I 100% would recommend hiring the Shoals Doula for labor support services. I met Katie at the…read morehospital when my wife was in labor and she made our experience at the hospital so memorable with her calming, loving, and fun presence. She recognized what my wife wanted and did everything she could in ensuring her birth plan went smoothly by helping cater to her physical and emotional needs before, during, and after labor. Back Story: For my wife's first pregnancy, she said she wanted to hire a doula and have this individual come with us to the hospital. Completely clueless, I was hesitant and did not see the value from a cost perspective and overall thought it was a strange concept. I was definitely not sold on the idea and I expressed I did not like the idea every time the conversation came up. Well, we had our first baby during the height of the Covid pandemic and hospitals were only allowing one support person (me) at the time of our son's birth so hiring a doula was no longer an option as it was when we first found out we were pregnant. At the time, I was somewhat thankful the doula talk was over and that it was no longer an option, however I would have still supported my wife if it was still an option and if it is what she really wanted. My wife's pregnancy went well so I assumed we would go to the hospital and easily have the baby when the time came. As soon as we got there, my wife's birth plan began to unravel. The wireless monitoring did not work, she did not progress as quickly as hoped, her body had complications with the epidural, she or the baby did not respond well to Pitocin, and the list goes on. 36 hours later, my wife was laying on the hospital bed exhausted, hurting, shaking, and she developed a fever after her water broke. Long story short, we ended up in the operating room in an emergency C-section scenario. I had given her my all as an emotional support but was at my breaking point with seeing her suffer for so long. After they got our son out and he began crying, I lost it. I was sitting in the operating room emotionally and physically exhausted and had felt like I had been punched in the face without any warning. I remember the nurses in the operating room saying come here dad and take some pictures. At the time, I was so disoriented and felt numb to everything happening at a rapid rate. I gave the nurse my phone and thankfully she got some good pictures I often go back and look at. I remember thinking, this is supposed to be happy, it was not supposed to be this difficult. When things settled down and we got situated I just had an overwhelming thankfulness for a healthy mom and baby. I left out a lot of detail but that is the short version of how our first son's birth went. 13 months later, my wife brought me a cup of coffee one Saturday morning and she said "hey I am pregnant again". My wife wanted to go for a VBAC so the planning began immediately and we both were adamant that this time things would be different. As soon as she mentioned hiring a doula, I said let's do it, anything you need that you think may help, I support you entirely. When hiring a doula, she offers birthing classes, one on one consultations, recommended stretching routines, foods to eat/ avoid, etc. When the time came, my wife went into labor on her own. We called and asked when would be a good time to go to the hospital again even though we had been through everything with her. It was more for comfort at that point and hearing Katie remind us of everything was encouraging at the time. We ended up leaving for the hospital around 1:00 a.m. and Katie made her way to the hospital the next morning (she would have come immediately in the middle of the night if we had asked her to). When things during this birth started trending against what we had planned, Katie was there to offer advice and give us options over every important decision we had to make at the hospital. I was able to step out of the room periodically when my wife was laboring and take a quick "mental break" and that made a world of difference for me. I was able to come back in and could support my wife much better than I had during our first son's birth. Well, unfortunately she stalled at 8 cm dilation and we made the very difficult decision to go back in for a repeat caesarian before things turned into an emergency situation. It was definitely not the plan but having a doula gave us the confidence that we did absolutely everything physically possible we could and it helped when it came time to make difficult decisions. Having Katie involved with our second son's birth was so encouraging and I was so thankful she was able to be apart of this huge life event for us. Her being there also gave us closure on our first son's birth and that made all the difference and for that I will forever be grateful.

I felt deeply heard and supported during my pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum thanks to…read moreKatie. She is a fantastic doula and is wonderful at what she does. Being that it was our second baby, I hesitated to hire a doula as I naively thought I didn't need to but I am SO glad that I did. I initially hired her because our spiritual beliefs align and I really appreciate that but I didn't realize she was also a superstar doula. She took time to really get to know our family and listen to what our birth preferences, goals and dreams were. I know she had a huge part to play in how those goals and dreams were not only met but exceeded when it all was said and done. North Alabama is so blessed to have her! She truly empowered us to advocate for ourselves. I am so grateful for all the practical tips she helped me with that prepared my body and baby for an optimal birth. She encouraged me when I needed it and helped me stay grounded during some bumps in the road of my pregnancy. If I texted or called her, she responded promptly and went above and beyond to answer my questions. She checked on me leading up to birth and during postpartum and I felt really supported because of that. I had a very quick labor and birth in the middle of the night and she rushed to make it to the hospital and provided awesome comfort measures even amidst the quickness of it all. She is the doula version of super woman! I will forever recommend her to anyone who asks me about doula support and definitely want to hire her should I have more babies in the future. So grateful for her and all she did for our family.

A golden beam of positive light! The first thing you'll notice about Michelle is a familiar warmth…read moreand kindness that makes you feel like you've known her for ages. Her eyes convey a trust and openness that is as welcoming as it is comforting. I recently attended her Valentine's day love meditation and was so elated with the feelings I had when returning home that night. She guided us along as she described seeing a colorful light rising from ourselves and extending to the world and people around us leaving behind it only love and appreciation. I envisioned this light swirling through my heart and mind and then reaching out and enveloping everything around me. When the personal reflection ended and I returned to my body in the moment, I felt such an unburdening and release that was truly wonderful. Michelle not only leads guided meditations, but also performs Reiki and leads many spiritually creative workshops that are certain to make you feel enlightened and closer to self and spirit. She also produces amazing works of art that will make you smile and feel inspired to be creative,yourself! Do yourself a favor and pay her a visit. After all, we could all use a little more love and creativity in our lives!

From the owner: EMMC Healing Arts offers reiki therapy, personal medicine hand drums, meditational art classes,…read morefine art for purchase, and doula services. Michelle is dedicated to nurturing the process of personal healing, allowing hearts to open to inner peace and wellness. Come release the stress of everyday life at our classes and workshops or experience personalized relaxation energy therapy at EMMC Healing Arts.

SPLENDID! : ) If…read moreyou are shopping for a mommy-to be or new mommy, look no further. These ladies are top-notch & knowledgeable! They are super natural birth & breastfeeding friendly, which is nice. Don't hesitate dropping by. They have the higher-quality stuff you can't find at Babies R Us or Target.

This is my favorite baby store! I live in Birmingham, but I come by ANM every time I visit my…read morefamily here in Huntsville. I love the attachment parenting focus. There are so many supplies you just can't find at bigger box stores, and Glenni does her best to source her products locally whenever possible. The two biggest sections are breastfeeding accessories and cloth diapering supplies (they even stock Green Mountain Diapers). They also have some Green Sprouts solid food accessories, a few baby carriers (Boba, Ergo, Ktan), a selection of baby clothes (some organic), and a few maternity items. If they don't have something you want, Glenni will often make a few phone calls to try and find it for you. Once I was in a cloth diapering "emergency" while in Atlanta, and she called all her GA counterparts trying to find me the supplies I needed! They are also a great source of knowledge for natural parenting and host pregnancy/birth/breastfeeding classes and mommy groups at the store. I've come here several times just to nurse my infant in the middle of a long shopping day. Glenni is very welcoming and sets you up with a footstool and nursing pillow, anything you need. She will offer help with any breastfeeding issues you may be dealing with. To sum up, I can't say enough good things about ANM. Their products, service, and philosophy are all wonderful. Why shop anywhere else for your baby needs??