Intersectional Birth Services
Vanessa Lovejoy-Guron
Filipino, she/her/sila pronouns
Indigenous Full Spectrum Birthkeeper
Indigenous Lactation Counselor
Taking care of each other in community and honoring body sovereignty and our roots...
A B O U T
While I feel called to serve families of color, mixed race and LGBTQIAP+ families, everyone has the right to make informed decisions surrounding pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and newborn care. Allow me to help you discern what that may look like for you; every birth is different and I want to help you have the best birthing experience as you define it.
When my wife and I decided we were ready for babies, I dove into reading as much as I could, from Penny Simkin to attachment parenting books. We were becoming a two-mom, biracial family -- I had to prepare how best we could face the world of hospital interventions, and questions about who I was as a non-gestational parent. And then a few years later, we decided to do it again and this time, I was the pregnant person! My passion for birthwork through an intersectional lens began percolating after the profound connections we made with each of our doulas.
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My older son designed my logo shortly after I completed my doula training in the Summer of 2017. In his words, "The dot in the middle is the baby and the baby connects everyone else." I thought his words were very poignant: it takes a village! It took me a long time to decide on a business name, particularly one that coincides with my logo. While I want folx to know me more by name and not my business name, it's still important. As I sat at my dining table having a conversation with my mom about this, we agreed that it ought to be Intersectional Birth Services. Our identity is a sum of its parts. Activism and birthwork is intersectional. To learn more about intersectionality, check out this kid-friendly YouTube video.
Kimberle Crenshaw, who coined the term intersectionality, is a Professor of Law at Columbia and is the director of the Law School's Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies (CISPS), which she founded in 2011. Her TED Talk entitled the Urgency of Intersectionality is a powerful review of her work and why in any social justice forum, the implications of this term are paramount.
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And finally, my logo depicts new families at an intersection, learning to maneuver life through pregnancy and later with a newborn. It's an adventure and I adore being a part of that journey!
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I live in North Seattle with my wife and two kids. In between teaching, mentoring and pre/postnatal appointments, I fill my life with color, love, books, superheroes, LEGOs, spirit, family, Minecraft, podcasts, & kid cuddles.
Birth Doula Skills Workshop, Simkin Center at Bastyr University (2017)
Birth Doula Workshop, Open Arms Perinatal Services (2017)
NW Doula Conference, What Do You Bring to Your Work? An Invitation for Self-Examination (2018)
Lamaze Childbirth Education Skills Workshop, Passion for Birth Taught by Sharon Muza (2018)
TENS Unit Training, Big Belly Services (2018)
Anti-Racism & Community Health Conference, UW Students of Color for Public Health (2019)
Serving Trans Survivors from a Trauma Informed Lens, WCSAP, Talcott Broadhead (2019)
Indigenous Breastfeeding Counselor Training, Taught by Camie Goldhammer, MSW, LICSW, IBCLC & Kimberly Moore-Salas, IBCLC (2019)
Group Peer Support Facilitator Training, Perinatal Support WA, Taught by Mia Edidin, LICSW & Crystal Gurney (2019)
Spinning Babies Workshop, Hosted by Open Arms Perinatal Services, Taught by Kelly Dungan, RN, BSN, RNC-OB (2019)
Full Spectrum Doula Training, Full Spectrum Doulas in Seattle (2019)
Postpartum Healing Lodge, virtual Indigenous training by Raeanne Madison (2020)
National Home Visiting Summit, Ounce of Prevention Fund, Washington D.C., (2020)
Positive Indian Parenting: Honoring Our Children By Honoring Our Traditions, Taught by Lorraine Brave, MSW & Terry L. Cross, MSW at National Indian Child Welfare Association (2020)
Mothers and Babies 1-on-1: Foundations in CBT, Attachment Theory & Mindfulness Practice (2021)
Midwifery Assistant Training, Center for Indigenous Midwifery, Rhonda Grantham, CPM (2021)
Indigenous Childbirth Educator Mentor in collaboration with Center for Indigenous Midwifery, Rhonda Grantham, CPM (2021)
HealthConnect One, Community-Based Doula Training with Open Arms Perinatal Services (2022)
Building the Nest and Improving Maternal Child Health Outcomes, Co-presented with Patanjali de la Rocha, Native Action Network Annual Form (2022)
T R A I N I N G,
M E N T O R S H I P &
E N G A G E M E N T W O R K
I am currently focusing all my birthwork with Hummingbird Indigenous Doulas.
D O U L A S E R V I C E S,
L A C T A T I O N &
C H I L D B I R T H
E D U C A T I O N
Due to my other birthwork commitments, I am no longer teaching for Parent Trust for Washington Children.
Feel free to read client testimonials on my DoulaMatch profile page.
H U M M I N G B I R D I N D I G E N O U S D O U L A S
As of June of 2021, I'm proud to announce the launching of our new program, Hummingbird Indigenous Doulas! As the Doula Program Lead, it's been quite the journey building our program and working with an incredible team of doulas. We serve birthing people who self-identify as American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander in King County. We are pleased to provide free-of-charge, culturally responsive, full-spectrum doula care for Indigenous families.
C O N T A C T
SERVING THE GREATER SEATTLE AREA