Birth & Breastfeeding Support

From the baby bump to the birth to the breastfeeding journey, support is here. 
Visit the Maternal-infant Wellness Education section to read blogs.
Prepare for birth by signing up for classes prenatally.
Be supported in birth by bringing a birth doula onto your care team.
Shop books, digital downloads, and merch.
  • Rooted in Christian faith
  • Comprehensive classes for the intelligent woman
  • Engaging education that teaches application and strengthens capabilities 
  • Caring doula support 

Service area

This is my service area for teaching classes. I do my service area by county. I live in western Clark County, OH.
  • The purple-colored counties are my immediate service area (5 counties). Group classes or private classes are available.
  • The yellow counties are my extended service area (15 counties). Group classes or private classes are available. There is a 25 cent per mile gas fee to the location and home for each day of class.
  • The solid brown counties are the surrounding areas that I can do classes if there is a large enough group (33 counties: 21 in Ohio, 9 in Indiana, and 3 in Kentucky). Those counties are group classes only and public locations only. There is a 50 cent per mile gas fee to the location and home each day of class.
This is my service area for birth doula services.

I'm in the southwest corner of Clark County just a few minutes from the Green county line, Montgomery county line, and the Miami county line. It's a highly convenient spot to be able to serve a wide area. I'm only a few minutes from I-70 and just a few more minutes from I-75. I’m also only a few minutes from 675. These interstates allow me to have a large service area. I take doula clients within an hour to an hour and a half max.
  • The purple-colored counties are my immediate service area (5 counties).
  • The yellow counties are my extended service area (15 counties).
  • The solid brown counties are the surrounding areas that I can take clients depending on location and time from my house to their home and their birth location (12 counties: 10 in Ohio, 2 in Indiana) 

About Leanna as a birth-worker

  • Christian business owner
  • author of nonfiction books
  • international author with readers from over 50 countries
  • writer of blogs
  • maker of women's health handouts
  • maternal-infant wellness educator
  • birth doula
  • bereavement doula for perinatal and infant loss
  • breastfeeding specialist

Leanna Mae

If you'd like to work with me as your teacher or as your doula, contact me for a consultation or to get signed up for classes.
As a women's health professional, I am a maternal-infant wellness educator (teaching primarily on birth prep), birth doula, and breastfeeding specialist. Here is a little bit about me as someone who works in women's health.

I am an author. I have published several paperback books. I'm also a blogger who enjoys writing religious blogs and blogs on women's health focusing on maternity care. I have always loved writing and greatly enjoy teaching. I knew I wanted to write books about women's health from a young age. I'm currently working on a book series.

I was always drawn to healthcare and became interested in midwifery when I was in my teens. When I was 20, someone told me what a doula was and I was immediately interested in learning more. The more I learned, the more I fell in love with it. I became a doula in November of 2008 at 20 years old.

In 2014 I did a lactation training to better support breastfeeding mommas by becoming a certified breastfeeding specialist. Also in 2014, I started college. I originally started as a nursing major with the intention to do RN, ADN to BSN, go on for CNM after a few years as a labor and delivery nurse, and add on IBCLC. I was fascinated with my health classes, but didn't feel like nursing was the right fit for me. The more I continued in college the more I felt patient education was my niche. I switched majors to health sciences. I graduated in 2018 with an associate's degree in health sciences from Sinclair.

After graduating college, I started teaching classes. Patient education is my passion. Maternity care is my niche to teach in, though I enjoy teaching on women's health across the lifespan as well as breastfeeding and overall family wellness.

I own my solo practice teaching classes and offering birth doula services along with breastfeeding support here in Ohio. My main thing is writing. My focus is on teaching. I offer doula support on a part-time basis. I support all types of births with a special interest in high-risk patients (I'm here for the natural birth support too). I can attend hospital births (including the OR for c-sections), birthing centers (inside the hospital), or home births with a midwife.

I love writing. I love teaching. I enjoy supporting growing families. I'm blessed to be able to serve others in this special area of healthcare and season in life.

Community resources for growing families

This project is a growing list. These are the resources in the greater Dayton/Springfield area that I recommend to my doula clients and students. If you have a resource you recommend, please email me with your review! If you are a resource to pregnant/birthing women in my service area, feel welcome to reach out and let me know. Email your name, role, website, and social media links.

