Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Fortner.
Laura, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
All through my childhood, I was sure I was going to become a Labor and Delivery nurse. I was always fascinated with medicine, birth and pregnancy. I entered college to follow that dream but it quickly became derailed when I was in a car accident that left my back injured. Eventually, I needed surgery to fuse my spine and I knew that 12+ hour long shifts on my feet, lifting patients etc was not in my future.
I also gave birth to my first child in this time period and my experience was much less than I imagined. I felt like I had little to no say in what happened to my body and it truly added more fuel to the birth fire within me. When my husband and I became pregnant with our second child, we knew we wanted to do things differently. We chose a certified nurse midwife that delivered in a hospital and hired a doula. The birth of our son was completely transformative for both of us. It showed my husband how capable women’s bodies are and it brought me to the career that I love.
Our doula was Melissa Espey-Mueller who owns this practice. Her skill, commitment and connection to her clients opened my eyes to the doula profession. I was able to see that becoming a doula afforded me all the things I loved about nursing: bedside care, deep-rooted relationship with the birthing family, emotional support and it didn’t involve the same wear and tear on my body. This job was a gift waiting for me to unwrap it. I just needed to get to the point in my life where I could see it clearly.
Has it been a smooth road?
It is not always smooth; I think any birth worker will tell you that. Living your life on call is terribly difficult on the doula and their family. I have spent countless hours away from my kids and husband holding another woman’s hand, whispering in her ear and squeezing her hips. I wouldn’t do this work if it wasn’t 110% worth it. Every single time, it is worth it and I am truly thankful this profession chose me.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the North Dallas Doula Associates story. Tell us more about the business.
North Dallas Doula Associates (NDDA) was founded in 1999 by Melissa Espey-Mueller. She truly has a vision of how she wanted to serve families and this team we have put together serves that vision amazingly well.
We are completely unique in the metroplex as far as support for our clients. We are not an agency but a practice full of like-minded women who have the same goal for all clients of NDDA-customized, non-judgmental support for ALL families. NDDA has served thousands of area families and is the number one referral for over 50 physicians and midwives in North Texas. We have earned that distinction because we are truly part of the birth team.
The doulas at NDDA are known for being professional and extraordinarily experienced as well as being “agenda-free”. We are all in whether you choose a scheduled cesarean, epidural or a home birth. We also help families to craft their “dream team”-pre-conception or maternity consultations assist with picking physicians, midwives, birth facilities and more. The expertise that we offer in this area is unsurpassed and it really helps to set families up for a great birth experience.
As far as being most proud, I think for me personally, the fact that ANY family can come to us with ANY birth plan in mind and feel completely supported in their birth vision, that’s amazing to me. Doulas have a reputation for being focused on unmedicated birth but we know that isn’t always the way a family envisions their baby coming into the world. We don’t have an opinion on how you give birth. If our clients look back on their birth experience and feel they had the information to make decisions, their physical and emotional needs were met, then we have done our jobs.
Our experience level for sure sets us apart. We have over 50 years combined experience in the birth world. Additionally, over half of our doulas are former or current labor & delivery RN’s. We take a team approach to supporting clients so when you hire you of our doulas, you are hiring the entire team at NDDA to support your birth and family.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
This is a wonderful place to be a birth worker! We have such a diverse and supportive birth climate here in North Texas. The majority of local hospitals and midwives welcome doulas with open arms. It has only gotten better in the almost four years I have been back in Dallas. I only see that trending upwards and for that reason, we do things like a workshop called “Becoming a Doula 101”. This workshop helps potential doulas to get the inside scoop on what it’s really like to be a professional doula before spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on training.
We love the diversity of training organizations and philosophies here in North Texas and it excites us to help other doulas get into this profession. I wholeheartedly feel this is one of the best places in the country to be in the business of birth. Texas is trending toward more out of hospital births. I’ve seen a huge uptick in home and birth centers births just in the last five years. We have some of the best midwives in the state here and amazing birth centers like Plano Birthplace, Allen Birthing Center and Gentle Beginnings Birth & Wellness Center.
I’m hopeful that doulas can serve as a catalyst for change over the next decade-Texas has the highest maternal mortality rate in the country. The conversation should have been started a long time ago and we are far behind in saving our mothers (particularly women of color). We have some amazing voices in our community that are leading the charge and I’m excited to see how doulas can play a role in improving birth outcomes.
Contact Info:
- Address: 107 Murray Street, Dallas, Texas 75226
- Website: www.northdallasdoulas.com
- Phone: 469.608.0071
- Email: northdallasdoulas@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/northdallasdoulas
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/northdallasdoulaassociates
- Other: https://doulamatch.net/profile/7593/laura-fortner-cddona
Image Credit:
Lawren Rose Photography, Red Plum Photography
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