Our doulas are fully trained and experienced in many types of birth scenarios. We have worked with many of the local obstetricians and the local hospitals such as: Lehigh Valley Cedar Crest and Muhlenberg campuses , Saint Luke's Allentown and Easton campuses, Grandview Hospital, St Lukes Upper Bucks, Reading Hospital and Pocono Medical Center, and Bryn Mawr and Reading Birth Centers and more! We have experience supporting moms in a home birth setting as well.
Gini Woodbridge, Birth Doula, Childbirth Educator, Yoga Birth Instructor, Growing Place Owner
I am the mother of two daughters and a non practicing veterinary technician. I love animals and enjoy caring for them as much as I enjoy people. I trained with DONA international and became a certified labor doula and childbirth educator in 2007. I have studied midwifery assisting at The Farm Midwifery Center with amazing midwives such as Ina May Gaskin. I was certified in Neonatal Resuscitation by the Academy of Pediatrics. I am certified as a Yoga Birth Method instructor. I am also a Pennsylvania State Certified Perinatal Doula. I have attended births at home as well as in hospital. I have experience with both vaginal and cesarean births. I also have experience with moms with a variety of backgrounds and medical needs. My goal as a labor doula is to bring support, empathy, knowledge, and empowerment to women as they go through this life altering rite of passage. I hope you give me the honor of being your birth doula.
Mari Welsh CD(DONA), Birth & Postpartum Doula, Growing Place Owner
I am the mother of two and ardent advocate of mother’s rights. My journey to becoming a doula really started with the birth of my oldest son who was born by cesarean. Although the outcome was fantastic, the route that we took to get there was scary and confusing. Without the tools to understand what was happening to and around us, we felt overwhelmed by the labor process and pressured to make choices about things we didn’t truly understand. In preparing for the birth of my youngest son – a hospital VBAC – I gained a better understanding of common hospital practices and procedures that equipped me to make more informed decisions about the care we would receive.
Through these varied birth experiences, I realized the benefits of non-partial support during pregnancy and continuous physical and emotional support in labor and birth. In recognizing that every family and every birth are unique, I strive to provide unconditional support for the expectant mother. I did my childbirth doula training through DONA International and have experience working with families in both the hospital and home setting. It’s an honor to work with families through their pregnancy and delivery and I look forward to the opportunity to support you.
Please note that I am currently accepting an extremely limited client load for birth doula services.
Lisa MacKeverican, Birth Doula & Postpartum Doula
Years ago I had the wonderful experience of carrying three children and having three vaginal non-medicated births. I breast fed all three and now they have children of their own. Now I am Gramacita to nine grandchildren, they call me "Cita" lol, ages 6-12 years. As the grandchildren started to come, I was asked to come in on their birth's and help with breast feeding afterwards. I also went to their homes for a few days to help them adjust. And the rest is history. My husband of 45 years and I enjoy spending as much time as we can with all those little muchkins. The past 20 years I've worked as a surgical assistant for a wonderful Oral Surgery practice. They now have six oral surgeons on staff. Being part of the clinical team you had to be responsible for knowing patients history, allergies and any medical conditions before surgeries. Checking blood pressure, keeping the airway open, heart rate, oxygen level, having the right medications in the room was a great responsibility. It wasn't until helping my children through many births that I decided that being a doula was a great passion of mine. Becoming a certified birth doula through Dona International has been one of the most rewarding voyages in my life. I am a bereavement doula through “Birth, Breath, and Death” and NRP, CPR/AED certified. I am also a Pennsylvania State Certified Perinatal Doula.
Tiffany Mouery, Postpartum & Birth Doula, Placenta Specialist
I am a trained birth and postpartum doula through The Growing place. I have 16 years of motherhood experience as well as my professional experience of having worked with more than 150 families through this special new mother/new baby period.I understand the importance of birth and how it affects the mother-baby relationship. I'll work with a pregnant mom to help her prepare for labor and birth to ensure it is a empowering positive experience. Birth is not just a physical event. It is an emotional one.
Women today are not always given the support they need in the postpartum period. Throughout history, women having babies have been surrounded by other women - relatives, friends, neighbors. In our modern society, women are living further away from their mothers and sisters and it is not as common or possible for neighbors and friends to be the type of support many new moms are needing. As we make the transition into motherhood, many times we are lacking the presence of other mothers. A doula can help make that more possible, while nurturing the entire family and meeting whatever needs there may be. A doula understands the need for that traditional role of support and encouragement from one mother to another. All women (and partners) deserve to have a doula by their side who is caring , sensitive , and understanding of the prenatal, labor and postpartum period and works for YOU.
Skylar Nisen, Birth Doula, Postpartum Doula, Placenta Specialist & Bengkung Belly Binding Specialist
I was introduced into the world of birth work when I took my first doula training with DONA in 2020. I then completed certification with BEST Doulas and through The Growing Place. As someone who loves to learn, I’m always looking for more opportunities to grow and expand my knowledge. Most recently, I completed training from Spinning Babies. I draw upon all of these programs not only in my work, but my daily life as well.
