The Doula Network of Fort Wayne

The Doula Network of Fort Wayne Doulas provide evidence-based information, and physical and emotional support to moms and partners during the prenatal, birth, and postpartum journey.

The Doula Network of Fort Wayne (DNFW) is an association of independent doulas in and around Fort Wayne, Indiana, joined together to support and encourage one another and to increase the public's awareness of the benefits of working with a doula before, during, and after birth. We are NOT a doula practice or a training organization, but a group of professionals working to positively impact the loc

al birth culture. We are both birth and postpartum doulas who support all choices for labor, birth, and postpartum, the only criteria being that the mother-to-be is the one making them. Our doulas are as unique and varied as the families we serve. But one thing is certain - we're ALL passionate about and deeply committed to helping local women and their families have the kind of labor, birth, and postpartum experience they always hoped possible.

Meet the Doulas is tomorrow!!! If you're pregnant and interested in hiring a doula, this event is for you! Since 2006, D...
07/21/2025

Meet the Doulas is tomorrow!!! If you're pregnant and interested in hiring a doula, this event is for you! Since 2006, DNFW has been a leader in the birth community of Northeast Indiana, and we would love to introduce you to doulas ready to support you on this journey!

Our event is a speed-dating style, giving you the opportunity to make one-on-one connections, building the team of professionals dedicated to caring for you during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

Tickets are free, and not required but highly encouraged. Tickets can be found here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meet-the-doulas-july-2025-tickets-1127085365669

We'll see you tomorrow at 6PM!

Meet the Doulas is just one week away!Join us July 22 at 6PM to Meet the Doulas! This quarterly event is hosted by the D...
07/15/2025

Meet the Doulas is just one week away!

Join us July 22 at 6PM to Meet the Doulas! This quarterly event is hosted by the Doula Network of Fort Wayne, and open to any family planning to give birth in Northeast Indiana! This is a wonderful opportunity to chat with multiple doulas one-on-one and to learn which doula might be the right fit for your unique desires and goals, both during your hirth and the postpartum period.

This event is free of charge! We encourage you to reserve free tickets via Eventbrite, linked below:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meet-the-doulas-july-2025-tickets-1127085365669?aff=oddtdtcreator

Meet another DNFW doula!๐Š๐„๐‹๐’๐„๐˜ ๐“๐„๐๐๐€๐‘๐†๐„๐‘Šโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข ๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘Ž ๐‘‘๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘Ž?I have always been completely in...
07/07/2025

Meet another DNFW doula!

๐Š๐„๐‹๐’๐„๐˜ ๐“๐„๐๐๐€๐‘๐†๐„

๐‘Šโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข ๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘Ž ๐‘‘๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘Ž?

I have always been completely intrigued by all things pregnancy. I am always asking to hear about other people's birth stories, and I've done that from a young age. I would even watch birth vlogs in high school and college because I just think birth is SO interesting! Having my own children changed that curiosity and interest into a true passion. I dove in head first researching while I was pregnant and quickly became such a big birth nerd. I mean, our bodies are amazing! How can someone not think birth is incredible?! The difference my own doula made in my son's birth was also a huge part in my decision to become a birth doula. Every woman deserves to feel heard and valued in their birth space the way I did. Birth can be such an empowering experience given the right support.

๐‘Šโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘ค๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘˜ ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘ก ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘ฆ?

I have a particular soft spot for unmedicated, hospital births. I support all births in all locations, but having had unmedicated hospital births myself, this is an area of passion for me! There are certain things about giving birth in a hospital that can be tricky to navigate when you desire no/limited medical intervention: hospital policy, declining interventions, providers who may be less familiar with physiological birth, and unfamiliar environments to name a few. This means that extra support from a doula can make a huge difference. Each woman should be able to have the birth she desires! I love being there to make the space feel cozy and inviting, translate medical jargon, and be a constant support by my client's side throughout their entire labor and delivery.

๐‘Šโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘‘๐‘œ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข ๐‘’๐‘›๐‘—๐‘œ๐‘ฆ ๐‘‘๐‘œ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘š๐‘’?

I love to read, crochet, and embroider - granny hobbies if you will. I only started reading for fun as an adult and now read every single day. Mystery is my favorite genre, but I read a little bit of everything. Crochet is something I decided to learn in college, and now use my skills to make baby hats (along with other things) for my clients, family, and friends. You might even catch me crocheting during labor so I can be attentive without making my clients feel watched. I also donated several teeny, tiny hats to the local NICU for the littlest babies to enjoy. The grandmas have it figured out! Cozy, relaxing hobbies are the way to go.

