Rachel Certified Birth Doula and Birth Photographer in Durham, North Carolina

Hey there! I’m Rachel.

Birth Doula + birth photographer

Our Doula Team

MORE ABOUT Rachel

I value family, and building solid relationships is very important to me. I was raised in a Christian household but didn’t come to understand the gospel until I was 18. The Lord opened my eyes to understand His good grace and gave me the peace and freedom in my heart that I was longing for. When I graduated high school, I moved to Colorado to do some exploring. My husband and I met through my friend (who also happened to be his cousin) when he was commercial fishing in Alaska. We started dating, traveled together, and landed in Illinois where we got engaged and then married. I've always enjoyed photography and got my first camera when I was 16; since then, I've been experienced in portrait, family, and landscape photography. I think there is something so wonderful about capturing moments in time as a tool to remember the things we may have forgotten otherwise.

Our church family is one of the most important things to us, whom we dearly love. It was through a close friend from church that my passion for pregnancy and birth began. She had three unmedicated water births in her own home, which fascinated me, and I wanted to learn everything I could. This was the start of my journey of becoming a birth doula. I became excited to support others in their pregnancy and birth journey but also excited for the opportunity to capture those journeys with my camera. Watching a baby enter the world is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen and experienced myself. I certainly know how grateful I am for photos of my baby’s birth day, and what a gift it is to provide that service to others as well.

After we found out we were pregnant with our first baby, we took a Bradley Method birthing class and hired a doula. I was already set on having an unmedicated water birth at home. I worked with some wonderful midwives who helped make it possible. I am so thankful that in the end, I was able to have the labor and birth I desired. This experience truly transformed me, and sparked a deep, almost indescribable, love for my baby.

My support team impacted my pregnancy and birth journey deeply (including the birth photos I received). They provided the encouragement and confidence that I needed to make the best decisions I could for my family and reminded me of what my body was capable of doing. Yes, pregnancy, labor, and postpartum is very challenging, but I believe having the right support makes all the difference.

I want to help you be prepared, educated, and fully supported when you go into labor. I approach birth holistically, and on top of physical support, I act as an advocate for you and your birth desires. I believe every woman has the right to a strong support system as she brings a baby into the world. It is a magnificent thing we are created to do!

We will map out your labor and delivery together at our prenatal appointment, carry it out as much as we possibly can through labor, and guide you through the beginning stages of breastfeeding and care for you at our postpartum appointment. Your labor and birth is a miraculous event and I would be honored to be a part of your support team!