Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Manolescu
Hi Lauren, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I guess you could say it all started back in 6th grade in my church nursery caring for infants. It was all about the babies then, but as I started having babies of my own eighteen years ago, I began to understand the birth and postpartum experience from a parent’s perspective and unfortunately found care often lacking both from my own experience and that of friends and family. Having a baby is a major life transition and families often need more support along the way. Four other children and nearly two decades later, babies are still my focus, but so are their moms and dads.
My role naturally evolved through the years from infant care, to education, to NICU family support, to birth support, and everything in between. Having five children of my own gives people a lot of confidence in me, I think. They know that I understand what they’re going through and can relate. With five pregnancies and five infants of my own, there’s not much I haven’t experienced for myself on a personal level, and I have a lot of compassion for what families are going through because I have been there as well. There’s something about having another woman that has been through it already have conviction in your strength and ability to birth and then breastfeed your baby; it’s an encouragement that is different from that of your partner.
In 2023, my husband and I and our five children relocated to Fort Worth for my husband’s job in the energy industry. By the summer, we were settled in enough for me to pursue building my new business and The Tie-Dyed Doula was born. I have found the community here in Dallas – Fort Worth to be so welcoming and kind. Providers and other doulas have been so helpful as I build up my network and ask questions.
My business has grown exponentially month-over-month since the start and that’s not something that I take for granted. I serve each family humbly with a grateful heart. It is an honor to be invited into someone’s birth space, and around their newborn, and to be trusted to see them in their most vulnerable state. I cry with parents as their babies enter the world and cheer when they meet milestones. There is no greater compliment than to not be needed any longer because the parents have all the confidence, education, and tools they need to thrive, but I still cry every time I say ‘see you later’ to a family I have spent so much time with. I love every second of supporting growing families and every day feels like such a blessing!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Starting fresh has been both a blessing and an obstacle. On one hand, I got the opportunity to be thoughtful in setting up The Tie-Dyed Doula, LLC and structuring my services. For example, I knew it was important to me to offer more support to my clients than the industry standard. I also knew I could really connect on a personal level with anxious clients or those with a high-risk label in pregnancy because I have been there myself and experienced a lot of those same feelings, which enables me to nurture through a place of true understanding.
On the other hand, starting fresh has been a bit of an obstacle. The DFW area is so large and there are so many different birthing options. My first dozen birth clients in the metroplex all had different birthing locations and different providers. I feel much more confident now that I have done a lot of the legwork, but I’m still learning the area. Occasionally I still think – now where in the world is that located?
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The Tie-Dyed Doula, LLC offers doula support from pregnancy through one year postpartum, childbirth and breastfeeding education, and keepsake breastmilk jewelry. I specialize in offering more support than the industry standard, which makes me a great fit for first time parents, or parents that are a bit anxious, as well as those labeled high-risk, or anyone that just needs some extra love and care along their journey to parenthood. Moms that are looking to have unmedicated or low intervention births find success achieving their goals when partnering with a doula as well.
Many understand the benefits of having a doula for maternal and infant health, from a 39% decrease in cesareans, to higher five-minute APGAR scores in the infant, as well as greater satisfaction in the birth experience overall (Cochrane Review, 2017). That said, many are still unclear on what a doula does to achieve those goals. What does doula support look like?
Doulas are non-medical support, and the pillars of doula care are informational support, physical support, emotional support, and advocacy. In practice, doula support looks different for each family, depending on that family’s individual wants and needs.
That’s how I get started with each family, whether for birth services or for postpartum support. We meet in a coffee shop or over a Sonic slush to discuss details of their pregnancy, any goals they have for their birth, and how much support they expect to have from family and friends postpartum. I always hope this feels like a coffee date amongst friends catching up with one another. Sometimes moms and dads are unsure of their goals at this point and that’s totally fine! Along the way, every birth client receives childbirth education on all options they can choose for their pregnancy and birth, including different scenarios that may arise to derail their original plans. My goal is to always be as unbiased and supportive as possible. These births are not my own and it is important that the parents are making well-informed decisions together for their family.
