Sarah Fielding Birth & Postpartum Doula in Mechanicsville, VA

Working with Sarah was such a game changer thoughout my pregnancy journey! After my first pregnancy which ended up in a c-section, I was committed to pursuing a VBAC for baby #2. Sarah brought so much wisdom, guidance and support throughout this journey which gave me the confidence to have a successful VBAC. We had such a beautiful birth experience. Without Sarah's advice and encouragement, things would have been so different. I'm forever grateful to have had Sarah along this journey with us!

— Sarah Boys

Sarah is a great doula, she was always there to answer questions and provide a lot of information. Her emotional support was much needed and appriciated during the pregnancy. She also comes well prepared to the delivery with all of the gadgets and birthing tools that you can think of. She stayed for as long as we needed her after delivery and keeps in touch to check on you postpartum.

— Serena

After a challenging first pregnancy and delivery, we worked with Sarah through our second and it made a world of difference to have someone to support us and serve as a resource through the end of our pregnancy and labor and delivery. She ensured we had the resources and information we needed to stay calm and comfortable through numerous prodromal labor episodes leading up to labor and delivery. As we had to start making decisions about options for labor and delivery as I passed my due date, she respectfully helped us navigate some big decisions and was there with ua for hours in the labor and delivery unit after labor stalled. She made it a comfortable environment and helped us meet our birth goals, even if we took a different route to get there than we hoped. We are so grateful to have had her support through these beautiful but vulnerable times. Her postpartum support was also so meaningful and helped set us up for success in a way we weren't for our first. We are so grateful to have had her as a partner through this process!

— Rebecca

We are so grateful to have hired Sarah Fielding as our Doula for our second child. Our experience last time was very different because of covid, but we still really liked my birth and soon connected with Sarah during Doula interviews. From the beginning, Sarah was professional and available for support. One night I had severe Braxton Hicks for 7 hours and she walked us through the process helping us know that it was not full labor based on what was going on. For our son. We had gone into the hospital too early ending with a cesarean after 43 hours, so I do think her support saved us from a repeat of that experience. During the birth process, she set up a full ambiance to the laboring room. It made a world of difference for me and was so comforting hearing comments from the staff about how much they loved the ambience from the twinkle lighting to the projectors and the wonderful clove scent. While laboring, Sarah was with me every step of the way along side my dear husband. Sarah provided the perfect amount of distraction and awareness. This knowledge of what was happening but also distraction from the pain was the biggest wish I had after the experience with my first birth of my son 4.5 years ago. After 18 hours labor, I was able to have a successful VBAC with Sarah's help! She got a video of the moment my daughter was born which to me is a complete treasure to know what I was able to do. The moment felt quite surreal. I feel so empowered and grateful in so many ways for the entire experience. Sarah is highly recommended and highly regarded by lots of the staff at VCU. I feel tremendously blessed to have had Sarah as my doula. We are so deeply grateful this holiday season with our our healthy, beautiful baby girl. Without Sarah I know I would not be feeling so deeply blessed, empowered, and at peace with our successful birth experience!

— Christina Waddell

We were so happy to have Sarah as our Doula for our birth experience. Having my first baby, I really relied on Sarah to know when to go to the hospital and to understand how my labor was progressing. Sarah helped create a cozy environment for us in the hospital with lights and aromatherapy. She supported me through labor in so many ways that allowed me to stick with my birth plan of a natural, unmedicated, vaginal birth. She also took some wonderful photos to help us remember the experience. We highly recommend working with Sarah!!

— Kathleen Austin

Both my husband and I cannot say enough about the support we received from Sarah in our pregnancy and labor. Sarah was sure to understand our desires before, during, and after birth and help us advocate accordingly. She checked in and eased a great deal of my concerns and anxieties before labor, making me feel more confident going into the process as a first time mom. She also provided a great deal of insight into certain preferences that were available to us both in our pregnancy and labor/delivery. As for our labor, Sarah was an encouraging, sweet, and calming presence. I know that her presence and actions helped me make good decisions throughout my laboring process, and helped my husband support me throughout the process. I left labor feeling supported and proud of myself, with my baby boy in my arms. Sarah's support continued postpartum with check ins and advice, with genuine care for how we were all doing. I'm so glad we had her help in bringing our little one here.

