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Choosing a Doula~ DAMA provides expectant women/couples with a list of its Active Members and their contact information. You may also wish to ask friends and family for the names of doulas they have worked with. We recommend contacting several doulas by phone to get general information about their availability around your due date, training, experience, services and fees. We suggest that both you and your partner interview a few doulas face-to-face to decide if they are compatible with your family. It is very important that you, the doula and your other support people are all comfortable with each other.
You may find the following questions helpful for the initial phone call and/or the interview:
- Is she available for your due date?
- What is her fee?
- What training has she had? Was her training provided by a national organization that specializes in training doulas?
- Does she have one or more back-up doulas for times when she may not be available? May you meet with them?
- What is her philosophy about childbirth/parenting and how does she describe her role in supporting a woman and her partner or other support person during labor or the postpartum period?
- Has she worked with women whose experience is similar to yours (i.e. first-time mother, second baby, twins, single mother, high-risk birth).
- How will you reach her if you have questions before or after the birth?
- Birth Doula: Has she had experience providing labor support in the setting where you will be giving birth (a specific hospital or at home)?
- Birth Doula: When does she join women in labor? Will she come to your home or meet you at the hospital?
- Birth Doula: Will she meet with you after the birth to review the labor and answer questions?
- Postpartum Doula: What is your experience in breastfeeding support?
Before you contact a doula, check to be sure she serves the hospital/location where your baby will be born, places where each doula provides support are listed under their contact information according to this legend:
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AMC- Angel Medical Center |
MMC- Murphy Medical Center |
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BRRH- Blue Ridge Regional Hospital (formerly Spruce Pine Community Hospital) |
PH- Pardee Hospital |
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CMH- Cannon Memorial Hospital |
POSTPARTUM- Provides postpartum services |
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GH-Grace Hospital |
PRH-Park Ridge Hospital |
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HOME-Homebirths |
RH-Rutherford Hospital |
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HRH- Harris Regional Hospital |
TCH- Transylvania Community Hospital |
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HRMC-Haywood Regional Medical Center |
WMC- Watauga Medical Center |
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MH-Mission Hospitals |
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All DAMA members have been professionally trained through a national organization. Some members have completed the additional work and requirements to become Certified Doulas, they have the CD (‘certified doula’) credential behind their name. Other members have completed their formal training and are working towards certification. During their first doula experience as a new DAMA member, they are mentored and “shadowed” by one of our CD’s, so you will have two doulas (for the price of one) at the birth.
Certified doulas typically charge $300 to $550 for their services, though many will reduce their fees or offer a payment plan based on the family’s income. Certification candidates usually charge much less than our CD’s and often volunteer their services in exchange for a small donation or offer their services on a sliding fee scale. Some doulas offer their services in exchange for a donation to DAMA, please be sure to ask about their fees and payment options.
DAMA's Active Members currently taking clients
Active members are members who are able to provide a certain level of activity in the association, as a benefit to them for the extra work, they are listed on the top half of this page with a longer bio and photo. New members and other supportive members are listed below.
*Members with a highlighted name have a link to an additional page with more information about their services, clicking on these names will open a new window.
 Laura Beagle, CD(DONA) Bilingual- English & Spanish
828-231-9337
MH, PH, PRH
Laura has attended births in many settings including hospitals, birth centers and in their homes. Her mentors were a group of very compassionate nurse midwives. In addition to her doula certification, Laura is a nationally certified massage therapist and a certified pregnancy and post partum massage therapist. She believes that each woman deserves to have a safe and supported birth experience. She enjoys working with women at home in early labor. Laura believes that establishing a calm and confident approach to labor before entering the hospital can facilitate a smooth transition into active labor. Her doula services include prenatal massage. Read more...