So far I have listed:
  • where to give birth
  • maternity care providers
  • classes
  • birth support
  • lactation support 
  • postpartum support
  • photography


Where to give birth


Hospitals to give birth at

I recommend Miami Valley Hospital for the hospital that is the most respectful of patient rights and the most supportive of natural birth. Overall, this is the best hospital with all the resources you may need. 
 
Here are the hospitals in the Dayton area: Miami Valley (Dayton), Kettering main (Kettering), Southview (Dayton in between Centerville and Miamisburg), and Mercy Health (Springfield). There are several small, rural hospitals in the surrounding area as well (Wilmington, Greenville, Sidney) that may be a good fit for you if you live in the country.
 
  • Miami Valley – 1 Wyoming St. Dayton (near downtown, prepare for possible traffic)
Their maternity unit is in a separate building. You’ll go into the lobby and go to the top floor where it says birthing center. Both L&D and the Family Beginnings birth center are through that door. If you arrive at night, go to the left of the main entrance and pick up the phone to call the desk. They will open the ambulance doors on the side. When you get to the birth center door, you have to pick up the phone to call in as the unit is completely locked.
 
  • Kettering main – 3535 Southern Blvd. Kettering
Their labor and delivery unit, mother/baby (postpartum unit), and NICU are all on the 4th floor. You’ll go through the main entrance.
 
  • Southview (now called Kettering Health Washington Township) – 1997 Miamisburg Centerville Rd Washington Township (right off 675 at the Dayton Mall exit)
Southview has a separate entrance for their maternity unit. It’s in between the ER and the main entrance. It’s clearly labeled maternity entrance. This hospital only has one level. 
 
  • Mercy Health (Springfield) – 100 Medical Center Dr. Springfield (near downtown)
 
Here are all the hospitals in my service area.

Sadly, we have suffered the closure of many labor and delivery units. If you're researching where to give birth, know that these units have closed. 
  • Soin (Beavercreek) in November of 2025 - last one in Greene County
  • Upper Valley (Troy) in February of 2024 - only one in Miami County 
  • the base closed their unit in 2023
  • the hospital in Hillsboro closed their unit in 2022 - only one in Highland County 
  • Miami Valley South (Dayton) closed their unit in June of 2022
  • the hospital in Bluffton closed theirs in the summer of 2021
  • Madison hospital (London) closed their unit in 2020 - only one in Madison County 
  • Good Sam (Dayton) closed their birthing center in 2018
We only have 3 left in Dayton. We used to have at least 8. There have been several closures in the Cinci area as well. 


Birthing centers

  • Family Beginnings at Miami Valley is a beautiful birthing center in Dayton, Ohio
  • Atrium in Middletown also has a birthing center called Natural Beginnings.


Home

We have a large home birth community in the Dayton area. If you’re interested in a home birth, I’m happy to recommend midwives and tell you how to get started.


Maternity care providers


Maternal-fetal medicine specialists (MFM) aka high-risk OB doctors

If you need maternal-fetal medicine specialists on your care team, Miami Valley has a large team. Kettering main has a small team. Mercy Hospital in Springfield collaborates with Columbus area MFMs. Miami Valley and Kettering main both have level 3 NICUs if you are high-risk.


Obstetricians (OBs)

The most recommended OB for supporting natural birth is Dr. Jeremy Crouch (Miami Valley). Dr. Guy has retired in 2023. Dr. Crawford (Soin) is also highly recommended.


Nurse-midwives (in the hospital)

Miami Valley and Mercy both have midwives. Miami Valley also has a separate birthing center called Family Beginnings. There are several practices that work at MVH. With these practices, you will meet all or most of the midwives throughout your prenatal care and deliver with whoever is on call at the time of birth.
 
Miami Valley Hospital has a birth center in it called Family Beginnings. It’s a wonderful resource in our community. Atrium hospital in Middletown also has a birth center inside the hospital.
 
Several of the rural hospitals also have midwives as well as hospitals in the Cinci metro and Columbus metro.

Unfortunately, Kettering Health Network has chosen to eliminate midwifery care altogether. 


CPMs and traditional midwives (home birth)

Midwives are listed in alphabetical order. This list is not an endorsement of anyone in particular. Interview different midwives and seek reviews from women that have used them as a client. There is an Ohio Homebirth Midwife Review Group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/812911185762561/ as well as local homebirth groups for Dayton, Cinci, Columbus, and other regions. Check with your local homebirth groups or natural parenting groups to get their recommendations.