— Emily Leimbach

Sarah was amazing throughout the birthing process. As a first time dad I had no idea what to expect and she helped me with expectations and how to help my wife. The birth did not go as planned at all and resulted in an emergency c-section, which also resulted in a brief NICU stay for baby which sarah also was a huge support and advocate for us. If i didn't have her there with me for support i would have lost it even more than i did already.I couldn't recommend her enough. She has also checked in on us periodically through the first few months of parenthood.

— Keith Kekuna

Sarah was fantastic! She has such a calming, grounding presence that I noticed from the first time we spoke with her. And of course, she brought that into the birth space as well! The most valuable thing that she did during the birth was to hold space for me and the experience itself. She was a calm witness to the whole process, and I really felt seen and cared for. She is also extremely knowledgeable with birth itself and has lots of tools in her bag... figuratively and literally! She has a bag full of tools to help during birth. I felt like she responded to what I needed in the moment during the whole experience. There were also complications with the birth and after the baby was born I had to be transferred from the birth center to a local hospital... she came along for the whole process and really helped me through a tough part of the experience. She was caring, kind, and made sure that I was OK throughout AND after. She checked in on my several times after birth to make sure I was doing ok and answered any questions I had about postpartum. Overall, she is organized, on time, and responsive! I highly recommended Sarah!

— Erin Ricketts

We decided to hire a doula because this was our first child and we are now living far from our families, so e we could not rely on their assistance. Having Sarah supporting us during birth was great both for me and my husband, I felt I could totally trust her and all I had to do was listening to her, without worrying about anything else. Her presence contributed to help us live a positive experience, avoiding panic and always feeling in control and able to take the necessary decisions. I feel very thankful to Sarah and I would definitely recommend her, she was amazing, experienced, knowledgeable, and listened very carefully to all our wishes and necessities!

— Ilaria

My husband and I hired Sarah as our doula for our second baby. Two years prior, we had our daughter without a doula. Our daughter's birth was scary and we were completely unprepared for what occurred. Luckily, our daughter was born without complication via a caesarean. When pregnant again, I desired to do things drastically different and wanted to attempt a VBAC. Through research, I discovered that doulas increase the chance of a successful VBAC. When I first met Sarah, I felt very comfortable sharing our story, my fears going into this pregnancy and delivery. Sarah is a wonderful support and excellent listener. She herself is a VBAC mom and that meant a lot to me when looking for a doula. Sarah was in contact with me throughout pregnancy and made sure we had our questions answered. We met with Sarah at intervals throughout the pregnancy and at the group prenatal class with MyBirth where we gained knowdge. With this knowledge, I felt more comfortable and confident leading up to labor this time. When it was time to go to the hospital, Sarah was right there with us and made our room magical. She has everything in her bag to make your room comfortable and support you through labor. Sarah stayed right there with me suggesting positions and comfort measures. This is incredibly helpful when you are in labor as I was not in the mental space to recall these things. I thought that I would probably need an epidural at some point but with Sarah and our team, I had our beautiful baby boy as an unmedicated VBAC. Birth can be quite unpredictable and anyway you give birth is beautiful! Hiring a doula for your delivery whether vaginal or caesarean can be beneficial as you have someone to help support and advocate for you (in addition to family, partner, etc). Sarah was the best doula for us and made sure our team understood our past experience which assisted the team in how best to support us. We highly recommend Sarah and would 100% hire her again.

