Rose Hurd’s holistic birthing wellness center in north Tulsa, With Love Births, has been open for a few weeks.
Her interest in perinatal wellness started decades before she became a certified advanced holistic doula and dreamed of opening her own business. Hurd remembers lying in a hospital bed in 1980, about to give birth to her first child, with no family there to support her.
“I was alone, 16 years old — just barely 16 — giving birth,” she told The Eagle.
A nurse entered the room, saying Hurd’s baby was in the breech position, set to come out feet-first during delivery. Instead of explaining all the complicated details of what that meant, medical staff talked among themselves about whether she needed a C-section, Hurd said.
She had a healthy baby, but that experience planted in her memory.
“That’s my ‘why,’” Hurd said. “I was alone. Nobody should be alone.”
That mission became clearer as she learned about her great-grandmother, who was a midwife.
Hurd would put that passion into action years later, joining other women at her apartment complex to start an informal support group for teen mothers. They pooled their money to host cooking classes, movie nights and college visits. The group ensured future moms without support could have proper baby showers.
As the years went on, she formalized her work, earning a degree in early childhood education and obtaining certifications as a holistic doula, lactation specialist and postpartum care practitioner.
On July 25, her vision came to fruition as she hosted the grand opening of With Love Births in the Meeks Plaza at 4747 N. Peoria Ave., Suite E. She offers consultations and classes on postpartum preparation, childbirth education and lactation support.
One of her favorite things to do is guide women through envisioning what they want their birthing journey to look like and how to prioritize self-care, especially after the baby is born. From what Hurd has seen, the postpartum care journey is the first time a lot of women get to prioritize their own healing.
Her clients Emily Collins and Gaberial Hill, who are expecting their first child together, stopped by the center Wednesday for their third session with Hurd. More often than not, the pair told The Eagle, they attend parenting classes where they are the only couple in the room.
Collins said it is nice having someone to answer her questions and ease her fears — though she wonders about women going through pregnancy and childbirth with no help.
“A lot of people go through it alone. I think it would help those people to have a doula,” Collins said.
Looking forward, Hurd envisions opening up the space to other doulas who want to learn how to turn their practice into a business. Her vision to support mothers remains the central focus of her practice, but she also hopes to educate people about the benefits of doula care.
“All of the traditional things that women do for you where women gather and take care of you, we’ve been missing out,” she said. “We always talk about how it takes a village to raise a child. But that’s been kind of diluted. One of the things I’m doing here is kinda getting the village together.”
