Taproot Services

@Kathryn Photography, courtesy of Melanie RefuerzoBirth Doula Services – $900-$1300

The families who choose Taproot Birth Partners are diverse, make a wide variety of choices and have varying needs. As your doula, my agenda is to help you work toward the outcome that is right for your family, while working to ensure that you can meet each moment along the way with respect, information and support. My hope is that even if you do not get the outcome you hoped for, that you feel respected, informed, supported and celebrated along the way.

Enjoy sensitive, knowledgeable, and objective care during your pregnancy, labor, and birth. You’re in charge.

  • You choose the rate that works for your family, within the sliding scale. No questions asked.
  • You decide how many visits you need before your birth
  • I will attend your entire birth, sometimes working with a student (at your discretion) who will help to provide more hands, ideas, and back up at long births
  • You decide how many visits you need after the birth. We will refer you to advanced care if your needs go beyond our scope of practice

I am a Full Spectrum Doula and support families during the full array of outcomes for their pregnancies. I am a cis, queer person in a happy relationship with my husband, and our three kids, 21, 17 and 11. I  have taught internationally, and serve as a mentor for birth professionals both locally and internationally. I am also certified in the NEAR Science curriculum and I connect deeply with families who are navigating past trauma.  With a diverse background and world view, I meet you where you are, and support you there with no judgments.

Other Services Offered


Childbirth Education – Six or eight week series

Join other families in the beautiful Taproot studio in downtown Bremerton for a fun, relaxed and dynamic childbirth class. These classes will guide you through several weeks of learning how to strategize the best birth for you and your family. We will strengthen your birth team with tools to help you navigate decision-making, adjusting when things change, and the ability to get the information you need at every turn.

Click here to find out more about Childbirth Classes with Taproot, and to see our current class schedule.


 Other Offerings for Families and birth professionals

Local Birth Options Meet-Ups

Getting ready to have a baby and don’t know where to start? Asking friends for provider recommendations but not sure if the one you’re working with is right for you? Curious about other venues for birth, or doulas, or childbirth class options? Let’s meet for coffee and I’m happy to give you a breakdown of your options. You might also find my blog posts about Kitsap options for hospital birth, homebirth and birth center birth helpful. To schedule, simply contact me and we’ll set up a date!

For Birth Professionals – Mentor Meet-ups ($20/person)
RSVP is required, minimum of 3 to hold the meet up.

If you are a birth professional looking to strengthen your knowledge on the topics that apply to our work, join me for a series of monthly Mentor Meet-ups! I will present topics for in depth discussion and exploration in a mentoring environment; we’ll learn together! Topics can include marketing, building a great website, writing a solid contract, self-care for birth professionals, and more! 2019 Mentor Meetups are on the 3rd Monday of the month, 6-8:30pm at the Taproot Studio, 511 4th Street, Bremerton. RSVP required, minimum of 3 attendees. To sign up, submit your payment, noting the class you’re signing up for. Funds will be returned to you if the workshop is canceled.

2019 Mentor meet up Schedule
  • January 21 | Great consults
    • Nervous about consultation appointments? Learn what to cover, how to talk about money, recognize red flags and identify your goals.
  • February 18 | $$ – Money matters
    • What do I charge? What is the best way to ask for money? Flat rates, packages, sliding scales? Figure out what’s right for your vision, and build skills to get paid with confidence.
  • March 18 | I’ve missed the birth! (and other disasters)
    • It happens to us all, but what do you do next? Build your strategy for how to recover when things don’t go as planned.
  • April 15 | Building your marketing foundations
    • We’ll spend some time laying the foundations of your marketing strategies, including identifying your market, your ideal client, and tools to start building your marketing approach
  • May 20 | Surviving life on call; caring for our support systems
    • This work is hard and requires us to have strong support systems. Learn how to avoid burnout in yourself and in the support system that helps you do the work, and ensure a long future ahead
  • June 17 | Solo practices, partnerships, agencies, oh my!
    • How to choose? Do you want to volunteer, or work for someone else? Would you like to have your own business, or work with a partner? We’ll explore trends nationally and locally, and identify which approach is right for you and the vision you have for your practice

For Birth Professionals – Taproot Mentorship Program (TMP)

Work alongside an experienced doula in the early stages of your practice, and develop your practice from the inside out. You might come out of training with a lot of questions. Whether you are looking to volunteer and help underserved families, or wish to create a successful business, mentorship will benefit you by exposing you to several topics, exploration of the tough parts of this work with the support of an experienced mentor, development of your business presence, and so much more.

Students working with me may:

  • Attend births on my calendar (and yours!)
  • Attend a series of childbirth classes
  • Attend several in-person meetings with me to review your materials, discuss your goals and map the route to accomplishing them
  • Be challenged to explore several topics on your own, with an emphasis on the personal reflection required to help develop your confidence, no matter the route you choose for your practice.
  • Debrief and receive objective feedback on your work, directly related to the goals you have identified
  • And more!

Contact me for more information, I’d love to chat with you about mentorship.