Sarah Rankin

My name is Sarah Rankin.  I have been a birth doula for six years.  I trained with DONA right before the pandemic (fortuitously) and have attended home and hospital births.  I feel equally prepared and confident in both birth settings.  I am DONA certified, which includes a breastfeeding workshop completion.

 

On a personal note, I have three children, ages 15, 12, and 9.  While I planned for a homebirth in a birthing tub in Wildcat Canyon for my first baby, his birth involved interventions, general anaesthesia, and an emergency Cesarean.  I had preeclampsia, but was able to achieve  a V back with minimal interventions for my second.  The birth of my third baby was unmedicated and  intervention-free.  I feel like I've run the gauntlet of birth experiences!

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​My philosophy of birthing assistance has to do with the idea of empowering you and your birth team.  Your body knows what to do.  My job is to listen deeply to your wisdom and to respond accordingly.  Sometimes this means stepping in and coaching you through each breath, as the contractions become more intense.  Sometimes it means providing supportive visualizations.  Other times it means providing massage and counter-pressure.  Throughout, we work together to find a balance between active and restorative poses.  There will be times that you want more support and other times when I will  step back to allow you and your partner space for this sacred event to unfold.