About

SABBATICAL ANNOUNCEMENT

After welcoming our 4th child in 4 years, the bodies of my family (alongside my own) cried out for a season of replenish. 

The beating of my heart feels the constant passion for birth support as it burns deep and hot. At this time I must attend to the tangible pull of my soul to fill-up again after birthing many wonderful things (and people!) in the last decade.

Please receive this as kindness from Father in his appointing of your birth support as you search for witnesses and mentors through this childbearing season.

Hi, I'm Ali

THE BELIEVER’S BIRTH SUPPORT

I find my life, energy, purpose, and joy by daily sitting at the beautiful feet of Jesus; there really is no place I desire more to be.

I’m married to an incredible man and have been immensely blessed with three lovely daughters and a handsome son. We’ve been living in our tiny home-on-wheels since 2016 – and in May 2023, we settled into our stationary home in Southeast Tennessee.

God is my love

birth is my passion

My Birth Belief (always edit this one and update template to add to “about”)

birth belief

"When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come,
but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish,
for joy that a human being has been born into the world."
- Jesus
Creator | Sustainer | Author of Life

It is my deepest belief that we have been held tenderly by Yahweh, who has graciously given us the standard to which we can pull our expectation of birth from… his word. 

As we read what has been written by his Spirit, we can begin to frame a healthy view of birth. It is from this foundation that we can build our desires and hopes on for our own birth journey; and true freedom comes when we begin to slowly open our grasp with palms up and lean into the Creator of our bodies, letting the birth story he has already written for you and your baby unfold.

this is worship

"Birth is an intentional surrender." - Ali
Photo by Amy Philp Photography

receive, release, rejoice

This is my birth belief: When we fully RECEIVE the birth journey allotted to us by God and fully RELEASE where the tension lies, between that which is given by God versus our own expectations, we are able to fully REJOICE in the beautifully miraculous workings of the One who wrote this journey long ago.

Experience

experience

Births Attended
0
Photo of Ali in Zambia

With over a decade and a half of experience in birth work,  I have served women and babies in both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, 8 U.S. states, 2 African villages, in homes, in birthing centers, in hospital labor units, and in hospital operating rooms.

I’ve entered the birth space as a birthing woman (x4), a midwife*, a nurse, a doula, a friend, and at times, a photographer.

*I was in the role of a midwife delivering babies in remote areas in Zambia, Africa

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The mother in me can serve in an immensely deeper capacity than the maiden ever could.

This is not at all a devaluation of the bright-eyed woman servant, who exhausted herself in information gathering as well as sitting at the feet of women who HAD crossed the threshold of birth in order to serve others in her deepest capacity.

Additionally, now as a mother – an “elder” and “practiced birther”  if you will, my internal experiential wisdom has only expanded the ways in which I mentor and walk with my families about to cross their own birth thresholds.

Frequently Asked Questions (with added Testimonial Carousel template)

frequently asked questions

The word “Doula” is from the Greek “Doule” or “Doulos/Doulas” meaning “a female who serves”. And for me, there’s no greater term that fits my posture in your birthing space. I want to walk into the room with everyone knowing that I, of all people, am the servant. The support that aids in your comfort, your desires, and your authority.

“Birth Support” or “Birth Companionship” is something that a Doula does. In short, it’s being present for you in your labor/birthing experience.

Having someone with you for your birth who knows you well and loves you has shown to be beneficial and I would encourage it.

The research benefits found with “birth companionship” were highest with a trained doula  who was not a part of the laboring woman’s family or social circle.

These benefits include:

• 28% less likely to have a C-section

• 31% less likely to use Pitocin to speed up labor

• 9% less likely to use any pain medication

• 34% less likely to rate their childbirth experience negatively

“Published data indicate that one of the most effective tools to improve labor and delivery outcomes is the continuous presence of support personnel, such as a doula. Given that there are no associated measurable harms, this resource is probably underutilized.” –The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Great question… and here’s my heart: as a RN, I would walk into the room with implied authority, the birthing woman, would be in “my” space – this created a great tension within, as my stance has always been that the birthing woman is the center of the care team, the decision maker, the true authority. 

