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The Birth nerd
The Birth nerd
It all started when a friend asked me to support her during the birth of her first child. I answered the call to go to the hospital not having a clue how my life would change that day (and night... and next day... Let's be honest- it was a long delivery!). I left with a burning curiousity about labor, birth, and the whole pregnancy process. I've been geeking out on everything " birth" ever since.
Fast forward several labors and deliveries, 10+ years, the birth of my own two children, and here we are! I am a birth nerd and doula, excitedly serving women and families in Idaho's Treasure Valley. My training through DONA International has prepared me to offer exceptional physical, emotional, and informational support to families.
I love what I do. Truly. I get to listen to people's stories, understand why they feel the way they do, validate them, and make them feel truly heard and cared about. I get to provide a rare space free of judgement. I get to help birth partners dive in and be an active and confident participant in their child's birth and their partner's labor. I get to help create an environment suited for birthing a baby and I have the honor of being part of a family's precious memories. I. LOVE. IT.
If you are looking for a birth doula, I want to know! Let me help you on your journey to bringing home that baby!
Gretchen's qualifications:
Gretchen's qualifications:
DONA International Birth Doula Training: June 2020
Lactation Training: June 2020
Spinning Babies Training: April 2022
Testimonials
Testimonials
Brady says
Brady says
As a husband, I was hesitant about the idea of having a doula for our childbirth journey; I thought we had it all covered with our birthing plan and the support of our birthing center and Midwives. However, as the birth process started, I started to see the value of a Doual and, more specifically Gretchen. Our doula's expertise, emotional support, and calming presence made all the difference during labor and delivery. She guided us through the process, helped us communicate our preferences effectively, and provided comfort when it mattered most. I can't emphasize enough how much having a doula enhanced our birthing experience; I highly recommend considering one for anyone expecting a child. Gretchen's presence helped the challenging experience turn into a profoundly empowering and memorable one. Gretchen with all my heart my new family appreciates everything you have done for us!
Seleste says
Seleste says
Without Gretchen, our birth story would have looked much different. It was without a doubt the BEST investment for our birth! She was there with us from day one all the way until baby arrived. And that was 4 days! We called her when we needed her, and each time she made enormous effort to be there both physically and emotionally. I have never felt more tended to than during this birthing experience. If you are on the fence about getting Gretchen as your doula, please please please do it! It saved me from the trauma that could have been with my birth. She was worth every penny and some. Her attention to my needs, my husbands needs, her professionalism with all of the birthing center staff as well as the hospital staff, how she captured the most special moments with the photos she took, the questions she knew to ask, how she guided me in my own verbiage with the hospital, her genuine care and support, the breathing techniques... all of it was more than I ever expected. If you're lucky enough to get Gretchen as your doula, you've made a great choice!
Abigail says
Abigail says
Gretchen was my doula for my 5th baby. I was unsure if I needed a doula this time with it being my 5th. I believed I was a pro and could save some money.. my husband reminded me of the reasons why I hire a doula- every time! She is my emotional support, anticipating my next need, guiding me to comforting positions, reminding me of what is true- that my baby was made for my body and that my body is wise and can and is birthing this baby! I am so glad I hired Gretchen, she was my sweet reminder that I could birth my baby and that I was made for this! Birth is an emotional process for me and having Gretchen as my doula reminded me I am supported. All my fears are spoken and validated then brought to a place where truth can reign and settle my heart and mind for the next push. Having Gretchen's doula experience was lovely.
Jacoby says
Jacoby says
Gretchen is awesome! My wife and I are first time parents and felt very unprepared until we had our first meeting with Gretchen. Her passion for birth is very apparent! She has an unbelievable amount of knowledge about different techniques, controversial things, pain relief methods etc. Gretchen never tried to sway us one way or the other, she presented information to us and let us make all of the decisions. Gretchen is awesome and I'm so happy she was with us throughout this whole process and will hire in the future and recommend her to everyone I know! Thank you Gretchen!
