It was the spring of 2004 when Christy Muscato and Julia Sittig met at a local doula training. Both pregnant at the time, they quickly became friends and that friendship evolved into Beautiful Birth Choices, a North Winton Village-based business focused on helping people navigate pregnancy, birth a nd their postpartum experience. Alison Spath joined their team in 2014 and came on as third co-owner in 2020. What began as a desire to create a space for community has grown to doula support services for over 1,700 births. The heart of Beautiful Birth Choices’ work is birth and postpartum offerings for the birthing person and their partner. Muscato, Sittig and Spath are DONA International certified doulas and contract approximately 15 other independent doulas to help support the Rochester community. (For those interested in becoming a doula, Beautiful Birth Choices also offers birth doula training.) A childbirth education class at BBC. PHOTO PROVIDED While doulas do not provide medical or clinical guidance, their role is designed to be a part of an expectant parent’s care team. Muscato, Sittig and Spath do much of their work as doulas prenatally, meeting with expectant parents to discuss the birth plan and learn what is important to each couple during labor.  Whether they choose an unmedicated home birth, a hospital birth, the use of an epidural, pain relief or a planned cesarean, Beautiful Birth Choices relies on a comprehensive model and provides evidence-based care to support each person’s birth as they define it.    During labor and delivery, doulas provide continuous physical and emotional support for the birthing person and their partner by staying through the entire birth and a few hours postpartum. The commonly known hip squeezes, yoga balls and cold compresses are accurate, said Sittig, but their work as doulas extends far beyond the bounce of a ball.   “We’re like the putty on the wall,” said Muscato. “So, it fills in any of the gaps to make everything go smoothly.” Beautiful Birth Choices offers an array of childbirth education classes, support groups, lactation services and pregnancy and birth workshops to help expectant parents prepare for their little one’s arrival and provide community through the baby’s first year of life. Such offerings include the baby basics class, first aid and infant CPR, prenatal and postpartum yoga classes (Spath is one of the registered yoga teachers) and the Body Ready Birth workshop.  The latter focuses on the physiological birth process and helps the birther connect to their natural instincts. Based on the Body Ready Method, the Body Ready Birth workshop provides tools for individuals throughout pregnancy, like examining posture and ways to loosen ligaments for pelvic support. It also focuses on the labor flow state, prioritizing central nervous system regulation while simultaneously utilizing helpful birthing positions and techniques throughout the birthing process. A support group for the baby’s first year of life meets at BBC. JENNIE KIEFFER Another popular offering is the Breastfeeding Cafe, an informal breastfeeding support group for all pregnant and lactating people, no matter the individual’s lactating state. Facilitated by Spath — who is an international board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC) — the group provides a nonjudgmental space to discuss breastfeeding, pumping and bottle feeding, combo feeding, adoptive breastfeeding, inducing lactation or relactation. After a challenging first birth, Kristen Valencia connected with Beautiful Birth Choices for her second pregnancy.  “In the months spent talking through birth options, hospital arrangements, prenatal wellness, postnatal care and my overall mental health, I started to feel more empowered,” said Valencia. “Less like my birth was just happening to me, and more like I was steering the ship.” The focus on empowerment is one of the core pillars of Beautiful Birth Choices’ work. As doulas, they do not advocate on behalf of the birthing person, but rather they empower the person to advocate for themselves. “We’re mammals,” said Muscato. “In order for us to give birth, we have to feel safe.” Muscato, Sittig and Spath of BBC. JENNIE KIEFFER Compassion and a sense of community are woven into the fabric of Beautiful Birth Choices. Like a newborn wrapped snug, Muscato, Sittig and Spath hold tight to creating an environment where expectant parents feel seen and secure. “I think a lot of it is emotional safety,” continued Sittig. “(The birthing person) needs to know that they can be vulnerable.” This vulnerability focuses on comfort. Comfort in letting the body do what it needs to during labor, delivery and postpartum. The sounds people make, the bodily functions — Beautiful Birth Choices normalizes everything so that each person feels safe and knows what their body needs in order to give birth.  Beautiful Birth Choices also works with individuals in their fourth trimester — the 12 postpartum weeks following delivery — to help with the transition into parenthood. They provide parents with education on topics like how to soothe a baby and feeding support, with the goal of maximizing time spent with the newborn. Muscato, Sittig and Spath have a “for the people” mentality. Their work supports individuals during a time of growth: growth of a family, of a baby and of a birthing person’s confidence. The three owners are dedicated to creating an environment where people don’t feel alone during a time of great change; where they feel listened to and validated; where they can prioritize growth and cultivate community. For Muscato, Sittig and Spath, this is the work, and they are passionate about it.  “We love what we do-ula,” said Sittig. bbcroc.com Helana Shumway is a Rochester-based writer who enjoys shedding light on kind humans doing remarkable things in our community. Follow her @helanashum. The post Local doulas make the birthing process — and beyond — a labor of love appeared first on CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.. ...read more read less