About Rachael

Rachael Hutchins is a certified labor and birth doula and Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator (LCCE) and she has been serving birthing people along their unique path to giving birth since 2014. She is the instructor behind the Your Birth Your Way Online Childbirth Education Course, the founder of the Nurture Life Online Community and co-host of the Aligned Birth Podcast.

Rachael is a mother to two boys. Everett, who was born via water birth at the hospital in 2013 and Marshall (her rainbow baby), who was born at home in 2016. Both of her boys were born at 41 weeks + 6 days. Their births shaped and shifted her in ways she could not have predicted and those experiences are what led her begin her work as a doula and childbirth educator.

She lives and plays in the North Metro Atlanta area in Georgia. Being outdoors hiking, biking, and exploring nature is by far her favorite way to spend time.

As a doula and educator, she strive’s to help each birthing person find a way to navigate their unique, non-linear, and unpredictable path to giving birth in a way that aligns with their individual needs, wants, and circumstances so that they have the best chance at having the best birth available to them.

• Preparing you for childbirth and beyond is the goal.

• Advocating for safer + healthier birth for all is the mission.

• Motivating you to realize your innate awesomeness is what lights her heart on fire.

Rachael’s Philosophy on Birth

She believes that birth is beautiful, sacred, and unpredictable and that being informed, supported, and firm+flexible (like bamboo) that you can have a birth you feel great about no matter the issues or challenges that arise. Childbirth is an inherently safe and normal process that when left alone or minimally interfered with, will unfold safely and without complication.

Giving birth is not about doing it a certain way, or doing it unmedicated…

Giving birth is about meeting the needs of the individual no matter where they are and helping them achieve a birth where they are treated as the autonomous birthing person they are…

and with each twist and turn along your path, you are given the information along with time, space, and support to make the decision that is best for you and your baby.

Your Birth Your Way Online Childbirth Education Course

Are you considering taking a childbirth class before your baby makes their arrival and unsure how to know which one to choose?

I am a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator. Lamaze is the only accredited childbirth education organization in the United States.

The course to become an instructor is rigorous and comprehensive. It took me almost an entire year to complete the course and exam to become a certified instructor which I completed in 2020…thank you pandemic of 2020!

The Your Birth Your Way Online Childbirth Education Course follows the evidence-based 6 Healthy Birth Practices laid out by Lamaze International:

1. Let Labor Begin On Its Own

2. Walk, Move Around, Change Positions During Labor

3. Continuous Support From a Loved One, Friend, or Doula

4. Avoid Interventions That Are Not Medically Necessary

5. Avoid Giving Birth On Your Back and Follow Your Body's Urge to Push

6. Keep Mother and Baby Together

Lamaze doesn't focus on giving birth a certain way…they focus on providing evidence-based information to help you make decisions that align best with you and your unique circumstances.

This is why I chose to align with Lamaze International. I believe in their philosophy on giving birth. Being a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator means it is my responsibility and commitment to provide an educational experience that helps you advocate for yourself along your journey to giving birth as well as implement these 6 healthy birth practices for a healthier, safer, and more satisfying birth experience.

Co-host of the Aligned Birth Podcast

Doula Rachael is also a co-host on the Aligned Birth Podcast. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss our latest episodes!