Offering a reduced rate for March, $150 for labor doula services! There is only 2 spots left.  Email me for details eliza@beginningstobirth.com

Welcome to Beginnings to Birth serving Columbus, Ohio and all of Central Ohio.  My name is Eliza and I started Beginnings to Birth to help women through the birthing process and to use her body to fully realize her natural ability as a woman and mother.  I believe that birth is a normal, natural process and facilitate this process by supporting a mother and her family.

About me:

After graduating high school I joined the Army where I spent 4 years on active duty in Germany.  I returned to Columbus once my time was complete and spent 3 more years in the Reserves.  I realized during my time in the Reserves that although I loved my time in the Army I wasn’t sure it was the right place for me.  I had changed greatly since the time I first joined and learned a lot about myself.  I came to the realization that I was too much of a peaceful person to continue my time in the Army.

Upon my return to Columbus I had the opportunity to take training to be a dialysis technician.  I completed my training in 2002 and took the BONENT test which is a standardized test required to be licensed by the state of Ohio.  I continued working in dialysis while attending classes for my bachelors degree and have five years of experience in dialysis. 

I graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelors of Arts where my focus of study was in Political Science and Women’s Studies.  Within the Women’s Studies department I was able to study birth practices in the United States, specifically fear in birth as it is presented through pop culture.  Mothers are greatly influenced by the birth stories they hear from others, the shows they watch on TV such as A Baby Story and the books they read.  When mothers are exposed to negative birth stories through various media it can cause a lot of fear and uncertainty about their impending birth. 

My own birth journey began with a Certified Nurse Midwife and OB/GYN practice.  I didn’t feel supported in my natural childbirth goals and transferred to a Certified Professional Midwife practice.  I found out shortly thereafter that my daughter was breech and eventually delivered via cesarean.  After the birth of my daughter I became involved with the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) of Central Ohio.  I was attending meetings on a regular basis and started wondering “why?” 

Why our cesarean rate is upwards of 30 percent?  Why mothers were so dissatisfied with their birth experience?  Why were mothers using terms usually reserved for horrific acts done to them to describe their birth experience?  Why were mothers not feeling empowered in their births?  I don’t have a complete answer for those questions.  There are so many factors but the strongest correlation to those questions is lack of support.  Women lack support from people who are knowledgeable about birth.  They lack support from medical professionals beginning at the prenatal stage and continuing through labor, birth/delivery and postpartum.  This is why I made the conscious choice to become a labor doula.

In November of 2009 I traveled to Austin, Texas to take the first class required to enter the mentor program to be a Birthing From Within Mentor.  That experience completely changed the way I look at birth and how I will help mothers in the birthing process.  The Birthing From Within method looks at birth as a hero’s journey, starting with the quest (pregnancy) the search (for information) the struggle and the act of birth.   I will bring the techniques learned in this class to my prenatal appointments, in the birth room, while teaching childbirth education and to my postpartum families.    

I completed my postpartum doula training in November of 2009 through ICEA (International Childbirth Education Association) and am currently pursuing my certification requirements for that organization.   Postpartum doulas help families to transition to having a new baby in the house whether it’s adding to their family or becoming parents for the first time.

My labor doula training was completed in December of 2009 through DONA (Doulas of North America.)  I learned how to support mothers prenatally as well as during birth.  I also learned tips in working with health care workers and how to become a wordsmith when working with folks in the hospital.  As a healthcare worker myself (in dialysis) I understand the importance of presenting information to the people on the other side of birth as to not put them on the defensive.  As someone who studies non-violent communication  I understand the importance in word choice when interacting with people.  I also work with a local study group to understand how to best use the practice of NVC and implement these techniques into my practice and life.

I currently hold the leadership position of secretary for ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network) of Central Ohio and have been working with ICAN for over two years in supporting mothers prenatally and postpartum.  I was recently elected as the treasurer for Birthworkers of Central Ohio where I have been involved for under a year.