Greetings from Columbus, Ohio! I’m Vanessa.
My friends call me V and describe me as resilient, empathetic, and creative. I’m a hospital Birth Doula and Childbirth Educator passionate about empowering birthers with evidence-based knowledge.
I'm an INFJ (advocate), Enneagram One, and a High-C (DiSC). Laughter keeps me alive, music keeps me sane, and kisses on the forehead give me hope. Brand New is my favorite band, and seeing Mumford & Sons at Bonnaroo moved me to tears. You can usually find me within arms reach of a peppermint tea or eating tater tots on weekend mornings. I’ve been married to my college sweetheart for 11 years (together for over 18 years), and our 4-year-old son keeps us on our toes! We live in a suburb of Columbus, OH on a heavily wooded lot and enjoy evenings eating popsicles on the porch while watching the deer stroll by.
I am a Birth Doula through a local hospital program, working on-call shifts throughout the month. I also have a BA & Masters in Architecture along with an MBA. I have focused in the retail & restaurant design sector for over 15 years. I mention that because you may notice a play on words with module titles (“foundation,” “by design,” “build,” “blueprint,” “framework”) in my metamorphosis childbirth education course- merging my two worlds! Even the course name “metamorphosis” itself has special meaning to me. It ties back to my own name, Vanessa, which comes from a Greek word meaning butterfly. I love the transformative symbolism of the butterfly, as it’s very representative of my own path to parenthood that led me to the birth world. I'm excited to help you write your birth story too!
My Story
I suffered in chronic pain for 15 years with mis/under-diagnosis before receiving the official pathology reports confirming I had severe endometriosis in December 2018. During that journey I was also diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve, hypothyroidism, and a few other obstacles that made our fertility journey difficult. In the year leading into my excision surgery, I completely changed my lifestyle and eating habits to help re-center my body as naturally as possible. I went from vegetarian to vegan, gluten, soy, caffeine and alcohol free. I returned to yoga & breathwork, and incorporated acupuncture into my routine. I was able to eliminate most of my pain and regulate my cycles more through those changes, but was still not able to conceive. We decided to move forward with the exploratory excision surgery. My endometriosis specialist found two different types of endo all over (literally from my ribs to my rectum), twisting and fusing my organs together. My organs were carefully separated, the endo was removed from its roots, my ovaries were suspended for healing... and then we conceived naturally the very first attempt after my body healed from surgery!
While we were so elated to be pregnant with our miracle babe, our infertility struggles impacted me emotionally throughout with the constant fear of losing our baby. I was then diagnosed with hyperemesis-gravidarum (HG) during pregnancy, which took a large physical and mental toll on me well into my third trimester. But my husband and I were determined to prepare for a physiological hospital birth, so we selected the HypnoBirthing method for education and hired our HypnoBirth coach as our Birth Doula.
Although our birth experience looked nothing like we imagined (as they typically don't!), it was everything we planned for. I was unblocked (no epidural) for the entire 36+ hours of labor, and rode those waves to completion! I felt empowered to make decisions, understood what our choices were, and knew the questions to ask. I was supported physically, mentally, and emotionally by my Birth Partner (husband) and Birth Doula in ways that still impact me to this day. I am able to say I had an amazingly redemptive birth sandwiched between infertility and postpartum struggles because of their support.
My experience inspired me to become a Birth Doula and Childbirth Educator. I am here now to make a similar positive impact on your birth experience. I want to educate you on the choices you have and the evidence-based information to back-up those choices. I want to help you cope through the difficult portions of pregnancy, labor, and early parenthood. I want you to believe deep down you can do it too.
If any of the above resonates with you, DM me on Instagram (@breathandbirth.co) to tell me your story. I’d love to connect!
Namaste,
V
“All I need is one good egg, perfect timing, and a clear path.”
— My mantra during our infertility journey to natural conception
Listen up:
Want to hear it in my own voice? I’ve got a podcast series started sharing my own journey, so feel free to follow along as I continue to release episodes!
Why you’re in good hands with my guidance:
DONA-International Certified Birth Doula, (CD)DONA
Certified Childbirth Educator (through Birthworker.com)
Spinning Babies® Workshop
Evidence-Based Birth® for Pros Workshop
Birth Doula to over a dozen (and counting) hospital births, including medicated and unmedicated
Birth Doula support in the Operating Room for multiple Cesarean births (Doulas are most often not allowed back in the O.R., but I have been able to maintain continuous bedside support during active labor through O.R. deliveries into postpartum recovery after surgery)
My own 32+ hour unblocked hospital birth experience
My own infertility journey
