Ep 3:My First Doula Baby is Having a Baby: Abigayle Braudaway on Becoming a Mother

March 22, 2025March 22, 2025Leave a comment

Host: Melissa Harley, B.A., AdvCD/BDT(DONA), CLC, LCCE, FACCE
Guest: Abigayle Braudaway

In this heartwarming episode of the CCDS Doula Collaboration Podcast, host Melissa Harley welcomes a very special guest—her niece, Abigayle Braudaway—who also happens to be the first baby Melissa ever supported as a doula! Now, 23 years later, Abbey is expecting a baby of her own, bringing the journey full circle in a deeply meaningful way.
Melissa and Abbey discuss what it’s like to grow up surrounded by birth work, how Abbey’s perspective on pregnancy and birth has been shaped by her upbringing, and the emotions surrounding her transition into motherhood. Abbey also shares her thoughts on birth planning, fears about infertility, and the affirmations she’s using to embrace this journey with confidence.

Join us for a conversation filled with love, nostalgia, and the excitement of a new generation coming into the world.

In this episode:
✔ How growing up with doulas in the family shaped Abbey’s perspective on birth
✔ Abbey’s journey to conception and her thoughts on overcoming infertility fears
✔ Her vision for birth, including natural birth preferences and provider choices

Standout Quotes:
💬 “I was worried about infertility before we even started trying. I was already seeing doctors, doing tests, and preparing for the worst. And then, on my birthday of all days, I took a test, and it was positive. It felt like a sign from God.” – Abigayle Braudaway
💬 “Doulas are always teaching about birth confidence, and I just keep telling myself: My body was designed for this.” – Abigayle Braudaway
💬 “Pregnancy is 40-plus weeks for a reason—it’s not just about growing the baby, it’s about growing into the role of being a parent.” – Melissa Harley

Resources Discussed:
📌 Affirmations for Pregnancy & Birth – The power of positive thinking and self-affirmation in preparing for labor
📌 The Breast Crawl – How newborns instinctively find the breast when placed skin-to-skin after birth
📌 Finding a Birth Provider Who Supports Your Vision – Questions to ask OBs and midwives to ensure a good fit
📌 Home Birth & Midwifery Care – The importance of risk assessment and transfer plans for out-of-hospital birth

About the guest: Abigayle “Abbey” Braudaway is a dedicated medical assistant specializing in dermatology who currently resides in North Alabama with her husband, Uriah. The newlyweds are excitedly awaiting the arrival of their first child in September 2025.
Deeply family-oriented, Abbey treasures relationships with her loved ones above all else. She finds joy in creating meaningful memories and quality experiences with family members.
When not serving patients in dermatology, Abbey focuses on nurturing the connections that matter most to her and embracing each moment of her journey into parenthood. Abbey was also the FIRST doula baby for podcast host and doula, Melissa Harley, known as “Aunt Melissa” to Abbey.

🎙About the host: Melissa has been a dedicated birth professional for over two decades as a birth doula and childbirth educator. A DONA-approved trainer since 2010, she has trained over 1,200 doulas worldwide, blending evidence-based practices with insights from her extensive leadership experience. She served on the DONA Board of Directors for seven years, (DONA International President – 2020), contributing to strategic planning, education, and advocacy initiatives. Currently, she coordinates DONA’s conferences and webinars, fostering ongoing professional growth in the perinatal community. Based in Florida, Melissa remains an active doula trainer, childbirth educator, & lactation counselor. To connect with Melissa, visit ⁠www.capitalcitydoulaservices.com⁠

📩 Have a topic suggestion or want to be a guest? Contact Melissa at: ⁠⁠www.capitalcitydoulaservices.com

🎧 If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review!

Ep2: From Doula to Patient: Danielle Sollars on Holding Space for Self & Others Through Cancer

March 12, 2025March 12, 2025Leave a comment

Episode Title: From Doula to Patient: Danielle Sollars on Holding Space for Self & Others Through Cancer Treatment

Host: Melissa Harley, BA, AdvCD/BDT(DONA), CLC, LCCE, FACCE
Guest: Danielle Sollars, RN, CD(DONA)

In this meaningful episode of the CCDS Doula Collaboration Podcast, host Melissa Harley sits down with Danielle Sollars, an experienced doula and labor nurse, to discuss an unexpected twist in her journey—being diagnosed with breast cancer while actively supporting birthing families. Danielle shares how she navigated the emotional and physical challenges of her diagnosis while continuing to provide doula care, how her experience changed her perspective on advocacy and self-care, and the ways her clients, backup doulas, and medical team rallied around her in support.

