Meet Crystal Lange of The Fortified Doula

Today we’d like to introduce you to Crystal Lange.

Hi Crystal, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story? 
I started my teaching career right after I graduated from James Madison University in 1995. I remained in the early childhood education field for 19 years. Being a military wife allowed me the opportunity to teach in a variety of places and to a very diverse population of children and families. I began in Washington, D.C., and from there was able to teach in Oklahoma, California, Virginia, North Carolina, and Okinawa, Japan. Teaching young children and building relationships with their families was something that I enjoyed, but when my husband suddenly passed away in 2006, I was left a widow with a four-year-old son, a three-year-old daughter, and a 6-month-old son. After the birth of my second child, I knew I was dealing with some postpartum depression issues and so when my third child was born, and my grief coupled with untreated postpartum depression was slowly taking me to a place I never wanted to be. Feeling hopeless, helpless, confused, angry, and fearful, I had to really lean in on my faith in God. After my husband passed away, I was immediately offered some medication that would help me sleep and ease the pain and as a young woman of color raising three children on her own in a new city, there was no way that I would entrust that the medical system had my best interest at hand because I was offered something that would band aide my pain and distress and probably leave me in a state where I would not be able to fully care for my children, so I suffered in silence for over a decade. I leaned into my church family for physical and spiritual support and counseling for mental support. I told myself that when I get to the other side of this part of my life, I want to help as many moms as I can that may be suffering in silence. It was a significantly long time between me saying that and it actually coming to pass. I said that in 2006, and I became a doula and childbirth educator in 2020. If I can empower a mom to know that she has options rights, and choices during her perinatal and postpartum journey and equip her with the tools to advocate for best care, then I feel I am helping prevent someone from being in a very dark place in life when there is support. No one ever told me about postpartum doula support or even mental health support outside of taking medication and going to a therapist. I didn’t know of any natural options or other options outside of medication that more than likely, I would need to take for the rest of my life. So, 17 years later, I am seeking out to support moms and providing them with evidence-based personalized care in the form of education and doula support so that they can make the best-informed decisions for their care and the care of their child/ren. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Getting the training was not difficult since I was an educator for many years, learning was motivating to me. Finding clients and places to teach childbirth education has been a challenge because I got a lot of nos from the hospital systems when I first started because they wanted women with experience. Being a mom of four and walking through three vaginal births and one cesarean birth, and being fully competent to impart evidence-based information to families was not enough until about two months ago when one of the hospital systems that I had previously applied to finally hired me. I am also an independent contractor with two local doula agencies and last year, they both allowed me to take on one of the educator roles. My primary focus right now is education, and I only take a few birth and postpartum clients a year. 

We’ve been impressed with The Fortified Doula LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Fortified Doula LLC exists to support families with education, physical support, and emotional support during their perinatal and postpartum months. I am a Christian, and I believe that God designed birth as a natural process for women to experience. I understand that birth does not always go as a mom planned, but being able to walk alongside a mom and dad in their journey impart information that will dispel fear and to provide them with physical support, any resources they may need during and after birth is what I am led to do. I believe that education and real-life experiences set me apart. I am a DONA-certified birth doula, a certified postpartum doula, a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator, an Infant Feeding Educator, a Perinatal Wellness Professional as well as a Placenta Encapsulation Specialist. Not that any of those things define who I am, they do indicate that I take what I do seriously, and my goal is to provide each mom/family with care that exceeds their expectations. 

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Above all, the credit is definitely the Lord’s. He created me to have a passion to serve families and gifted me with the ability to teach encourage and to genuinely love others. My birth and postpartum doula trainers have been a constant support to me. The owners of the two doula agencies that I independent contract with have always supported me as I serve private clients through my own business as well as providing me with opportunities to grow and expand in the areas that I desire within the agency. My husband and children have supported me through a career change in the last three years and being away more than I was in the past. I have two dear friends that have continued to pray with me and for me as I navigate clients and contracts. 

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.thefortifieddoula.com
• Instagram: @thefortifieddoulanc
• Facebook: @thefortifieddoula