Therefore as a RN, this tension began to swell, I saw that I had to often choose between what my birthing mamas wanted vs what I was able to physically give, limited only by hospital policies/procedures/other patients/RN tasks etc. 

Don’t get me wrong, we can talk all things Evidence-Based and I can give you resources beyond measure to appease your intellectual needs in order to help you feel like you are making informed decisions for you and your baby’s care, but in the birthing space, I exchanged my badge of authority for a labor (pun intended) of servanthood… and I have never been more honored to wear this title.

All clinical skills (checking fetal heart tones/ baby’s heart rate, assessing cervical change/ dilation, taking vital signs…) while hired as a Doula, are tasks not covered by the Doula contract or in the Doula scope of practice, therefore I am unable to perform them for you/your baby.

This is completely up to you. I will not be doing any “RN”/clinical tasks at your birth, so if you desire someone to check your dilation, listen to your baby’s heartbeat, aid in delivering your baby and/or your placenta… I suggest you have skilled workers present to do such tasks.

I am, however, available to be a Doula for your unassisted birth if you so desire!

I believe ALL births and birth experiences are “supernatural” as in divinely given by Yahweh, God.

I do not, however, believe the notion that a “pain free” birth is something to necessarily seek after, nor is the amount of pain you may have a reflection of the amount of faith you have, as I have often heard in different circles of believers.

We KNOW how Yahweh talks about birth throughout scripture, we need to heed the Word, prepare our hearts/minds/bodies for the immense intentional surrender, and talk about “pain” as purposeful… because IT IS! Labor is the only time we are okay with pain increasing, as it TELLS US we are nearing the end! Praise Yeshua!

Here are my thoughts regarding the pain of birth and what the Word of God (not the word of man) has to say about it.

My desire for you is for you to be PRESENT MINDED at your birth. This is intentional. I don’t subscribe to the thought that entering a trance or “other consciousness” state (whether by hypnosis/ disembodiment/ detachment) for your birth is helpful, good, or glorifying.

I have heard women boast of “coming off the mountain of ascension” and in need of those around her to tell her “your baby is here” to bring her back to a present state. This is said as if it is something to be proud of, but to me… that’s not just a coping mechanism for escaping pain, that’s escaping your birth.

“Labor land” is the natural, God-given grace of the oxytocin/beta-endorphin cycle that aids in coping with your allotted birth journey – it’s experienced in different degrees by every woman as Father would see fit. Let us not be offended at the Author of the journey and what he has for us to experience.

Those that want an epidural and successfully get one, can be moved into different positions that can help progress labor along. Your OB/RN may not know these positions, or have the time to get you into them.

And for those who wanted an epidural but on arrival to the hospital find out that they aren’t able to receive one (which is why ALL mamas should learn relaxation techniques), physical support becomes a beautiful grace that will help aid in coping with labor progression.

In short, no. 

It’s important to me that you know who you are inviting into your birth space and what they believe about birth. 

As for me, it’s imperative that you know WHO I am praying to for your pregnancy and birth as well as bringing with me into your birth space – the Spirit of YHWH, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

With that said, it is most likely that another believer in Jesus would be who would seek me out as their Doula.

Yet I am here to serve anyone… and if I am not a good fit, let’s find you another Doula who is – because ALL WOMEN can benefit from the presence of birth support.

In short, you can take comfort in knowing that I am experienced and educated as well as founded on and grounded by the Author and Sustainer of Life… and I’m here to serve YOU.

Contact

contact

Email: AliHardy@BelieversBirth.com

CURRENTLY ON SABBATICAL. If you have questions/ comments/ concerns, please feel free to reach out with grace on response time.