"Your body.
Your baby.
Your birth."
Read the story of Thirteen & Finn Doula Services
Let's restore our trust in birth, belief in our bodies, & honor this uniquely raw rite of passage.
Photo Left by Colleen Murtha Photography
after the birth of my 3rd child.
Meet Cortney
Hi! I'm Cortney, the face behind Thirteen & Finn Doula Services. I’m a mom of three with a passion for prenatal education, advocacy for the birthing person in their care, choices in the birthing experience, support during labor, and providing a soft place to land for the birthing person and their birth companion during postpartum. I am a DONA-certified birth doula, HypnoBirthing Certified Educator, and Perinatal Fitness Instructor with Fit4Mom Columbus North, and currently completing my requirements with IPPA to be a placenta encapsulator.
Ultimately, my goal is to provide the birthing person with as much support and information as they desire to empower them to make the best decision. Then, I aim to honor those choices and support them during labor and birth experience as best fits!
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Some fun facts about me:
-Every living creature (human or canine) that I've parented has been unintentionally named after a location
-Prior to my work as a doula, I was an elementary and middle school visual art teacher
-My husband and I both attended Miami University and fulfilled the statistics of being "Miami Mergers"
-One of my end goals in life is to learn to perfect my family cinnamon roll recipe. It's close, but not quite there.
​But are you, like, qualified?
Here is a list of all my birth-related professional qualifications:
-DONA-certified birth doula
-HypnoBirthing-certified Childbirth Educator
-Spinning Babies & The Gilligan's Guide trained. These trainings focus on fetal
positioning and descent through the pelvis. I utilize the skills in every birth to help with
optimal position and encourage engagement in the pelvis.
-When Survivors Give Birth. This training prepared me to better serve birthing folks
who are survivors of sexual trauma and/or abuse. While a client is never expected to
disclose a trauma history, the education has increased my awareness of the impacts
of trauma on birthing people and how to support survivors more sensitively.
-Sufficient Grace Ministries Perinatal Infant Loss Training. This training increased my
understanding of how to support families in the event of an infant loss. ​
-Basics of Lactation Management. While I will always out refer to Certified Lactation
Counselors or IBCLCs for in-depth lactation support, it's important for doulas to have
knowledge of lactation.
-TENS unit training. Simply put: how and when to use a TENS unit in labor.
-Fit4Baby Prenatal Fitness Program. I have the privilege of teaching Fit4Baby, the
prenatal fitness program, with Fit4Mom Columbus North. This program allows all
pregnant folks to exercise throughout any stage of pregnancy.
-CPR. Self-explanatory but oh so necessary!
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More importantly than all of those professional qualifications, I have experience and the intuition of a mother and birthworker. Doulas are a relatively recent profession but have existed forever. With knowledge passed down from generations and trust in the intuition of experienced birth attendants, the role of the doula is deeply rooted in community support, informal learning, and knowledge beyond what professional trainings can provide. I bring this experience, knowledge, and intuition into every birth space and encourage every client to tap into their maternal instinct as well.
What does Thirteen & Finn mean and why create a private practice?
It’s really pretty simple. My birth interest was sparked through the births of my first two children, both of whom were born on the 13th, and my nephew Finn. And so, I present to you, Thirteen & Finn.
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In learning about the birth world in the United States, I’ve found that birthing people have lost their voice in their care and how they are “allowed” to birth. As a result, birthing people approach birth as a “speed bump” to parenthood, rather than an empowering experience worthy of embracing. Thirteen & Finn is here to help educate, support, and encourage the birthing person as they experience this dramatic and rewarding rite of passage in life. Thirteen & Finn aims to provide more than just birth support, we exist to support the birthing person in helping to make pregnancy, labor, and birth everything they hoped it would be.
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As I spent time in the Columbus birth world, all the flaws of the maternal health system in the US seemed to be magnified. The statistics were no longer just on the paper, but I was seeing the coercion, obstetric violence, over-medicalization, and spiral of intervention firsthand. Those beginning years as a birth doula motivated me to add HypnoBirthing Childbirth Education to my offerings. Simply put, education is power. Filling your birth toolbox with information is one of the most powerful steps you can take toward the birth you desire.
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In my passion for prenatal education and birth support, I am deeply convicted of the great discrepancy in care, support, and results of birth in vulnerable populations. Thirteen & Finn was born to play my part in “filling the gap” in care in groups with alarming birth statistics (such as infant or maternal mortality, low birth weight, preterm birth, etc) because of race, socioeconomic background, location, etc. Let it be clear, while I love to work with parents in vulnerable populations, I accept clients regardless of background, birth preferences, risk factors, etc.
How do I explain what a doula is? How do I contact you?
Excellent question!
A Birth Doula is a compassionate advocate who supports a birthing person during labor and birth.
Birth Doulas provide evidence-based, impartial information during a pregnant person's prenatal season to help them make informed decisions about their care. Birth Doulas are trained to provide continuous, hands-on, one-on-one physical and emotional support to birthing persons and their partners during labor and birth.
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For more information or to schedule an initial consultation, fill out the form here or the contact form below.