• Home
  • About Lori
  • Client Reviews & Photos
  • Birth Doula Services
  • Free Consultation
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Additional Services
  • More
    • Home
    • About Lori
    • Client Reviews & Photos
    • Birth Doula Services
    • Free Consultation
    • Blog
    • Resources
    • Additional Services
  • Home
  • About Lori
  • Client Reviews & Photos
  • Birth Doula Services
  • Free Consultation
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Additional Services

Helping you birth better, together.

Helping you birth better, together.Helping you birth better, together.

Getting to Know the Doula

Lori Lawrence, birth doula

My Birthy Background

         My own journeys through pregnancy and labor ignited my passion for all things birth. Already a veteran classroom teacher and international educational workshop leader, birth inspired me to also become a certified childbirth preparation educator. I taught evenings and weekends in Portland area hospitals for more than a dozen years. Organically, my childbirth educator side gig grew to include doula work, as expectant people I met frequently requested my support at their births. 

        I have experience supporting a wide variety of births, and combine practical information with hands-on experience and an open heart. I use my unique skill set of experience, expertise, and passion to quickly establish solid communication and trust with those I serve and their medical team in their birth space. 

        Now a mom to a college-aged opera singer and a biologist, I've turned my attention full time toward birth. When not actively supporting a labor or geeking out on “birthy” stuff, you can likely find me researching for my next travel adventure, reading magical fiction, or rearranging the plants in my backyard... yet again.

Education & Training

  • DONA Certified Birth Doula
  • Certified Body Ready Method Pro
  • Spinning Babies Trained
  • VBAC Link Certified
  • Red Cross Adult/Infant/Pediatric CPR & AED Certified
  • TENS Unit Training, Mother Tree Birth Services
  • Water Birth for Doulas Training, DONA 
  • HypnoBirthing with Kadie Barber HBCE, CD(DONA)
  • Doulas and the NICU Experience, Mary Farrelly
  • ICEA Certified Childbirth Preparation Educator, Legacy & Providence Hospitals 
  • Childbirth Educator Training, Seattle Midwifery School
  • 6 Month Birth Doula Mentorship, Portland Doula Love
  • Breastfeeding, Barb Buckner-Suarez
  • Basics of Breastfeeding, DONA
  • Personal Breastfeeding and Pumping Experience (2+ years)
  • Understanding Pelvic Floor Disorders, Dr. C. McLeary
  • Postpartum Sexual Health Training, Emily Pace, PT, DPT
  • Surrogacy Doula Training, Full Circle Birth
  • Evidence Based Birth 2024 Conference
  • “Birth of a Father” Conference, NACEF
  • “When Survivors Give Birth”, Penny Simkin
  • Classroom Teacher (25+ years)
  • International Teacher Workshop Leader (12+ years)
  • Masters of Science in Curriculum and Instruction, PSU
  • Bachelor of Arts in Education, Flagler College 

I prepare and support you through the prenatal, labor, birth, and postpartum experiences.

My Approach To Doula Work

        Each birthing person’s journey through labor is remarkably individual. From birth wishes to the course and length of labor, each person follows a unique path through the birthing process. I faithfully respect and support who you are and what you want in order to achieve an experience that feels satisfying, empowering, and beautiful to you. 

        Without a doubt, collaboration and preparation helps to stack the deck in favor of achieving the birth you dream of. Via thorough prenatal conversations I help you craft a plan for physical and emotional care that works for you. When the big day (or night!) arrives, I will come alongside you to navigate your dreams and expectations with any potential bumps and hiccups as your baby’s birth story unfolds. I bring a well stocked toolkit of experience, information, tips, strategies, and comfort techniques (such as positioning, comfort touch, breathing techniques, and visualization) to every birth I attend.

        Enhancing the role of the support team is always part of my game plan. Whether it’s through building confidence, teaching hands-on skills, providing ideas for things to try, or encouraging self-care, addressing the needs and desires of those supporting labor is a big part of my approach to doula care. I firmly believe that encouragement, information, and support helps bring the beauty and joy of the birthing process into clearer focus for all involved. 

Training and experience helps me to normalize the birth process and advocate for your birth wishes.

Experience Matters

I have experience (and additional training!) in many labor, birth, and postpartum elements:


* Unmedicated Birth & Medicated Birth

* Hospital, Birth Center, & Home Birth

* Inductions 

* Water Birth

* Planned & Unplanned Cesarean Birth

* Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC)

* Birth After Pregnancy Loss

* Parents with "More Life Experience" (aka 35+)

* First & Subsequent Births

* Gestational Diabetes

* Gestational Hypertension

* IVF 

* Multiples

* High Risk / Complex Pregnancies

* Anxiety / Neurodiversity

* Solo & Queer Parents

* Breastfeeding & Pumping (training AND personal experience)

* Spinning Babies

* Body Ready Method

* Childbirth Preparation Instruction

* Trauma Informed Care

* Cultural Sensitivity 

Connect With Me

  • Birth Doula Services

Optimal Birth Doula Care

Lori Lawrence, DONA certified birth doula

Lori@Optimal-Birth.com

Copyright © 2025 Optimal Birth Doula Care - All Rights Reserved.

Powered by

This website uses cookies.

We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.

Accept