Hi, My name is Leah!
Every childbearing person deserves to feel supported, prepared, and unafraid
I became interested in childbirth education and birthwork when I was pregnant with our first baby. My partner and I attended a Bradley Method course kind of as a fluke, and it was life-changing. I did not realize how much I did not know! I was operating under the assumption that I had a general understanding of my body and had attended sex ed in school, so I was ready, right? I am forever grateful to my employer at the time, who recommended the course she had taken while pregnant. My partner and I learned so much, and while we did not have the support of a doula, our instructor was so supportive and would answer my questions as they came up. Because of her (shout out to Lia Fletcher in Long Beach), we went into the hospital unafraid, armed with information, and ready to have our baby our way.
Our second child came along during COVID. I was not interested in going into the hospital at all, but felt like a home birth was just too….informal? I had a conversation with a friend who talked with me about her home birth and really encouraged me to accept that option as a possibility for us. I listened and connected with the Madison Homebirthers group, where I found our wonderful midwife, Miranda (Grassroots Midwifery). I was somewhat fearful. My hospital birth was fast and furious, and I had some minor complications that I felt made a homebirth risky, but Miranda talked with me about my experience and offered options for proceeding with preparedness and caution, and our home birth was intimate, powerful, amazing, and uncomplicated.
Every childbearing person deserves to feel supported, prepared, and unafraid as they navigate the wonders of pregnancy and childbirth. I’m both passionate and absolutely fascinated by this right of passage, and it is my highest privilege to guide others within their own birth stories.
Basil carries positive energy and is believed to promote good health and prosperity as well as protection, purity, and love.
Basil leaves are also high in antioxidants and are known to relieve oxidative stress, reduce inflammation, and help prevent infection.
Onyx stone carries powerful vibrations of protection, strength, focus, and willpower. Activating your root, solar plexus and third eye chakras, Onyx helps to ground you to the earth and push you forward.
Onyx repels negative energy and has been used for protection for thousands of years.
Credentials
In addition to completing the Bradley Method course and experiencing the birth of my two children, one in the hospital and one at home, as well as a miscarriage, I have worked in child and infant care for many years, including private nanny services, NatureSense Childcare Center, and The Madison Isthmus Montesorri Nedo (or nursery).
I completed my Full Spectrum Doula Training, including prenatal, labor, birth, and postpartum care, as well as training in fetal positioning and lactation support with Cornerstone Birthwork Training, and am certified in Pediatric CPR/AED/First Aid through the Red Cross.
I specialize in whole-food nutrition and dietary considerations for those with autoimmune disease and chronic illness. I live with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Crohn’s Disease and have been developing and collecting recipes and home remedies for over 10 years!
I’m an expert swaddler, baby bather, sleep wrangler, lullaby lilter, routine guru, space optimizing organizer, Story reader, and love to color and play Legos with kid siblings.
Like many doulas, my interest in birthwork was ignited by my own experience giving birth to my two babies. My practice, Basil & Onyx Doula Services, is not only inspired by them but also named in their honor.
Our daughter’s name is Bazil Etta Virginia, and our Son’s name is Ezra Gray Onyx
I am eternally grateful for my lifelong quest: to show them love, teach them about the joys and challenges of life, and to be their mother.