Elizabeth Varaso

About me

Elizabeth Varaso is a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator, a DONA Certified Birth Doula and the mother of four very ornery children ages three to twelve. She originally came to Philadelphia 21 years ago to complete her MSEd in Psychological Services from the University of Pennsylvania and to serve at-risk children and families in the Kensington community. Following a decade in community outreach work, Elizabeth discovered an unexpected calling as a birth professional after being profoundly impacted by the birth of her own children. In particular, the experience of adding a doula to her team of caregivers gave her a vision of how satisfying a well-supported birth could be. ​ As a doula, Elizabeth has served over 80 birthing families which has given her experience and insight of the inner-workings of most of the city's major hospitals. Her first three children were born at The Birth Center in Bryn Mawr and her fourth at Pennsylvania Hospital, so she has a special fondness for helping families prepare to welcome their babies there. In her 8 years as a childbirth educator, Elizabeth has taught hundreds of expectant couples in group, private, virtual and hybrid formats. She is certain that she has the VERY best job in the world. It's Elizabeth's desire to provide empowering, evidence-based childbirth education and strong, gentle & loving doula support to other birthing people and their partners with the hope that they will not just cope, but thrive through their childbirth experience. Elizabeth is pleased to serve people from a variety of backgrounds and seeks to honor the sacredness of each pregnancy journey and birth by respecting the needs, goals and values of each individual birthing person. She hopes that her calm and confident demeanor, her enthusiasm and optimistic outlook will help make the adventure of preparing for childbirth an enjoyable one!

Education

Master of Education (2001)

Certification and training

DONA Certified Birth Doula (2012)

Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator (2013)

Memberships and affiliations

Institute for the Study of Birth, Breath & Death

Philly Doula Co-op: Honorary Member

Credentials

Specialties

Languages

English

Service introduction

My comprehensive series of classes serves as your trusted guide from your 1st trimester all the way through your 4th trimester. From your earliest questions about healthy pregnancy, continuing on as you prepare for labor and birth all the way through postpartum wellness, breastfeeding and basic newborn care, each class in this series is designed to give you exactly the information and tools you need, just as you need them. Class 1: Positively Pregnant (take before 20 weeks) Class 2: Confident & Prepared Birth (take between 24-36 weeks) Class 3: Postpartum Wellness, Breastfeeding & Newborn Care (take between 30-37 weeks) Take all 3 classes, or choose just the ones that fit your needs and schedule.

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