SOUTH FLORIDA BIRTH DOULA SUPPORT
EMOTIONAL & INFORMATIONAL SUPPORT
IN THE BIRTH SPACE
ENTER YOUR BIRTH SPACE FEELING CALM, CONFIDENT, SAFE, INFORMED & PREPARED
PREPARE WITH A BIRTH PREFERENCES ‘CHEAT SHEET’ THAT WILL BE HONORED BY HOSPITAL STAFF
PREPARE YOUR MINDSET FOR WHAT TO EXPECT
CHOOSE THE RIGHT BIRTH TEAM - MEDICAL CARE PROVIDER & BIRTHING FACILITY THAT IN LINE WITH YOUR GOALS
Will we make the best team?
My Background in Birth
I have been a Birth Photographer for 8 years now. I attended my first birth in 2014 as a photographer, coming to capture special moments for a friend who started out as a Breastfeeding and Maternity Photo Shoot model. It was during her birth that I fell in love with the documentary/candid elements of the birth space. I get to be an artist while supporting a mama in labor, and the combination of these elements created my passion for my work, and what changed me from being a Photographer to becoming a Birth Worker and an On-Call Birth Photographer.
The closer I became with my birth clients over time, the more emotional my birth story photographs became. More emotion = stronger stories!
In the beginning of my career as an On-Call Birth Photographer, I traveled to my clients in many hospitals in south Florida. In Palm Beach County, I attended births at Palms West, Good Samaritan, Wellington Regional, Bethesda and the two Boca Raton Hospitals. In Broward County, I’ve attended births at Northwest Medical, Broward Health Coral Springs, Broward General, Holy Cross (permanently closed) and all three hospitals in the Memorial Network.
I gave birth to one of my children at North Shore Hospital in Miami and also attended births as an On-Call Birth Photographer at Mount Sinai.
These days, nearly 100% of my hospital birth clients all give birth at Baptist Health Boca Raton Regional Hospital in East Boca, near the intersection of Glades Road and Highway I-95. Nearly none of my birth clients birth outside of this medical facility. Over time, many south Florida moms who are expecting and want birth photography happen to be quite like minded and are also seeking midwifery care so that they can feel involved in their pregnancy, labor, and birth, want to have choices to make informed decisions regarding their own body and care, and to have someone supportive not only during 30 minutes of a delivery, but through the entire process. I have found that a majority of my in-hospital birth clients tend to all gravitate to wanting to give birth at this one facility with a midwife from one of the four main practices in Boca Raton:
Boca Midwifery, Midwives at Women’s Health Partners, Lindsay Leider CNM at Women’s Wellness Center and Midwifery Women’s Care.
But I appreciate the journey I have walked having attended births for years outside of this hospital and witnessing many practitioners in action. It has afforded me the experience to provide all my birth clients with emotional & informational support skills learned at births over the years.
About 30% of my 200+ births attended over 8 years have been a combination of emotional & informational Birth Doula Support and On-Call Birth Photography.
Am I a Certified Birth Doula?
When the pandemic hit in 2020, it was followed by the unexpected and tragic passing of my oldest sister. Her unexpected passing sent everyone in my 16-person family in various emotional spirals. I found myself yearning to support each and everyone of them in the unique ways they needed and provide them the space to express their emotions & frustrations when there was no one else to be there for them.
Amidst this suffering, I heard a calling to finally take my Birth Doula support to the next level. I enrolled in a Doula Certification program, attended courses, wrote essays, and completed my mentorship and became formally trained and certified in 2020.
I am dedicating my Birth Doula work in my sister’s name, Agnieszka Martin. I’m not a particularly religious or spiritual person, but I do feel sometimes she is the protector of my birth clients at births I attend, in a sentimental way.
Capturing the absolute unforgettable and once in a lifetime moments of your Birth Story is always the priority, as you can imagine how much I love Birth Photography and supporting you by way of my art. And I have found that Birth Doula emotional and information support is a beautiful and joyful compliment to this powerful work.
I invite you to view some behind the scenes images of me providing Birth Doula support to past birth clients, many of which are wonderful friends of mine to this day.
