About Me
Hi! I'm Rachel. I am native to McHenry County.
I’m blessed as a mother of a little boy who was born Christmas Eve 2018.
The idea to become a doula came to me and nothing had ever felt so right, so I started courses about a week later.
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Over the last 12 years I have worked as a waitress, and although my experience hasn't yet been in birth work, I have developed many transferable skills as a waitress that will help me while attending births. It’s taught me how to work well in times of high stress, keeping my composure and having patience while remaining on my feet and alert for long stretches of time. (If you have ever worked doubles all weekend, you know!)
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But what really qualifies me to be a great doula is that I was born a highly sensitive person, gifted with strong intuition and empathy for others as well as being a compassionate nurturer.
Some other qualities that I think attribute to me as a supportive doula are my ability to connect and actively listen, really paying attention to detail to understand how to support each individual client best.
I’m adaptable, reliable and passionate about helping women have fulfilling birth and postpartum experiences.
I have strong interpersonal and communication skills and strive to resolve any conflicts with ease and grace.
I am my best self when I am in nature. I prefer a low stress lifestyle, taking time to breathe and center myself throughout the day.
I have my toes dipped into herbalism and plan to continue educating myself in holistic approaches.
I’m very much looking forward to working with families during such a beautiful and transformative time in their lives.
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I believe birth to be a sacred and transformative experience, and I treat it as such.
I feel called to nurture and empower women as they pull their baby earth-side, bond and heal. I would like to act as a safeguard for this incredibly vulnerable and life-changing event.
I hope to encourage birth partners and guide them on how to best support their partner during pregnancy and labor, helping them to be an active participant in the birthing experience as well.
I believe in the ability of all birthing bodies and want to help women harness her innate ability to birth her child.
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“We learn over and over that the best way to safeguard our mothers and babies is to feed them well, support them, and let them birth as nature intended." - Kristen Burgess
My Mission
Contact Me
Fully Present Birth Doula
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Phone: (224) 518-4266
Email: Fullypresentbirth@gmail.com
Facebook: Fully Present Birth Doula | Facebook
Instagram: Rachel Gerholdt (@fully_present_birth_doula) | Instagram