 Pat Durham, CD(DONA)
828-649-1263 hobblein@hotmail.com
*Taking a summer break will begin taking clients due in Sept*
Believing in the well-being and strength of women and families Pat, a certified childbirth educator and certified birth doula, offers companionship and support to women and their partners. Pat shares generous time with those anticipating birth to establish rapport, understand needs, share information and comforts. Following birth she offers parenting information, encouragement, resource referral, and breastfeeding support. Pat respects women as strong and self-actualizing and as having gifts of inner wisdom that help guide them through birth and parenting. Pat has been support for non-medicated, no intervention vaginal births, vaginal births with medication and other interventions, Cesarean and water birth.
 Judy Major, CD(DONA)
828-689-2322 mtnlady@madison.main.nc.us
HOME, MH, PRH
With 28+ years of healthcare experience, Judy brings maturity, a variety of skills and a sense of humor to “doulaing.” Since 1998, her willingness to give countless hours supporting women/couples in labor, often for little monetary compensation, demonstrates that she is a doula “just for the joy of it.” She has taught childbirth classes and had training in basic and prenatal massage. She is at ease with all types of clients, care providers and birth settings. Judy respects the process of normal birth, but also understands its unpredictability. She enjoys working with women/couples who hope to birth with minimal medication. Read more...
 LeAnne Marrs, CD(DONA)
828-925-2669 leanne.marrs@gmail.com
Currently serving families at HOME or BRRH only
LeAnne began supporting families in 2002 becoming a Certified Doula through DONA International. She is also certified as a Childbirth Educator through the Aviva Institue and has training as a lactation educator and as a postpartum doula. As a mother of 3 LeAnne feels that her personal experiences add to her ability to relate to new mothers. She has worked with families in area hospitals as well as homebirths. LeAnne believes that nurturing & fostering the already instinctive abilities of the family empowers them for life, she works closely with each family in the last few months of pregnancy, throughout the birth & postpartum period to facilitate lasting positive memories. Read more...
 Cheryl T. Orengo, CD(DONA)
828-258-3327 or if urgent call cell- 828-776-3327 ctorengo@gmail.com
MH, PRH, HOME & POSTPARTUM CARE
Cheryl’s goals for her doula clients: a healthy baby, a joyous birth and peaceful postpartum. She has provided support in hospitals, a birth center and at home with women who wanted non-medicated births and women who chose medication. She has provided support for VBAC, multiples, waterbirth and high risk. Her focus as a postpartum doula is to help facilitate normalcy after birth. Read more...
 Jo Roberts, CD(DONA)
828-648-4345 JoRN922@aol.com
MH, HRC, POSTPARTUM
Jo lives in Haywood County and serves clients who will deliver nearby. She offers an excellent "bag of tricks" with a large selection of soothing CD's, birth ball, birthing stool and photography skills. Jo is both cheerful and caring; she offers calm, skillful labor support, emphasizing quiet reassurance enhancing the abilities of the laboring woman. Jo is eager to help parents have the type of birth experience they want. The mother of a grown daughter, she has had over 20 years experience in public health nursing. Jo is currently certified as a birth doula and has training in postpartum support. Read more...
Jordan Schmick
252-256-1692 motheringthemama@gmail.com
MH, POSTPARTUM CARE
Jordan lives in Asheville and attended a DONA approved Postpartum doula training in March 2008 and is working with her second postpartum family. She also attended Cheryl's DONA approved birth doula training June 2008. Jordan applied to be a postpartum doula with DAMA to help lower the incidence of postpartum depression for women and to help new mothers and fathers feel confident in their natural ability to parent.... She feels that being a doula will give her the opportunity to make a small difference in a hugely overlooked part of American existence.
 Heather Sevcik Bilingual- English & Spanish
303-929-9713 hsevcik@warren-wilson.edu
*Interning at Holy Family Birth Center until August; taking clients due in September 2008 and beyond.*
MH, HOME
A DONA-trained doula working towards certification, Heather believes that birth is a sacred process and that support is an important part of creating a positive experience. Trained in Reiki, massage, prenatal yoga, and a variety of other healing techniques, Heather’s background helps create a supportive and loving space for all who participate in the birth process. She believes in a woman’s intrinsic ability to give birth and offers guided relaxation, touch and physical comfort measures, and emotional and informational support for moms as they prepare for and bring new life into the world. Read more...
