Eleison Doula Services

10/16/2026

Your first outing with a newborn is a big deal. 💛

Getting yourself dressed, the baby fed, the diaper bag packed, and everyone into the car can feel like planning a small expedition. If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed after bringing baby home, that’s so normal.

So I put together a few of my favorite Birmingham-area spots for that first trip out. Easy parking, clean restrooms, and places where nobody minds if you need to stop and feed the baby.

📚 Hoover Public Library
🌿 Aldridge Gardens
🌸 Birmingham Botanical Gardens
☕ Baba Java Coffee
🛒 Publix
🧸 Toddler Town Playcenter

Plus a few tips to keep it short, sweet, and gentle on your recovering body. And a bonus tip for anyone who’s ever stared at a car seat after a blowout: will clean it for you. 🙌

As a postpartum doula in Birmingham, Alabama, I love helping families with these early milestones, first outings included.

If you’d like support in those first weeks at home, send me a DM and let’s talk. 💛

10/15/2026

10/14/2026

Expecting a baby in Birmingham? Hi, I’m Rachel. 👋

My green marker and I are back by popular demand.

If you’re the mom with a running list of questions in your Notes app, I see you. You want to understand the evidence behind your choices, and you want your faith and values to have a place in the room too. Those are my favorite people to work with.

As a birth and postpartum doula in Birmingham, Alabama, I get to walk alongside families through the whole season. Childbirth classes where we talk through what to expect during labor. A birth plan that fits you. Steady support while you labor. And help at home as you figure out life with a newborn, including overnights so you can get some real sleep.

If this sounds like you, say hi in the comments and I’ll reach out. 💛

10/13/2026

Let's have some fun together!

Greystone Chiropractic is one of my favorite referrals, so I was delighted when they invited me to participate in their Trunk or Treat this fall. I have a fun treat in store. It's not candy (too hard for me to resist the temptation), it's not spooky, but it is fun for little and big pumpkins alike. Come along to see what the surprise is!

Thursday, October 29 from 5:30-7:00 at Greystone Chiropractic.
6600 Tattersall Ln, Birmingham, AL 35242.

10/12/2026

Expecting a baby in Birmingham, Alabama? If you’re my kind of client, the one who loves these handwritten pages I made for you, I can’t wait to hear from you!

10/12/2026

Most birth plans miss the one thing that matters most on the day.

They usually look like one of two things. 📋📝
Four pages, color-coded, with every detail ChatGPT told you to include.
Or a blank page and a lot of nervous laughing.

If you’re pregnant and somewhere in that mix, it can start to feel like one more thing to get right. And no checklist can fully settle the anxiety about labor and delivery that’s sitting underneath it.

When I help moms write a birth plan, we start somewhere different. We talk about what matters most to you and why. Your values, your faith, your hopes for meeting your baby.

Because when I know the “why” behind your preferences, I can help you find another way to honor it if labor takes a turn. That’s what helps you stay in the driver’s seat, even when things change.

If you’re in Birmingham, Alabama, due in the next few months, and want help with yours, DM me “PLAN” and we’ll set up a free consult. 💛



Photo credit:

10/10/2026

But the things that help most in the middle of the night?
I learned those at bedsides.

The hip squeeze that takes the edge off a contraction.
The swaddle that holds when your baby decides arms are for flailing.
The calm voice for when anxiety about labor and delivery shows up at 4 cm.

You deserve both kinds of knowledge. The research, so you can make informed choices and stay in the driver’s seat. And the hands-on know-how, so the long nights and sleep deprivation with a newborn feel a little more manageable.

That’s what birth doula support and postpartum doula support look like with me as your Birmingham Alabama doula: steady information, steady hands, and a little humor when we need it.

DM me “CONSULT” and let’s talk about what would help you most.

10/05/2026

Preparing for birth in Birmingham? Let's talk midwives.

When moms start planning, a lot of them assume their only option is the closest hospital and whoever happens to be on call that night. If that thought stirs up a little fear of giving birth, I understand. It's hard to feel settled when you don't know what your choices are.

So it's a good week to talk about them. It's National Midwifery Week (October 4 to 10), and I can't let it pass without celebrating some of my favorite people to share a birth room with. They're also excellent company for 3 a.m. snacks.

Here in Alabama, there are two kinds of midwives:

🌿 Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs) practice in hospitals. In the Birmingham area right now, you'll find them only at UAB Women & Infants Center.

🌿 Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) attend births at home and in birth centers. The Alabama Midwives Alliance keeps a directory of licensed CPMs across the state.

Midwives bring calm, respect, and deep trust in women and in the birth process. As an experienced birth doula, I bring those same things to every birth I attend, with or without a midwife in the room.

If you want the full picture, my free guide Where to Give Birth in Birmingham, Alabama walks you through hospital, birth center, and home birth options, C-section and VBAC stats, pain relief choices, and how to build a birth team you trust. If you're looking into VBAC preparation and support, those numbers alone are worth a look.

Get the guide here: https://eleisondoula.myflodesk.com/birmingham-birth-guide

09/30/2026

Doula support and childbirth classes are for the family - and that includes dads!

I often get asked the question, "will your presence as a doula replace my partner's role?" My answer is no. Everyone you invite into your birth room has an important role to play. You and your partner already have a loving relationship, which will be the cornerstone of your birth support. The love that you already share is what is going to get oxytocin flowing, make you feel safe, and advocate for the birth outcomes you have both longed for, discussed together, and planned for. I will bring my knowledge and experience of birth alongside that cornerstone, showing your partner how to best help you. Of course, I will also provide a calm, steadying presence - which sometimes is as needed by the dad as by the mom giving birth!

In my Unmedicated Academy childbirth education classes, I always encourage both parents to participate. Last night I taught the final session of the class sequence, which is all about support, so there is a lot of focus on helping the partners learn what to do at each stage of labor, how to work with their doula, and how to keep themselves regulated so that they can provide a calm and confident presence. We had a lot of great discussion, and I'm already looking forward to the next class sequence, which will be starting up soon!

Taking an independent birth class (i.e. not just the class at the hospital) is important because you will learn about ALL of your options and how to advocate for yourself in any birth setting. (Hospital classes will typically "teach to the policy" rather than give you the tools to question whether the policy is working for you or not.)

When you register for Unmedicated Academy, you get:
-Self-paced curriculum (access immediately when you enroll)
-4 live virtual classes with Rachel (Oct 20, Nov 3, Nov 17, Dec 1, 7-8:30 pm)
-Handouts
-Birth prep checklist
-Nutrition guidance
-In-person graduation meetup in Birmingham
-Partners welcome at no additional charge.

If you are due in December 2026 through May 2027, this is the perfect time to start your childbirth education.

Register here: https://eleisondoula.com/childbirth-classes-birmingham-al/

BONUS: The first five families to sign up using the code SEPT50 will receive a $50 discount on the registration fee!