Certified Natural Childbirth Educator through the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth
Pending Labor Doula Certification through CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professionals Association)

Your body is designed to give birth! when you work with your body and support what it is trying to do, you have a more comfortable pregnancy, fewer complications, a much better chance at a normal birth, and tend to recover more quickly.

Bradley Method Childbirth classes focus on having a natural (unmedicated) birth, but even women planning an epidural can benefit by preparing for birth with good nutrition, exercise, relaxation practice, learning about birth so you can make better decisions in labor, coping with contractions better until you get the drugs, having high-quality labor support trained by the classes, and feeling better sooner after birth.

As a labor doula, I work for YOU. My job is to support your choices of how to labor and birth. I help you relax, do massage, suggest comfortable positions, and give you as much emotional support as I can. You are the boss, the "Queen for a Day."

Labor support doula services available throughout much of Metro Atlanta. Please call for free phone interview to see if my services and personality are right for you.
Childbirth Education Classes begin once a month in the Buckhead area of Atlanta, Georgia. Each class series meets for 12 weeks (consecutive except for holidays) at the same time each week.

My husband and I first discovered the Bradley Method of Husband-Coached Childbirth when we discovered that Zachary was on his way into the world. We wanted to be sure he was healthy and that birth would be as gentle as possible. We researched many approaches and felt that the natural, intelligent and responsible style of the Bradley Method® was right for us.We were impressed at how Bradley Method® classes emphasize relaxation techniques, nutrition, exercise, understanding the birth process, creating your birth plan and involving the father as a coach. We found that helping each other through labor and birth drew us even closer together and provided a great start to our family!

Our two sons were both born naturally, without drugs or medical procedures. When we decided to start teaching the classes, we went through the Bradley Method® instructor certification process. We now teach in Atlanta, Georgia starting a new natural birth class every month. Though Melinda is the primary teacher, Shawn often makes it to a few class sessions, and is always available for questions by phone or email. Attending births as a doula naturally grew out of teaching classes. At first, I only attended the births of a few of my students. Now I go to many more births, for Bradley students, couples who took another childbirth class, or those who haven't taken a class.

"Labor was great! (hahaha) No, really. My idea of what labor was going to feel like was much worse than it really was. I kept thinking I had hours ahead of me, so I kept busy. Yes, contractions hurt, but I never felt like I couldn't handle the pain. What I found helped me most was visualizing pictures from our class text. Thanks for all your instruction. It really helped us!" ~Tracy

"Thanks for all your help :) Bradley was such a great experience, I recommend it to EVERYONE :) :) Thanks for making it such a good one!" ~Jessica

"I wanted to tell you how much we appreciate the Bradley classes. We could not have delivered without an epidural without these classes. They prepared us mentally for the challenges!!!!" ~Mary

"I am happy that we decided to do a natural childbirth. It was hard, but I feel like it was the right start for our baby. The best part of the experience was that I felt like I could control everything during my labor and that made it a lot less scary. I also think the second stage went so quickly because I could feel everything." ~Emily

"Thank you so much for all your support above and beyond our Bradley class. It is great to know that there is someone to call with any kind of question, who most likely knows the answer and understands everything a “first-timer” goes through during pregnancy. We really enjoyed the course and were often astonished at your broad knowledge. Without you, our birth experience would not have been half as good. Thank you so much." ~Kat and Joe

"It was such a feeling of empowerment and connection. I felt so bonded with my baby during labor. My husband was the most incredible coach. He knew just what I needed. It was an awesome experience. Thank you so much for all of your help and your support through our pregnancy and all of the help in our being able to have a natural childbirth."

“I can't thank you enough for all of your help. I hope we can keep in touch. We'll need you there for the next one!” ~Jocelyn

“Thank you for helping us with our birth. You were a great help to both Greg and me.” ~ Meredith

"Again, thank you so much! You were wonderful to me in labor! I will never forget your kindness and dedication." ~ Sallie

"How can we thank you for what you helped us do? I really believe that our labor and birth would not have had as good an outcome without you. … You helped us both. 12 weeks of classes and reading still did not prepare me fully, but it was the right amount of knowledge so that I knew what to do when you suggested what to do next and how. You gave us a lot of confidence and courage. Your clam presence and expertise were more reassuring than any one specific act. Thank you for your selfless vocation to help laboring mothers. I hope that you continue because it is a special gift and changes lives at the momentous moments of life entering the world.” ~ Nancy & Fred