Type of Doula and focus of care: Full-spectrum doula offering holistic support for individuals and families of all ages and backgrounds throughout the transitions of conception, pregnancy and/or the postpartum period.

General structure of Doula services: I offer a wide array of services that can be tailored to fit your unique needs. You can create a customized birth and/or postpartum support package by adding various services together on my website. Generally, birth support consists of 2 prenatal meetings to get to know one another, familiarize yourself with the options available during pregnancy and labor, and explore laboring techniques or pain coping strategies. As your birth doula I am also available for continuous emotional and evidence-based informational support via phone or email throughout your pregnancy, as well as 24/7 “on-call” status from 37 weeks onward. I will unconditionally support you throughout your labor and delivery, and will help you get settled in as you meet your little one. After the birth I will offer 3 in-home postpartum visits to support you and your family as you transition into life with a newborn. Regardless of whether or not we worked together during your birth, additional postpartum support is offered as needed, per hour, to ease the transition for the entire family. Postpartum services include infant care, feeding support, evidence-based approaches to newborn care or personal healing, light house cleaning/organization, laundry, meal preparation, errands or grocery shopping, overnight care, discussing your birth experience in a supportive and confidential environment, and community referrals to trusted practitioners.

Additional projects/non-doula services: In addition to offering birth and postpartum support, I am also a Holistic Reproductive Health Practitioner, Placenta Encapsulation Specialist, Community Herbalist, and Fertility Awareness Educator. I offer a variety of herbal products, gift packages, and services to support individuals and ease these challenging transitions for families. 50% of the profits from my herbal products go towards the Doula Access Initiative, which offers free birth and postpartum support for qualifying families in the Finger Lakes region. As a Holistic Reproductive Health Practitioner, I support individuals throughout their reproductive lifecycle to gain body literacy, explore and uncover reproductive health challenges, and utilize the Fertility Awareness Method to achieve or avoid pregnancy.

Why are you a Doula? I trust womxn; I trust birth. I trust the process, the expansion, and the transformation that must happen in order for new life and new perspective to evolve. I also understand that this transformation process can be uncomfortable at times - and rightly so! We expand beyond our former selves to hold the space for new life. These beliefs have guided me along my path as a doula. As someone who wants to see all of her options before making a choice, who wants to weigh the risks and benefits before moving forward, and who wants to feel heard - I love supporting individuals and families as they explore the vast array of choices available throughout pregnancy, birth & parenting. I unconditionally support any type of birth and trust that when we have all of the options and resources available to us we can make the best choice for ourselves and our families.

In 2014, I completed a 9 month certification process through Doula Trainings International. However, women's health and holistic wellness have always been a passion of mine. I attended Ithaca College and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Education and Integrative Health Studies in 2010. I continued my education in Van Etten, NY at the Heartstone School for Earth Essentials, receiving an herbalism certificate and focusing my work on women’s and children’s health. In 2015, I trained with Placenta Benefits and began my work as a Placenta Encapsulation Specialist. In 2020, I completed a 2-year graduate program through Justisse College to become a Holistic Reproductive Health Practitioner and now work with Maven Clinic to support their preconception program. As an educator, advocate and herbalist, my goal is to support folks throughout their reproductive lives to empower themselves through discovering their own unique strengths and values which may guide them toward an authentic, supported and healthy life.

Testimonial:
"As first time parents we wanted a doula who could be our support system and help us carry out our desired natural birth plan. Darcie did this and so much more!
Darcie truly understood the vision of what my husband and I wanted to gain from this experience and what efforts were needed by her to achieve it. Not only did she give us an amazing recommendation for birthing classes, pre and postpartum herbal remedies, she helped us understand the choices we had as parents, the options that would be presented to us, and allowed us work towards our birth plan the way we felt most comfortable.
Through labor and delivery Darcie was the light to keep us persevering. Her wealth of knowledge, positive reassurance, and caring soul made what we thought would be a scary, chaotic, intense time, the most beautiful experience to look back on.
Having Darcie be a part of such a life changing event was the best decision we could have made. Before, during and after delivery she was our advocate and provided endless amount of support. If and when my husband and I choose to have another child we'll be so blessed to have Darcie by our side again. Her passion for her profession is undeniable!" - Mike & Cortney Lowie

Darcie Black

Business: Darcie Black - Holistic Reproductive Health + Herbal Support

Contact Information:
(607) 339-3233
info@darcieblack.com

Website(s): www.DarcieBlack.com

Regions Served: Finger Lakes and Southern Tier