Lauren Constantine (she/her)

The Greek word Doula means “a woman who serves.” As an experienced birth and postpartum doula, I serve growing families with compassion, unconditional support, and sincerity. I like to describe my birth doula style as “holistic and realistic.” This approach allows me to center the birthing person and ensure that they feel seen and heard as I attend to their mental, emotional, and physical needs throughout the birthing experience. I also provide support to partners and other labor companions - offering encouragement, reassurance, and anticipatory guidance so we can work together as a birth team. My commitment to continued learning allows me to be a trusted source of evidence-based, unbiased information that fosters informed decision making for my clients. I draw upon many comfort measures learned through extensive training and years of experience, these include: position changes for optimal fetal positioning, breathing exercises, HypnoBirthing techniques, and relaxation tools such as touch/massage and aromatherapy.

As a postpartum doula, my focus is helping families recover from birth and adjust to life with a newborn. I individualize my postpartum care to address each family’s unique wants and needs. Whether that means taking care of the baby while the parents have the opportunity to do some self care or ensuring the household runs as smoothly as possible through meal prep, light housekeeping, or laundry. I enjoy providing informational support by demonstrating newborn care techniques and answering the many questions that parents often have. I consider it a privilege to be part of such a monumental moment in life as families welcome a baby into the world and adjust to their new normal.

My passion for birth work began around age nine as I watched shows like Bringing Home Baby with my mom, admiring the birthing process and inspired to support people through such a miraculous event. My passion was then fueled through High School as I completed a life changing labor & delivery internship culminating in the support of my mentor through her own birth. As I continued my education at Linfield College, my inspiration of reproductive health and advocacy blossomed through deeper study. Motivated by what I learned earning my undergraduate degree, I dove head-first into birth-work by taking immersive, full spectrum doula trainings that provided an outlet for my passions and allowed me to put my knowledge and skills into practice. Since my training, I’ve served over 70+ families for birth and postpartum services, became a Certified HypnoBirthing doula, and have been teaching private and group childbirth education classes. I’m also a placenta specialist and provide placenta encapsulation services.

Lauren’s Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology & Sociology - Linfield College: Graduate of 2018

• DONA International Birth Doula Training - Portland Doula Love

• Introduction to Childbirth Training - Portland Doula Love

• Foundation of Lactation 101 Training (Krystal Key Lactation, IBCLC)

• 6-month Student Doula Mentorship under Wendy Scharp with Doula Love

• Holding Space for Pregnancy Loss Training (Still Birthday)

• Adult & Pediatric First Aid and CPR Training (American Red Cross)

• ICEA Childbirth Education Training – Portland Doula Love

• Childbirth Education Instructor - Empowered Birth PDX

• Certified HypnoBirthing Doula – Instructor Training with Kadie Barber, HBCE, CMT, CH,

  CD(DONA)

• Breast/Chest-feeding Education Training for Doulas – San Diego Breastfeeding Center

• Taking Cara Babies Sleep Training – 0-3 months

• Postpartum Nutrition Workshop with Cat Binette Nutrition

• Supporting "Surprise” Home Birth - Birth First Education Center

• CPR/BLS for Healthcare Providers - American Heart Association (In person)

• Postpartum Doula Training - Mother Tree Birth (In person) 

• Spinning Babies Workshop - Taught by Kelly Dungan

• "Welcoming All Seahorses: Inpatient Perinatal Care of Transgender and Non-Binary (TNB) Birthing People" - Legacy Health's 44th Annual Swanman Perinatal Conference

• "Magnesium Sulfate Best Practices and Treatment Plans" - Legacy Health's 44th Annual Swanman Perinatal Conference

• "The Interpersonal Neurobiology of Pregnancy, Birth, and Parenthood: There’s Nothing Woo-Woo About It!" - Legacy Health's 44th Annual Swanman Perinatal Conference

Experience

- Placenta preparation services (encapsulation and raw preparation).

- Cared for and supported 30+ families through birth and postpartum.

- Supported families who have used IVF/IUI and supported them through pregnancy, birth and postpartum.

- Provided birth support to many single by choice parents and assisted them through the postpartum period.

- Supported pregnant people with high-risk pregnancies and with a history of miscarriages.

- Cared for families with twins/multiples during the postpartum period.

- Supported families with micro-preemie babies in the NICU and with serious ongoing health challenges.

- Supported individuals with trauma backgrounds and mental health considerations (prenatally and postpartum).

- 13 years of nanny background experience (age birth – 9 years old)

About Lauren

• I’m a native Oregonian, born and raised in Portland and in the later years moved to Hillsboro.

• I love music of all kinds! I played the clarinet throughout Middle School and participated in High School marching band where I met my High School sweetheart, and later married him.

• I enjoy spending time playing with my adopted dog Mr. Walter White, and spending time with my husband by watching movies, going on walks around nearby parks, and camping in the PNW.

• Often you can find me caring for my huge collection of houseplants and drinking a good cup of coffee.

Lauren works with clients as a solo doula, and in partnership with Kim Sabin. Read about their Collective Care model of support.