— Lydea

Having Sarah by our side made all the difference in our birthing experience. From the moment we started working together, she was a steady source of comfort, knowledge, and encouragement. Her calming presence helped me feel confident and supported throughout labor and delivery. When we had to pivot from our original birth plan, she reassured us and adapted quickly, offering guidance and comfort every step of the way. She advocated for our needs, made sure we understood our options, and created a peaceful, positive atmosphere. I truly believe our birth experience was smoother and more empowering because of her. We’re so grateful for her care and expertise—it was an invaluable part of our journey.

— Marci Akers

We are so happy that we hired a doula and feel very fortunate to have been matched with Sarah. She was an amazing resource before, during, and after the birth of our first child. My husband and I, being first time parents and away from family, tried our best to prepare for labor, but there were just so many unanswered questions and twists and turns during labor. We felt so much better having someone with experience there who was just for us (vs hospital staff who change shifts and work with other patients). She helped guide me to our ultimate choice of having an unexpected C-section and made my husband and me feel more comfortable during the procedure. As a bonus, she took the best pictures of us that we will cherish forever! Highly recommend Sarah as your doula!!

— Nicole Denney

Sarah was an amazing doula. She was very knowledable in all stages of the process, and she took incredible photos. This was our first baby so we didn't know what to expect. Sarah walked us through all stages of pregnancy and was available anytime to answer our questions. She was accepting and so supportive of everything we hoped for for our birth plan. Labor was long and difficult, but Sarah was a constant comforting force during the entire experience. In order to get baby out safely a c-section was needed. Despite this, Sarah was there to comfort us and did everything in her power to ensure it was a beautiful experience. She continues to be a valuable resource post-partum.

— Katie and Chris L.

We knew we wanted to hire a doula very early in my pregnancy and so glad we did throughout the whole journey. She was always available to talk or text if I had a questions or concerns. Great resource for education and inforamtion during pregnancy along with MyBirth itself. We loved working with Sarah for the birth of our first daughter.I didn't have the hardest pregnancy but my delivery was intense, Sarah was there to help set the room for ultimate relaxtion & guide me through laboring. Was calming & non judgmenatal & informed. Follow through and guidance postpatrum was amazing as well, loved being able to have that after a tramatic labor. Nice to feel part of a community before during and after my birth! Thank you for that!

— Sara Parker

We cannot say enough great things about Sarah! We clicked during our first meeting and we were so happy to have her join us for the pregnancy and birth journey. Sarah was there for me throughout my pregnancy, checking in and offering guidance and support. I truly cannot imagine going through labor without her there. She cultivated the most perfect birthing environment - twinkle lights, a galaxy lamp, essential oils, and helped to hang printed affirmations around the room. She had so many tools and tips to get me through the toughest parts of labor. Having Sarah along side us put my husband and I at ease. At one point during delivery we needed to make a quick decision and Sarah was able to read that we needed more clarification from the medical team but were having trouble articulating that. She asked the OB to clarify for us and it allowed us to make an informed decision. We are now using Sarah for postpartum doula services and again, she is invaluable! Sarah came by and watched our little one while I took a nice shower, washed and sanitizer pump parts and bottles, did a load of laundry, wiped down the kitchen, showed me how to get my baby into my wearable carrier, heated me up some lunch, even watered my plants (love that she's a fellow plant person as well)! If I were to ever have another baby we would have Sarah as our doula without hesitation!

— Kathryn Scalfari

As first time parents my husband and I where beyond grateful to have Sarah as our doula. She was so kind, thoughtful and willing to answer all of our questions. Our birth unfortunatley did not go as we had hoped but Sarah was still so supportive and we are so grateful she was there to help us through the process. I would recomend Sarah to anyone looking for a well versed and kind doula.

— Maryanne Henley

Sarah is firstly just a wonderful human; kind, loving, talented, and you can tell she is a great mom herself and coworker for the other awesome doulas at MyBirth. During labor, she brought a calming energy, stepped in to provide support and suggestions when needed, and worked well with other members of the birth team. What still amazes me is that she continued to check in well after she “needed” to and still touches base even now (6 months post-partum). How she has the bandwidth after so many babies she has helped bring into the world, I don’t know! I have so much gratitude and respect for her.

