Birth Is Birth. Every Birth Deserves Support.
Compassionate birth and bereavement support for families experiencing pregnancy or infant loss.
The Tender Path
Who Is The Tender Path For?
The Tender Path is for families experiencing pregnancy or infant loss, including miscarriage, stillbirth, termination, and newborn loss.
You don't need to know exactly what you need.
You don't need to have the “right” words.
And you don't need to know whether you consider yourself grieving yet.
If you're facing a birth or loss that feels tender and you want someone beside you, you are welcome here.
How I Can Support You:
Planning
Before birth, we'll talk through what you can expect and what choices may be available to you.
We'll create a plan that reflects your wishes -- not what someone else thinks you should do.
Depending on your circumstances, we may talk about:
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What labor and birth may look like
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Comfort measures and positioning
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Who you'd like beside you
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How you'd like information communicated to you
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Whether you'd like photographs or other forms of documentation
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Opportunities for memory-making
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How and when you'd like to meet or hold your baby
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What you'd like to take home with you
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How you'd like siblings or loved ones to be involved
Birth Support
Birth is birth.
Whether your labor begins unexpectedly, is induced, or unfolds in another way, I'll be there to provide continuous emotional, physical, and informational support.
I'll help you find comfortable positions, use comfort measures, communicate your needs, understand what is happening, and take things moment by moment.
I won't try to make this experience something it isn't.
I'll be there for the birth you are actually having.
Making Memories
When a baby dies, the memories may feel unbearably precious -- and sometimes unbearably difficult to create.
If you want them, I'll help you explore opportunities to make tangible memories of your baby.
This might include photographs, hand and footprints, a lock of hair, a blanket or outfit, letters, a memory box, or simply time to hold and be with your baby.
There is no right way to remember your baby.
You can choose what feels right for you, and you can change your mind.
If you don't know what you want, that's okay too. I'll help you understand your options without pressure.
Caring For Your Postpartum Body
After loss, it can be difficult to know what to do with the fact that your body is still postpartum.
Your body may be healing from labor, birth, surgery, or pregnancy complications. Your milk may come in. You may bleed. You may be exhausted.
None of that makes your loss less real.
I'll provide non-medical postpartum support and education, help you understand what may be normal, and help you recognize when something deserves a call to your healthcare provider.
You still gave birth. Your body still deserves care.
After The Birth
The support doesn't end when you leave the hospital.
We'll have a postpartum check-in to talk about how you're doing physically, emotionally, and practically.
You can tell me about the birth, ask questions, cry, talk about your baby, or sit in silence.
You don't have to make your grief smaller because the birth is over.
I'll continue to walk beside you as you find your way forward. And sometimes doula support just isn't enough -- and that's okay.
If you need additional support, I'll help connect you with appropriate resources, which may include grief counselors, therapists, support groups, lactation professionals, clergy or spiritual care, funeral/mortuary resources, and other community services.
I won't try to be everything you need.
I'll help you find the people who can be.
You don't have to make every decision at once. We'll take this one step at a time.
A Gentle Container For Support
Grief doesn't follow a schedule, and I don't expect it to.
At the same time, I want to be clear that setting boundaries around visits, communication, and availability isn't about putting a limit on your grief or deciding how much support you “deserve.”
It's about creating enough structure that I can be fully present when we are together -- and continue showing up wholeheartedly for the other families I serve.
There is no timeline for grief.
There is simply a beginning, and then the next step.
The Tender Path includes 2 planning visits and 2 postpartum visits, each 60-90 minutes in length, along with continuous support during your birth. “Planning” may include preparing for labor, discussing choices, memory-making, hospital logistics, or whatever feels most useful for your circumstances. This gives us time to get to know each other, talk through what you're facing, and prepare for the birth. The two postpartum visits give us space to check in after the birth and support your transition into whatever comes next.
These visits are not a measure of how much support you “should” need. They simply give our time together a gentle structure and help me make sure I can be fully present for each family I serve.
If you find that you need additional support beyond what's included, please tell me. We'll talk about what makes sense from there.
Between Visits
You don't have to save every question or difficult moment for our next scheduled visit.
You are welcome to reach out by text or email for brief questions, check-ins, or support between visits. Because I also need to protect time for my own family and for the other families I serve, I may not always be immediately available.
For longer conversations or support that would benefit from dedicated time together, we'll schedule a visit.
If You Need More Support
Sometimes one visit isn't enough. Sometimes you need more time to talk, process, plan, or simply sit with someone who understands.
If you find yourself needing more support than is included in The Tender Path, please let me know. We'll talk honestly about what you're needing and what I'm able to offer.
If I’m not the right person to provide the additional support, I'll help you find an appropriate resource or professional who can.
A Note About My Role
I am a birth and bereavement doula -- not a therapist, medical provider, or crisis counselor.
My role is to provide compassionate presence, practical support, comfort measures, education, and help navigating choices surrounding birth and loss.
Sometimes you may need support beyond what a doula can provide. If that happens, I'll help you connect with the right person.
The Tender Path Pricing
I believe families experiencing loss deserve compassionate support without having to worry about whether they can afford it.
The Tender Path is offered at no cost to you.
I do not charge families a fee for this support. When insurance allows, I will bill your insurance for covered services.
If you feel called to support this work financially, voluntary contributions are welcome -- but never expected. You do not owe me anything, and your care is never dependent on insurance reimbursement or on making a contribution.