Lynsie says
Lynsie says
Gretchen was an incredible part of our birth team! At one point during labor, she and my husband switched places and I honestly had NO idea - not only was she familiar with us and our birth plan, but also genuinely cared for and supported both of us as we welcomed our baby to the world.
Chloe says
Chloe says
Gretchen was hands down the best decision we made in regards to our pregnancy and birth of our daughter.
After I told my husband and my mom, Gretchen was the first person I called. I am so lucky to have had her as a resource from the very beginning of my pregnancy.
Gretchen recommended our birth center to us. She helped me figure out a good prenatal vitamin to take and calculate an estimated due date based off of my last period. She also helped tremendously by providing us a couple books to read, which helped me so much with being mentally prepared and feeling good about labor. She also recommended our childbirth class for us which was another vital part in my confidence and knowledge. With this being our first baby, without her recommendations we really would have been pretty clueless on where to start.
When it came time for labor, Gretchen was readily available from the very early stages. We were able to text and call her & get advice on what was happening & decide together when was best for her to come. Once she was at home with us it was such a relief to have someone else not so emotionally involved to help us remember what we had practiced. It was so helpful to me to always be able to have one person stay with me if the other needed to grab something & I was able to have my husband in front of me to hang on to while Gretchen gave me much needed pressure and massage on my back. She also helped model breathing and low sounds for me which really helped me to stay focused. When we eventually made our way to the birth center she continued to be completely focused on me and making me as comfortable as possible and I am thoroughly convinced that I could not have had the natural birth experience that I wanted without her. She was such a vital and important part of our birth experience and I truly hope she can be a part of all of our future births.
Austin says
Austin says
Having Gretchen as our Doula was a life saver for our first birth. The extra set of hands was needed more often than I thought and the knowledge was super helpful when we weren't sure what was happening. Definitely will hire her again for our second!
Kierra says
Kierra says
Making the decision to hire Gretchen as our Doula was one of the best decisions we have ever made. She made the entire pregnancy and birth a beautiful process instead of daunting, which it felt initially. As my husband and I met with Gretchen as first-time parents, we didn’t know even what kind of questions to ask our provider or what choices we would have for our baby. Gretchen helped us prepare, provided quality research and create a birth plan. After meeting with her we felt a huge sense of relief as we approached our due date.
When the big day came Gretchen was fast to respond to our phone call and came over to our house to support us. Gretchen looked at how often my contractions were coming and helped assess the situation of when to go to our birthing center. When we arrived Gretchen immediately just took care of business to let them know I had arrived as well as helped get us settled without us saying a word.
As I was birthing, my husband gave me back squeezes (that Gretchen taught) and the entire time she gave us water, placed cool wash cloths on us, encouraged me, fanned me and just supported all of our needs. Gretchen has the most calming presence and I never felt judged or unsupported with her by my side. She made great suggestions of positions to try and made the environment overall relaxing. I wouldn’t have asked my birth to be any different and that was due to Gretchen’s amazing work as a Doula.
Braden says
Braden says
Gretchen is amazing! My wife Jenna and I had a great experience with her. She was very helpful before, during, and after our daughter was born. Prior to our daughters birth we met with her to talk about our birth plan. It was helpful to my wife and I, because it was our first child and we didn't know what to expect. She gave us a lot of good information to help us make informed decisions. During my wife's pre-labor and labor Gretchen was there the whole time. It was a huge blessing to have her there. She coached Jenna on her breathing, kept her comfortable, encouraged her and I, refilled water, got us food, and a plethora of other things! Having Gretchen there gave my wife and I peace of mind. It was really helpful for me to have her there because I couldn't have done all those things on my own. During postpartum Gretchen would check up on us and see how things were going. If we weren't sleeping well, or baby wasn't feeding very good, she gave us helpful tips and tricks. Overall, we had an amazing birth experience and a lot of that is due to Gretchen!
