Congratulations on your journey to birth and parenthood! 

Shalene, Kimberly, Lindsay, and Lydia partner to offer you experienced and passionate support throughout your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum journey. 

They invite you to explore the services Rhythm of Birth offers as you embark on your journey.

Rhythm of Birth provides experienced local and virtual doula services, bodywork, and online childbirth preparation classes to pregnant couples and single moms in Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Radford, NRV, Roanoke, Salem, Floyd, and surrounding areas of Virginia and beyond.  Rhythm of Birth supports couples regardless of where (hospital, home, birth center) or how they plan to give birth. 

"We believe every woman has the strength and knowledge within herself, and with the help of her birth team, to give birth mindfully and beautifully.  Birth is an amazing and mysterious journey that a woman remembers the rest of her life.   We would be honored to support you on this journey!" ~ Rhythm of Birth

"As a midwife, it is my heartfelt wish that all women feel empowered, well-informed, and in control of their health and of the care they receive. Research shows having a doula with you during your childbirth improves outcomes and increases satisfaction with your birth. From my experience as a midwife, I completely agree: Having the support of a great doula really seems to elevate the childbirth experience for women and their families. I have had the pleasure of seeing Shalene at work with many families over the years, and I can say without hesitation that she is truly an exceptional doula. She is so kind, steadfast, and professional! She is truly dedicated to helping women and their partners have a positive birth experience. She values helping families make informed decisions and she creates a gentle space for the laboring mother to do the hard work required to give birth. I find it very easy to communicate with Shalene, and I respect her tireless work, careful preparation, strong knowledge base, and her whole-hearted dedication to her clients. She takes her role seriously and approaches this work, what I feel is her calling, with patience, grace, and a compassionate heart. She is a wonderful doula!" ~Kris Conrad, CNM

"As a mama who had two prior c sections, I wasn’t sure that hiring a doula would be beneficial…as I’d had so many providers tell me a VBAC was out of the cards for me.  After having two zoom calls with Shalene and Kimberly, I knew they were going to have to be a part of my plan.  They helped me find a group of midwives who were willing to take a chance on my case, to help me have the birth experience I had dreamed of.  Kimberly was AMAZING.  She went for walks with me, texted me  to check in, and never made me feel like I was bothering her with my tons of questions and texts (since I’d never experienced labor).  Since my little miss decided she didn’t want to come on her own, we were induced at 41+3.  Kimberly stayed in contact with me the whole time.  When the pitocin hit hard, she hit the road and got to the hospital to help talk me through my epidural and remind me that it was okay to choose to not do this unmedicated.  She stayed up all night to give my husband a break, played card games with us, and was a constant positive support system. After 34.5 hours, it was finally time to push and she kept telling me how great I was doing, reminding me why I was doing this, took all kinds of pictures and videos and helped talk me through everything.  When a repeat cesarean was mentioned after almost 3.5 hours of pushing, she was back in my ear encouraging me to push harder than ever to meet my mystery gender baby.  10 min later, our sweet Everly Jo was born and Kimberly was in tears with us.  I could not have done this without her.  And would recommend Rhythm of Birth to anyone!!!!  If you’ve ever wondered if a doula is right for you, they most certainly are.  I now consider them friends and Kimberly will forever hold a special place in my heart." - Amber Alborano 

"Lindsay was supportive, encouraging, soothing, helpful, and provided the guidance I needed during my pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. My husband and I both felt relieved to have her there to advocate for me while I was in labor. Lindsay was knowledgeable and knew to advocate for things I didn’t even know to ask about. She was able to talk me through each step of my labor and help me make the best decisions for me based on my birth plan. Lindsay being there allowed for my husband to really be present with me. She showed him different techniques to use to help with pain management that allowed him to feel connected and involved. My husband and I are both incredibly grateful for everything Lindsay did to help us bring our baby girl into the world. Just the other day my husband and I spoke about how we, without a doubt, will have Lindsay be a part of all of our future pregnancies." -Lindsay Brickey

"I had a homebirth and I could not have done it without Lydia’s help. I had done all kinds of prepping but I was still so very nervous because I had never done this before. Lydia entered my home with a calming and helpful presence. She suggested different approaches to help manage my pain and stayed by my side when my anxiety would escalate. She guided my husband to assist me and help me throughout labor as well. Lydia was an irreplaceable asset on my birth team and I am so thankful for her help in bringing my sweet baby into the world."

"I have worked with many professionals over the years. I've worked with nurses, students, midwives, physicians and doulas. I have had the pleasure of working with those who get the beauty and sanctity of that space in that time. Unfortunately, I've also had the opposite experience. Shalene gets it. She is a creative coach, a loving comfort and a constant source of inspiration during the birth experience. Her singular focus in prenatal care, birth, and the postpartum period is her clients, their babies, and families. She is kind, supportive, gentle and respectful of the needs of the mom and family." ~Dr. Roberts, OB

"I felt completely safe & supported during my labor experience & had a successful VBAC! I would definitely recommend Shalene to any mother seeking out Doula support!" ~Andrea, Seasoned Mom