My name is Melissa Shaw. I have three little girls of my own and my family resides in a rural town in New Hampshire enjoying the quiet life it brings. Growing up in NH all my life, some of my favorite pastimes include fishing, hiking, gardening, canoeing, lake days, ocean visits, and BBQing, but my most favorite is enjoying everything and anything relating to Fall when that rolls around.

I became a CLC before I started my journey as a Certified Birth Doula because after having successfully breastfed my second daughter for 13 months with nothing but my google search bar giving me advice, I realized I wanted to help ease the minds of mother's. I noticed there wasn't enough support surrounding breastfeeding and wanted to make a difference in that vulnerable area of motherhood. My focus is to help alleviate the stress and anxiety that comes along with breastfeeding by sharing my experience and knowledge. Just knowing somebody was a text or phone call away probably would've made all the difference for me.

Becoming a birth doula was a piece of a puzzle in my life that I didn't even know was missing until I saw how it fit. I actually didn't  know what a birth doula was when I gave birth the first time. I wish I had, though. I needed that continuous, don't worry I'm not leaving your side and lets get through this support from a birthing professional that just didn't exist on a busy hospital floor. 
It wasn't until after I had my second baby and all the research I did to make sure my second labor didn't end up like the first, that I realized I wanted to help mother's in the way that I helped myself. I knew being a L&D nurse wasn't the route I wanted to take because although an admirable job, I want my full focus on one family at a time without the distractions of charting, med administration, and bouncing to this and that room. Most importantly though, I enjoy getting to know families and making lasting connections even after the birth.