Amé Solomon, Doula
How and why did you decide to work with birthing women?
I was called to births when my girlfriends started having babies in 1993. I didn’t have any experience, but they wanted me there to comfort and help them. I said, “Sure, that sounds fun” and it was! Those first few births took me to a new land with a new way of seeing the world; a new appreciation for a woman’s strength, and led me to investigate my calling. I received my doula training in California, and went on to become a midwife. I am currently taking a sabbatical from midwifery, and love helping women birth in any setting that feels safest and most comfortable to them.
What is your personal philosophy about pregnancy, labor, and birth?
I believe that a woman’s body has the inherent organic ability to birth without augmentation (though I am not opposed to medicinal pain relief on principal). In the process of assisting over a hundred birthing women, I’ve been able to help mothers through hard long labors, short intense labors, successful VBAC’s, water births, and through challenging emotional transitions. I feel that a well informed choice is the best choice. I have a special affinity for the vulnerable postpartum time period, and would like our culture to attend more consciously to women in this time. If I can help a woman transition into motherhood smoothly by providing her with good care, nutrition, rest, and reassurance during postpartum, I feel gratified.
How do doula care services support pregnant women, fathers/partners, and families?
I help educate families about their choices when creating a birth plan to fit their optimal birth vision. In doing so, I am able to discern the strengths that the family possesses, what needs will require attention, and how I can assist the family in receiving the appropriate support. Postpartum, I make house calls. My top priority is to help mom and baby physically heal, making sure they are both getting enough nutrition and rest. I encourage breastfeeding, and offer assistance with their particular lactation needs and concerns. I inspire trust, confidence, and safety in my clients, and I am a firm advocate of father/partner bonding through skin to skin contact after birth. I like to tell my clients that we are a team, and give partners guidance and encouragement to be an active member of the mama’s direct support.
What is unique about the care you provide for your clients?
I began attending births in 1994, and received doula training in 1995. I then trained as a midwife and became a Certified Professional Midwife in 1998. I offer a wealth of information and skill in my role as a doula.
I am well versed in both medical procedures and alternative healing modalities, making me an effective, nonjudgmental counselor to women seeking to make maternal health decisions tailored to their personal understanding of wellness.
In addition to my professional expertise, my experience birthing and mothering two children has made me exquisitely aware of the needs of prenatal and postpartum women. My work is my passion: I truly love to bear witness to the birthing process and a woman’s journey into motherhood.
What specific services do you offer and where are you located (include all contact info and web site, etc.)?
Herbs, homeopathy, aromatherapy, and drug-free methods of pain relief are all part of my doula tool box. I can refer clients to professional massage therapists, acupuncturists, lactation consultants, chiropractors, and clinical herbalists and homeopaths, should they need more assistance than I can provide. I am a wealth of resources and am happiest when I can find the piece of the puzzle that fits just where the client needs it to.
I can be reached at (802)461-7857 or by email at: amesolomon@yahoo.com
I serve women throughout the Central Vermont region: Montpelier, Barre, Stowe, Waterbury, Randolph, Middlesex, Plainfield, Burlington, and other outlying areas.
