~ Meet Your Doula ~

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Photo by Ashllina Rochelle Photographie

First and foremost, I am the Mother of five beautiful blessings from above who cover the crossroads of college on down into toddler hood! Every year and age with them seems to be my favorite. I have had two natural hospital births, and three home births. I have a great deal of experience with Breastfeeding and the multitude of pleasures and challenges that come through that rewarding journey. The beauty and simple complexity of a woman’s ability to grow little miracles astounds me and has become the foundation for my calling and purpose in this life. My passions in the world of pregnancy, birth, and parenthood include education on the many options available to women and their babies, teen pregnancy, support of military families, nutrition, homeopathy, essential oils, nutrition, natural childbirth, home birth, VBAC & HBAC, vaccine awareness, circumcision education, breastfeeding, cloth diapering, baby-wearing, co-sleeping, gentle parenting and a woman’s right to choose and make an informed decision about the birth she wants, above all else.

 

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Baby “B” the Day Before Birth

I also have a great deal of involvement in Deaf Culture as well as a Knowledge of ASL. I am not a certified interpreter, however, I do have over 14 years of experience within the Deaf Community here in the San Antonio area and I learned ASL directly from within the Deaf Community itself. I attended SAC for a short period of time as part of their Deaf Support Specialist Degree Program, just for my own personal education and a desire to know more about the people and language that I have such a passion for. I am always learning something new about this beautiful language and it’s people, as it is one of my other labors of love. I have been teaching home-school sign language classes to High School students for the past 10 years, with emphasis on ASL, Deaf History & Culture, Output and Receptive Skills, Interpretive Dance & Song Signing, Mime & Poetry, as well as Deaf Story Telling. I am happy to be able to provide my Doula Care services to Deaf and Hard of Hearing clients, and their family members. Feel free to check out the ASL Program and gain little extra insight into one of my other passions, and ministry based service that I offer within our community – New Braunfels Homeschool American Sign Language Program 

Between birthing and raising my own children, I have spent the last 15 years slowly and steadily continuing my education towards Midwifery, while helping to provide emotional and physical support to expecting, laboring, and recovering Mothers, babies and their families along the way. I have attended several doula training workshop from different certifying bodies (after years of experience working as a doula – and learning from laboring women).I am also Childbirth Educator and Breastfeeding Counselor trained through Childbirth International. I am also trained to provide a variety of Placenta care services, including Encapsulation, tinctures and smoothies. I began my role as an apprentice Midwife in 2015 and plan to continue providing Labor & Postpartum Doula Care to my clients throughout my continued journey into Midwifery. One of my greatest passions in this field is having the opportunity to plant the seeds of empowerment through education into the hearts and minds of women and families, whereby creating the growth of knowledge and wielding the power to make informed and educated decisions about what is best for themselves and their families. I love God’s design of a woman’s body, and the wondrous way in which her body is miraculously capable of bearing and bringing forth new life. ~ Shelby Natalie

My Beliefs

  • Birth is safe and to be trusted
  • Birth is a beautiful and natural process
  • A woman’s body was divinely designed to bear and bring forth new life
  • Birth is not something to be fearful of, but rather something to be empowered by
  • Birth is an experience that will resonate with a woman for the rest of her life
  • Mother’s need to be mothered while they birth
  • Mother and baby instinctively know how to work together during labor
  • A woman should be in control of her own pregnancy and birth process, and no one else
  • A woman does not need her baby to be delivered from her
  • A woman has the right to education so that she can make an informed decision in regards to important topics
  • A woman has the right to know all of her options and given the opportunity to make an informed decision that is best for her and her family, whatever that choice may be
  • The “assumed” size of a baby does not need to determine the baby’s method of entering the world
  • Babies are born perfect and do not require non-beneficial, surgical alterations
  • If left unattended, a woman by nature, will birth her baby
  • An estimated due date should not be an eviction date. A baby will arrive precisely when they were meant too
  • How marvelous for a baby to choose his or her own birthday
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A Couple Weeks Before the Birth of my Fifth Baby!

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     Doula Mentorship & Training Program

    Blooming Water Lilies offers a training and mentorship program to new doulas. Student doulas are an important part of the growth of the profession and the availability of support services to women and families within our community. It is Blooming Water Lilies Goal to adequately train, mentor, and guide new doulas to enter the community as highly skilled doulas who can offer something to families that no other training program can offer. With 1 – 2 years of hands on experience and personal mentorship, with a highly skilled and experienced doula.

    You may find out more information about this program, HERE.

    Current Students

    ~ Teresa (Current Student)

    Hi! I am Teresa Huntley. I am blessed to be married to my husband Ben and we have a 1 year old baby girl. I have been serving women through campus ministry for the past 5 years and now I’m excited to start serving women through birth work. I believe each woman is created to birth and mother her particular baby. My job is to hold space for her as she transforms into a mother, whether it is for the first, second, or fifth time. I’m especially passionate about helping mothers navigate the challenges of breastfeeding and postpartum. I love to learn and I am honored to be able to learn this new calling from Shelby.

    Apprentice since Oct. 2019


    ~ Vanessa (Current Student)

    Hi! My name is Vanessa Cruz and I am 33 years old. I was born and raised here in New Braunfels and I love this big-little town! My husband and I have four children, including twins, that constantly keep us on our toes! (And knees, ha!)

    Since becoming a mom, I have learned SO much and matured in many ways. I owe a lot of that maturing to the incredible birth experiences I’ve been able to have and the women that I know Jesus placed in my path on those journeys. I’ve become passionate about encouraging women on their paths to motherhood and I’m looking forward to learning new ways on how to continue to do that. I believe that every woman should have the freedom to birth THEIR baby THEIR way-leaving room for her to choose when and how it may need to change. Birth is raw, real, hard and the most rewarding thing a woman can experience, and I want to preserve that!

    I have just recently committed to entering the doula apprenticeship under Shelby and I am equally nervous and excited to get started!
    Apprentice since Oct. 2020

     “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose…”  ~ Philippians 2:13