Rebecca Belenky
Working with families through pregnancy and postpartum is such a gratifying aspect of my life.
It is deeply meaningful to learn and share with families on their journey, and to help parents find their own unique touchstones to guide them. Over the last 10 years I have worked with countless families in many different birthing places, and with many different providers. What it has taught me is to hold a deep appreciation for the multiplicity of this big life experience.
I believe that there is no one-size-fits-all way to do this.
We come to birth with our own unique lived experience, family history, and expectations, so of COURSE our journeys will be different than others, and unique to ourselves.
I found my way to birth work after the birth of my own children.
When I was pregnant with my first, I was under the impression that I would just have a baby and remain the same “me,” just with a baby. No one could have prepared me for the monumental transformation I would experience on the journey to motherhood. I consumed so much pregnancy and birth information and somehow I was wholly unprepared for how changed I would be by becoming a mother. Seeking, learning, and finding the path for me and my family is something that I find deeply meaningful and has left me deeply changed.
OUR AREAS OF EXPERIENCE
Hospital birth; Midwife-assisted home birth; Unassisted birth; Physiological unmedicated birth; Planned and unplanned Cesarean birth; Induction; High intervention and high-risk birth; twin birth; VBAC, Breastfeeding, Exclusively Pumping, Formula Feeding, Combo feeding
I have recently concluded a long treatment phase for Stage 3c Breast Cancer.
Interestingly, the lessons of birth work have been such a comfort to me in my own medical treatment. My oncologist told me that I ask “the best questions,” -that was one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me! I am grateful for all the time I have spent with clients weighing the benefits and risks and alternatives of their choices. It has allowed me to continue to develop my own line of questioning, and practice sitting with difficult decisions that are not black and white.
In my free time when I’m not reading about birth, cancer, or homeschooling, I enjoy being in nature; hiking, growing plants, gardening. I love playing musical instruments, singing, cooking, rollerskating, and listening to podcasts. I live in South Pasadena with my husband, son and daughter, where we spend most of our days together learning, playing and having adventures in nature with friends.
Trainings And Education
Britta Bushnell Apprenticeship
Rebozo workshop, Naoli Vinaver
Lumos Transforms: Resilience Toolkit, Nkem Ndefo
Embodied Trauma and Resilience-Informed Approach for Doulas, Nkem Ndefo
Certified Childbirth Educator, DTI
Evidence Based Birth Online Conference, 2024
Spinning Babies Workshop, Nicole Morales and Gail Tully
Certified Lactation Educator, LA Breastfeeds
Beyond the Swaddle- Advanced Postpartum Doula Training with Becca Gordon
Hypnobirthing for Doulas with Ellie Shea
Beyond the Hip Squeeze- Advanced Birth Doula Training with Becca Gordon
Birth Doula Training- DONA International