Martha Testerman
Certified Labor Doula,
Certified childbirth educator
My husband, Pat, and I have had three children in three very different settings – one in a hospital with a doctor, another in a hospital with a midwife, and our third at home with a midwife – all wonderfully different births with joyful memories.
During that first birth experience (and the pregnancy leading up to it), we became committed to the idea that birth is not something to be feared but embraced, and that it can be an amazing journey for all involved in it.
We have carried this love of childbirth and families throughout our travels, teaching and working with moms and dads both in the United States and in Europe, and have experienced all sorts of settings. Whether the birth is in a hospital, birth center, home, or elsewhere, and whether it is “natural,” assisted, or caesarean, a few things remain constant – love, joy, and hope!
I believe that birth is an incredibly empowering event in a woman’s life. Her body and her baby are uniquely designed to accomplish birth, working together as a team. With education, guidance, and support, women should be encouraged to tune in to the wisdom of their own bodies, listening and following where it leads. Every woman and family have individual needs and desires for their births and it is my passion that they are supported in whatever choices are right for them so that they are able to celebrate and have a unique, wonderful, and joyful birth experience.
Whether or not you chose to engage me for services, I hope that your journey is one that you (and your family) can look back on with fond memories – and that you truly can say you had “A Joyful Birth.”
labor doula
I can provide reassurance and perspective to you and your partner, make suggestions for labor progress, and help with relaxation, massage, positioning, and other techniques for comfort, pain management, and effective labor, to create the birth that you want to have. My role is to enhance the support that the Husband (or Coach) gives mom, at the level which is comfortable for him, and the quiet reassurance of your desires, not my own, helping Mom to tap into the knowledge her own body has about birth.
I am independently self-employed. As your Doula, I am working for you, not your care giver or hospital/birth center.
childbirth classes
I have been teaching natural childbirth classes both in the United States and abroad since 2002, and now teach in the Concord, NH area.
These classes are not required for Doula services, and are available whether or not you plan to take advantage of my services as a Doula.
I offer a package discount for those who enlist me both for Natural Childbirth Classes and as their Doula; however, I also offer both of these services separately.
Birth Assistant and Photographer
I also serve as a birth assistant in the New Hampshire area, working alongside a Midwife in birth center and at-home settings.
I also offer a discount on my other services to families who wish to combine them with these services.
Throughout the years I have truly enjoyed taking birth photos and sharing them with new families, and will always have my camera ready to go if desired by the family; however, my role(s) as Doula and/or Birth Assistant of course always come first!