Melissa and Danielle discuss the parallels between birth and healing, the importance of surrender, resilience, and support systems, and how doulas can hold space for others while also receiving care themselves. Danielle also shares how this journey has influenced her work as a doula, her insights on boundary-setting, and her plans for growing her birth practice in a new city.

✔ How Danielle balanced her doula work while undergoing cancer treatment
✔ The unexpected ways her clients supported her during this time
✔ The parallels between birth work and facing a health crisis
✔ The importance of boundaries, self-care, and receiving support as a doula
✔ How Danielle’s experience has reshaped her birth work and advocacy

Quotes from the Episode:
💬 “It was almost like my clients were doulaing me right back. The love and support I received was incredible.” – Danielle Sollars
💬 “I kept relating everything back to birth—facing the unknown, surrendering, taking it one step at a time. It all felt so familiar in a different way.” – Danielle Sollars
💬 “Doulas are so often the ones holding space for others. But this was a powerful reminder that we also need to let people hold space for us.” – Melissa Harley
💬 “Sometimes we overthink this doula thing. At its core, it’s about meeting people where they are, with love and support—and that’s exactly what your clients did for you.” – Melissa Harley

About Danielle:
Danielle is not just a birth doula, childbirth educator, and birth photographer, but a unique blend of these roles with over 2 decades of experience in the birth field. She is certified through DONA (Doulas of North America) and has supported over 100 births since becoming a full-time doula in 2018. Her diverse background includes working in ob/gyn offices, a birthing center, and as a labor and delivery nurse in a hospital for 5+ years. What sets her apart is not just her extensive experience, but also the calming presence she brings to the birth space.
🌐 Website: ⁠Birth Chattanooga – Labor with Danielle⁠
📸 Instagram: ⁠@labor_with_danielle⁠
💙 Facebook: ⁠Labor with Danielle⁠
Resources Mentioned
📌 ⁠Coloring pages for labor⁠ as a mindfulness tool
📌 The ⁠role of patient advocates⁠ in medical settings

0:01 Introduction and Background of Danielle Dollars
03:23 The Role of a Doula vs. Labor Nurse
05:45 Navigating Personal Challenges: Breast Cancer Diagnosis
08:11Continuing Doula Work During Treatment
10:39 Support from Clients and Community
13:12 Sharing the Journey on Social Media
15:49 Coping with Side Effects and Personal Growth
16:39 Emotional Transformation Through Hair Loss
17:50 The Importance of Support Systems
18:48 Advocacy in Medical Care
19:37 Using Experience to Help Others
20:20 Self-Care and Coping Mechanisms
22:20 Resilience and Surrender in Treatment
23:47 Boundaries and Self-Preservation
26:07 Finding Joy in Work During Hard Times
27:23 Future Aspirations in Doula Work
29:35 Prioritizing Self-Care as a Doula

About Your Host:
Melissa has been a dedicated birth professional for over two decades, supporting more than 1,000+ families as a birth doula and childbirth educator. A DONA-approved trainer since 2010, she has trained over 1,200 doulas worldwide, blending evidence-based practices with insights from her extensive leadership experience. She served on the DONA International Board of Directors for seven years, including as President in 2020, contributing to strategic planning, education, and advocacy initiatives. Currently, she coordinates DONA’s conferences and webinars, fostering ongoing professional growth in the perinatal community.
Based in Florida, Melissa remains an active doula trainer, childbirth educator, and lactation counselor, committed to excellence and the advancement of birth work.

📩 Have a topic suggestion or want to be a guest? Contact Melissa at: ⁠CCDS Podcast Guest Inquiry Form⁠

🎧 If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review!

