Shalene, Kimberly, Lindsay, Lydia, and Alice partner to offer you experienced and passionate support throughout your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum journey.
They invite you to explore the services Rhythm of Birth offers as you embark on your journey.
Rhythm of Birth provides experienced local and virtual doula services, bodywork, and online childbirth preparation classes to pregnant couples and single moms in Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Radford, NRV, Roanoke, Salem, Floyd, and surrounding areas of Virginia and beyond. Rhythm of Birth supports couples regardless of where (hospital, home, birth center) or how they plan to give birth.
"We believe every woman has the strength and knowledge within herself, and with the help of her birth team, to give birth mindfully and beautifully. Birth is an amazing and mysterious journey that a woman remembers the rest of her life. We would be honored to support you on this journey!" ~ Rhythm of Birth
The word "Doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional, spiritual, and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period. We know that for centuries, women had the support and nurturing care of other experienced women to help them through their birth process. Birth Doulas provide this valuable service for the benefit of women and their partners.
I know you are excited about being pregnant and preparing for your birth! However you plan to birth, being prepared mentally for labor and the unexpected; exhaustion, medical interventions, and difficult decisions that arise is crucial to experiencing peace and embracing your birth and postpartum experience.
From the comfort of your home, you will feel 100% ready for your birth and transition with your baby. Explore the online Childbirth and Postpartum courses I offer.
"Nurturing the Mother" utilizes a comfortable, secure side-laying position to avoid undue pressure on a growing abdomen and the lower back. During the session, you will begin to learn my voice as one of comfort to help you relax during pregnancy and to release tension during labor to cope with contractions.
Shalene is a wife, mother of 2 girls, certified Doula and Childbirth/ Postpartum Educator. She has been mentoring parents since 2011 along their pregnancy, birth, and postpartum journeys.
She is an advanced certified mentor through Birthing From Within®, owner of Rhythm of Birth, and creator of Rhythm of Birth & Postpartum Journey e-courses.
Kimberly is a wife, mother of 4, and doula. She is completing her training through DONA.
She is excited to partner with Rhythm of Birth to offer dedicated and compassionate care to growing families!
Lydia began supporting couples during birth in 2020. She has an ever growing passion to support women as they embrace every aspect of their pregnancy and birth!
She is so thankful to be joining the Rhythm of Birth team!
Alice is a wife, mother of 2, and doula. She has been supporting couples during birth since 2023.
She is excited to be part of Rhythm of Birth and is currently working on her Postpartum Doula Training and will soon be offering services to help families with newborn care and lactation support.
Lindsay is a wife, mother and doula. She has been supporting families during birth since 2018.
She is passionate about supporting women during pregnancy and birth and excited to offer support and knowledge to expectant families.
Cassandra is a wife, mother of 2 girls, doula and childbirth educator. She has been supporting families through pregnancy and birth since 2023.
She is passionate about helping women make informed decisions that they feel confident in and have satisfying, empowering birth experiences. She is thankful to be joining Rhythm of Birth and to be a part of this amazing team of women!
