Holistic Beginnings with Ashley
Get to know a little bit about me
Dive deeper into my interests, current experience, and get a glimpse into my purpose for helping mothers
Hello
My name is Ashley
I was born and raised in Chattanooga, TN but I currently live in the Lexington, KY area. I have a BA in Psychology with a minor in Family Science. I also have an additional 2 1/2 years of Biology major courses. Since graduating Ive been able to focus on becoming a full-time Birth and Postpartum doula.
I'm a dog mom to a silly yorkie puppy named Shiloh. In my free time you can find me experimenting with new coffee or bread combos, making crafts, reading up on the changes in the health world/ baby and mother care, or hitting the town with Shiloh.
What made me want to become a doula?
From around age 7, I knew I wanted to be a "baby deliverer" and since then, I've taken the steps forward to achieve that. Once I heard about what a doula was I knew I needed to become one because I would 1.) be getting closer to my dream and 2.) I would be doing something life changing by giving someone the support and ecouragment they needed. Especially with the rise of maternal mortality. I know what it feels like to not get the help you need and by having that one person, it gives you the extra strength to get through. And I wanted to be that person. I want your voice to be heard.
Education and Background
Babysitting
2017-Present
I started around 16-17 years old babysitting my nephew and niece. They were both micro preemies and born around 2 years apart. In my senior year of high school, I continued with a family friend who needed a babysitter for her 7 year old. Around my sophomore year of college I babysat for family with 3 kids ages (almost 1, 3, and 8) where the middle child got so excited when she say me and yelled "MOM, FRIEND IS HERE!!!" Overall all of the small children I babyit hate it whne I have to leave and try to leave with me.
Introduction to Childbirth
DONA, December 2021
I completed training for the Intro to Childbirth. We covered things such as the process of birth, the different things that can be done to comfort/support the mother during birth, the different birthing positions, and the different options the mother has for birthing.
Lactation Basics for Doulas
DONA, December 2021
I continued training for the Basics of brestfeeding where we covered things such as brestfeeding, the different things that can happen whne breastfeeding, and what that looks like. We also touched on the various ways baby can be fed.
Nutritional Postpartum Certification
PNPDA., May 2024
I completed training for Nurtitional Postpartum Care. The training went deep into the types of pregnancies women can have that causes health issues. We covered meals that can help fight the issues they may have to keep them out of the danger zone. We studied about postpartum care and how it can differ from each family, the tasks covered, things to look out for for the safety of the mother and optimal care for the baby.
PAIL/ Basics of Breavement Support
PAIL, June 2023
Event/Talk, September 2023
Training on breavement and an event covering the basics of breavement care for mothers of stillbirth or loss of baby shortly after birth.
CPR Certification
National CPR Certification., January 2024
Online CPR Training that was available