Meet The Birth Center Doulas

Sarah Korbeck, DPT, CIMI, CLD

(Private Doula)

After fourteen years as a practicing pediatric physical therapist, Sarah feels beyond blessed to have the opportunity to be a part of The Birth Center community. She truly believes that supporting birthing mothers, their beautiful babies, and their precious families is a gift.

She received her Bachelor of Science from Towson University, then continued on to complete her Masters and Doctorate of Physical Therapy, at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine. Following graduation in 2003, she has practiced as a licensed pediatric physical therapist in the Cecil County Public School System’s Infant and Toddler Program, Child Find Program and Special Education program. She is certified by the International Loving Touch Foundation, Inc. as a Certified Infant Massage Instructor (CIMI) and teaches “Mommy and Me” style infant massage class at The Birth Center. Sarah is also an essential oils educator and distributor with Young Living Essential Oils and will be incorporating some essential oils education into her classes. Sarah completed her doula training at The Birth Center through DONA and is a Certified Doula through The Birth Center.

Sarah recently had the opportunity to participate in a mission trip to Haiti, where the birth of a child can be very dangerous due to the conditions they live in and the lack of medical care that they have available to them. Sarah says, “It is something that will fuel me for years to come. We are so very blessed to have amazing places like The Birth Center to support us as we begin the beautiful adventure we call parenthood. What greater gift could I be given, then to have the privilege of walking alongside families and support them on this amazing journey?”

 

Samantha Sheffler

(Private Doula)

Samantha is a trained doula through TBC. She received her bachelors degree in Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise from Virginia Tech. After college she spent some time working with adults, children, and pregnant parents on healthy practices to manage diabetes. While she enjoyed her work, she didn’t feel a lot of passion for that path. She decided to switch careers and work with animals. She spent 15 years working with “aggressive” dogs, and honing her skills in reading body language. She carries that skill into her current doula work. In 2015 she became pregnant with her first daughter and decided to shift attention to her family and become a stay-at-home-mama. This has been her favorite career, by far, and she loves spending her days with her two beautiful little girls. Receiving amazing care from TBC sparked her love for birth and helping parents on their journey into parenthood.

As a doula Sam provides a calm, gentle, easy going environment for birthing parents to relax and be themselves in. Her superpower is staying incredibly calm and focused in chaotic environments. She is resilient and loves when birthing parents feel free to use whatever tone and language suits them during birth. She is skilled in the nuanced art of body language, and takes direction well. She is dedicated to providing individual, attentive, intuitive, and compassionate care.

Lynda DeCesare

(Private Doula)

Lynda knows that the birth of a child is one of life’s biggest events, and she feels honored and grateful to be able to support moms and their families during this special time in their lives.  The births of her two children at The Birth Center were transformative experiences that she has carried with her ever since.  She learned firsthand how joyful and empowering childbirth can be when a woman is informed, feels safe, and is treated with compassion and respect.

It was the desire to help other women share in this experience that inspired Lynda to become a doula.  She completed her professional doula training through DONA and is certified through The Birth Center.  Lynda is calm, attentive, kind, and reassuring, making moms and their partners feel confident and cared for during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and beyond.  She is also a writer and an editor, but her passion lies in helping women have a fulfilling childbirth experience they will remember with joy and pride.

Maire Durkan

(Private Doula)

As a mother, of nine, Maire Durkan understands that small things done with great love can make all the difference and that throughout labor it is often the small acts of support (a helping hand, words of affirmation, encouragement, and healing touch) that create a good birth experience and beautiful memories.
 As a certified birth doula, CD(DONA) and DONA trained postpartum doula with 
certification in the Hug Your Baby postpartum program, it is Maire’s passion to hold space and compassionately support clients and their families throughout their prenatal, birth, and postpartum journeys. Her approach is holistic; as well as continuous physical and emotional support before, during, and after labor, she provides informational support , teaches and empowers self advocacy and advocates for the birthing person (and their partner) when needed. A former teacher, Maire has a BA in English-Education and completed her doula training at Christiana Hospital and The Birth Center of Delaware where six of her nine children were born. Maire and her husband Patrick have been part of The Birth Center family for 30 years. She is a published children’s book author, poet, and journalist and enjoys studying folk herbalism, supporting her clients, spending time with her family, attending folk and bluegrass concerts, and hiking in the beautiful Brandywine River Valley near her home.

