Meet Our Team
Carli Mellentine
DONA Certified Birth Doula
Hypnobabies Certified Doula
Certified Lactation Counselor, ALLP
Founder of Willow Tree Doula Services
Hello!
I am a wife and a mom of five boys. I am passionate about my faith, my family and all things birth (the latter being a sometimes humorous thing in a house full of boys)!
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My journey to becoming a Doula is a long one...20-some years in the making. I have been fascinated by pregnancy and birth since childhood. I was the kid who wanted to hold all the babies and ask a million questions about pregnancy and breastfeeding. As a teen/young adult, I read everything I could get my hands on (this was pre internet...haha). I supported my first birth in August 1999 and I was truly in awe.
In the years of my own pregnancies, fertility struggles, and loss, I only grew more interested in the way women's bodies work and all things birth related.
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In 2016, a friend casually asked me a loaded question: "If you could do anything you wanted as a career, money and time not being an issue, what would it be?" I thought about it for only a minute. She then asked how I could use who I am today and the skills I have to get there...and so the journey began for me to take the first steps in becoming a DONA certified Doula and Willow Tree Doula Services was born.
Today, I am even more passionate about birth than before. The more I know, the more I want to know. I am constantly looking for ways to learn more and add to my knowledge base so I can better help, support and educate others.
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Patience Davis
DONA Trained Birth Doula
Hi there!
I am a wife, mother of 2 girls, believer, and lover of all creatures big and small.
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My fascination with women's health began with my own journey to learn more about fertility. Through my research I learned about the Fertility Awareness Method, which both helped prevent pregnancy, and also helped me achieve my first pregnancy. Educating myself as an adult has made me realize how little we truly learn about the processes our bodies go through as women. I want to be able to help women understand their options for pregnancy, birth and beyond.
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After choosing midwifery care for the incredibly beautiful and empowering pregnancy and birth of my daughter, I felt called to support women and their partners through the journey of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Everyone deserves the kind of care that is important to them.... whatever that looks like. Each birth is a blessing that allows me to not only help support and educate families, but to learn and grow as a doula and better support my future clients.
Anna McDougal
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Pro Doula Certified Postpartum & Infant Care Doula
Pro Doula Certified Infant Feeding Educator
Pro Doula Certified Birth Doula
Hello everyone!
I am a natural born caretaker, wife, believer, and cat mom! I love journeying alongside people and guiding them with evidence-based information as their families bloom.
I have been passionate about conception, pregnancy, and the postpartum period for as long as I can remember. I would watch "A Baby Story" on TLC before school as a kid, and always wanted to be involved in family members' experiences with pregnancy and babies!
I attended college at IUPUI and obtained my degree in communication studies, focusing on health communication. Searching for a career post grad, my cousin mentioned the vital role that doulas played in welcoming her boys, and everything clicked. I signed up for a training that same night and have never looked back. It is my absolute privilege to support families in this special time and empower them to be strong self-advocates. Every person's journey is unique and deserves to be treated as such, and every child is a miracle gift!
A little bit about Willow Tree Doula Services model: ​
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You already know I'm passionate about birth work... and that means not only being a good doula myself, but also making sure there are other good doulas out there too. I love mentoring and teaching new doulas and I love learning from experienced doulas myself. Team work makes the dream work, right?
In 2024 Willow Tree is going from a single doula model to an agency model. We will be slowly bringing on other doulas that fit within our same values, training and amazing support you've come to know and expect.
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Because doulas are on call 24/7 most of the time, the "shelf life" of a doula is about 3-5 years. This is mostly because doulas do not have a good work life balance and can burn out easily. Having solid back up for a doula that both she and her clients can trust is pertinent to this work (at least in my opinion). Being able to share call times and even have some time off (just like regular people) is important as well. Having the support of a village is key in doula work too!
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This new model will allow our doulas to take care of themselves, their families and their clients in the best, most healthy way possible. Each doula at Willow Tree will have solid back up for each client, so that in the event that your chosen doula is unavailable for your birth, you get the next best thing. Every doula will have access to mentoring and advice from other experienced doulas, so you're not just getting a great doula, but a network of doula knowledge at your doula's fingertips. We want every client to feel confident in the care they will receive from Willow Tree Doula Services and we want to help our doulas to learn and grow so they can do what they love and be the best doula they can be.
Sincerely,
- Carli
Willow Tree Doula Services Founder
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We'd love to talk more with you and answer any questions you may have.
If you'd like a FREE consultation, click here to fill out the form and we'll get back to you quickly.
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