Episode 1: Doula, Advocate, Changemaker: Talethia Edwards on Birth Work & Community Leadership

March 10, 2025March 10, 2025Leave a comment

Episode Title: Doula, Advocate, Changemaker: Talethia Edwards on Birth Work & Community Leadership

Host: Melissa Harley, BA, AdvCD/BDT(DONA), CLC, LCCE, FACCE
Guest: Talethia Edwards – Doula, Advocate, Community Leader, and Author

In this inspiring episode of the CCDS Doula Collaboration Podcast, host Melissa Harley sits down with Talethia Edwards, a powerhouse in the birth and community advocacy space. Talethia shares her journey from becoming a doula to advocating for marginalized communities and working in urban planning. She discusses the deep intersections between birth work and community development, emphasizing the importance of doulas engaging in local advocacy. Talethia also shares about her reflective journal, Only Paper Understands, and how it can be a resource for doulas as they process experiences working with clients.
✔️ Talethia’s path to becoming a doula and how personal experience led her to advocacy
✔️ The role of doulas in community development and how birth work connects to broader social issues
✔️ The impact of Healthy Start doula programs in providing equitable access to doulas
✔️ The importance of reflective writing for doulas in processing birth experiences
✔️ Strategies for balancing a demanding career, personal life, and self-care
🗣 “We really doula in community. That support—emotional, psychological, and physical—is about getting individuals and communities to the next place safely.” – Talethia Edwards
🗣 “We don’t have a right to be in the birth space, so it is an honor to be invited. But it’s also a huge responsibility.” – Melissa Harley
📚 Only Paper Understands – Talethia Edwards’ reflective journal for personal growth ⁠(Amazon Link)⁠

🌐 Website: ⁠https://talethiaedwards.com/⁠
📷 Instagram: @TOEdwards
💼 LinkedIn: Talethia Edwards

About Talethia:
Talethia O. Edwards is a doula, author, community activist, wife, and mother of eight. Talethia became very passionate about family engagement and parental involvement by being hands-on with her own children who have a myriad of complexities that caused her to have to advocate and “fight” on their behalf.
Talethia realized that her voice was not only needed for her own family and children but for others who have yet to feel so empowered.
Talethia continues her commitment and advocacy through volunteerism and service through board work with agencies like Kids, Inc. of the Big Bend, Early Head Start, CACA Head Start, The PHI Center, Tallahassee Lenders Consortium, and committees like the Early Childhood Obesity Prevention (ECOP) task force, the Leon County school district advisory committee, and Title I advisory committee and more.
As her commitment and service list goes on, she is firmly committed to forwarding the work of parental engagement, advocacy, and empowerment because she believes in strong families and strong communities.

The Birth of CCDS Doula Collaboration Podcast: Building a Stronger Doula Community

March 3, 2025March 3, 2025Leave a comment

In this trailer episode, Melissa Harley, doula trainer and founder of Capital City Doula Services and the CCDS Doula Collaboration, introduces her vision for creating a thriving, connected community of doulas. This podcast will focus on building strong relationships, fostering collaboration, and supporting doulas in their personal and professional growth. Melissa will explore how coming together as a community enhances the work doulas do, creating opportunities for learning, sharing, and mutual support. Tune in to discover how CCDS Doula Collaboration will unite doulas in a shared mission to uplift one another and strengthen the birth work community. We’re so glad you’re here!

Want to be a podcast guest? Fill our out interest form here: https://capitalcitydoulaservices.com/ccdspodguest/

About the host:
Melissa has been a dedicated birth professional for over two decades, supporting more than 1,000 families as a labor doula and childbirth educator. A DONA-approved trainer since 2010, she has trained over 1,200 doulas worldwide, blending evidence-based practices with insights from her extensive leadership experience. She served on the DONA International Board for seven years, including as President in 2020, contributing to strategic planning, education, and advocacy initiatives. Currently, she coordinates DONA’s conferences and webinars, fostering ongoing professional growth in the birth community. Based in Tallahassee, Melissa remains an active doula trainer, childbirth educator, and lactation counselor, committed to excellence and the advancement of birth work.

