I'm Alysha, a DONA-certified birth doula serving families throughout West Michigan. I've supported families at Gerber through unmedicated births, medicated births, and inductions, and I've also experienced Gerber personally as the place where I gave birth to my second child.

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Gerber is a very different environment from a large hospital. It's small, and it feels small in a good way.

There's something special about walking into a place where you can feel genuinely known.

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For families who want a smaller hospital environment and, in my experience, a quieter labor setting, Gerber may be a good fit.

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My role as your doula is to help you feel prepared, supported, and confident while respecting the way you want to experience your birth. If you'd like to learn more about what working with me as your birth doula looks like, you can explore my birth doula services.

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My experience supporting families at Gerber

 

I've attended fewer births at Gerber than I have at Butterworth, but my familiarity with the hospital goes beyond my work as a doula. I gave birth to my second child at Gerber myself!

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I've also supported families there through different types of labor, including unmedicated births, medicated births, and inductions.

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One of my Gerber births was a fourth-time mom laboring unmedicated in the tub. She was coping really well, and then suddenly things got intense -- and there was baby's head! There wasn't time to get her out of the tub, so they pulled the drain plug and baby was born in two pushes.

 

Birth can change really quickly, and this was a pretty perfect example of why I encourage families to stay flexible and prepared for the unexpected. Sometimes the best preparation is knowing that things can move quickly and having a support plan that accounts for that possibility.

 

 

The small-hospital experience

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One of the things I love about Gerber is that it is a how small and personal it feels. You can genuinely feel known.

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The environment is smaller and familiar to me, which means I'm comfortable finding my way around and locating the supplies we may need during labor. There's also something to be said for being able to labor in peace.

 

In my experience supporting families at Gerber, I've appreciated how well the environment can lend itself to letting a laboring person focus on labor without unnecessary interruption.

 

If you're someone who wants a quieter, more personal-feeling birth environment, this may be one of the things you appreciate about Gerber, too.

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Preparing for an unmedicated birth

 

I've supported unmedicated births at Gerber, and one of the most common things I hear from clients is:

"I want to do this without medication, but I'm not sure how."

 

You don't have to know how to labor when you walk through the door. That's something we prepare for together.

During our prenatal visits, we'll talk through comfort measures, positioning, movement, breathing, your birth preferences, and ways your partner can support you. We'll also talk about what happens if your plans change.

 

My goal isn't to convince you to have an unmedicated birth.

 

My goal is to help you feel prepared for the birth you're hoping for while knowing you can make informed choices along the way.

 

 

Supporting inductions at Gerber

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I've supported induction births at Gerber, including an induction that progressed extremely quickly. That experience is a good reminder that an induction doesn't necessarily mean a slow birth. Labor can change quickly, and sometimes there isn't much time between "things are getting started" and "it's time to push." We'll talk during your prenatal preparation about recognizing changes in labor and making sure you know how to reach me when labor begins.

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If you're worried about pain medication

 

I've supported both medicated and unmedicated births at Gerber. If you're planning to labor without medication but want to keep the option available, we can talk about that ahead of time. And if you decide you want an epidural during labor, that decision doesn't change the kind of support you deserve.

 

One practical consideration I encourage clients to prepare for is that anesthesia may sometimes take longer to arrive than you'd ideally like. Knowing that possibility ahead of time can help you think through what comfort measures you want to use while you're waiting.

 

 

For experienced parents

 

Many of the families I support at Gerber are having another baby. There's a particular kind of support that can be helpful when you've done this before. You may already know what labor feels like. You may not need someone explaining every little thing.

 

Sometimes you just want someone familiar in the room. Someone to keep you company. Someone to help your partner. Someone who knows when to talk and when to let you focus. And someone who can remind everyone -- including you -- to eat.

 

 

Your partner is still an important part of the team

 

My goal isn't to take your partner's place. I want them to feel confident supporting you. We prepare together before birth so your partner has practical tools and understands how they can participate.

 

I also remind partners that they're allowed to take care of themselves, too. Eat something. Drink some water. Sit down. Take a breath.

 

Supporting someone through labor is a team effort, and you don't have to run your partner into the ground to prove how much you love each other.

 

 

What if something unexpected happens?

 

A common concern I hear from families considering Gerber is: "What happens if something goes wrong with my baby?"

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It's an understandable concern when you're choosing a smaller hospital. I don't want to give you false reassurance or pretend that every birth will be straightforward. Instead, I encourage families to talk with their provider about their individual circumstances and understand how their care team handles situations that require a higher level of medical care.

 

And as your doula, my role remains the same if circumstances change: I stay with you. My job is not to provide medical care or make medical decisions. It's to provide emotional and practical support while you and your medical team navigate what's happening.

 

 

Why I love Gerber

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If I'm being completely honest, I love Gerber. It's small, but you feel genuinely known. I appreciate the way families can often settle into their labor without feeling like they have to constantly perform or engage with everyone around them.

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I also appreciate the practical side of it. It's easy to get in and out, and if you realize you left something in your car, you're not facing the same logistical challenge you might experience at a much larger hospital.

 

Even food delivery is easy -- which may sound like a tiny thing until you're the person trying to feed a hungry laboring parent or support person.

 

For me, Gerber has a feeling that is hard to put into a hospital brochure: You can breathe. You can settle in. You can labor.

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And I'm happy to support you there.

 

 

Giving birth at Gerber?

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If you're looking for a birth doula at Gerber Hospital in Fremont, I'd love to talk with you.

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Whether you're planning an unmedicated birth, considering medication, preparing for an induction, or simply want someone calm and familiar beside you, we can talk about what you're hoping for and how I can support you.

Your birth doesn't have to look a certain way for you to deserve support.

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Looking for information about another West Michigan hospital? Explore my hospital birth doula pages.