Friendly note that many of these midwives have a wide service area and may take clients outside of the area they are based out of. 

These midwives serve the greater Dayton/Springfield area. Some are rural and may not come all the way to Dayton.
                   
  • Tuesday Lach CPM, Rachel Tiller DEM, and Hannah Zimmerman CPM – a team of midwives near Greenville and Indiana – website unknown


Ultrasounds 


Classes

Check out the classes that I teach locally here.
 
Here are some other classes I recommend.
 
Spinning Babies is a wonderful resource. Here is their class for parents. https://www.spinningbabies.com/product/spinning-babies-birth-preparation-online-course/
 
The Body Ready Method has a prenatal class to help prepare for birth. https://bodyreadymethod.com/offerings/
 
If you take an online childbirth class, let me know what you think about it and I may add it here. 


Birth Support

If I’m not available to be your birth doula (or if I’m out of budget), tell me what you’re looking for in a doula and I’ll refer you to other doulas that I am familiar with in our community and genuinely recommend.


Lactation support


Hospital care


Private practice

  • Rachel Baggett RN BSN IBCLC – New Carlisle – Rachel’s Lactation Consulting www.RachelsLactationConsulting.com I highly recommend Rachel. She is a NICU nurse and lactation consultant. She has many years of experience in breastfeeding support and excellent reviews. Check out her social media as well. She shares a lot of educational content.
  • Liz Bennett Auger – Morrow – www.lightandlove-birthandbaby.com Liz is a labor and delivery nurse + doula + IBCLC. She has many years of experience, and serves the Cinci and Dayton area.
  • Roots Wellness – Mason – www.rootswellness.net This practice has two IBCLCs that offer lactation support in the Cincinnati and Dayton area.


Peer support

For families that qualify, mothers can receive free support through the Women, Infants, and Children program.  
Depending on what your needs are, support groups such as La Leche League may be able to assist for free. Here is a directory to find LLL meetings https://www.llli.org/get-help/ and here is the link for Ohio https://www.lllohio.org/ You can zoom in on the map or scroll the list of counties.

  • Mercy Hospital in Springfield has a breastfeeding support group the first Wednesday of every month from 11:30-12:30. It’s on the 3rd floor in the birth center conference room.


Oral ties (tongue-tie and lip-tie revision)

  • Dr. Greg Notestine in Kettering
  • Dr. Chris Coleman in Waynesville
  • ABC Dental in Huber Heights
 
There are other dentists in the area that offer that service, but I only listed dentists that I have heard reviews of and come recommended by mommas in the community.


Postpartum support

Postpartum doulas


Placenta encapsulation


Photography


Birth photos

Kalli Hopkins of Aniston Paige Photography
Dayton area
www.AnistonPaigePhotography.myportfolio.com
www.facebook.com/aniston.paige.photography
www.instagram.com/aniston.paige.photography
Kalli is a phenomenal photographer! She is my absolute favorite. I recommend her to everyone. Truly, she is a talented photographer.
 
 
Belle Hess of Belle Hess Photography
Greenville
www.facebook.com/BelleHessPhotography
Her photos are always beautiful.  
 
 
Timothy Clopp of Timothy Clopp Photography
Arcanum
www.TimClopp.com
www.facebook.com/TimothyCloppPhotography
www.instagram.com/tncphoto
Tim does a wide range of photography including birth. He’s a good photographer!
 
 
Jordan Barker of Connected Life Photography
Dayton area
www.ConnectedLifeOhio.com
www.facebook.com/connectedlifeohio
www.instagram.com/connectedlife_ohio
She captures the emotion and makes it feel like you were there.
 
 
Madyson Granda of EJ Birthing Services
Dayton area
www.EJbirthingservices.com
www.facebook.com/mmdoulabirthphotography
Madyson's photos make you feel like you have a window to a story.
 
 
Jessy Lynne French-King of Jessy Lynne Photography
West Alexandria, Ohio
www.JessyLynnePhotography.mypixieset.com
www.facebook.com/JessyLynnePhotography
I like her vintage style.


Kayla Adrianne Photography
Centerville
https://kaylaadriannephotography.mypixieset.com/about/


Maternity and newborn or family photos

Most of the birth photographers also do maternity or newborn. There are so many talented photographers in our area. I will build a list for that as well. That one may take a while.



... What else do you want to see
on the community resources list?