Life & Work with Marie Engler of Mesa, Arizona

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marie Engler.

Hi Marie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was teaching and became pregnant with my oldest daughter, Olive. I was planning on delivering her at a birth center in the area. I had won a doula through a contest at the birth center. On August 11, 2020, I woke up and was having contractions. They lasted through the day, and I finally started feeling like I needed more support, so we called the midwives, and they said that because I was a first-time mom, I didn’t need to come to the birth center yet, but I should call our doula for support. She came over, and my water broke pretty quickly. I told her to tell my husband we were going to go to the birth center. By the time she came back upstairs, I was pushing and told her we were going to have this baby at home- she was going to come any minute now. We facetimed my midwife and also called 911 just to be safe. Needless to say, Olive was born in the presence of my husband, my doula, and me before any help could arrive. Luckily, I was able to stay at home with my family. My midwife checked us out, cleaned up the house, made us a meal, and tucked us into bed. It was an incredible experience. After that, I realized I didn’t want to go back to teaching- I wanted to be able to stay home with Olive while also supporting other mamas throughout their journey into motherhood. I wanted to educate and empower women to have a positive birth experience while trusting their own bodies and instincts. That is where Olive Doula Services came from. I hope that by interviewing for this article, I can reach more women and encourage them to be proactive about their care during this precious time.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. After starting Olive Doula Services, I was breastfeeding and not getting much sleep, so I wasn’t able to provide services for many families. I was also just starting, so I was trying to find my footing. How to create an LLC, how to get information out to women and their families, how to reach the audience I wanted to reach, etc. Shortly after I felt like I was finally ready to support other women, my family moved to South Carolina, and I had a homebirth with my second child, Maxwell. I was also breastfeeding him, and my LLC was based out of Arizona, so I wasn’t able to support women in South Carolina. We finally moved back to Arizona, where we plan to stay, and I had our third and last baby, Maisie. Now that she is 17 months old, I can support so many more families during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a certified birth and postpartum doula, a childbirth educator, and a breastfeeding counselor. I think I am most known for being a doula. I am definitely most proud of being a birth doula because I also get to do a little childbirth educator work alongside postpartum care. I think one of the biggest things I want to offer women is education and empowerment, and through a childbirth class, I can inform families through evidence-based research while also encouraging women to trust their gut. Women were made to have babies, and I think oftentimes we are told to just do what the doctor says without questioning where that information is coming from. Is the doctor saying this because it is what is best for me, or are they saying it out of convenience? What will happen if I don’t do this or delay doing that? It is my job to empower women and help them speak up for themselves and their babies. I want to give families all the information they need and create a birth plan with them so they can be prepared and know what they want during labor (while also understanding that things may change while they are in labor). I think what sets me apart is the unique labor experiences I have had. I understand firsthand how it feels for someone to tell you something like, “You’re a first-time mom- you don’t need to come into the birth center yet.” Yet I gave birth quite shortly after that happened. I knew in my gut that I was ready, and I should have listened to it. So I hope from my experiences as a mother, but also now as a doula, I can support other women throughout their experiences, too.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson I’ve learned along my journey is that women need to trust their instincts and give birth somewhere they feel safe and supported. For some women, that may be at a hospital. For others, perhaps a home birth or at a birth center. The place where that person feels the safest and secure is where they will thrive and have the most positive birth experience.

Pricing:

• Birth Doula $1,100 (full birth support)
• Birth & Postpartum Package $1,400 (10 hours postpartum care)
• Postpartum Doula $350 (10 hour package)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.olivedoulaservices.com
• Instagram: olivedoulaservices20

Image Credits
KSchmitt Photography