Meet Gabe Lazarus of Sacredsong Birth & Wellness

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabe Lazarus

Hi Gabe, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Over the years, I had a few friends ask me to attend their births as an extra support person, but it wasn’t until 2014 that I decided to follow the doula path as a profession. I originally trained and certified through DONA International. This is the organization most people are familiar with.

I picked up a few births here and there while networking and getting acquainted with the birth community here in the Triangle. A large part of this work is about building strong relationships within the community. It’s important to have colleagues you can depend on for backup if you can’t make a birth, as well as, be able to process and download more challenging birth experiences. Through my networking, I was able to connect with and form a couple collective groups that collaborated with the Women’s Birth & Wellness Center in Chapel Hill. These relationships led to more referrals for my practice.

As I gained more experience, I also attended more trainings and attained more Certifications that reflected the way I wanted to practice. These included a Holistic Doula Certification, Reiki Certification, Hypnobabies Hypno-doula Training, to name a few. As a doula who has been practicing in the area for over a decade now, I get a lot of my business from relationships I cultivated in those earlier years.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Probably one of the biggest challenges has been navigating the Covid years. It has been such a high stress time for so many families and doulas were unable to attend births in the hospitals for a period of time. In addition to Covid, I was also facing personal challenges as I navigated a divorce in early 2020. This brought a lot of problem solving as a small business owner who was oncall as a single parent. I really had to lean into my community and found a lot of support with childcare from my colleagues and neighbors.

It was also during Covid that there was an uptick in families wanting to birth outside of hospitals and seeking home birth options. As this trend continues in our state, we are seeing more homebirth practices start up. Unfortunately, CNM’s(Certified Nurse Midwives) are the only providers legally recognized in NC to attend home deliveries. Even though our state has many qualified CPMs (Certified Professional Midwives), their licensure is not recognized in our state. As a homebirth parent and advocate for women’s right to choose where and with whom they feel most comfortable and safe, this is a big challenge we are currently facing….to provide families with providers who are trained in an out of hospital setting.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Sacredsong Birth & Wellness?
There are a few elements to my practice that separate me from others in my field. As a longtime gardener and crafter, I weave elements from my love of creating beauty and working with plants into products I make for my clients that support the childbearing year. These include homemade lavender heating pads, lavender eye pillows, herbal sitz bath blends, & postpartum belly wraps. In addition, I have also created my own Childbirth Course. I also offer Reiki sessions and Postpartum Belly binding sessions as add on services.

My newest creations include a series of digital educational courses and guides for birthing folks and birth workers.

I think what sets me apart from most of my colleagues is my holistic approach, the longevity of my practice, and my passion for fostering a robust home birth community within our state.

What matters most to you? Why?
When it comes to my work, I want my clients to feel connected and supported. Birth is unpredictable, but I want birthing families to feel good about their birth experience, even when it doesn’t go as planned. This means guiding them through the process and making sure they have the information they need to make decisions that are best for their family. Developing a sense a trust and connection from the time I am hired, I want birthing folks to have the tools and emotional support to navigate the terrain of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

Pricing:

• Holistic Birth Support $1600-1800
• Holistic Postpartum $600
• Holistic Birth Education $300
• Consultations $80/Hr
• Reiki Sessions $120

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sacredsongdoula.com
• Instagram: @sacredsongdoula
• Facebook: Sacredsong Birth & Wellness – sacredsongdoula