“We have a secret in our culture, and it’s not that birth is painful. It’s that women are strong".
Laura Stavoe Harm
I love doing hard things and I love helping women do even harder things.
Hi there! My name is Shannon Henderson. I was born in 1999 in Buffalo, NY at home with my grandma Jean as my midwife. I have 4 sisters and one brother who were all born at home with the help of my grandma. I have lived in Charlotte since I becoming a doula in 2019. Homebirth is no stranger to me and I absolutely love being able to help women have the safe, natural and beautiful experience that I grew up with.
My favorite things to do include running, hiking, swimming, mountain biking, cooking, drinking tea and learning about women’s health. I married to my husband Michael in 2023 and enjoy traveling with him often.
Outside of working as a doula you can find me at the Whitewater center, improv, evening muse open mic, going out in NoDa or having craft and game nights with my friends.
Shannon’s Family History in Midwifery
It all began with my grandma Jean. My grandma Jean was a traditional midwife, with skills so deep and intuitive. She always managed to keep the birth room calm and collected even amidst chaos. She worked in rural Illinois, serving her friends, neighbors and the amish community. She used to drive to New York during the last few weeks of my mom’s pregnancies to her midwife. My grandma Jean never pushed induction and just let birth run its course, attracting a very healthy and natural-minded clientele as a result. She was never afraid of birth. She showed me that birth was a natural part of life and as a doula I share this belief.
Growing up, my aunts were the traditional doulas. They came into town for my mom’s births and would massage her, feed her, and take care of my younger sister’s and myself while my mom gave birth. Birth was very much a family event. Many of my aunt’s only regrets about their births were not inviting more people to witness the incredible experience of birthing a baby into the world. They loved to share that birth could be another day in the life and a very natural and normal process.
The image to the right is an old home photo with me on the left holding my mom’s hand at my brother Calvin’s birth.
Birth was very much a normal part of my childhood.
I remember all of the cousins and aunts would be in town with my grandma and when labor started, my aunt Kate would run upstairs to wake us up whispering, “Wake up, your mom’s having a baby. Come downstairs.”. Me and all of my sisters would run down the stairs, being extra quiet so as not to disturb our mom during her labor. The whole room would be quiet as my mom moaned and swayed.
I would bring my mom water during her labor, wait until my grandma would tell me that the baby was coming and we would all just watch quietly, excited to see meet our new sibling.
I didn’t realize until I grew up, how rare this type of experience is. In fact, most births for women are traumatic, provider-led and full of zero consent for the birthing mom.
Something changes when a woman births in her own home. What in the hospital or even at the birth center would be seen as a chaotic event with people bustling in and out, homebirth is an experience. It is the most beautiful experience that we can ever have as humans. It is raw, intimate, family-oriented AND family-led. Our bodies were truly made to do this.
I grew up around a family-style of support and definitely take after my aunts in my role as a doula. I am not there to make decisions for you, I am there to act as another member of the family who feels calmed during birth. I am there to remind you that birth is a normal and safe process of life.
Photo of my client after her homebirth where I helped out by taking care of her 3 year old son.
Education:
20 births attended
36 Families supported through pregnancy, birth and postpartum
Birth Emergency Skills Training® 2022
Trained Hypnobabies-Doula
Certified Birth Doula, B.A.I
Pregnancy, birth and postpartum massage certified, Nurturing the Mother
Homebirth student midwife with local Charlotte practice
Doula apprenticeships with Sage Mama Doula, My Doula Heidi, and Min-R-T
Certified postpartum doula, B.A.I
Certified doula, H.E.R.B.A.L
Certified placenta encapsulationist, H.E.R.B.A.L
Fertility massage certified, Nurturing the Mother
NRP newborn resucitation certified
Attended childbirth education classes: The Bradley Method, Hypnobabies
Myself, my mother, my grandma Jean
My grandmother served over 300 women as a homebirth midwife in rural Illinois.
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Tired of emailing and just want to talk to a real person? Give me a call anytime at: 585 993 7289.