Peaceful Beginning Doulas
Our doula practice is unique. We are all certified doulas and each of our clients gets to know and work with two of our doulas for birth and another for postpartum instead of simply having one doula with backup. Cheryl, Katherine and Kelley provide full time doula support and LeAnne and Rowan provide backup and support. Before you contact us take a look at the bios of Cheryl, Katherine and Kelley and choose two doulas that you feel you connect with. You can meet all of the available doulas at our Labor and Birth Forums the last Thursday evening of each month. We also provide a complimentary one hour interview with the two primary doulas you choose. We provide doula support in Asheville and beyond.
Cheryl Orengo,BS, ICCE, CD(DONA), PCD(DONA)and DONA approved doula trainer
Home office- 828-258-3327
Cheryl is passionate
about birth and families which has been her life’s work.
She was originally trained as a doula and birth doula trainer with Penny Simkin, one of the
founders of DONA International. Cheryl has trained doulas for more than 10 years. A certified childbirth educator she has taught her unique childbirth
and parenting education classes for 25 years including the past 2 ½ years at
Mission Hospital. She is a certified birth and postpartum doula and
has provided labor support, as a team player, for almost 21 years. Cheryl spent 30 years
working in public health, was a health educator with the Buncombe County Health
Center for 26 years and spent 22 years there coordinating maternal health
education. While there she founded and coordinated a volunteer
doula program which eventually became DAMA, the Doula Association of the
Mountain Area, in WNC, an association of independent doulas. Cheryl has extensive experience with birth including: successful VBACs,
high risk, preterm and cesarean births, natural and water births
and births where women chose medication.
Cheryl uses a combination of prenatal
preparation, unique comfort measures and labor positions, optimism and
joy!
Cheryl has worked as a
postpartum doula for almost 4 years helping new parents get started the day after
coming home from the hospital with
parenting skills,techniques to comfort the new baby, breastfeeding support and
sibling care. Her goal from day one is to “work herself out of a job”. She also provides
respite for postpartum moms (to aid in healing) and their families by providing help with
household tasks and baby care. Cheryl has extensive training in prevention and identification of postpartum depression. Her initial degree and training was in social work.
Cheryl is the NC
and TN state representative for DONA International. In her spare time she
enjoys cycling with her husband, gardening, hiking and spending time with her
daughters, friends and pets, especially her new puppy Lucy.
Kelley Thomas-Hill, BS, ICCE, CD(DONA)828-736-1897
Kelley is a certified birth doula and ICEA certified childbirth educator and has been teaching childbirth classes, early childhood education and attending births since 1997. She attends both hospital and home births. Kelley enjoys birth and has extensive experience with births from water to cesareans. She has additional training in breastfeeding support and provides this support for our clients. She believes that helping women find their way and their choice is important. She likes to keep in mind that natural birth is probably the safest for the majority of moms and babies. There are times a woman may need or want to make a choice outside of natural birth and having a doula when making these decisions is an important aspect of her care. Kelley takes special care in supporting a woman's birth partner so that he or she can remain in a supportive role at their own comfort level. She also uses special measures and skills to help women and their partner work with labor.
Katherine HensleyPCD(DONA), Birth Doula (DONA)Trained
828-275-1959
Katherine trained with DONA birth doula trainer and one of our group, Cheryl Orengo. Cheryl and Kelley have mentored Katherine through several births and have noticed that in her relatively brief time as a birth doula, Katherine has developed unique skills. She is compassionate about birth and families and celebrates the gift of their child. She has also become very knowledgeable about the birth process and how to help a laboring woman and her partner deal with everything that labor can bring and still have a joyous birth.
Katherine is a certified postpartum doula and provides support to new mothers and their family which includes infant care and practical home care. She is the mother of four children and has worked with many families from their first day home from the hospital throughout the entire forth trimester, including high need infants and mothers at risk for or dealing with postpartum depression.
Clients rave about her energy and skills during birth and postpartum, her gentle care of their babies, and her positive support for their mothering. Katherine also can assist with advice on baby wearing, cloth diapering, and integrating siblings. Born in Charleston SC, Katherine has lived in Asheville since graduating high school in 1990. She is an active member of Trinity Episcopal and enjoys mountain biking, snowboarding and heirloom sewing. She also treasures the simple things such as, roasting marshmallows’ in the back yard with her family.
K. Rowan Lischerelli, BS, CD(DONA), IC, RYT 828-301-2820
Rowan is a certified birth doula and a trained postpartum doula with DONA. She has supported women and their families through the journey of childbirth in hospitals and in the home since 2004. Her focus includes: healing touch, prenatal and postpartum yoga, Itsy-Bitsy Yoga, postpartum doula support, prenatal education and unique comfort measures for an easier birth.
Rowan graduated in 2000 with a degree in ASL and worked in the Buncombe County Schools as an educational interpreter. In 2009 she received a B.S. in Health and Wellness with a concentration in Integrative Health and Community Wellness. Along with being a certified Itsy-Bitsy Yoga instructor she is also a certified Sign With Your Baby teacher, and a yoga instructor with Yoga Alliance. Rowan brings her incredible talents to her work as part-time birth and postpartum doula while she maintains a new full time job. Rowan leads our Labor and Birth Forums and shares call for births and postpartum support on weekends.
LeAnne Marrs, CCE, CD(DONA)
Currently LeAnne is a full time nursing student working toward her goal of becoming a Labor and Delivery nurse and eventually a Certified Nurse Midwife. LeAnne lends her support to Peaceful Beginning through her behind the scenes work and availability as a back up for our doulas. She began supporting families through birth in 2002 when she was certified as a Birth Doula through DONA International. She has additional training as a lactation educator through Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association (CAPPA), as a postpartum doula and is also certified as a Childbirth Educator through the Aviva Institute. LeAnne has supported families in various situations from homebirths, unmedicated hospital births, medicated births, water birth, VBAC, planned cesareans and postpartum and believes that nurturing and fostering the instinctive abilities of the family empowers them for life. Though not able to be a primary doula while in school, LeAnne hopes to continue her work providing back up care as needed during school holidays and supporting the work of Peaceful Beginning.
“When we truly care for ourselves, it becomes possible to care far more profoundly about other people. The more alert and sensitive we are to our own needs, the more loving
and generous we can be toward others.”
Eda LeShan
