About Becky Gerson, CD(DONA), HBCE
Doula. HypnoBirthing Childbirth Educator. Aspiring midwife. Breastfeeding advocate. Holistic mama.
Still nursing at 2! Happy BIRTHday to us!
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Becky has been a birth doula for over 15 years and attended well over 200 births in both in hospital and out of hospital settings. She spent 2 years learning as an apprentice midwife in a birth center and 4 years taking academic courses on the subjects of pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and the newborn. While Becky is highly educated, she is also very intuitive and easily connects with laboring women so that she can nurture them through a smooth and happy transition into motherhood. She loves supporting couples on varying paths, including those preparing for natural births, as well as those planning cesarean births, and everything in between! She has an added passion for women with challenging pregnancies and also those planning a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean), as she has personal experience with having complications of pregnancy and a cesarean with her first baby, and then very smooth and healthy pregnancies and VBAC's (vaginal births after cesarean) with her second and third babies. She also has extensive experience in breastfeeding and postpartum support, including postpartum depression. Becky is also a childbirth educator and teaches both private and group classes, specializing in HypnoBirthing. |
"You are probably wondering how I got started in such an "obscure" profession. Well, when I was about six years old.... Ok, more recently... I was a student at UCLA, studying sociocultural anthropology and Spanish. In one of my anthropology classes, we studied the life cycle, beginning with birth in different cultures around the world. One day, a guest speaker - a doula - came in to talk to our class. "A doula? What's a doula?" I had never even heard of such a thing before. Well, thank G-d I finally heard about doulas! During the days that followed, I contemplated the idea of becoming one myself. I finally e-mailed the doula who had spoken to our class, and she suggested I go to a training. Well, one day of training, and I was hooked!! Now I am a DONA Certified Birth Doula, a trained and experienced postpartum doula, and I have attended many births with various midwives as an assistant/apprentice.
When I was about six years old, my mother's best friend asked me what I would like to be when I grow up. My response was, "a mommy." For over fifteen years I have worked with children in so many respects - doing everything from nannying, to being a camp counselor, to teaching English in Mexico and Chile, to teaching religious school and even teaching preschool! I believe that everything in my life has come about just so, that I would find this passion for working with mothers and babies. Doula-ing is the work of mothering the mother. I feel so blessed to have been given the strength and knowledge to provide the nurturing support, encouragement, and love that every woman needs during this scary-splendid time in her life. I treasure each child and family I work with and honor each woman who brings life into this world. I am also now incredibly blessed to have three girls and one little boy of my own. The 4 of them are the lights of my life!"
Sweet baby girl!
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Listening to a baby, with a fetoscope.
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Me, Ina May Gaskin, & Candace Leach
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Education
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Experience
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Nurtured Mommy's mission is to provide education and support, and to empower families during the childbearing year! The education that Becky provides is very well-rounded and takes into account your particular hopes and needs, as well as your care provider's style,
while still maintaining a holistic undertone.
NM serves families in St. Louis, St. Louis County, and surrounding areas. However, we also work with clients who are across the country - by Skype and phone - so you don't even have to live locally to take advantage of what Nurtured Mommy has to offer!