By the end of pregnancy for birth clients, we have typically had six to eight prenatal visits with the goal of every family feeling informed and prepared to breastfeed and to birth in the way of their choosing. During these visits, we prep the couple’s minds for birth and welcoming a baby, we talk about what to expect every step of the way so there’s no surprises along the way, we also work on some gentle exercises for mom both to relieve pregnancy discomforts and to prep her body for an easier and faster labor, and lastly, we prep the couple’s home for the birth of their baby. I always hope to have made great friends with the family, so they feel comfortable having me in their birth space. Emotional support during pregnancy is a big part of building this familiarity and trust. I go on-call for every family starting at 37 weeks, unless otherwise indicated. Sometimes certain health conditions are a cause for going on-call at an earlier gestation.
When a mother goes into labor, I go to her home to provide physical and emotional support through her labor. For spontaneous labor, meaning labor that starts on its own, the first and longest half of the mother’s labor is expected to be done at home, but women often need physical comfort and encouragement to get through it. I then help the parents get transferred to their birthing place, implementing comfort measures to keep mom as calm and comfortable as possible for the drive. I stay by the parents’ side for the entirety of their labor and birth, providing emotional and physical comfort, answering questions about possible procedures or interventions, helping mom with different movements and positions to work with her body for birth, and helping the parents advocate for their birthing choices.
Continuous birth support has the biggest impact on maternal and infant health outcomes. Many couples are surprised to learn that medical providers such as doctors, midwives, and nurses spend most of your labor outside of your room and not bedside. Doulas provide continuous non-medical labor support, physical and emotional support to both mom and dad, and fill in any gaps in support during your labor. After baby is born, I stay with the family until they are settled and fed, and comfortable and confident in caring for their newborn.
My role postpartum for both my birth clients and my postpartum clients is the same in that I am looking to lighten their load. Every family has a different idea of what that means to them. Some are looking for information and guidance on infant care and have lists of questions for me. Some need additional education and support for successful breastfeeding. Others just want to take a shower, eat a hot meal, take a nap, and wake up to a happy baby and a clean home. The idea is to meet them wherever they are at and give them encouragement and guidance as they settle into their roles as mom and dad.
When I am not teaching childbirth and breastfeeding classes, supporting families through births, or caring for families postpartum, I am working on keepsake breastmilk jewelry. This was a new addition to my business in 2024 and I continue to be surprised by how quickly it gained popularity. I often tell moms that breastfeeding is one of the hardest jobs you’ll ever have, so I understand why moms would want to commemorate their breastfeeding journey with a beautiful, custom piece of breastmilk jewelry, made to their specifications.
Also new and exciting in 2024, I joined a doula pilot program for the state of Texas to provide doula care to Medicaid recipients with the goal of improving maternal and infant health outcomes. I am now in-network for Texas Medicaid plans serviced by United Healthcare, providing doula support for $0 out-of-pocket for families with qualified health plans. Birth support is fully covered with no out-of-pocket expense to the family. The program is already showing improved outcomes for moms and babies in the state of Texas. I am so proud to participate in the initiative and support families in my community. My hope is that access to doula support is expanded in the coming years and accessible to all.
References:
Bohren MA, Hofmeyr GJ, Sakala C, Fukuzawa RK, Cuthbert A. Continuous support for women during childbirth. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2017, Issue 7. Art. No.: CD003766. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003766.pub6. Accessed 09 June 2024.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Babies have always been my favorite people. I took my first CPR class for babysitters in the 6th grade and started caring for infants in my church nursery soon after. Nurturing children was written on my heart from the very beginning. My husband and I even eventually had five children of our own.
Food has always played a big part of my life as well from an early age, making potstickers or spritz cookies with my grandpa and shelling purple hull peas in my grandma’s kitchen are some of my happiest childhood memories. Baking and cooking have always brought me a lot of comfort and joy. I went to culinary school once upon a time, but births and babies have always drawn me back in. Ultimately, that wasn’t my calling, but it all comes back full circle because leaving a family’s fridge stocked with healthy meals has been a mainstay of my postpartum and lactation support.
Pricing:
- $25/ hourly for Postpartum Doula Support
- Starting at $750 for Birth Doula Support
- $0 out-of-pocket for Birth Doula Support with qualifying Texas Medicaid plan
- Pay-as-you’re-able for Perinatal Loss and NICU Support
- Starting at $89 for Keepsake Breastmilk Jewelry
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thetiedyeddoula.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiedyeddoula
