Website: www.berkanabirth.com Phone: (732) 597-4905 Type of Practice: Solo practice Clients per Month: 1 to 3 Birth Doula Experience: 1 years and 16 births attended Area of practice: Toms River, NJ Travel range: 50 miles Travel comments/restrictions: Most clients are from Ocean, Monmouth, Morris, and Middlesex counties. I am willing to travel outside these areas if needed. Languages spoken: English, polite French
Certification(s) are pending Specific certifications for the above: Birth Doula (DONA)
Breastfeeding Certifications
Special education in Skin-to-Skin contact
Childbirth Educator Certifications
Birthing From Within
Other Credentials
Reiki Practitioner
Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) 200 hours with Prenatal Yoga specialty
College Education
BA/BS
AA/AS
Specialized training or previous experience:
Families conceiving with ART and IVF
VBAC
Home Birth
Clients on bed rest
High risk
Single parents
Cesarean birth
Waterbirth
Special services available:
Mother blessing celebrations
Infant massage education
Acupressure and/or acupuncture in labor
Belly casting
Henna belly designs
Cloth diapering education
Parenting consulting
Babywearing education
Baby-led weaning
Baby sign language education
Reduced rates for military members/spouses
Reduced rates for women considering adoption
Pregnancy, birth and/or newborn photography
Sibling support (for your older children at the birth)
Antepartum doula
Birth counseling for survivors of childhood sexual abuse
Relevant volunteer or advocacy work: In addition to private practice, I am a volunteer community doula with Hudson Perinatal Consortium and was a fellowship recipient from (HPC) for outstanding specialized education for doulas. I am an advocate for calm and gentle birth practices, mother/baby friendly hospitals, lactation support, and am a member of ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network). As a nursing mother of a 2 year old, I am active within La Leche League and provide education and support to new mothers and those nursing toddlers.
Attends hospital births? All Hospitals Attends birth center births? Some Birth Centers If you are considering birthing at a birthing center in NY, but reside in NJ, I would be happy to support you. Attends home births? Some Home Births
Birth doula fee: Not specified Fee details: I respect the individual needs of each birthing family and create a package specific to each family. Fees are based upon services selected.
Client Testimonials for Mollie Laurence
Karon N DelaCruz
Being a healthcare worker, I thought my husband and I knew a lot about the process of giving birth. All we know was we wanted a natural birth. Upon meeting Mollie, she was very warm and welcoming. Mollie Laurence is an extraordinary individual. She didn't make us feel uncomfortable. She opened our eyes on the process of natural birth and how to be firm when we want something in our birth plan. She educated us on different things on the birthing process. During the whole process, I was able to confide to her when I needed to and she always gave me support. Unfortunately, my doctor decided to induce me because I was10 days overdue. Even when it wasn't time for Mollie to come, she came at 2 a.m. (when I was just starting to feel some pain). I was in labor for about 32 hours (or more) and she was there the whole time. She was very patient with me and my husband with what every decision we made. She was very supportive. She did everything to make me feel comfortable, from breathing exercises to massage (she's a great at massaging) to different positions during labor. Although I ended up with an epidural, I was able to have a vaginal delivery. I thank Mollie for being there by my side. When we decide to have another baby, I would love to have her again as my doula.
Posted 4/27/2011
Kayla Caffrey
I was blessed to have the privilege of working with Mollie to make my birthing experience positive, special and memorable. The amalgamation of her knowledge paired with compassion and dedication gave me the confidence I needed as a young, first time mother. She presented me with a plethora of objective information and always supported/respected my decisions throughout my pregnancy. Her involvement as my doula transformed my pregnancy and birthing experience. Anyone would be lucky to have the opportunity to work with Mollie; she is the sweetest woman I have ever met and she profoundly impacted my life.
Posted 4/22/2011
Kristen O'Connor
Mollie is amazing doula and childbirth educator! Throughout our prenatal visits, she helped us become more conscious of our birth choices and prepared us for birth in a way that was empowering without frightening or sugar-coating. It was a great bonding time for me and my husband and helped us to understand our options and make decisions based on fact instead of fear. She helped me get in touch with my intuition and helped my husband uderstand how to support me without trying to "fix" the situation. She also taught him some techniques he could do with me if we chose to labor at home just the two of us for awhile which we did end up doing.
As our doula, Mollie was available and responsive to any questions or requests for information we had prior to the birth. When I went into labor, she came to our house and labored with me for several hours. She helped me relax and stay comfortable during contractions by positioning, accupressure, massage, and just simply breathing with me and creating a sense of peace. At the hospital, Mollie had a wonderful way of advocating for our wishes while at the same time being respectful and friendly to the hospital staff. One of our nurses even asked her for her card because she was so impressed with her knowledge and comfort techniques. Mollie's nurturing personality, soothing voice, and calm understanding helped both of us through the most challenging moments. Thanks to how we prepared prenatally, her gentle encouragement, and overall peaceful presence, I was able to avoid drugs or epidural. When we are ready for baby #2, we will definitely have Mollie as our doula again.
Being a healthcare worker, I thought my husband and I knew a lot about the process of giving birth. All we know was we wanted a natural birth. Upon meeting Mollie, she was very warm and welcoming. Mollie Laurence is an extraordinary individual. She didn't make us feel uncomfortable. She opened our eyes on the process of natural birth and how to be firm when we want something in our birth plan. She educated us on different things on the birthing process. During the whole process, I was able to confide to her when I needed to and she always gave me support. Unfortunately, my doctor decided to induce me because I was10 days overdue. Even when it wasn't time for Mollie to come, she came at 2 a.m. (when I was just starting to feel some pain). I was in labor for about 32 hours (or more) and she was there the whole time. She was very patient with me and my husband with what every decision we made. She was very supportive. She did everything to make me feel comfortable, from breathing exercises to massage (she's a great at massaging) to different positions during labor. Although I ended up with an epidural, I was able to have a vaginal delivery. I thank Mollie for being there by my side. When we decide to have another baby, I would love to have her again as my doula.