Today we’d like to introduce you to Claire Zawa.
Claire, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
The first time I heard the word “doula” was from a friend who had spent time as a midwife’s assistant. The role sounded fascinating to me so I took a DONA Weekend Intensive training and soon after friends became pregnant with their first child and asked me to be their doula—that baby is now nine!
I’ve always paired my doula work with other jobs—previously as a freelance Equity stage manager, and currently, as one of the many hats I wear at Birthways as Care Manager, Doula, and Mindfulness Childbirth Educator.
I want to mention the invaluable experience of being a volunteer for many years with Chicago Volunteer Doulas, an incredible non-profit organization with a social justice mission to give all women access to a labor support doula. I am deeply grateful to this group, to the women and families I had the honor of supporting, and to the volunteers who continue to make this such an amazing resource.
A big “A-ha!” moment came when I read Mindful Birthing by Nancy Bardacke. It so beautifully and thoroughly articulated how I had been working with my labor support and postpartum clients and set me on the path to being a Mindfulness-Based Childbirth & Parenting teacher. I am inspired, excited, and always learning, deepening my practice and my teaching. This class, in both a group setting or in private one-on-one sessions, is deeply satisfying and challenging in all the best ways! What I hear from the parents when they come back to the reunion class is that they feel as prepared as possible in terms of information and tools. When things happened in their birth, not in the way they imagined, they had all of these practices to draw upon to help navigate whatever came up. Those tools continue to serve them as parents too. Parenting is a never-ending job, so to be able to find greater ease, more kindness, to enjoy the joyful and have a greater capacity for the challenge: the crying, the worry, the sleep deprivation, and the stress. They are also developing a greater awareness that they are the experts concerning their baby (and their own body). And, part of being an expert is reaching out to the villagewhen they need support.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I am deeply, deeply grateful for all of the support, encouragement, and love I have received and I know that I would not be who I am or where I am today without everyone who has been a part of that journey. What is simple is not always easy. In mindfulness practice, we talk a lot about how pain is part of life, but that suffering is optional. The attitude I bring to thosechallenges – that is what I can control.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Birthways Inc. story. Tell us more about it.
Birthways Inc. was founded in 1997 by Karen Laing to offer compassionate, non-judgmental support during the childbearing years. We offer childbirth education, labor support, day and overnight postpartum doula care, new parent support, lactation support, massage services, sleep consultation, and more! We are the largest and longest-running doula group in the city—and the country. Our doulas have always been our employees because we feel that it is important to providing high-quality, high-touch care for the families we work with AND to creating a sustainable career path for our doulas.
Pricing:
- Mindfulness-Based Childbirth & Parenting group class $400
- Labor Support Package $800-2000
- Postpartum Doula Care $30-47/hour
- Weekly Breastfeeding Clinic $40
Contact Info:
- Address: 3717 N Ravenswood Ave, Suite 140, Chicago, IL 60613
- Website: www.birthwaysinc.com
- Phone: 888-506-0607
- Email: info@birthwaysinc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/birthwaysdoulas/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Birthways/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/BirthwaysDoulas
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/birthways-chicago
Image Credit:
Phone photo and Me standing w/eyes closed – Artigianale Films, Group photo – Yelp
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