Get to know Kelsey more on our website at doulanetworkfortwayne.com/kelsey-tenbarge.

Meet another DNFW doula, Shelby Yarnelle!๐’๐‡๐„๐‹๐๐˜ ๐˜๐€๐‘๐๐„๐‹๐‹๐„๐‘Šโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข ๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘Ž ๐‘‘๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘Ž?I originally wa...
07/05/2025

Meet another DNFW doula, Shelby Yarnelle!

๐’๐‡๐„๐‹๐๐˜ ๐˜๐€๐‘๐๐„๐‹๐‹๐„

๐‘Šโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข ๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘Ž ๐‘‘๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘Ž?

I originally wanted to be a homebirth midwife but then turned to doula work! I witnessed my first VBAC and decided that I wanted to focus on supporting mothers like her. I want to provide support and encouragement for the mothers who are not fully aware of their choices or who feel discouraged about birth.

๐‘Šโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘ค๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘˜ ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘ก ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘ฆ? ๐‘Šโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ "๐‘ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘๐‘–๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘’๐‘ " ๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘›๐‘”๐‘  ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘˜๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ค๐‘› ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ/๐‘ค๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘‘ ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘˜๐‘’ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘˜๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ค๐‘› ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ?

I would like to be known as someone who helps mothers during it all. My main goal is to make sure mothers are as informed as possible! Being informed can help mothers know what to do and what to expect!

๐‘Šโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘‘๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘Ž ๐‘—๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘›๐‘’๐‘ฆ, ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘ข๐‘ก๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘“๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘›?

My goal is to get my bereavement certification, postpartum doula certification, and start working towards becoming a Certified Nurse Midwife. I also want to offer placenta encapsulation and photography one day!

Get to know Shelby more by visiting our website! https://www.doulanetworkfortwayne.com/shelby-yarnelle

Get to know one of our doulas, Makayla Slone!๐Œ๐€๐Š๐€๐˜๐‹๐€ ๐’๐‹๐Ž๐๐„๐‘Šโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘๐‘’๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘’ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘ก ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘™๐‘’ ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘  ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ...
07/03/2025

Get to know one of our doulas, Makayla Slone!

๐Œ๐€๐Š๐€๐˜๐‹๐€ ๐’๐‹๐Ž๐๐„

๐‘Šโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘๐‘’๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘’ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘ก ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘™๐‘’ ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘  ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘Ž ๐‘๐‘™๐‘–๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก ๐‘‘๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘–๐‘Ÿ ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘”๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘๐‘ฆ, ๐‘๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘กโ„Ž, ๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก๐‘ข๐‘š?

One of my clients wanted worship music playing the whole time, and when it came time to push, we were all quoting Scripture and praying until the baby arrived. Seeing everyone cry tears of joy and witnessing the love in the parents' eyes as they looked at each other and their beautiful last baby was incredibly moving.

๐ป๐‘œ๐‘ค โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘๐‘’๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘Ž ๐‘‘๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘Ž ๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘“๐‘’ ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘ก๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘‘๐‘’ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ค๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘˜? ๐‘Šโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘–๐‘ก ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘˜๐‘’ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘Ž ๐‘๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘ค๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘˜๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘ ๐‘œ ๐‘Ž ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ/๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก๐‘›๐‘’๐‘Ÿ/โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘Ž ๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘“๐‘“๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก ๐‘“๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘™-๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘š๐‘’ ๐‘—๐‘œ๐‘/๐‘’๐‘ก๐‘.?

It helps me see how beautiful life truly is and how quickly it goes. In those moments when I witness spouses becoming parents for the first time, Iโ€™m reminded of when that was meโ€”and now my first baby is turning four.

๐‘Šโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘ค๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘˜ ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘ก ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘ฆ? ๐‘Šโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ "๐‘ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘๐‘–๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘’๐‘ " ๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘›๐‘”๐‘  ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘˜๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ค๐‘› ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ/๐‘ค๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘‘ ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘˜๐‘’ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘˜๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ค๐‘› ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ?

I want to be known for my light. I want clients to see me and know they can trust meโ€”and that Iโ€™m truly so happy and grateful to be even a small part of their lives.

Want to get to know Makayla better? Visit doulanetworkfortwayne.com/makayla-slone for information!