Jannel says
Jannel says
To anyone interested in having a doula: Gretchen Carter has been my birthing coach for 3/6 babies. The only reason she wasn't there for all of them is we hadn't met each other yet with my first two and Covid happened during my last pregnancy so she wasn't allowed in the room(??). She is absolutely amaaazing! God definitely blessed her with a heart full of compassion and love for others. She made such a huge difference in all of my birthing experiences when she was by my side. I wish she could've been a part of all 6. Although she was on the phone with me during the sixth, it wasn't the same as the three she was present for. She made my labors and deliveries such memorable experiences and I am so glad to have had that privilege with Gretchen!
Gabriel Says
Gabriel Says
Gretchen was our doula during the birth of our first child. Lynsie and I were as prepared as we could be for Luke's birthday, but it was still a whirlwind. When we realized that Lynsie was in labor we called Gretchen and she met us at the hospital. One phrase that stuck with me from our preparation for birth was the definition of my role as a co-creator and protector of a sacred space for Luke's grand entry. Gretchen fit into the space that I wanted to create and protect perfectly. She was calming, she was confident, and she was willing to do anything for us. The one time I left the room during Lynsie's labor was at Gretchen's urging. I got a drink and a snack and called my in-laws before I headed back in. Gretchen held Lynsie's hand in my place, and Lynsie actually doesn't even remember when I left. She was being taken care of, and that's all she knew. I guess she was distracted or something. If I couldn't give Lynsie physical support during a contraction, Gretchen did it for me. When there was a complication, she stepped in to help our nurse/midwife team. When I lost my head for a minute, she reminded me that we had chosen our birth team for a reason and it was time to trust them. I was especially grateful for that. Gretchen's the best. If we have our way, she'll be there for the birth of all our kids.
Jasmine and Lance Say
Jasmine and Lance Say
Gretchen was amazing during our delivery! Our little girl came a month early and so we had to do an emergency C-section, which wasn't apart of our initial plan. Gretchen was so flexible and willing to be with us, regardless of the plan! She was so helpful and asked questions to the nurses and staff when we needed clarification, and she was also incredibly respectful of the process. Gretchen is one of our best friends, and it was a blessing to have her there at the beginning of our child's life. She is a great woman for the job as your doula and I would highly recommend her!
Zahra Says
Zahra Says
It was a blessing for my family to have found Gretchen as our doula. I absolutely recommend having a doula and Gretchen did an amazing job! Below are the reasons we were very happy to work with her.
1- Gretchen's communication skills are phenomenal. She explained the birth process very clearly and demystified the birth process. 2- She responds reasonably quickly to all the questions. 3- She is knowledgeable, and passionate about being a doula and does a lot of research if she doesn't know the answer right away. 4- She is very kind and caring and it’s great to be around someone like her in your most vulnerable state. 5- Aside from being a doula, she took great photos of our small family that we will treasure for the rest of our lives. 6- She explained all the options thoroughly with pros and cons without any judgment which enabled us to make educated decisions without having to spend too much time. 7- If it wasn’t for Gretchen and her encouragement, I would have been deprived of a skin-to-skin experience with my baby. 8- Our postpartum visit with her was great and productive as well. The swaddling technique she showed us was the best and our baby sleeps well with that kind of swaddle.
Below are the reasons that having a doula, in general, is a great idea.
1- Nurses change shifts and it's great to have one person that knows your needs and your birth plan and can communicate and advocate on your behalf, especially if you don't want to be disturbed. 2- The birth process can be stressful for you and for your partner and it's a lot to take on for one person. Having a doula allowed my husband to be able to take breaks and pick up snacks and other things. 3- Doulas are more accessible to answer questions compared to your OB.
Contact
Contact
Email: BirthNerdDoulaCare@gmail.com
Make sure your communication includes your name, phone number, email, and estimated due date.
I will get back to you within one business day.
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