Kauai Community Doulas

Barbara Essman was born and raised on O’ahu and has 30 years of experience as a doula, childbirth educator, and early childhood development instructor. She is the creator and teacher of the Sacred Birthing Community Doula Training Program. Barbara offers pregnancy massage, Sacred Birthing childbirth preparation classes, infant massage classes and prenatal, labor and postpartum doula services and is the contact person for the Sacred Birthing Community Doula Program. She can be reached at barbaraessmandoula@gmail.com

Catherine Downey, ND, LLC is a naturopathic doctor with 35 years experience as a home birth midwife and birth doula. She has a family practice serving women and their children in a loving and wholistic way. She hosts the “Health Talk” radio show on KKCR the first and third Mondays from 12-1pm. Private practice for the entire family. Her areas of interest/ trainings/ expertise are in natural medicine and home birth. Herbal medicine, nutritional counseling, homeopathy. Chronic and acute illness treated with natural medicine. Spiritually orientated home birth and birth doula services.

Kelly Torok completed the Birth Support and Postpartum Doula Training programs with the Seattle Midwifery School in 2007 and also took the Sacred Birthing Community Doula Training in 2009. She has studied Lactation Counseling with The Center for Breastfeeding in 2010. She is offering preconception, pregnancy and postpartum doula support including lactation counseling, postpartum food prep, pregnancy massage and blessing ways. Her bodywork modalities include rolfing, structural intergration, Jin Shin Jyutsu and accupressure. She also practices Willow Systems Healing. Her areas of interest and expertise include herbal medicine, natural healing methods, and energetic and psychological clearing methods.

Mary Moss: “I am a birth doula, postpartum care doula, as well as a homevirth assistant midwife. I have been working with birthing families for 25 years, attending over 500 births, of which at least 200 were in the capactiy of a hospital doula. I support families in their personal choices and strive to keep mom and baby safe, comfortable and treated with the utmost respect.”

Sharon Gonsalves completed the Sacred Birthing Community Doula Training in April 2009 and attended the Lactation Counselor Certificate Training Program with The Center for Breastfeeding in January 2010. She is offering pre-natal, labor and postpartum doula services as a community doula in training. “I love to cook and can organize a network of friends to provide postpartum help to new moms. I have supported women, families and community on Kauai for over 13 years through Mahina’s Women’s Guest House, Circles of Light’s After School Art programs and through dances leadership of the Tara Mandala Dance and the Dances of Universal Peace.”

Shmaya Linda Rosenthal completed the Sacred Birthing Community Doula Training in April 2009. She offers preconception, prenatal and postpartum doula services. Her areas of interest and expertise are nutritional consulting, colon hydrotherapy, Soul Songs and Signatures, Sound, Chanting and Vibrational Alignment and Visual Mandalas supporting connection to baby preconception, prenatally and after birth.