About Me – Hanne Smith
To begin with….
Since early childhood, I’ve felt a reverence for living things. This led to my studies in the biological sciences, with an emphasis on primate behavior. As a young woman I was privileged to observe wild baboons and chimps in the forests of Tanzania. Years later I realized that those baboons and chimps had taught me a lot about parenting and child development!
Then, the birth of my first child was so powerful and beautiful that it made me want to ‘be there’ for other women during their pregnancies and births. It took a while to find a way, but in 2008 I was trained as a DONA birth doula, and in 2009 I received my certification.
2009 - 2018....
While practicing in the West Kootenay area of B.C., I had the privilege of assisting with a variety of births: singles and twins; vaginal and caesarian; short and long labors; medication-free and medication-assisted; in-home and in-hospital.
At home births, and in the Trail and Nelson hospitals, I did my best to strike a balance that was supportive of the mother and her partner and also respectful of the medical staff. I fit in well as a member of the mother’s care team, and found that I was compatible with the nurses, doctors, midwives, anesthetists and OBs that I met there. Achieving this kind of balance was ultimately most helpful to the mother — and I hope to achieve that balance here, as I begin serving birthing families in Oregon.
2019 - 2022....
I started supporting families in the Corvallis area in 2019, and have enjoyed this immensely. It has been my pleasure to meet parents, and also the doctors, midwives and nurses who serve them. Some of my work is done privately (via direct one-on-one arrangements with clients), and some is done through the Community Doula Program.
And further…
I constantly seek information and methods that will help the mothers I serve to have the best births possible given their unique circumstances. With that in mind, I have taken more training, and now have more skills and services to offer…
PreNatal classes: I am certified as a Lamaze Childbirth Educator, and have 6 years experience teaching PreNatal classes through Selkirk College, in Trail, B.C. During 2021 and 2022 I have been teaching childbirth classes through the Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis OR. I am also available to teach similar, 'standard' PreNatal classes on a private basis in the Corvallis area. For more information, please contact me directly.
Hypnosis for childbirth classes: I am also certified as a Hypnobabies instructor and Hypno-doula. I completed the Hypnobabies training in 2012, and am available to teach the Hypnobabies childbirth hypnosis course and the Hypnobabies Home Advantage course to expectant couples living in or near Corvallis, Oregon. For more information about Hypnobabies and my Hypnobabies classes, click here.
Techniques: I use acupressure points to help with starting or stimulating labor, turning posterior babies, and increasing comfort. I also have training in use of the Spinning Babies techniques for helping babies to move into optimal positions for birth. In 2018, I took a workshop from Penny Simkin & Phyllis Klaus called When Survivors Give Birth. This workshop taught doulas and other caregivers how to support women who've experienced abuse and/or had previous traumatic births. I hope to use what I learned in all of these workshops to better support families.
Retirement coming soon...
The seasons of life bring change, and it is time for me to let go of my doula practice. I am no longer taking clients for births, and will cease teaching in December of 2022. While I'm still happy to act as a resource person or 'background' support, I will not be working actively in the field.
Since early childhood, I’ve felt a reverence for living things. This led to my studies in the biological sciences, with an emphasis on primate behavior. As a young woman I was privileged to observe wild baboons and chimps in the forests of Tanzania. Years later I realized that those baboons and chimps had taught me a lot about parenting and child development!
Then, the birth of my first child was so powerful and beautiful that it made me want to ‘be there’ for other women during their pregnancies and births. It took a while to find a way, but in 2008 I was trained as a DONA birth doula, and in 2009 I received my certification.
2009 - 2018....
While practicing in the West Kootenay area of B.C., I had the privilege of assisting with a variety of births: singles and twins; vaginal and caesarian; short and long labors; medication-free and medication-assisted; in-home and in-hospital.
At home births, and in the Trail and Nelson hospitals, I did my best to strike a balance that was supportive of the mother and her partner and also respectful of the medical staff. I fit in well as a member of the mother’s care team, and found that I was compatible with the nurses, doctors, midwives, anesthetists and OBs that I met there. Achieving this kind of balance was ultimately most helpful to the mother — and I hope to achieve that balance here, as I begin serving birthing families in Oregon.
2019 - 2022....
I started supporting families in the Corvallis area in 2019, and have enjoyed this immensely. It has been my pleasure to meet parents, and also the doctors, midwives and nurses who serve them. Some of my work is done privately (via direct one-on-one arrangements with clients), and some is done through the Community Doula Program.
And further…
I constantly seek information and methods that will help the mothers I serve to have the best births possible given their unique circumstances. With that in mind, I have taken more training, and now have more skills and services to offer…
PreNatal classes: I am certified as a Lamaze Childbirth Educator, and have 6 years experience teaching PreNatal classes through Selkirk College, in Trail, B.C. During 2021 and 2022 I have been teaching childbirth classes through the Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis OR. I am also available to teach similar, 'standard' PreNatal classes on a private basis in the Corvallis area. For more information, please contact me directly.
Hypnosis for childbirth classes: I am also certified as a Hypnobabies instructor and Hypno-doula. I completed the Hypnobabies training in 2012, and am available to teach the Hypnobabies childbirth hypnosis course and the Hypnobabies Home Advantage course to expectant couples living in or near Corvallis, Oregon. For more information about Hypnobabies and my Hypnobabies classes, click here.
Techniques: I use acupressure points to help with starting or stimulating labor, turning posterior babies, and increasing comfort. I also have training in use of the Spinning Babies techniques for helping babies to move into optimal positions for birth. In 2018, I took a workshop from Penny Simkin & Phyllis Klaus called When Survivors Give Birth. This workshop taught doulas and other caregivers how to support women who've experienced abuse and/or had previous traumatic births. I hope to use what I learned in all of these workshops to better support families.
Retirement coming soon...
The seasons of life bring change, and it is time for me to let go of my doula practice. I am no longer taking clients for births, and will cease teaching in December of 2022. While I'm still happy to act as a resource person or 'background' support, I will not be working actively in the field.
