Rachel Gathright
Rachel Gathright
Every family has their own unique birth story to walk out, each parent and couple have their own experiences and needs as they approach the birth of their child. I strive to see each individual and provide support that strengthens who they are, and their relationships with themselves, each other, and God. There’s no miracle as amazing as birth! Not only the birth of a baby but, a redefinition of who we are from this moment forward! It’s not just a job for me but, ministry and holy space to be honored and poured in to. You are valued and deserve to feel safe, aware of your options, and capable of growing on firm foundation no matter how your beautiful story unfolds!
A little bit about me to help you as you decide which doula you’re a good match with;
As a mother my own journey has included unplanned pregnancies, infertility, 8 pregnancies, 4 miscarriages, medicated hospital births, NICU, unmedicated births at my midwife’s home birth center, and all sorts of nursing and postpartum struggles.
I live in Vancouver with my husband, our 4 homeschooled children, and our 2 dogs. I love all things green and growing, natural healing, and being creative and spontaneous. I’m an ENFP and a 7w6 with emotional elasticity and victory over trauma. Healthy relationships with ourselves, each other, and spiritual healing and growth are my passion so, I enjoy ministry with that focus as well as deep and intimate worship. When we’re not learning or serving, we can be found working the farm, cooking, playing games, adventuring in our amazing PNW, foraging, or creating art and music.
I look forward to meeting you, and I’m praying your birth is beautifully supported no matter which doula is your best match!
Email: racheljgathright@gmail.com
Supportive Education
2022
Bloodborn Pathogens (BBP) training through Oregon Food Handlers
Birth Doula training through Best Doula Training
Spinning Babies Seminar, Portland, OR
Other Occupational Experiences
2022-Present
Birth Doula
Training Assistant for HeartChange workshops with Organic Gathering
2018-Present
Multimedia Artist
Worship Leader
School
Testimonials
“Rachel was an incredible gift through an intense but ultimately redemptive second pregnancy. Her response rate to any texts or calls during the pregnancy was always within minutes, and her advice for working through a high-risk situation as well as weeks of prodromal labor truly saved us from caving to the pressure to induce early. She was present over text and in-person through a 40+ hour labor and helped us communicate our needs to our medical team. She was truly supportive and helped my husband support me through several difficult moments, and I strongly believe my labor would have gone very differently if not for her presence. If you are looking for a faith-filled doula who is trauma-informed and especially focused on building a relationship, I cannot recommend Rachel enough. We would ask Rachel to be our doula for another pregnancy in a heartbeat!” – Helen
“Having Rachel as our doula was such a blessing to our family. We were on the fence about working with a doula since it was our second hospital birth and we felt like we knew what to expect, but I can truly say working with Rachel was worth every penny. Rachel made herself available to talk and pray with us on multiple occasions outside our scheduled visits and was a wealth of knowledge to answer our many questions. Our baby was nearly 2 weeks late and Rachel was pivotal to helping us narrowly beat a scheduled induction by guiding us through Spinning Babies techniques to get our baby in an optimal position to kickstart labor. She was such a strong support to both my husband and me throughout the whole experience and helped me labor at home much longer than I thought I’d be able to. I’m so thankful we had the opportunity to work with her!” – Amy
“It is hard to put into words what an exceptional experience we had with Rachel as our doula! She is truly gifted in her ability to provide a safe, calming, and knowledgeable space. I don’t believe I would have been able to labor without interventions for as long as I wanted to without her support. My husband, our family members, and the hospital staff were all impressed with the care she provided. Our birth ended up having a few complications and we had to make some hard decisions, but with Rachel’s support and guidance we are confident in the decisions we made. I would recommend her to anyone seeking a doula, she has been such a blessing to have with us through this journey!” – Melissa
“It was incredible to have Rachel at our birth! Rachel supported and cared for us through a hospital transfer, pain relief for back labor, and labor progression. She was familiar with resources that the hospital has to offer that we didn’t know were options. I truly believe my labor and delivery would have been much harder + longer if it weren’t for Rachel!” – Kara
“Rachel Gathright was my doula for both my daughters and she helped and blessed me so much! I can’t imagine going through delivery without her. She coached me through prenatal exercises/stretches which were key to prep my body for labor and pushing. She is a very knowledgeable resource for first time moms and postpartum. Can’t brag about her enough!” – Michelle
“Words cannot describe the love I have for Rachel and her care during our birth experience. Even though it was our 4th baby, we had a pretty difficult labor with multiple complications, and it was really scary. I am not exaggerating when I say that during some of the scariest moments of my life, Rachel was a calming, peaceful, gentle ray of light. It brings me to tears to think about the experience and how supported, loved and honored I was in the entire labor and delivery. She not only stood in support and care for me, my desires, and my health and comfort, but also for my husband in his role as well. She somehow balanced caring for me, my husband, and my other children as we navigated this incredibly vulnerable time. Rachel is a blessing beyond what words could ever convey, and I would recommend her to every single pregnant woman out there. Her care and attention during the pregnancy, during labor and delivery, and postpartum isn’t just her job, it’s her ministry. We will forever have a special place in our family for Rachel. ❤️” – Sarah
“10/10 recommend Rachel as a doula and all around human! I wasn’t sure if we were going to have a doula this time around. It was my 3rd natural birth and my husband and I have been a pretty well oiled machine with the previous 2 but this time around we had more difficult curve balls thrown our way. We found and met Rachel the week before I ended up giving birth. She was absolutely pivotal to our experience. She was a strength to me that I didn’t even know I needed. She held my hand in some of my most difficult moments and gently talked me through what I needed to hear. Her strong faith in God was the most important part to me. She never made us feel like a burden, even when things took longer than expected. She was grace filled, equipped with ideas and tools to help, and even made sure I was in a good position for pushing which may have been the reason my baby’s shoulders didn’t get stuck like my previous 2 did. I cannot recommend her enough.” – Shawna