Join us at the Peggy F Murphy Community Center for a quarterly speed-dating style event where you can meet and connect w...
06/27/2025

Join us at the Peggy F Murphy Community Center for a quarterly speed-dating style event where you can meet and connect with amazing doulas! Whether you're expecting a baby or planning for the future, this is the perfect opportunity to meet a variety of birth and postpartum doulas one-on-one. Our doulas are here to answer all your questions and share their expertise with you.

The Doula Network of Fort Wayne (DNFW) was founded in 2006 to provide our community education and access to doulas and our profession. To learn more about our network and our doulas, visit doulanetworkfortwayne.com.

This event is open to all birthing families, regardless of provider or birth location. Don't miss out on this chance to meet some top tier professionals in a welcoming and relaxed environment. Ticket reservations are highly encouraged but not required. See you there!

Free tickets link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meet-the-doulas-july-2025-tickets-1127085365669?aff=oddtdtcreator&fbclid=IwY2xjawLLhcdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHuh6tWReXyOXMt1H9Npj35LkFHw39Nx20lWCZ4DW9PXj7GUq72Gs0MYSw4ou_aem_GqVCXu6MxvrmnybO0colcA

Such a great training and it's local!
06/08/2025

Such a great training and it's local!

Holy Family Birth Center is hosting a ๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—•๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€ยฎ ๐—ช๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ผ๐—ฝ on Saturday, September 20th for professionals who serve families during their pregnancy and birth journey (such as: midwives, nurses, nurse practitioners, obstetricians, family medicine doctors, childbirth educators, doulas, prenatal yoga instructors, chiropractors, acupuncturists, massage therapists, myo-fascial release practitioners, perinatal case managers, and community health workers).

There are still spots left to register! Use the link to read more details and register for the workshop: https://lms.spinningbabies.com/Customer/WorkshopDetails.aspx?purchase_public_ticket=049DAC8D-4E33-411A-87B2-649426120B8D

Information about the workshop โ€“
โ€œSpinning Babiesยฎ begins with fetal rotation to reveal the lesser known physiology of birth anatomy. Your passion, our approach. Start seeing solutions in labor progress with this new lens on childbirth. After this workshop you will be able to:
โšช๏ธ Facilitate comfort in pregnancy and ease in childbirth for your patients
โšช๏ธ Improve fetal position without manipulation of the fetus
โšช๏ธ Identify issues faster; gentle actions to shorten a long labor or avoid a cesarean
โšช๏ธ Use less (or no) force to resolve malposition and labor dystocia
โšช๏ธ And much, much more!
Spinning Babiesยฎ Three PrinciplesSM, Three BalancesSM, and Three Levels Solutions offers the worldโ€™s first complete system of birth preparation and labor ease concepts using babyโ€™s position. Physiological techniques change the effective size of the pelvis through the bodyโ€™s own innate capacity to resolve or prevent labor dystocia.โ€

โ—๏ธโ—๏ธ ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ก๐—ข๐—ง ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—•๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ยฎ ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—–๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ฏ๐˜† ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐˜„๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ฒ, ๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—น โ—๏ธโ—๏ธ

It's International Homebirth Day! Today we celebrate the experience of birthing in the comfort of home, surrounded by lo...
06/06/2025

It's International Homebirth Day! Today we celebrate the experience of birthing in the comfort of home, surrounded by love and trust. Doulas support births in all contexts, including at home!



๐Ÿ“ธ:

Happy Mother's Day! To all the mothers who we have cared for, we honor you especially on this day. You are seen, your wo...
05/11/2025

Happy Mother's Day! To all the mothers who we have cared for, we honor you especially on this day. You are seen, your work is meaningful, and you are irreplaceable.

It's World Maternal Mental Health Day! Doulas are an important member of your maternal mental health team!One of the dou...
05/07/2025

It's World Maternal Mental Health Day! Doulas are an important member of your maternal mental health team!

One of the doula's primary roles is to care for a client's emotional health and provide a supportive presence that increases the chances of a positive birth experience (Gilliland 2010b).

In most circumstances, birth and postpartum doulas see the birthing person before their postpartum medical follow-up, allowing doulas to assist with identifying the client's mental health situation, outlining next steps, and referring them to local resources and/or a clinician for treatment, if necessary.

A doula's presence has a clinically meaningful impact on anxiety and pain levels in first-time births (Ravangard et al. 2017).

Women who received support from a doula during labour and childbirth, as well as women who received doula care in the context of a pregnancy complication, were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with postpartum depression or anxiety than those with no doula (Falconi et al., 2022).

Looking for a doula? Get to know us at doulanetworkfortwayne.com or send us a message!

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