About Valerie Griffith, CLD
Hi I'm Valerie. I am a certified labor doula. In addition to labor support, I provide childbirth education, lactation support, and postpartum doula care. I help pregnant and postpartum women achieve their dreams for pregnancy, childbirth and their postpartum year.
I have always been inspired by the strength of women and the miracle of birth. This is why I became a Certified Labor Doula through Maternity Wise and am proud to serve women and families throughout the South Western Pennsylvania area.
During pregnancy, labor & delivery, and the first year postpartum, you may find yourself unsure about speaking up and advocating for yourself and your baby to collect all the information you need to make an informed decision. That's not uncommon, and with me by your side, you will be equipped to assert yourself comfortably enough to then consent to or decline any offers presented to you.
I do this through providing evidence-based childbirth education to teach you what to expect, coaching and encouragement to practice self-advocacy, and hands-on emotional, spiritual, and social practical support at home. I will work alongside you, your loved ones, and your care providers during your childbearing and postpartum years.
I don't incorporate new-age spiritual practices into my care. I intentionally have chosen to practice as a Christian doula. As a Christian, I promise to only rely on Biblically-based spiritual practices and guidance. If or when this standard is inadvertently compromised, I will immediately evaluate and remove the offending practice or habit.
I don't encourage trendy baby or motherhood trends that aren't evidence-based. As a doula and educator, I see it as my duty to the families that I serve to help cut through the chaotic noise of opinions and consumerism surrounding motherhood and parenting.
I don't show up to your birth as a stranger with whom you don't have a developed relationship already. As a foundational piece of the services I offer, I provide personalized, relational care and support. For this reason, we will meet two or more times before labor or postpartum support begins.
My approach as a doula and educator is to empower and teach you to consider evidence-based care practices, what your body is telling you, as well as to trust your intuition. When you are supported and feel both heard and seen in the midst of the transition into matressence, the fear-tension-pain cycle is broken. This opens you up to enjoying your birth and postpartum experiences, and you may even find that it can be a time filled with pleasure and deep feelings of love.