"As a midwife, it is my heartfelt wish that all women feel empowered, well-informed, and in control of their health and of the care they receive. Research shows having a doula with you during your childbirth improves outcomes and increases satisfaction with your birth. From my experience as a midwife, I completely agree: Having the support of a great doula really seems to elevate the childbirth experience for women and their families. I have had the pleasure of seeing Shalene at work with many families over the years, and I can say without hesitation that she is truly an exceptional doula. She is so kind, steadfast, and professional! She is truly dedicated to helping women and their partners have a positive birth experience. She values helping families make informed decisions and she creates a gentle space for the laboring mother to do the hard work required to give birth. I find it very easy to communicate with Shalene, and I respect her tireless work, careful preparation, strong knowledge base, and her whole-hearted dedication to her clients. She takes her role seriously and approaches this work, what I feel is her calling, with patience, grace, and a compassionate heart. She is a wonderful doula!" ~Kris Conrad, CNM
"As a mama who had two prior c sections, I wasn’t sure that hiring a doula would be beneficial…as I’d had so many providers tell me a VBAC was out of the cards for me. After having two zoom calls with Shalene and Kimberly, I knew they were going to have to be a part of my plan. They helped me find a group of midwives who were willing to take a chance on my case, to help me have the birth experience I had dreamed of. Kimberly was AMAZING. She went for walks with me, texted me to check in, and never made me feel like I was bothering her with my tons of questions and texts (since I’d never experienced labor). Since my little miss decided she didn’t want to come on her own, we were induced at 41+3. Kimberly stayed in contact with me the whole time. When the pitocin hit hard, she hit the road and got to the hospital to help talk me through my epidural and remind me that it was okay to choose to not do this unmedicated. She stayed up all night to give my husband a break, played card games with us, and was a constant positive support system. After 34.5 hours, it was finally time to push and she kept telling me how great I was doing, reminding me why I was doing this, took all kinds of pictures and videos and helped talk me through everything. When a repeat cesarean was mentioned after almost 3.5 hours of pushing, she was back in my ear encouraging me to push harder than ever to meet my mystery gender baby. 10 min later, our sweet Everly Jo was born and Kimberly was in tears with us. I could not have done this without her. And would recommend Rhythm of Birth to anyone!!!! If you’ve ever wondered if a doula is right for you, they most certainly are. I now consider them friends and Kimberly will forever hold a special place in my heart." - Amber Alborano
"Lindsay was supportive, encouraging, soothing, helpful, and provided the guidance I needed during my pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. My husband and I both felt relieved to have her there to advocate for me while I was in labor. Lindsay was knowledgeable and knew to advocate for things I didn’t even know to ask about. She was able to talk me through each step of my labor and help me make the best decisions for me based on my birth plan. Lindsay being there allowed for my husband to really be present with me. She showed him different techniques to use to help with pain management that allowed him to feel connected and involved. My husband and I are both incredibly grateful for everything Lindsay did to help us bring our baby girl into the world. Just the other day my husband and I spoke about how we, without a doubt, will have Lindsay be a part of all of our future pregnancies." -Lindsay Brickey
"I had a homebirth and I could not have done it without Lydia’s help. I had done all kinds of prepping but I was still so very nervous because I had never done this before. Lydia entered my home with a calming and helpful presence. She suggested different approaches to help manage my pain and stayed by my side when my anxiety would escalate. She guided my husband to assist me and help me throughout labor as well. Lydia was an irreplaceable asset on my birth team and I am so thankful for her help in bringing my sweet baby into the world."
"I have worked with many professionals over the years. I've worked with nurses, students, midwives, physicians and doulas. I have had the pleasure of working with those who get the beauty and sanctity of that space in that time. Unfortunately, I've also had the opposite experience. Shalene gets it. She is a creative coach, a loving comfort and a constant source of inspiration during the birth experience. Her singular focus in prenatal care, birth, and the postpartum period is her clients, their babies, and families. She is kind, supportive, gentle and respectful of the needs of the mom and family." ~Dr. Roberts, OB
"I felt completely safe & supported during my labor experience & had a successful VBAC! I would definitely recommend Shalene to any mother seeking out Doula support!" ~Andrea, Seasoned Mom
"Not only do they come with extensive formal training and tremendous experience... they come with their whole heart."
"Having Rhythm of Birth present at our birth and as a resource before and after pregnancy was extremely valuable and I would definitely recommend their services! "
"We met with a few doulas, and chose Shalene because she was so easy to talk to and from the moment of meeting her, we both felt very comfortable with her. "
"The support Shalene provided for my husband and I during our second birth is beyond what we had imagined it would be."
Visit : Macaroni Kid for an article about Rhythm of Birth.
Pooping in labor is not a topic at the top of your list to discuss at a dinner party or over coffee, but it is an anxiety many women bear alone when preparing for their birth. Read personal stories of pregnant women, their partners, and birth professionals of their anxiety of pooping during labor. Learn about the physiology of pushing, why pooping happens, and how it is managed during birth. This book will help relieve your anxiety, prepare you to completely let go of the fear of pooping, and add a little humor to your mind as you approach labor.
Click each image to learn more.
Fit 2 B is an exercise program online to help you transition from rehab to exercise. I am a member and enjoy the tummy safe workouts!
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