Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebekkah Twede.
Hi Rebekkah, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
When I was pregnant with my first child 13 years ago, I really didn’t prepare for that experience very well. I skimmed through “What To Expect When You’re Expecting” but aside from that, my plan was “wing it”. I questioned nothing and just defaulted to whatever the OB or nurses told me to do. I came away from that birth not loving my experience. Although me and my baby were both healthy and safe, I felt like I had been shuffled around and my birth had happened to me like I was only an onlooker. Fast forward to my second pregnancy, a friend recommended a local childbirth education course and I was a little hesitant to sign up. After all, I had already been through childbirth before, what more was there for me to learn? Eventually I did sign up and each week when I would leave I was mind blown at everything I had learned, I couldn’t get enough! I went on a deep dive of information on nearly every topic we discussed. In my research, I kept hearing the word “doula” thrown around and I was a little unsure of what they did and just assumed (like many people do) they were like a midwife. I ended up hiring a doula without even meeting her first (not typically the norm) and I met her at the doors of labor and delivery when I walked in to have my second baby. Her presence made all the difference. It was so nice to have someone in my corner who could keep me motivated, keep me focused, help me understand all of my options and give my husband things to do to help me. After that experience, I just really wanted to be that person for someone else. I signed up for a doula training in 2017 and while driving home I just remember crying so many big, happy tears. I felt like I had found something that came naturally and felt so easy and so right in my soul.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Birthwork ebbs and flows. Feast or famine for sure. I try to trust the timing. Clients come when they are meant to and I try to be really intentional with my breaks and downtime.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I try to work a lot with my clients prenatally. We meet together several times and discuss their wishes, make plans, research together, process emotions, etc. When its go time, I meet them in labor and stay with them for the duration of their labor. I help with comfort measures, position changes, advocacy, verbal encouragement, support their spouse in whatever capacity they need. After baby is born, I support recovery and assist with newborn feeding. Sometime when they are home and settled, I’ll come back and we process the experience. It gives time for us to evaluate what went well, what they are feeling, how recovery and settling in is going and explore any emotions that come up.
While I can, and will, doula anywhere (hospital, birth center, home) I primarily work with hospital birthers. That’s just the demographic that likes me, I guess. While I don’t necessarily specialize in these, I also tend to draw clients who work in the medical field, are first time moms over 40 or who are VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) clients.
What am I most proud of? I think the year 2024 as a whole. My husband was laid off at the end of 2023 and I went full steam ahead to keep us floating. Luckily, the universe provided and I was able to attend 46 births from Jan 2024-Sept 2024. The most I had ever done in a calendar year before that was 15.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
When I was in high school and taking Child Development, I fainted out cold on the ground when we had to watch a birth video. I wish I was lying and I also wish I could find my old teacher and tell her what I do for a living now!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rebekkahtwedebirthservices.com
- Instagram: @rebekkahtwededoula
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebekkahtwededoula
- Other: https://hypnobirthing.com/directory/hypnobirthing/roy/rebekkah-twede/
