Your Doulas: Kat & Rose

 

Hi, I’m Kat. I am a DONA Certified birth doula and an Ancient Song trained full spectrum doula. I am also a licensed speech pathologist with in depth training on child development and oral anatomy. In 2022 I bridged the divide between my knowledge of speech therapy and birth work by becoming a Certified Lactation Specialist Counselor.

I consider doula work peace work. I believe offering folks genuine respect during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period moves our culture in the direction of softness, flexibility, and connection. 

Parents who feel ambivalent and/or are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy are particularly close to my heart. It can be so difficult to find a safe space to voice your fears, regrets, and doubts during pregnancy and the postpartum period. These “unpretty” emotions are present for so many of us and deserve examination. I love to hold space for these real and valid feelings. 

My work with my clients is so much more than hip squeezes and honey sticks. This is soul work. We hear so much about “trusting our bodies” from the birth world. I want more for you than that. I want you to trust yourself-your body, yes, but also your intellect, your resilience, your flexibility, your spirit, your determination, your problem solving skills, your empathy, your intuition, your cynicism, your ability to phoenix-like start afresh, your capacity to stretch and surprise yourself. 

Change is hard. It can be exhilarating, life affirming, energizing - but it’s hard. When your life and your self feel unfamiliar, whether you are in the middle of a contraction or a 6 week sleep regression, I will be the mug of warm tea in your hands reminding you that you are a person with two feet on the ground.

Hi, I am Rose Marcus. I believe that the more support and care you receive during this time, the more you will be able to give in the future and the more you will walk steadily toward your expanding selfhood. By hiring a doula and receiving individualized care, you build on your foundation and will navigate inevitable transformations ahead and hopefully, will be able to support others through great life changes.

In 2013, I faced a medical crisis. In the decade since, I have been on a path of studying the body, psychology, psychoanalysis, somatics, and nourishment to understand and embody health. As a practitioner, I am trained in meditation, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, Qi Gong, Reiki, and Inner Nurturing Techniques. I am also an artist; art connects me to a world based on, like birth, to the constants of staying in the unknown and creation itself. Like a Newtonian apple falling on my head, and heart, I found world of Reproductive Justice. This work is a calling and unifies my devotion to health and art with a long-standing commitment to collaborate with and celebrate women. I support each client on their own terms, and love carving out care for each person differently. As a doula, I am here to comfort, uplift, and edify new parents. I am a calm presence while also being irreverent and loving. In addition to a professional studio practice, I am deeply committed to family and friends, write haikus, cook messily, run in the woods, and dip in the ocean whenever I can. I hold a graduate degree in art history and have exhibited my work internationally since 2010. 


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4D supports clients of all stripes: differently-abled, in recovery, or from non-nuclear family dynamics.

  • Kat and Rose

    • The Pelvic Floor: A Workshop for Doulas with Sonia Reiter ~ 2.25 hour, March 2021

    • Adult, Child, and Infant First Aid/CPR/AED ~ 3 hours in June 2021

    • Introduction to Childbirth with Rina Ríos ~ 9 hours in October 2021

    • DoulaRina DONA International Birth Doula Training with Rina Ríos ~18 hours in October 2021

    • Educating Your Clients About Preeclampsia: A Doula’s Approach to Care Equity with The Preeclampsia Foundation ~ 1 hour in December 2021

    • The Citywide Doula Initiative Onboarding Seminar with The Citywide Doula Initiative ~ 3 hours in April 2022

    • CITI Health Information Privacy and Security for Clinical Investigators ~ 0.5 hours in July 2022

    Rose

    • Heartsaver Bloodborne Pathogens Training ~ 1 hour in March 2022

    • Placenta Encapsulation Training with It Takes a Village ~ 3 hours in May 2022

    • Birth Education for Doulas with Berenice Kernizan ~ 4 hours in July 2022

    Kat

    • Comforting Touch for Doulas with Yiska Obadia ~ 1 hour in June 2023

  • Kat and Rose

    • A Postpartum Skill Share and Masterclass with Erica Livingston ~ 4 hours in May 2021

    • The Newborn Sleep Solution with Bonne Nuit Baby ~ 1 hour in 2021

    Kat

    • Foundations of PMAD for Doulas with Cicatelli Associates ~ 3.25 hours in May 2022

  • Rose and Kat

    • Lactation Basics for Doulas with Lashanda Dandrich, IBCLC ~ 6 hours in August 2021

    • Certified Lactation Support Counselor Training with Lea Rivera, IBCLC ~ 53 hours in November 2022

    Kat

    • Masters Degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders from NYU University ~ May 2016

    • SOS Approach to Feeding Conference with The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia~ 28.5 hours in April 2019

    • Reframing the Clinical Approach to Breastfeeding Assessment and Intervention for the Medically Fragile Infant ~ 4 hours in October 2022

  • Kat and Rose

    • Ancient Song Full Spectrum Doula Training ~ 7 weeks, August 2019

    Kat

    • Abortion Companionship Training with Jacoba Cruz-Rodz~ 5 hours in September 2021

    • Know Your Rights: Supporting Pregnant & Parenting People Facing the Family Regulation System with The Bronx Defenders ~ 2.5 hours in 2022

Certifications and Trainings