My Birth Philosophy

My ultimate goal as your doula is to help you have a birth that feels both safe and satisfying. This work has shown me that those words mean something different for every person. I’ve supported clients through hospital and home births, unmedicated labors, planned and unplanned epidurals, planned and unplanned cesareans, and more. I’ve seen clients who dreamed of an unmedicated birth feel empowered in their decision to get an epidural, and I’ve witnessed unplanned cesareans and home birth transfers that still felt exactly right.

Birth can’t be predicted, but we can prepare for many possibilities. Becoming educated and informed about labor and birth helps you understand your choices at every fork in the road, so you can make the decisions that feel right for you. To support that process, I provide evidence-based information, encourage you to explore your own risk tolerance, and help you tune into your intuition. What feels like a tolerable risk for one person may not for another, and sometimes the most intuitive choice in the moment is one you never expected to make.

There is no one choice that guarantees you an ideal birth. Doing the work to become an informed and intuitive participant in your own care increases the chances that you will be able to cherish the memory of the day your baby was born, no matter how it goes. Having a birth support team that you can trust is a part of that. I believe the truth is that there is no single right way to give birth, only the way that feels safest, most informed, and most satisfying to you.

You might feel that I’m the right doula for you if you’re looking for:

  • A compassionate and personalized approach to your prenatal preparation and birth experience

  • Evidence-based information and education on the latest guidelines from leading organizations in prenatal and intrapartum care

  • A science-forward yet holistic approach that considers your emotional, mental, physical, and family wellbeing

  • Support through a culturally competent and trauma-informed lens

  • A doula who meets you exactly where you are, with warmth, respect, and genuine care.

Why I chose birthwork

Childbirth has always been very intertwined with my life. I owe some of that to my mother, who planned home births for all of her children. I am the oldest of us four, and my labor was long and hard. I grew up hearing the story of the four day marathon of labor, hospital transfer, and, ultimately, the beautiful birth that brought me into the world. 

My brother was born when I was almost three, on a hot July day. I have some memories of this day, but nothing very clear. My mom remembers me bringing her a cool glass of water between contractions. Some might say I became a doula that day. 

When I was 6, my mom became pregnant again. I was absolutely thrilled to be having a baby sister. I remember going to midwife appointments at the midwife’s home in Sebastopol, listening to my sister’s heartbeat, and enjoying every moment of it. Her labor started some time during the night. This time, it was Winter. My mom spent most of her labor in front of the woodburning stove in our living room with my dad applying counter pressure to her back. I remember she had thigh high socks to wear specifically for labor, because she didn’t want to wear pants, but knew her legs would be cold. In the early afternoon, she began pushing on our couch. The midwives were always close by, creating a sense of safety and calm, one of them singing as my sister was born. I stood at the end of the couch, and saw my sister’s head slowly emerge, and then the rest of her body slip out. She immediately went to my mom’s chest and crawled to the breast herself. I was entranced by birth at this moment. In the weeks after, I told my mom I wanted to become a midwife. 

The last baby was born when I was 10 years old. I was again elated to be around pregnancy and looking forward to the birth. My mom labored all through the night, and when the sun rose, her intuition told her she needed to go to the hospital and get some rest. No one thinks that a fourth baby will take 17 hours to be born, but sometimes they do! After my mom got a few hours of rest, my grandparents took us to the hospital to join her. She felt that birth was a family affair, and believed that children should be a part of birth. I also would have been furious with her if I didn’t get to be there. My sister entered the world, and I got to cut the umbilical cord and be the first to hold her after my mom. 

I took my first doula training with Connie Sultana in 2024 and since then have attended almost 50 births. I am in constant pursuit of knowledge, each birth teaching me something different. I am now a Cornerstone Certified Birth and Postpartum Doula and Evidence Based Birth® instructor. I am always striving to be able to provide the best support I can for my clients. 

I am currently pursuing becoming a Certified Nurse Midwife. As of 2026, I have completed nursing prerequisite courses, including biology, chemistry anatomy, physiology, and microbiology and look forward to beginning an RN program in Fall of 2026. I use the knowledge I have gained of the human body through my formal education to help inform the support I provide so that my clients can understand what is happening with their body and their baby. 

For most people, childbirth is the time in their lives where they will be asked to be the most medically literate, which is intimidating for most working outside of healthcare. The education I have has given me the language and tools to communicate and learn from nurses, midwives, and doctors during births, so that I can understand and interpret information for my clients. After becoming a registered nurse, I plan to attend graduate school to obtain my degree and certification as a Certified Nurse Midwife and practice in a hospital based setting.

Magdalena Eschenberg

Certifications:

  • Cornerstone Certified Labor, Birth and Postpartum Doula

  • Certified Body Ready Method® Pro

  • Evidence Based Birth® Instructor

  • Basic Life Support (BLS) from American Heart Association 

  • Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP®) from American Academy of Pediatrics

  • Basic Life Support in Obstetrics (BLSO™) from American Academy of Family Physicians

  • Certified Nursing Assistant, State of California

Trainings and Workshops:

  • VBAC Course from Evidence Based Birth® 

  • Basic Fetal Monitoring with Bundle Birth Nurses

  • Cornerstone Labor, Birth, and Postpartum Doula Training

  • DONA International Approved Introduction to Childbearing for Doulas and Birth Doula Training 

Professional Memberships:

  • Evidence Based Birth® Professional Membership

  • The Educated Birth Professional Member

Degrees:

  • Associates Degree in Natural Sciences, Santa Rosa Junior College, 2025

  • Associates Degree in Pre-Allied Health, Santa Rosa Junior College, 2025