 Kelley Thomas-Hill, CD(DONA)
828-488-8523 ELCEMOM@aol.com
AMC, HOME, HRH, HRMC, MH, PRH
Kelley teaches childbirth classes, early childhood education and has been attending births for ten years. She attends both hospital and home births that run the gamut from waterbirth to cesarean birth and has training in breastfeeding support. She believes that helping women find their way, their choice, is important and that natural birth is safest for Mom and Baby. There are times a woman may need or want to make a choice outside of natural birth, having a doula when making those decisions is an important aspect of care. Kelley has been married for 25 years and has two children.
 Chama Woydak, CD(DONA)
828-777-8899 beginningwithbirth@yahoo.com
MH
Chama is a fun-loving, energetic and compassionate mom who has gained birth experience through being a certified childbirth educator for 6 years and 8 years of attending births. Her Doula services facilitate communication and provide perspective with care providers and hospital staff, thus ensuring the client has information needed to make informed decisions prenatally and in labor. Chama’s skill-set also includes suggestions for labor progress, relaxation, massage, positioning, homeopathy and aromatherapy. She offers labor and immediate postpartum photography, breastfeeding support and a postpartum home visit. Chama holds the space for families to bring forth life with dignity and grace.
DAMA's Active Members currently unable to take clients
 Sarah Brown, CD(DONA)
 Adrianne Gordon, CD(DONA)
 Michelle Lee
 Laurian Mapp
 Andrea McClure
 Patricia Swagart, CD(DONA)
 Barbara Allen, RN- DAMA liaison with Mission Hospital
 Katie Conklin, RN- DAMA liaison with Mission Hospital
DAMA's Supportive Members currently taking clients
Supportive members include new members and other members who are not able to provide a certain level of activity in the association. All DAMA members are trained and or certified, have gone through an application process and are continuously active in the field of childbirth & postpartum care.
Madonna Barrier, CD(DONA)
828-724-1587
BRRH, MH, RH, TMH & POSTPARTUM CARE
Madonna is a licensed massage therapist and a certified doula. She became a mother in 2004. She enjoys the relationship between mother and doula as well as seeing clients through pregnancy with massage. Madonna feels that the privilege of this relationship can make a valuable element of your birth.
Tali Branco
828-398-4614 tali.branco@gmail.com
Tali lives in Asheville and has been supporting women for birth and postpartum since 2005. She took the Matrona doula training which began in Sep. 2004 and Cheryl's DONA approved doula training in April 2008. Tali believes that the "simple act of providing continuous physical and emotional support can make a huge difference in both the outcome of the birth and the way in which a mother views her birth".
Salem Norris
273-7489 frisbeeriot@hotmail.com
Salem just completed her DONA training and is anxious to begin supporting women during labor and birth. She wants to be an advocate to help them and their support persons feel more relaxed.
Katie Watkins
828-450-9610 k8edove@gmail.com
Katie lives in Madison county with her family and attended Cheryl's DONA approved doula training in April 2008. Katie had midwives and a doula for two of her births and she says that those two experiences sealed her belief that the presence of experienced, supportive women during birth is vital! The women helped her to enjoy her births with peace, confidence and a lack of fear. She feels called to help other women in this way whatever the circumstances may be.
Sara Levine
779-9297 Sara.e.levine@gmail.com
Sara just completed her DONA training and believes that the miracle of birth triumphs all the pain and difficulties of labor and that consistent, loving care can make all the difference in the world for a laboring woman and her support person.
DAMA's Supportive Members who are currently unable to take clients
None at this time
07/10/2008
Doula Association of the Mountain Area
PO Box 1822 Asheville, NC 28802
(828) 258-4873 | Contact Us | Disclaimer
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