Introducing The Childbirth Circle! Doula Agency in Kearney, Nebraska
“Birth is a powerful, transformative event. The circumstances of our births can affect our lives, our relationships, and our well-being for years to come. It’s a big deal! We believe having a supportive birth team is crucial to having a positive birth experience.”
“Peace on earth begins with birth.” -Jeannine Parvati Baker
Take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Imagine your birth for a second. What’s it like? Perhaps you see yourself laboring at home, or birthing in the hospital. Who surrounds you? Do you feel loved, supported, and empowered? Pregnancy and birth are an unforgettable journey. Imagine being uplifted, honored, and empowered during this transformative time. See yourself being given the individualized care by a dedicated doula who has worked with you for weeks. She knows birth and how to navigate through the sometimes rocky terrain that birth can be. She knows your birth plan, your goals, and what to say to you when things don’t go as planned. She knows how to work with your medical team to get you the care you want. This is exactly the care we provide.
We are The Childbirth Circle, a new doula agency right in the heart of Nebraska. We’re working to redefine the way Kearney families bring their babies into the world. We’re passionate about providing dedicated, personal care to local families during pregnancy, childbirth, and beyond! If you’re new to learning about your birth options or you’re unfamiliar with what doulas do, we’ll answer some questions here! Grab a snack and dive in!
Who We Are
The Childbirth Circle is a team of passionate and skilled birth workers. Right now we have three fantastic doulas on our roster. We plan to add more birth professionals as we continue to grow and gain momentum!
Lauren Walker, our amazing owner and founder, has been a birth doula since 2015. She is also a birth photographer, a Certified Lactation Counselor, and a strong advocate for doulas and birth choices in Nebraska. She and her husband Chris live in the heart of Kearney with their two boys.
Ivy Lux, our co-founder, has provided birth and postpartum doula services since 2017. She is an APPA certified Placenta Encapsulation Specialist and a certified Body Ready Method® pro. She’s a self-described birth nerd and enjoys learning new skills to support families. She and her husband Tony live in Kearney with their 5 children.
Emily Jackson is our newest doula. She’s working hard to help promote healthy and joyous birth experiences for Kearney families. Emily has a background in childcare and a love for nurturing and supporting families. She and her husband Sean are both from Kearney, where they live with their daughter.
Together, we have a wealth of knowledge, skills, and experience. We’re committed to providing compassionate, nonjudgmental care to the families we serve. We understand each family’s needs are different, and we strive to offer individualized care that leaves our clients feeling confident, heard, and empowered through their journeys.
The Doula’s Role
Doulas are like labor coaches, providing support before, during, and after your labor. Studies have shown that having a doula present during your birth can lead to better outcomes for mothers and babies. Doulas can provide physical comfort, emotional support, and advocacy during labor that may result in shorter labors, decreased need for pain medication (if that’s your goal), and more positive birth experiences overall.¹ We are there to provide gentle encouragement, helpful resources, relaxing hip squeezes, or sometimes we simply hold space. We support our clients being in a labor flow state, but we can also offer suggestions when things are not flowing well.
Doulas also support partners. Sometimes birth can be overwhelming and confusing. Some partners feel really freaked out seeing us in pain! They may not have ever seen birth before, and might not know how to best support us in labor. Doulas act as a guide for the partner, helping them stay close and provide the comfort and support our client needs. We also give reassurance that things are going well, and sometimes we help them get a break when necessary. When advocacy needs to happen, we often help the partner speak up or ask questions to make sure our client’s preferences are being heard.
We’re strong believers that positive birth experiences have an important role in shaping our families, our relationships, and our communities. We want our clients to feel safe, empowered, loved, and autonomous during their birth experiences, even when they don’t go as planned. We provide support for all types of births, including home births, hospital births, inductions, planned cesareans, and unplanned cesareans. We help our clients ask questions and navigate the unknown when their experience deviates from the charted course. We are there to reassure you that you are in the driver’s seat, and all of the choices you make are the right ones.
What don’t doulas do? We don’t make medical decisions or give medical advice. Doulas also do not perform clinical tasks like checking your cervix or baby’s heart rate. We’re not medical professionals, but we do work well alongside your medical care team! We love Kearney’s hospitals, and they love us back! We think our local doctors and nurses who care for our clients are truly the best, and we’re so grateful for their support.
The Birth of an Agency
The Childbirth Circle doula agency was created to help alleviate some of the challenges doulas face in their individual careers. For years, Lauren and Ivy operated their own individual businesses. In 2023 we decided to join forces to better support the community!
We want to see our doulas reach their full potential, so we work hard to promote a supportive and empowering working environment. We use a team-based approach to make sure our doulas have backup support and time off when they need it. This, along with a strong support network helps safeguard our doulas from burnout and ensures a permanent doula presence in our community. Kearney has a growing need for doulas, and together we’re better able to meet that demand!
Education and Community
The Childbirth Circle believes in the power of building a strong community. Strong communities help people withstand hardships. They uplift vulnerable members, ensuring everyone is supported, cared for, and loved. Community is something that can be hard to come by, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. We see the gap that Covid left behind, and we’re working hard to fill the gaps and bring multifaceted education and support to Kearney’s families. We are currently offering community and learning through Birth Support and Comfort Measures classes, Village Prenatals, and babywearing and lactation support.
Education is an important part of birth preparations. The Childbirth Circle has begun providing a free monthly class to the community, where we educate expecting parents about the role of the doula, the labor process, and how partners can provide meaningful support during labor. During our Birth Support and Comfort Measures class, we demonstrate comfort measures and offer an opportunity for hands-on, guided practice. This class is held on the fourth Tuesday of each month and is completely free to attend.
In addition to our free birth education class, we are offering a free quarterly event to honor and uplift pregnant mothers in our community. During our Village Prenatals, we create space for each participant to share their fears and wishes for their birth. We sing over them, feed them yummy food, and do a belly mapping exercise to help them connect with their baby and their body. Our Village Prenatals also offer a chance to build community and friendships with other women.
Finally, we are partnering with Mom Talk, a local mother’s group, to make babywearing and lactation education more accessible. Mom Talk meets every first and third Friday of the month. On the first Friday, The Childbirth Circle attends with a collection of baby carriers to help moms and caregivers find a carrier that works for them. We can also help with position checks, education on proper positioning, and help troubleshoot issues you’re having with your own carriers. Our CLC, Lauren, is also available during this time to help with latch assessments and lactation education.
Empowering Birth, Empowering Kearney
We at The Childbirth Circle believe in the power of building a strong community. We also believe in the importance of positive birth experiences. Birth is a powerful, transformative event. The circumstances of our births can affect our lives, our relationships, and our well-being for years to come. It’s a big deal! We believe having a supportive birth team is crucial to having a positive birth experience. We know that by improving birth experiences and changing how babies are born, we can strengthen our community and do our part to make the world a better place, one birth at a time. Our doulas are dedicated to providing individualized support, education, and advocacy that families need to have a positive and empowering birth experience. We are so thrilled to care for Kearney families and serve the community we love!
Evidence on: Doulas. Evidence Based Birth. www.evidencebasedbirth.com/doulas