— Nicole

Every birth experience is unique, a truth I've fully grasped with the arrival of my second child. My first birth was a gradual process, allowing me to manage the pain and navigate my emotions. Supported by Sarah, I delivered my first son feeling empowered and proud. When I became pregnant with my second, I knew I had to have Sarah there. She was actually the first person aside from my family that I told. Labor with my second, however, was quite different from my first. I essentially had no pain until I was 7 cm and my water broke. I went from very little pain to 10/10 excruciating pain; it truly took my breath away. Panic began to take over my entire being. I lost faith in myself and trust in my body that I could do this again without pain relief. I asked for an epidural. Sarah was the only voice of reason that was able to pull me out of my doubt. 30 minutes later, and I had a happy healthy screaming boy that I delivered naturally. The following day, I wrestled with feelings of failure for considering pain relief. With my first labor, there was such peace and faith that I could do this. But with my second, it felt chaotic, overwhelming, and too fast. I also had postpartum hemorrhaging which was easily the scariest thing I’ve ever gone through. It took away from the happiness of my second son’s arrival. However, Sarah's unwavering support and encouragement helped me process the whirlwind of emotions and regain confidence. She left me feeling proud that I again had a natural labor. Since then, Sarah has continued to check in on me, demonstrating her kindness, empathy, and wisdom. I feel immensely grateful to have her in my life. Despite initially swearing off more children after my second, I now find myself considering a third, knowing that with Sarah's presence, I can approach childbirth with confidence and strength.

— Hanna Summers

Sarah was an incredible partner and resource through our pregnancy. It was helpful meeting with her early on and having her involved the whole time - this helped us understand how Sarah could best help us and allowed her to get to know us, our birth preferences, and what we needed through this process. Sarah was very attentive during our prepartum visit. She helped us work through labor positions and finalize the preferences we wanted to share with our care team at the hospital. During labor and delivery, Sarah was actively involved, helping us navigate decisions around pain management and creating a safe and nurturing space. She allowed us to drive the decision making and jumped in when we had questions or to help remind us what we had talked about. As labor progressed, she made sure we had everything we needed. Postpartum, Sarah visited us in the hospital the day after to check in on how the transition from L&D to mother infant was going and to check on any needs. The following week, she visited us at home, continuing to be a sounding board and partner as we navigated bringing our child home for the first time. Even after that, Sarah has been available by text for any questions and even just to talk. we truly appreciate Sarah's time, expertise, and empathy - she helped us understand the process and really make the birthing experience our own.

— Cara and Vipul

This was my first time working with a Doula and I am so glad that it was Sarah! Sarah made my VBAC a reality. From our first meeting, I was excited to work with Sarah because her personal birth stories aligned with mine. I was a home birth hospital transfer to cesarean for my first and had a very unsupportive team so it was really important for me to have the best team possible to try for a VBAC. Sarah gave me tons of resources prior to labor that I made use of. Her recommendations for chiropractor, pedicure, probiotics and so much more worked out really well for me. She had no problem hanging out and answering all of my (long winded) concerns and questions and even reached out to the head of midwifery at Henrico Doctors Hospital when my midwife had a question that Sarah couldn't answer. When it came to labor, Sarah made sure I was comfortable, fed and hydrated, and doing important positional changes. She was patient with my complaining and showed my husband counter pressure techniques to use. She noticed any time I was having a contraction and made sure to quickly get to me for relief. She helped set up a beautiful vibe in my birthing spaces too! I ended up being another hospital transfer this time, and Sarah had the hospital roll out the red carpet for me! She was a great resource to bounce my feelings about transferring off of and helped me feel confident in the decision. She has an incredible network at the hospital, having worked with most of the nurses and midwives that were on that night. It was a long labor and Sarah stayed the whole time without complaint and was still very attentive to my contractions and recommended helpful position changes. Sarah really made my experience a positive one even though it didn't go as planned. I felt safe and cared for through the whole process thanks to her!

