Marissa Hathaway, MPH
Owner & Doula
Hi there! Here’s a little about me:
I love gardening, photography, & building community. We just welcomed our girl-boy twins, Eloise & Waylon, in April, 2023!
My career started in global maternal health, human rights, and reproductive justice. I am dedicated to reducing maternal health inequities via intersectional collaboration and cultural humility. I earned my B.A. from Boston University, in International Relations and Public Health, and went on to earn my M.P.H. in Global Health Leadership and Administration at the University of Haifa, in Israel. I worked for several years as a program and practice manager, while keeping the thread of 1:1 support going with training in rape crisis counseling, family planning/contraception counseling, and refugee health.
My approach to supporting families is centered around:
Embodied Consent & Informed Decision-Making
Partner Support
Mental Health & Wellbeing
I use my extensive operational and administrative background with my clients by presenting clean, organized, high impact resources and documents for late pregnancy, birth, & postpartum. I incorporate my counseling experience and academic experiences by acknowledging the balance of seeking education/validation and empowerment/self-direction. I support your informed choices, facilitate support for you and your partner (you are both my clients), and guide you through the adjustment into parenthood. My passion for public health shows in my appreciation for evidence-based practice, while also understanding that you are an individual family unit and deserve to make choices based on what YOU feel is right.
Areas of Expertise & Passion
Empowering Partners through the Perinatal Period
Supporting Trauma Survivors through the Perinatal Period
Perinatal Mental Health
Reproductive Lifespan Counseling
Reproductive Justice
Miscarriage & Fertility Journey (I have personally experienced two recurrent miscarriages, then conceived twins via IVF.)
Mindfulness, Breathing, and Visualization Strategies
Physical & Emotional Coping Techniques
Qualifications
Certified Perinatal Doula
Certified Birth Doula CD(DONA)
Certified VBAC Doula (VBAC Link)
Photographer
Trained Childbirth Educator
Lactation Educator
IVF & Infertility Doula
Certified Rape Crisis Counselor
Certified Family Planner & Contraception Counselor
Certificate in Refugee Health
Certificate in Perinatal Mental Health for Allied Professionals from Postpartum Support International (PSI) - in progress
Familiarity with Spinning Babies
Familiarity with Aromatherapy for Labor & Delivery