Doula to Doula – Encouragement for Certification

October 18, 2018November 13, 2019

Editors note: I became a DONA International certified doula in 2003, and since that time, have seen lots and lots of fellow doulas complete certification. What strikes me about certified doulas, is that they have a real, stick-to-it attitude as they work through the process. It takes grit and commitment to complete each step, and at the end, a doula who’s DONA Certified can proudly proclaim- I DID IT! Today’s blog in the Doula to Doula Series, newly DONA certified doula Samantha King shares some tips for doulas pursuing certification. #DONAProud – Melissa

By: Samantha King, CD(DONA)

You just received the call – you’re officially a DONA certified doula!

Before I dive deeper into that moment, let’s hit the rewind button and bring us back to the very beginning. What brought me to want to pursue birth work? Why DONA International?

For starters, the birth of my second son lit a spark in me that has grown by the day. I was lovingly guided and supported by not only my midwife and assistants but my doula as well. Though much time wasn’t spent with these women due to a fast labor, the impact they left will forever be remembered. The energy was divine; the care, top-notch. I walked away from that experience wanting to provide others what was given to me during one of the most monumental moments of my life.

As for DONA International being my organization of choice, it was a no-brainer. They’re the world’s first, largest and leading doula certifying organization, founded in 1992. In addition, five leading maternal-child health experts stand behind the name. One of the most notable being Penny Simkin, a leader in childbirth education and labor support since 1968. Amazing, right?

The certification process was a lengthy one for me, but I’ve known others to fly by the requirements with ease. After attending a DONA approved workshop (Step one!), I was able to land a couple of births.

Not long after, I became pregnant with my third son and knew it would soon be best for my family and I for me to put birth work on the back burner. Despite not being able to commit to births, I tried to stay on top of the behind-the-scenes work. For me, this meant working on that certification to-do list while my baby napped or when my husband occupied the littles after work. When you’re passionate about something, you find the time.

I recently received that glorious call that all doulas, birth and postpartum, anticipate.

Despite the amount of time it took to check everything off and the moments where I felt discouraged (Hey, starting a business isn’t always the easiest – but it’s worth it!), I DID IT and would do it a million times over. There’s just no stopping you when you’re called to do something.

Here are a few tips if you also happen to find yourself drawn into this wildly, beautiful world of doula work.

1. Draw up a plan – What’s your birth philosophy? Target market? Have you considered a business name or possibly joining one already in existence? What does your certification timeline look like for you and who can you lean on for support (community is everything!)?

2. Get organized – Purchase a binder, folder, etc to keep your certification documents in one place. All the certification requirements are listed in the beginning of the certification packet, and even better, there’s a handy checklist that’s provided at the end. When submitting your certification packet, organization is key. This not only makes it easy to keep track of everything, but it also makes it easy on the person reviewing your packet. Most importantly, keep copies of everything, just in case.

3. Be patient – You may have births lined up, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you can count on them being your certification births. DONA requires that in order for a birth to qualify, your support must be continuous and given before or at the onset of active labor. As you know, birth is unpredictable (I’ve attended many fast births!) and client’s needs vary. You may not receive the call to assist until your client is well beyond the active phase of labor, but don’t fret, your presence is still much needed and the experience gained is invaluable.

4. Have fun & be gentle with yourself – While in the certification process, you’re really finding who you are as a doula and how you’d like to shape your business. Just like birth, having a plan in place is of great importance, but you must be flexible. Push through obstacles when they arise and shower yourself with grace along the way.

Lastly, always remember that you possess the skills to care for, guide, and support the families you meet along the way. You need no lavish doula bag to do your job well – hands, heart, and knowledge.

Now friends, get out there & make DONA proud!

Samantha King, CD(DONA) is a certified birth doula and bengkung belly wrap artist. She’s a proud wife and mother to three boys and has resided in the Florida Panhandle for nearly 9 years.

She’s passionate about all things birth and empowering women, which has led her to create her business, Blooming Within Birth Services.

Editors note: Samantha is one of our doulas who was impacted by Hurricane Michael in the Florida panhandle. She submitted this piece before the storm, and I have been in communication with her since. While she and her family are safe, the entire area is devastated. If you are interested in helping with relief efforts for Hurricane Michael, please contact me at mharley@capitalcitydoulaservices, and I can put you in touch with people who are heading local relief efforts. Our prayers are with Samantha, and everyone on the Florida gulf coast…especially our doulas.