— Cienna

Adding Sarah to our birth team was the best decision we made! As first time parents, my wife and I felt a bit out of our depth navigating pregnancy, labor and delivery, and postpartum recovery. During our initial home visit, Sarah helped us walk through each phase of our birth plan. We discussed possible outcomes for different labor and delivery scenarios, building confidence that we could handle whatever was thrown at us. She was consistently encouraging and supportive of our ideas and questions and helped us advocate for the birthing experience we desired. Throughout pregnancy, we were given a well of resources including evidence based practices surrounding pregnancy and birth. We felt so prepared to tackle labor and delivery! That being said, my labor involved some unforeseen medical interventions. Sarah was a constant voice of calm through the whole experience. Not only did she create a warm, calming environment for my hospital delivery but she stood by my side as I labored all day making sure my wife and I stayed hydrated, rested, and safe. Sarah made me feel empowered to make the best decisions for my birth and was a constant, calm voice reminding me all the curveballs would ultimately lead to us meeting our son. After delivery, Sarah checked in with us multiple times, staying updated with my recovery, asking about our support system, and offering advice and support in those first few nights at home. Sarah is truly worth her weight in gold. We would never hesitate to hire her again and again!

— Christina

From Dads perspective: having insight from someone who knows her birthing crap was invaluable. But most importantly, having someone there to support Brooke during labor was something we would never go without. She was able to help navigate us through early labor into active labor. Giving us everything we needed to keep going and see our precious little girl. Thank you Sarah. it was also wonderful to talk through the birth, get the incredible pictures she took, and ask as many questions as we needed on what to do now. lastly, she took a keen interest in Brooke's mental health. That really meant a lot. She and the Mybirth team really care about what they do and it shines through.

— Stephen Mand

I can't imagine how our birth experience would have been without Sarah, and frankly I don't want to. She was the exact calm, knowledgable, soothing presence we needed while I was in the depths of active labor. She met us at the hospital (my labor progressed too quickly for her to meet us at the house) and from the moment she entered the room I felt immense relief--and so did my partner! She wasted no time unpacking her kit and administering coping strategies and supplies I desperately needed. She put my hair in a hair tie and a cold cloth on my forehead, held my hand (and the bag) as I vomited, and performed counter pressure when my partner got tired. She helped us understand where we were in the laboring process and when the nurse told me to stop vocalizing because I needed to save that energy for later, Sarah told me to keep vocalizing as much as I needed to (and I needed to!). She stayed with us through the entire labor and checked back in the next day and the next and the next. She always made me feel supported (and still does, even twelve weeks postpartum!). We are so grateful for the role she played in the birth of our daughter and our early parenting experience. Could not recommend her highly enough to reflect our true feelings.

— Jessica Nelson

I cannot imagine my pregnancy, birth or postpartum experience without Sarah. From the moment we first met Sarah, we knew we were in the best of hands. She is very knowledgeable, comforting, funny, no nonsense and real. I looked forward to our check-ins after appointments as if I was catching up with a friend. Sarah was there every step of the way with support and encouragement through all the ups and downs. When it looked like our birth was heading towards the c-section route, Sarah comforted and educated us on how to make it a special experience, even though it wasn't what we envisioned. Our birth was beautiful thanks to Sarah and our incredible team. The postpartum care Sarah gave us was exceptional. She helped us work on latching right away and made sure we were taken care of at the hospital. Her next couple of visits were so helpful and comforting. Sarah helped us with breastfeeding, and provided advice and support during such a tender time. Everyone should have a doula! The classes and resources from MyBirthRVA were an added bonus to working with Sarah. I highly recommend!!!

— Brenna

Sarah was excellent to work with! ...

— Julia