Hi, I'm Sydney.
Birth never fails to amaze me; the waves of strength and love that wash over the room are unmatched. I feel so lucky to hold space for everything that birth brings, and to have been a part of so many amazing birth teams.
Random things about me:
☼ I'm so psyched about being from Colorado
☼ I love to rock climb, hike 14,000 foot mountains, and hang out in the sun
☼ I'm almost fluent in Spanish (I've doula'ed two births in Spanish, but I'm not fully confident in my vocabulary yet)
☼ I love my family and especially my little sister
☼ Passionate people, regardless of what they're passionate about, are the BEST
☼ I recently lived in Australia for several months, researching and writing about government-supported midwifery and homebirth systems
☼ Some of my favorite and most respected people are part of the Denver birth community
☼ The closest births that I have attended were 34 hours apart
☼ I love witnessing birth and I'm really committed to making it as respected and celebrated as it deserves to be in our wider culture
Sydney Leach, CD(DONA)
My Story
I began birthwork at the end of 2019, when I started volunteering in the Rose Medical Center Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Denver. I wasn’t directly involved with the births of these babies, but I was deeply invested in the postpartum stories that came and went through the unit. I witnessed the strength, fierceness, and tenderness of new parents as they navigated getting to know their baby, processing their birth experience, and their own changed identities. Over time, I realized that my passion lay in helping parents in the birth room, and I was ready to take a more active role to learn how to offer effective support.
I completed my doula training with DONA in the summer of 2020. I knew immediately that this was the work for me: the connection with clients and the peak experience of birth blew me away. I’m really fortunate to be a part of the Denver birth scene in a lot of ways, including collaboration with birth and postpartum doulas, friendships with midwives, and through my work as a volunteer doula with Denver Health. During my time as a doula, I have worked with teenage moms at New Legacy Charter School, interned with Colorado Birth & Wellness, and volunteered many night hours on Denver Health's labor ward. I recognize that giving birth requires a community, and my relationships in Denver allow me to give the best care to my clients. I’m also an extrovert, so hanging out with like minded birth professionals is the best!
One of the most important things that sets me apart from other doulas is my perspective on the world: I'm a junior in high school. This means that I'm able to take my energy, passion, and real skills with me into every birth experience, and I can fully show up for you without having to worry about conflicting interests at home. As I've grown in my doula work, I've figured out a system to balance being on-call and being a student, and in 2+ years, I've never once missed a birth or had an issue with availability.
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My Philosophy
Birth is one of the most variable experiences that a human can go through. There are so many twists and turns that it can take, and so many different ways that it can go. Ultimately, the most important preparation is to build trust in yourself, your body, and your birth team. You need someone on your team who will understand that the power lies within you, while also guiding you and your partner through the experience.
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A doula is a uniquely amazing role. We're not biased about what choices you should make, don't have the well-meaning opinions that a parent might, and aren't distracted by fierce love and protectiveness like a partner can be. Doulas quietly stand by you and give you information to make the best decision for your own body and baby. We hold space for you as you transition into a new period of life.
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After working as a doula for more than two years, I have supported many people in their birthing journeys. I believe in your power to birth your baby, and have the skills and resources to help you craft the experience you want. I think that birth should be intuitive, connected, wishes should be respected, and everything that happens should be carried out in a way that honors the original intention behind your birthing plan. To speak to that, I've completed trainings on how to harness your body's natural physiology, how to get yourself into a great birth headspace, and how to begin your postpartum period in a gentle way. Birth is an inherently vulnerable act, and it's so important that you come out of it feeling that you were supported when you needed to be. It informs your start as a parent, your baby's start to life, and your well-being going forward.
My Trainings
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Express Childbirth Education Workshop (Lorena Terán de Angelini, Belly Bliss, April 2020)
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Breastfeeding Basics (Ann Pollack, DONA Approved, May 2020)​
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Birth Doula Workshop and Training (Ann Pollack, DONA Approved, June 2020)
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Read more about DONA International here​
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Black Health Summit: Black Breastfeeding: Past, Present, and Future (The Center for African American Health, July 2020)
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Trauma-Informed Fundamentals (Justine Leach, Resilient Birth, September 2020)
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Working with Miscarriage and Stillbirth- A Doula's Guide (Elizabeth Petrucelli, SBD, CCCE, November 2020)
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Understanding Systemic Racism in Maternity Care: The Voices of Black Researchers (Jen Kamel, VBAC Facts, February 2021)
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Birth Matters Doula Training (Denver Health Doula Program, Pia Long, May-June 2021)
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Global Health: Inequality, Culture, and Human Well-Being Around the World (Brown University, July 2021)
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Spinning Babies Professional Workshop (Kelly Dungan, April 2022)
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Read more about Spinning Babies here​
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Calmbirth Antenatal Course (Karen McClay, July 2022)
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Read more about Calmbirth here​
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