Katie Woolums
Birth Doula
Serving Dallas, Denton, Tarrant, Rockwall, & Collin
Shortly after our daughter was born, a woman I had met a few times at church came over to buy some diapers. When I learned how close she was to giving birth, I wanted very much to help her in any way I could, even though we weren't close friends. I talked to my doula (Lindsay) about these desires and she agreed that my feelings were not typical for first time moms but my fascination with all things birth was pretty similar to what many doulas experience before deciding to become a doula!
Even during pregnancy and after birth I was amazed at what the human body can do. I was still so inspired by reading birth stories and I couldn't get enough of them. I had a tough time postpartum even though we had family and friends around to help and offer advice. I relied on my doula a lot during that time.
When our daughter was about six months old, I quit my full time job to become a stay at home mom and to begin my doula training. When I'm not reading or talking about birth things, I love reading novels, going for walks even if it's raining, playing nerdy board games, and spending time with my husband and daughter. I believe strongly in the power of prayer and dark chocolate.
Trainings
- Childbirth International for Birth Doula
- Spinning Babies
Get to Know Katie
What was your biggest take away from doula training?
The biggest thing I took from my doula training was that my role was to support the mom, not to guide her. It is more important for me to be a mirror helping to reflect back what the client is experiencing than to guide the experience to what I might want her to experience. This is, after all, not my experience but hers!
The most important thing I learned from my Spinning Babies training was the importance of positioning: both mom's and baby's. I use my Spinning Babies training in absolutely every birth I attend.
What is a birth or postpartum resource you highly recommend? Number one birth or postpartum podcast recommendation for a parent?
I really enjoy the "My New Life" podcast. It's a parenting podcast with relatively short episodes (20-30 minutes) and ends with "3 big takeaways" which as a first time sleep-deprived mom was very helpful for me.
In one of the earliest episodes Jessica Rolph explores the importance of early math. As she says, everyone knows the importance of early reading, but early math isn't as frequently mentioned! I find it really easy to incorporate various things that I've learned from the podcast and it's helpful to hear different ideas on parenting so my husband and I can figure out what works best for our family.
What is the number one thing you use when supporting a family?
The number one piece of "equipment" I use when supporting a family is the TENS unit. My clients have either loved or hated the TENS, but the ones who loved it said it was absolutely a must for their birth. It was very helpful for my own labors.
The number one thing I think I can give to families is to be a trusted friend walking with them on their pregnancy, birth, and postpartum journey. My clients often tell me one of the most helpful things I did was just normalizing things and speaking up when something didn't seem quite right, whether that meant a position change was needed or if they should reach out to their provider about a symptom they were experiencing.
Why should a client hire you?
A client should hire me only if they feel most comfortable with me. When I looked for a doula myself I interviewed 3 doulas before finding my match. The first two interviews felt very transactional and thankfully my husband encouraged me to interview one more. That last one was Lindsay Laubacher and that's what led me to Little Lilacs!
One thing you wish you knew when you were pregnant or postpartum?
I wish I had learned a bit more about breastfeeding while I was pregnant. I have since found some helpful videos on YouTube from Bridget Teyler and others that I wish I had watched those last few days waiting for my baby to come! I was very prepared for all things birth, but a bit underprepared for what came next.
Number one birth or postpartum book recommendation for a parent, and why?
Expecting Better by Emily Oster was a fantastic resource for me because she takes all the data and explains it in such a way that a non-researcher can understand. I love how she challenges the social norms we have around pregnancy. She has a postpartum one too: Crib Sheet.
Reviews for Katie
From families Katie has supported, via Google and Facebook.
"Katie Ferrill from Little Lilacs was my birth doula for my birth a few days ago and I had the best experience with her and highly recommend her for birth doula services! I ended up having a very long and arduous birthing process with some scary complications, and Katie was there with me every step of the way. I truly needed her support and guidance and she gave me the coaching and strength I needed for a successful birthing process. I was so grateful to have her there for my birth and will definitely be using her again if we are blessed with a…"
"I truly can’t imagine my pregnancy, labor, and delivery without Katie W.’s support. She provided invaluable insight, wisdom, encouragement, and guidance every step of the way. Even though my labor and delivery didn’t go as planned, I felt prepared and confident thanks to her presence and support both before and during birth. Katie is incredibly knowledgeable and offers a wealth of helpful resources. Anyone who has the opportunity to work with her will be in excellent hands!"
"Katie at Little Lilacs Birth Services was absolutely incredible! From the very beginning of my pregnancy, she was there to guide me through every step, patiently answering my million questions and offering expert advice that always made me feel supported and confident. She helped us revisit and refresh all the birth techniques we had learned before, giving us the tools and reassurance we needed to achieve another unmedicated birth with confidence. During labor and birth, Katie was calm, attentive, and completely present. Her support went beyon…"
"Little Lilacs was amazing. Especially my doula, Katie Woolums. This was my 2nd time giving birth and the first did not go so well, so I was very intent on doing everything possible to make this one go way better. Katie was instrumental in making that happen. She taught us stretches and positions to not only prepare for the birth but to make me more comfortable as I got bigger. I'm never one to admit when I'm in labor, but as soon as my husband called Katie, she was talking us through things and once things started progressing, she was with us…"
"I highly recommend Little Lilacs service - it was easy to contact a doula and complete the necessary forms to get started. Our doula, Katie W., was an awesome resource and source of information preparing for, during and after labor. What was most valuable of course was her committed support during our (unmedicated) labor - I really cannot imagine getting through it drug free without her constant physical and emotional support and help, which also really helped my husband feel like he was not alone in supporting his wife. She was super down to e…"
"I highly recommend getting a doula! Especially if this is your first baby, Katie was the missing piece we needed! As a first time mom, we didn’t even know where to start! Katie was able to walk my husband and I through all of our questions and get us thinking about things that hadn’t even crossed our mind. She was great to give us an unbiased opinion and lay out all the facts and all of our options. I feel like doctors rush you a bit and Katie was there to slow it down and help my husband and I make educated decisions and be prepared and knowle…"