. A huge part of what I do is helping pregnant women, and their partners, feel more prepared, and less nervous so it can be a joyful time!
Birth is a sacred gift from God. He created you for this! I have supported over 100 women through their birth journey (and guess what?! Most of them were UNMEDICATED too!) Birth can be both peaceful and powerful, but it does not have to be scary or chaotic!
Click the button below to chat with me face-to-face!
FAQs
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I only schedule a few moms every month, so its rare for this to happen (and it actually never happened yet)!! However, babies come when they are ready! Even if I try to schedule things perfectly, one baby may want to come 2 weeks late, and the other one 3 weeks early.
So, the answer is, I work with a backup doula.
My back up is a trusted friend and doula (also a Christian). If I would suddenly get sick, have a family emergency, be at another birth, or need to leave town for something, you would not be without a doula. In fact, as soon as you sign on with me, you not only get my phone number, but you also get her phone number! I will make sure she is there to support you if I cannot make it.
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It is important that you feel safe wherever you give birth. So if that is at home, I will support you at home! If that is in the hospital, I will support you in the hospital. I work in birth centers too!
Hospitals I’ve worked in: Women and Babies in Lancaster, UPMC Magees in Harrisburg, UPMC Magees in Lititz, York Wellspan Hospital, Ephrata Wellspan Hospital, Good Sam Wellspan Hospital, Reading Tower of Health, Penn State St Joseph's, Paoli Hospital, Chester Community Hospital, Lankenau Medical Center, and Katz Women's Hospital in New York.
Birth Centers: Reading Midwifery Center and New Babi.
Homebirths: I've worked with quite a few homebirth midwives in this area too!!
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I will still 100% support you and go along with you! If there is an immediate emergency, I will follow the ambulance, but most times transfers by ambulance are not necessary.
I will be there to help explain to you and your partner what is happening so that you both feel informed and less afraid. If you decide you want to transfer, your midwife will call your hospital of choice to send in your records and let them know we are coming.
I believe homebirth is normally a safe and beautiful place to have your baby, but I also believe that it’s not homebirth at any cost; meaning, if the baby or mom is no longer safe a transfer is okay and does not mean mom has failed but that medical intervention beyond what the midwife is capable of is needed.
I will stay right by your side through the whole process to help the transfer feel as calm and peaceful as possible.
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When hiring a doula, you are not just paying for them to be at your birth.
You are paying for all the years of training and experience in walking alongside moms, and I am not just there to help you through labor. I check in during the weeks and months ahead of time, helping you feel prepared, informed, and excited for birth so that you can have the BEST experience possible! 24/7 on-call support means I am ready to go for you day or night no matter the weather or holiday or whatever else may be going on in my personal life And finally, you’ll get personalized labor support for hours and possibly days.
(And just like every other business, about 40% goes straight to business expenses like taxes, gas, restocking bags, and continued education.)
Many people are willing to spend thousands on a wedding, and hundreds or thousands on vacation, and I believe doula support is just as worthy of an investment!!
I do understand the time we live in is expensive and finances may be tight, so if the investment feels too big, please reach out, because we may be able to work something out!!
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Yes!! Many! I even have supported several VB2Cs!! (Vaginal Birth After 2 C-section)
I love supporting VBAC mams and support both homebirth and hospital birth VBACs.