Warm Welcome Birth Services

infuse your life with purpose and connection- become a Birth Doula! We have $200 remaining in scholarship funds for BIPOC doulas
https://tinyurl.com/birthsept24

Do you feel called to help support new parents, babies, and families in the early weeks and months?

While this can be a tender and joyful time, it is also a period of tremendous transition and adjustment for everyone involved.

New parents are often surprised at how much their days and nights overflow with caring for the baby, and support from beyond the family is often called for.

🍁Registration for the next postpartum doula training is open!🍂

There's still time to grab a spot in the September Birth Doula Workshop! Briana, who recently trained and certified with us said, "My doula training was truly a soul awakening and healing experience" 💞 https://tinyurl.com/birthsept24

This free 45-minute info session with Certified Professional Midwife Michelle L'Esperance of Warm Welcome will answer your questions about becoming a birth or postpartum doula. Learn the 3 things you need to have in place to begin, hear from a doula who recently trained and certified with me, and get the chance to win $100 off workshop tuition!
Sunday, Sept 1, 7:00-7:45PM
Tuesday, Sept 3, 10:00-10:45AM
To sign up copy link below or through my linktree in bio
https://forms.gle/hH3wbsLRoD3V8JhA7

The next postpartum doula training is October 12th, 13th & 19th, 20th!
Picture it: Four cozy autumn days gathered with a group of like minded folks who would love to learn how to best support growing families in the time after their baby is born. Leave with the skills to expand your existing birth doula business, start a postpartum care business, or one of many other possibilities.
Early bird pricing is available between now and Friday August 23rd at midnight!
Please feel free to reach out with questions!

Fertility, pregnancy, and parenting will call on us over and over again to be brave. To not quite know but take action anyway. To heed hope or fear, to move towards what we really want.

As a midwife and doula, I often get to witness, support, and shine a light on people being brave. Sometimes “brave” looks like choosing homebirth. Other times it’s realizing that as gorgeous as that vision is, one’s particular situation is calling for more technology at hand. Sometimes “brave” is starting to TTC, even though your childhood was not a template you will choose to replicate- and other times it’s making a clear commitment to D**K, even though your relatives tell you you’ll regret it. Brave might be trusting your months of hypnosis practice during pregnancy. And it might be turning to pharmaceutical aids. That moment in birth when the pressure mounts to an unimaginable intensity, and you step towards it, powerfully pushing your baby out, birthing gloriously. Some folks glow with courage as they birth unassisted; others dare to trust some chosen people to walk with them in this time of transformation.

It often brings tears to my eyes. Courage - living from the heart, often not knowing what will come next but making a choice, taking action, daring to hope, daring to protect that which is sacred and precious.

When have you felt your own courage, bravery, daring?

spots available for tomorrow's single session class in Greenfield!

Creative Movement: Practical Prep for a Positive Birth Having a baby? This popular experiential childbirth ed class will help loosen up your hips and your mind for a smoother, easier birth. Taught by a midwife/doula. Learn and practice dozens of movements and positions to inspire your baby's birth to be a healthy, positive experience.

Congratulations to ! You are the winner of the ovulation microscope. Check your DMs for details. Thank you everyone for sharing what makes you smile!

Only summer session of the Valley's favorite experiential childbirth ed class! Come learn dozens of movements and positions for a smoother, easier birth, no matter what your birth vision is. Taught by a midwife/doula with assistance and demos by newly trained doulas.

Creative Movement: Practical Prep for a Positive Birth Having a baby? This popular experiential childbirth ed class will help loosen up your hips and your mind for a smoother, easier birth. Taught by a midwife/doula. Learn and practice dozens of movements and positions to inspire your baby's birth to be a healthy, positive experience.

What parents say:

"I participated in Michelle's 'Creative Movement for Birth' class at 24 weeks pregnant. The class was an invaluable resource. I was feeling anxious and worried about birth prior to the class, but Michelle's calming words, extensive knowledge, and sharing of positive birth stories instilled a deep sense of calm and confidence in me. I left the class feeling empowered and enthusiastic about the birthing process and much better equipped to handle various road bumps I may encounter during the birthing process. I highly recommend this class to any parent-to-be!"

Link in bio! Email or text to inquire about scholarships.

📣Due to date changes, registration as re-opened for the Summer birth doula workshop starting this weekend!
👉🏼July 27th, 28th & August 9th, 10th in Greenfield, Ma.

Link in bio to register, or feel free to DM or email with questions!

Yes- you can still squeak in to the Birth Doula Workshop that begins Saturday!

Birth Doula Training Comprehensive full four-day training with a Latina Midwife. All the teachable skills you need to learn to start supporting families for healthier, more positive births.

Birth is an EMBODIED experience- obvious, yes? ❇️ So it makes sense that your Birth Doula Training have an IN-PERSON component- transmitting these skills not just to your lovely eyeballs but also to your hands, your heart, your breath. 💞

Come learn from a Midwife who has also worked as a Doula for many years, attending over 650 births to date.✴️ Soak up dozens of skills and also heartfelt, attuned ways of BEING with people in their time of deep challenge, courage and transformation.

36 hours left to squeak in the door for July workshop- Early Bird for September now extended through July 12🦜

Reflecting on your own childhood is a common stream of thought in early pregnancy. You may find yourself sorting through your family of origin dynamics, culture, emotional climate and more.

In the years that I’ve been immersed in birthwork, I’ve seen a real cultural shift, in which more and more families do see their tiny infants as exquisitely emotionally aware, responsive to their environments, and engaging in two-way communication. So much more than a sleepy burrito! Quote from Elevating Childcare: A Guide to Respectful Parenting by

What do you want to carry through the generations? What will you do differently?

