Birth Ease
Baby Loss Support
Services
Bereavement Doula
As a Stillbirthday Birth & Bereavement Doula (SBD), Michelle provides support prior to, during, and after birth in any trimester. The average time an SBD doula might spend with a family at birth is approximately 8-10 hours. The SBD doula can also offer postpartum support in at least one to several postpartum visits. SBD doulas are qualified to provide support in situations of fatal diagnosis, carrying to term, and NICU care. They are versed in:
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The physiological process of childbirth
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How childbirth is different and similar in each trimester
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How to support a mother in labor in any trimester and in any outcome
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How to help a mother build a birth plan, particularly in an expected live birth outcome, TFMR (Terminating For Medical Reasons), or carrying to term
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How to provide immediate support when establishing a relationship prior to the birth isn’t possible (such as unexpected pregnancy loss)
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How to preserve the fleeting moments the family has with their miscarried or stillborn baby
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How to incorporate personal wishes, extended family, and siblings in the birth experience
Grief Support
Losing a child is one of the most difficult types of grief to bear. It feels as if it defies the laws of nature, and it destroys our hopes and dreams. The necessary grieving for many is a lonely and isolating experience, especially for parents who have needed to end a wanted pregnancy. Having someone with whom you can speak freely about your loss and be seen, heard, and validated is invaluable.
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Michelle understands the pain of perinatal loss as a doula, childbirth educator, grief and trauma specialist, and mother. This allows her to provide unparalleled support and compassionate care in her online sessions. ​
Michelle offers grief support to bereaved parents on a donation basis.
"Michelle Smith is one of my angels on Earth. Our meeting felt like a coincidence at the time, but now I know it was something greater. Back in 2014, when I was pregnant with my firstborn and entering my second trimester, my midwife referred me to a hypnobirthing doula—Michelle.
I reached out to her immediately, and from our very first session, I felt as if I had known her forever. She was like a sister—warm, wise, and grounding. Michelle helped me move through my pregnancy with confidence, peace, and grace.
Then, five days before my due date—at 39 weeks—my world shattered. I began experiencing intense abdominal pain, thinking it was early labor. When we arrived at the hospital, they couldn’t find the baby’s heartbeat. My son was stillborn.
I continued to bleed, and doctors performed an emergency C-section that lasted nearly four hours. I woke up in the ICU, having survived something I still struggle to put into words.
Michelle was there.
She showed up with unwavering compassion and quiet strength. In a moment when I was broken, she carried the weight I couldn’t. She held space for my grief with a sense of responsibility and care I’ve only witnessed in the rarest of souls.
She gently invited me to a healing group for parents who had experienced similar loss, and for six weeks, she came with me to every session. Just so I wouldn’t feel alone.
It’s been 11 years. Every year, Michelle and I attend the Angel of Hope ceremony here in Central Florida—a sacred space where we honor our babies and continue to heal, together.
There are no words big enough to hold the gratitude I have for Michelle. She was a light in my darkest hour. And she continues to be a beautiful reminder that love—pure, selfless love—can be a lifeline."
—Nydia
Meditations for Baby Loss
There are many different guided meditations available, yet there are very few for grief, especially for pregnancy and infant loss. Meditation elicits the relaxation response, which is a physical state of deep rest that occurs when a person is profoundly relaxed. This state counteracts the body’s physical and emotional response to stress, allowing it to return to a calm, relaxed state. When a person elicits the relaxation response, there is a measurable decrease in heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, muscle tension, and stress hormone levels. The relaxation response also causes normal waking brain-wave patterns to shift to predominantly slower patterns and pave the way for the hormonal and immune systems to return to normal. With daily practice, meditation can even lower inflammation in the body.
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Michelle has created guided meditations specific to pregnancy and infant loss, and is proud to have collaborated with and provided her voice for the Calm Birth meditation for pregnancy and infant loss series. She offers private online grief sessions that can include guided meditation, if desired.
Support for Pregnancies After A Loss
When someone loses a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death, or infant loss, if and when they are ready to become pregnant again, the emotions can be overwhelming:
“Will I lose my baby again?”
“Can I even become pregnant again?”
“I am afraid to bond with my baby during my pregnancy because I don't want to feel that horrible pain again if I lose my child.”
The excitement normally surrounding the decision to become pregnant is clouded by the fear of loss. Over the years of working with families, I have found that fear can and does impact birth and pregnancy. The heaviness of fear and loss affects a parent’s psyche. This fearfulness seems to be especially intensified when someone experiences recurrent losses, genetic abortions, IVF failure & ART pregnancy loss, or with combined losses such as infertility & pregnancy loss. Stress affects our fertility by causing our bodies to produce cortisol, which can inhibit the implantation of a fertilized ovum, delay ovulation, and reduce the number and motility of sperm. The Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association reported in 1999 that 42% of women were able to conceive within six months of being taught mind/body relaxation techniques. Additionally, these women were able to effectively decrease their levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Similar studies support these findings. Acknowledging and working through these natural feelings before the birth or, ideally, before conceiving, makes a huge difference.
Releasing fear and pain regarding the loss before or during the pregnancy frees the mother to be more present during the pregnancy, the birth, and for her baby she is carrying. One of the couples that I worked with lost one of their twins during their pregnancy. As their childbirth educator during our private class sessions, we were able to discuss their grief and take the much-needed time to honor their lost baby. Well-meaning friends and family were telling them to just focus on their pregnancy. We created the space for them to acknowledge their grief, release fears, thank their baby for the time they had had together, and send love to their baby, continuing to grow inside of her.
Another of my couples lost their little girl at 20 weeks of pregnancy. In our classes together, we devoted time to acknowledging the natural fears she was experiencing as the birth of her son grew near. We released the heaviness of these understandable, normal feelings, allowing her to feel less anxious and fearful.
Birth doula support for subsequent pregnancies can also be an extremely validating, healing, meaningful, and joyful experience for the family.