Annetta Lidy, CD, CBC, CPD

(Private Doula) 

After having felt led to become a doula, Annetta feels truly blessed to be working with families at The Birth Center. The gifts she is able to provide her clients cannot compare to the gifts she receives in return by being welcomed into such a beautiful part of their lives.

As a mom of four, Annetta understands the importance of a birth environment that is loving, accepting, fun, and empowered. Annetta prides herself on supporting a safe and caring space for all walks of birth. Having experience in births ranging from homebirth to planned cesarean and everywhere in between, Annetta knows the most important and lasting piece of a birth story is the love and connection felt in the room. 

In addition to being a Birth Center certified doula, Annetta is a DONA trained birth doula, a Certified Breastfeeding Counselor with advanced lactation training, and a Postpartum Doula through the International Doula Institute. With a background in theater and early childhood Annetta brings life and fun to every day, especially a birth-day!

Nikkita Jervey

(Private Doula) 

Nikkita always had a love and awe for the miracle of conception, labor, and childbirth even before having kids of her own. She has three beautiful children and has had three unique birthing experiences. Nikkita characterizes the delivery of her last baby at The Birth Center as the most peaceful, empowering, miraculous, and transformative experience she has ever had. Reflecting on her different birthing experiences catapulted her desire to support and empower expecting mothers through their pregnancy and labor.

Nikkita received her labor doula certification through “Maternity Wise.” She loves adding a little bit of laughter and a lot of love to every labor and delivery room she enters. She attributes the life she’s been blessed to live as a wife and mother and the calling to be a doula to her Christian faith and the peace that comes with it.

Nikkita’s personal goal is to support every momma she has the pleasure of serving with her whole heart so that the momma can have a birthing experience that makes her proud! She believes that supporting women as they deliver a piece of their heart in human form and enter a new, beautiful chapter of their lives is truly

Meet Our Postpartum Doula

Taylor O’Bryan, CPD

(Postpartum Doula) 

In 2022, Taylor O’Bryan became a mother to the most beautiful baby girl. She was very fortunate during that time to have family members who were educated in healthcare and postpartum care, and they had the time to provide physical care during her first few weeks at home. As the newness of the situation wore off during early postpartum, Taylor quickly realized she needed more support, more education, and more assistance and she knew she wasn’t the only one.  

Drawing upon her experiences and the times of transition faced as foster parents and the postpartum experiences of friends, Taylor knew there was a need in the community. As she talked with family about her desire to provide support and assistance to new families, someone dear to her said, “Oh, you want to be a doula.” That insight was the missing link. As she researched and learned more about doulas, specifically postpartum doulas, Taylor knew this was her calling. Her love of cooking and planning, passion for education and research-based parenting, and her administrative skills could all be of service to other families.

Taylor joined DONA International and completed one of their 27-hour postpartum doula courses led by Debra Pascali-Bonaro with guest lecturers including Amadoma Bediako, Marcia Santiago, Naima Beckles, Olivia Bergeron, and Jada Shapiro. Through Jada, she also completed a 3-hour course on breastfeeding for doulas. She is currently a candidate for certification and will update everyone when this is completed. While neither training nor certification are required for a doula at this time, it has been very important for her to pursue them to provide her clients with the best possible care. It is her mission to provide personalized support for families so they can just focus on their newest member and this beautiful period of transition.

In her free time, Taylor can be found with her husband and daughter, cooking, visiting farmer’s markets, and exploring local towns on the Eastern Shore. She also loves traveling (especially to sunnier climates), reading, and spending time with her extended family.