About Me - Heathir Brown

About Me

I am certified as a doula and a professional doula trainer with Birth Arts International. I uphold their standards of practice. I have been serving Oregon as a doula for many years and co-founded Blissful Beginnings, a doula agency matching Lane County families to doulas and professional services. In late 2017, I relocated with my family from the mossy forest of Oregon to the warm and sunny landscape of South Florida. I opened Nurtured Village to provide holistic doula care to the families of Broward County, FL.

My passion for birth began with my own experiences and grew from a love of helping others. It brings me joy to help growing families bring new life into the world. When a birthing person can get in touch with their intuition and understand their options it’s such a powerful experience. As my time serving families continued I also had lots of aspiring doulas contact me for mentorship and support. Sharing the knowledge that I have gained and being able to watch these doulas grow into incredible support people has been an honor.

I have been thrilled to have the opportunity to become a trainer for Birth Arts International. This organization is where I began as a doula and it upholds values that I feel very passionate about. One of my favorite things is that the trainers and the students all keep in connection with each other after the weekend to support each other. I get so excited being able to see how everyone’s journey is going and cheer them along their way. Being able to travel to places that are in need of more doulas and train birth and postpartum doulas to serve their communities has brought me so much joy. I love knowing that when I leave an area, I am leaving behind capable and caring people who are going to make a huge difference in improving birth outcomes.

I am constantly seeking knowledge that will benefit my clients and students and continue to stay up to date with the latest research in birth and postpartum practices.

When I am not at a birth or traveling to teach I enjoy walking in the sunshine, practicing yoga, or heading to the beach with my husband and two children.

Training and Education

Birth Arts International – Certified Doula and Trainer
Spinning Babies Workshop -Gail Tully
WellMama Volunteer Training (Perinatal Mood Disorders)
Queer Birth Project LGBTQ Positive Birth & Postpartum Doula Training
Cultural Competency Training– Shafia Monroe Consulting (Working with Diverse Populations in Maternal and Child Health.)
Inducing Lactation – Hope Lien (Jumpstart to Breastfeeding in Adoption, Surrogacy and Foster Care.)
Group and Individual Crisis Intervention – UMBC
CranioSacral 1 & 2– Upledger Institute
Reiki 1 & 2 – Sam Wilson
Rebozo – Angelina Martinez Miranda (Traditional Mexican Midwife)
Midwifery Today Conference 2017 (Carol Gray, Elizabeth Davis, Penny Simpkin, etc)
Midwifery Today Conference 2013 (Michel Odent, Carol Gautchi, Sister MorningStar, Gail Hart, etc)
Midwifery Today Conference 2009 (Vicki Penwell, Elizabeth Davis, Angelina Martinez Miranda, etc)

These classes have taught me so much, but I feel that the families I serve teach me the most. Each birth is unique and comes with a new understanding. As doulas, we never stop learning.

Publications

Maui Mama, Issue 44, September – October Issue 2016 Five Ways Doulas Improve Birth.
Midwifery Today, Issue 107, Autumn 2013 The Mythical Expiration Date.
Midwifery Today, Issue 104, Winter 2012 Supporting Empowered Births.

Contact Me if you have any questions

Carlette Y Davidson

2018-11-12T01:05:56+0000

Heathers delivery style was very calm , she is very knowledgeable and answered all our questions in a clear concise manner , her passion for her work and eagerness to train others was very obvious , I would recommend anyone who wants to become a Birth Doula to attend one of her training session .

Kathy Halverson Kinard

2018-09-29T01:58:42+0000

She was an amazing trainer. What she taught was very easy to understand. She was very patient with all my questions. The knowledge i gained from her training has reslly help my confidence and i feel ready to do this.

Desiree Joyce Southard

2018-02-26T03:21:44+0000

Heathir was such a joy to work with! She is so full knowledge and made my class so fun! I can’t wait to jump in with what I’ve learned!

Robin Saporito

2017-09-18T20:22:41+0000

I took Heathir's Doula training this weekend. I learned more than I would have thought possible. I'm so excited about becoming a certified Doula.

Lora Casco

2017-03-21T18:07:41+0000

Heathir is an excellent trainer! I just completed a training with her March 2017 on Maui. We had a great class full of lively discussion, hands on learning and I walked away with more skills in my bag of doula knowledge. I have been a doula for a while and wanted to train with Birth Arts because they are a great support to their trainees and I am not disappointed at all! I am so glad I chose BAI and I look forward to serving my community here on Maui.

Marie Vila

2017-03-20T19:33:14+0000

Samantha Millbrook

2017-03-04T17:36:56+0000

I traveled ALL the way to Eugene, Oregon from Nashville, Tennessee to take this course with Heathir and I am SO glad that I did. I have to admit, I was worried that I would travel all that way and be disappointed. Heathir made me feel so comfortable and welcome. She explained things in a way that made sense to me and always left the floor open for questions. If I am ever giving birth in the proximity that Heathir could help me I would call her in a heartbeat. Thank you Heathir for helping me start this journey as a Doula off on a great start. I can't wait to learn, grow, and practice this work with the support of the strong, educated, and wonderful BAI community.

Mary Wright Johnson

2017-02-24T06:14:29+0000

Heathir is a wonderful teacher. My experience at her workshop was so incredibly inspiring. She is skilled, and knowledgeable, and she creates an atmosphere of comfort that is ideal for learning. Her support and encouragement really increased my excitement about entering into this fulfilling new career.

Teresa Ostrander

2017-02-20T21:38:11+0000

Heathir is an amazing Instructor. She has a good flow of information, one topic flows smoothly into the next. Heathir is easy to speak with and easy to approach with questions. She made the workshop a pleasant atmosphere and a fun learning environment. It was a peer learning setting instead of a student teacher setting. 100% positive!

Princess Taylor Maynie

2017-02-10T13:08:25+0000

I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of Heathir's BAI labor doula workshop. Heathir is a very knowledgeable and wise doula. She pours out every bit of knowledge that she has attained as doula to her students. Her experience in and compassion for pregnancy and birth shows through her teaching. I'm happy that I had the opportunity to sit under her tutelage. Thank you Heathir for a wonderful experience.

Deborah Candelario

2017-02-10T02:40:19+0000

I took my Doula class with Heather and it was so much more than I expected! I learned so much. Heathir created a fun and safe environment for all of us to learn and share. I would encourage anyone who is thinking about becoming a doula to take Heathirs class!!!

Gina Gerard

2017-02-09T23:13:51+0000

If you ever have the opportunity to attend a workshop with Heathir Brown DO IT!!! After months of feeling "stuck" in my doula training, I decided to invest my time and money and let me tell you, it was worth it. Heathir's workshop was educational, inspiring, and therapeutic. She was patient as I asked every question I could possibly think of, and she answered them all! Heathir has years of experience and knowledge that she is happy to share with her students. After reading my student materials, many books, and attending a birth, I thought I knew a lot about being a doula, but I was WRONG! We covered TONS of information and when it she saw that I was struggling with the postpartum depression part of the training, she offered me a sincere hug and kind words. It's not everyday you find someone so genuinely kind and caring. It's evident that Heathir's work comes from the heart. You'll never make a better investment for yourself and your doula career than a training with Heathir Brown!!!