✅ Are you on summer break from one of the 5 colleges?
✅ Have you been waiting for the “right time” to complete a doula training?
📣 I am offering 2 discount codes per school to current Smith, Mount Holyoke, UMass, Amherst and Hampshire students worth $100 off tuition to July’s Birth Doula Workshop. I am a proud Smith alum, and many of you have communicated with my assistant Alli who graduated from Mount Holyoke!
💬 Send me a DM for the discount code and register today!

Midwife and Birth Doula | Amherst and Northampton MA region Experienced midwife care, doula care, doula, training, and birthing classes in Amherst, Northampton area of Western MA with Michelle L’Esperance, CPM.

What does ‘postpartum rest’ really require of you?
The truth? I rarely see clients resting/recovering to the full capacity I think their body needs, and certainly not the amount I wish for them. Older siblings, household tasks, paid work, and generally living in a society with less accessible help built in all contributes to this. Some parents are just used to taking on so many things that even lessening what gets done is still too much for a recovering body.
Whether you had a vaginal or surgical delivery there is a complex constellation of healing happening internally and sometimes externally. Permanent or long term issues usually develop when these processes are not nurtured in the first several weeks to months.
The postpartum period is a great time to practice assessing what *needs* doing and what you can let go or delegate that you might normally not tolerate. Truly think about the essence of you and your baby’s basic needs. You can give this gift to your future self!

Have questions about your next steps to becoming a midwife or doula? (next training JULY)

Or are you exploring options for your own growing family? 🤰🏽

Come meet midwife & expert doula Michelle L’Esperance this Saturday at Meet the Doulas, a casual family-friendly drop-in event in Northampton MA.

We’ll be there from 10:30-12:30... spin to win free valuable prizes! 🍀🍭

Have questions about your next steps to becoming a midwife or doula? (next training JULY)

Or are you exploring options for your own growing family? 🤰🏽

Come meet midwife & expert doula Michelle L’Esperance this Saturday at Meet the Doulas, a casual family-friendly drop-in event in Northampton MA.

We’ll be there from 10:30-12:30... spin to win free valuable prizes! 🍀🍭

Avoiding burnout is essential for sustainability in birthwork. The intensity of our work and on-call life takes extra consideration and planning, especially if you are a parent or caregiver. Remember, if you burn out as a midwife or doula, it not only hurts you, it’s also a loss to your community. ❤️‍🩹Here are a couple of ways I prioritize real self-care…Honoring my need for recovery sleep soon after an overnight birth- sometimes this means rescheduling appointments. Taking a month or two each year off-call (I usually continue to do prenatals and postpartum care). Not working on weekends or evenings too often - except for births, of course!

If you have a calling to support families of all kinds in the childbearing year, this one-day special can be your first step! 💐🏳️‍🌈 Join us for a four-day workshop and in addition to learning dozens of techniques for supporting birth, you’ll integrate a deeper understanding of our fascinating mammalian nervous systems and how we adapt to change.

Last day to save with Early Bird pricing for the July Birth Doula Workshop! For more info about this inclusive, trauma-informed, deep-dive workshop with a Latinx midwife go to BirthDoulaWorkshop.com, and https://tinyurl.com/JULY24DOULA to register.

Put your passion into action! Register today for the next Birth Doula Workshop. The training will be held over two weekends—July 13th, 14th and 27th, 28th in Greenfield, Ma. If you register before May 10, 2024 you will receive the significant early bird discount of $100 off tuition. To register visit the link in bio, and feel free to send us a message if you have questions!

Help me not come home with all of the goodies I have for table prizes! 😉

Warm Welcome Birth Services will be at Bloomfest next Sunday— an afternoon of fun and networking curated by and for local LGBTQIA+ and queer-allied community members! This event will be held .live on Sunday April 14, 2024 from 1:00-3:00. If you’re a family who birthed with Michelle’s support and you’re overdue for a hug or hello, please come! Also delighted to connect with aspiring midwives, doulas, and folks contemplating baby-having.
Access Details: Accessible Parking & Entry Ramp Lower lighting & sound area Masks required $0-$40 suggested sliding scale entry in advance & at door, no one will be turned away for a lack of funds. Contact [email protected] with any questions or access needs. This event is presented by with support from their Community Partners. 130 Pine St Florence MA 01062

Waterbirth has become increasingly “mainstream” with the addition of tubs in some hosptials and birth centers. In this post I answer some of the most frequently asked questions I get from clients considering this option for their home or hospital births.
There is a breadth of credible research available that details the benefits and effects of immersion during labor or birth. Check out or !

Comforting or restrictive? Swaddling your baby can be useful to bring warmth, a feeling of safety, and help your baby sleep restfully through natural startle reflexes. While teaching swaddling in the most recent postpartum doula training, they had opportunity to not only practice on baby dolls—but on each other. I asked those who tried it to notice how it made them feel. While that exercise might sound a little *out there*, it served to help doulas think from the perspective of the baby rather than solely of caregiver convenience. A student shared that their previous impression was that swaddling was like “putting a baby in a straitjacket”, but actually experiencing it felt comforting. As always, every baby is different, but it is something to think about!

Did you know that 98% of house plants report dehydration in the postpartum period? 😅🌱Postpartum doulas can help with that too.

Let's dispel this myth about "pain tolerance", especially when it relates to birth. There are many factors that come into play relating to how much or little we experience pain--factors anywhere from hydration to hormones. Find what feels most useful to you and that is within your control. What lighting feels most calming? Have your basic needs of nourishment been met? Does your body need a different position or movement? The path to a more comfortable birth is not starting with a "high tolerance", it is creating an environment in which you have to tolerate less.

Register today for the next postpartum doula workshop! If you sign up before March 1st you’ll be entered into our raffle! Details of the prize in previous post. Link in bio to register.