As the oldest of seven siblings, I have been around and caring for babies since I was one! Going into doula work was a natural transition and a way for me to continue to care for little ones and also care for and support the women in my community. This work has filled my cup and it is an honor to be a part of so many birth and postpartum journeys. I am one of the only doulas without children myself, but my goal is to help as many families in my community as I can before expanding my own.
Amy Hinkle, Birth and Postpartum Doula
As a homeschooling mother of six, I have always enjoyed all things birth, baby, and family! I was a young, single mother when I had my first baby over twenty years ago, and her birth was not ideal. I have learned so much about birth and our ability as women, I want to advocate for women to simply have a voice, so they may have a choice in their own birthing process.
I have walked alongside many friends and family members during pregnancy and after delivery, and I have always had a passion for helping women during this special time in their lives. I offered breastfeeding information classes at a pregnancy center and often visited moms in the hospital and at home to help them with breastfeeding after the birth of their baby. I also have experience from breastfeeding my own 6 children, including tandem nursing.
In my spare time I enjoy baking, cooking, running, reading, and sewing.
I love meeting new people and hearing their stories! I’m very excited to meet families through The Growing Place and be a support to them during this amazing time!
Krystle Sanchez , Birth and Postpartum Doula
I am a mother of three kids and started my parenthood journey at the age of 17. It wasn’t a planned journey but it has been my most blessed and fulfilling yet. On this journey I’ve had the ability to experience birthing in a hospital and having a homebirth. Each story is different in their own way but in all three labors one thing I remember feeling was that I was alone. I’m 100% sure that had I had a doula for any of my births I would have different emotions about my births even if the stories were exactly the same. While raising my kids I’ve been a working mom for some time and a stay-at-home mom for a while. During the time that I stayed at home with my kids I spent my time learning and putting into practice a form of bodywork called shiatsu. I currently practice shiatsu and discovered my passion for working with pregnant women during this time of my life. In the first few months of me studying, a mom came for a session as a practice body for me. Her body was showing clear signs of being in labor, she was having inconsistent contractions and some lower back discomfort. During the hour session we shared she was able to relax enough to find some rest, less than 24 hours later we got word from dad that she gave birth. It was on this day I realized that although shiatsu was important to me, my life’s work is to provide a safe environment and support women during the most amazing transition their bodies will experience. Fast forward to now, I trained with The Growing Place and feel fully equipped to fulfill this undertaking. I am a Pennsylvania State Certified Perinatal Doula. I am also an end of life doula certified through INELDA.
Huda Knott , Birth Doula
I am a mother of two devoted adult children and a wife of a very supportive husband. Who we have shared our life together with for over forty five years.We are committed grandparents to our three amazing grandchildren.
I started my doula services way before I even knew what a doula was, by helping my family and friends during their labor and delivery. This was a support that I felt they needed for those important hours of their life.
One day after, I finished supporting my nephew and niece during their journey of labor and delivery. My oldest sister was with me and she felt that I should become a doula, which piqued my interest in learning more. So we both took the training together in 2008 with Dona International. This sparked my passion in continuing my service for others to go to the next level.
My name is Huda and in Arabic “AlHud” means to guide nurture and give love. I believe that my name reflects my true mission. I’ ve been told that even as a child I have always been a nurturer. As an adult I have not ever stopped. It brings me great joy to assist and empower both the mother and her partner, to bring life into the world while making memorable memories. With my degree in Mental Health & Human Services and along with being a Chaplain with International Alliance of Chaplains & Law Enforcement, I use my experience and knowledge to better support my families, mentally and physically. I am looking forward to working with the Growing Place team and supporting our community.
Izaida Claudio Birth Doula and Postpartum Doula
I am a mother of 2 daughters, young adults and a grandma of an 8 years old girl. Back in 2000, I worked as a Certified Medical Assistant, but at this moment I have a career in management. I recently joined the team, with the vision to achieve a personal goal that started 8 years ago, supporting my daughter giving birth to her baby. I was doing mom, grandma and doula roles in one shot. I strongly believe that human bodies are perfect with all its processes and changes. I enjoyed supporting and training people to do their best hand on hand. In my free time, you will find me in crafts shops, looking to create something new, crocheting and gardening.
I am bilingual and speak both English and Spanish.
Allyson Guerron Birth Doula and Postpartum Doula
I’ve known for a while that I wanted to help others have their best birth experience and be someone’s village after they the have their baby. I also didn’t have the births that I wanted, because I didn’t have a voice sometimes to make known what I wanted, so I really want to be able to help others feel their empowerment when their are doing something as magical as having a baby.
I received my training through DONA International and then finished it off with the amazing women here at The Growing Place.
Birth and postpartum can be the most rewarding and also sometimes the most challenging. I want women to feel like they have a choice in every decision and everything that they experience along the way while I am with them.
Outside of work, I am a mother to four amazing little boys. I am the oldest of 6 kids in my family and have been around little kids and babies for as long as I can remember. I have been married to my amazing husband for 6 years. In my free time you can find me curled up with a book huddled under a nice cozy blanket.
I am so honored to be able to help families through such an amazing experience. I love meeting new people and talking all things birth, babies and family. I am so excited to continue my journey and help family’s during this amazing journey to get them the experiences that they want and deserve.