Website: www.whatadoula.com/ Phone: (510) 470-0058 Type of Practice: Partnership with 2 or more doulas Clients per Month: 1 to 6 Birth Doula Experience: 10 years and 105 births attended Area of practice: Oakland, CA Travel range: 25 miles Travel comments/restrictions: Languages spoken: English
Birth Doula Certifications
DONA (DONA International)
Breastfeeding Certifications
I breast fed my own daughters for a total of seven years. I taught breastfeeding classes for WIC in the 1970s.
Childbirth Educator Certifications
I tauught the childbirth education classes for the homebirth midwife I partnered with for 8 years.
Other Credentials
Neonatal Resuscitation Certified (American Academy of Pediatrics)
College Education
BA/BS
MA/MS
AA/AS
Specialized training or previous experience:
Over 40
VBAC
Home Birth
Adoption
Relinquishing mothers
Single parents
Cesarean birth
Waterbirth
Survivors of childhood sexual abuse
Relevant volunteer or advocacy work: I have volunteered for the California Association of Midwives, the California Women, Infants and Children program, as well as BirthWays, a California pregnancy and birth resource non-profit organization.
Attends hospital births? All Hospitals A hospital environment is one in which I am very comfortable in, and I easily build cooperative and positive relationships with nursing staff.
I am able to bring my knowledge and "tools of the trade" into a hospital in a way that supports laboring women and their partners in creating a safe and optimal birth experience. I will arrive when you want me and remain with you through out your labor and delivery. Following birth I remain for a minimum of 2 hours postpartum, providing any needed support through that sensitive time. My heart is to support women in achieving a positive and life affirming birth experience. Attends birth center births? All Birth Centers Attends home births? Any Home Birth I fully believe in a woman's ability to birth naturally and at home.
Birth doula fee: Not specified Fee details: We charge according to a sliding scale.
Client Testimonials for Blythe Lee
Elizabeth Fein
Blythe is a very caring, kind, and strong woman. I wouldn't have wanted anyone else to support my husband and I through the amazing experience that is pregnancy and birth. She is an amazing teacher, and passed on any knowledge she had to prepare us for labor, birth, and breastfeeding. She was very open to learning new things and constantly recommended different classes and methods of labor preparation. She even attended a class with us. Her excitement and love of pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and new life is contagious. It kept my spirits up during pregnancy as well as during labor. I gave birth at Alta Bates in Berkeley and Blythe meshed with the staff very well. She was able to help me get through contractions with massage, getting me water and washcloths, coaching breathing, and just being a strong calming presence. When I diverged from my birth plan she very gently reminded me of my plan and was able to help me get much further than I felt that I could at the time. My husband really enjoyed having her there because she was able to coach him on how to support me. Her presence also took a lot of pressure off of him, which he is so grateful for.After I gave birth she stayed and helped me with breastfeeding. She also did two postpartum visits where she helped me with breastfeeding, and offered healing remedies such as sitz bath with her own homemade herb mixtures. Pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding can be overwhelming to prepare for and I would have been so lost without Blythe’s guidance. She instilled both my husband and I with the tools and confidence we needed to make the experience everything we dreamed of.
Blythe is a very caring, kind, and strong woman. I wouldn't have wanted anyone else to support my husband and I through the amazing experience that is pregnancy and birth. She is an amazing teacher, and passed on any knowledge she had to prepare us for labor, birth, and breastfeeding. She was very open to learning new things and constantly recommended different classes and methods of labor preparation. She even attended a class with us. Her excitement and love of pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and new life is contagious. It kept my spirits up during pregnancy as well as during labor. I gave birth at Alta Bates in Berkeley and Blythe meshed with the staff very well. She was able to help me get through contractions with massage, getting me water and washcloths, coaching breathing, and just being a strong calming presence. When I diverged from my birth plan she very gently reminded me of my plan and was able to help me get much further than I felt that I could at the time. My husband really enjoyed having her there because she was able to coach him on how to support me. Her presence also took a lot of pressure off of him, which he is so grateful for. After I gave birth she stayed and helped me with breastfeeding. She also did two postpartum visits where she helped me with breastfeeding, and offered healing remedies such as sitz bath with her own homemade herb mixtures. Pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding can be overwhelming to prepare for and I would have been so lost without Blythe’s guidance. She instilled both my husband and I with the tools and confidence we needed to make the experience everything we dreamed of.