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Meet Sarah Lavonne

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Lavonne.

Sarah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My journey into the birth world began in 2010 as I got my first nursing job in labor & delivery (L&D). I knew after my first day and a few tears that I could do this for the rest of my life. After about 1.5 years I got a second job at another very large hospital in Beverly Hills, with a completely different patient population. That was one, to help pay off my student loans and two, to help expose me to a different way of nursing and keep me growing. I eventually went full time at that hospital. I was selected with eight other L&D nurses to help revamp their childbirth education program, and so then we began teaching a new, updated hospital childbirth education curriculum.

I had always been an educator at the bedside, but to be able to reach couples prior to them being in labor made me see the difference that education could make in their birth experiences. I eventually helped develop and taught their VBAC, Coping with Labor, Cesarean and Cesarean Option classes. On the floor, I was chosen to create and pilot a new program called the Peer Mentorship Program and began mentoring new nurses to L&D, helped educate the nurses on the floor and was extra hands in the case of emergencies or high-risk scenarios. I then transitioned to managing the Childbirth & Parenting Education Program and oversaw all of the classes and instructors at that hospital.

I learned that I loved growing and managing a team, had some skills I didn’t know I had, yet still missed being at births. I had come to a crossroads in my career. I didn’t feel I could go back to the bedside but I also didn’t feel like managing was utilizing all my skills or able to foster my creativity. I was seeing ALL SORTS of needs in the obstetric community but had maximized the change and impact that I could make from the inside out. I wanted the freedom to meet the needs I saw and have a greater reach to make a difference in the world. I left traditional nursing in the hospital and founded Bundle Birth, A Nursing Corporation in Jan 2018.

As I figured out how to get the business together, I began taking private clients as a labor nurse & birth coach (like a doula but I am able to offer myself as a private nurse to my clients), teaching private childbirth, VBAC and Coping with Labor classes. I also started a YouTube channel mainly as a supplement to my client’s education, so that when they asked the main questions I got all the time, I could just send them a YouTube video to watch. As YouTube began to grow, I knew another way to reach people was through Instagram, so I worked harder at offering value on that platform. I knew I wanted my reach to not just be in LA. I grew up overseas and so I have always been aware of the plethora of resources we have access to in the states and Los Angeles.

I began teaching online webinar-style childbirth classes (which eventually I phased to just on-demand classes) for anyone, anywhere. I also was finding that a childbirth class is a great start, but there’s SO much more that I tell my clients and that you can’t learn from a class, and then needs to be customized to each individual. I wrote a workbook and developed a process that I call Birth Coaching, where couples from ANYWHERE can work 1:1 with me, they get the workbook with literally everything they need to know, think about and plan for, all my childbirth classes strategically dosed out and then eight one-on-one sessions with me. This, to me, is the future of birth preparation. I see couples go from terrified and overwhelmed to confident and excited for their births. It’s as comprehensive as it gets.

Now, you can teach and equip patients all day, but if they come to the hospital to give birth and the staff (particularly the nurses) aren’t prepared or open to their preferences, they are only going to be met with opposition and potentially not “allowed” to do the things they feel is best for their families. I knew that I, as a nurse, have a unique background and voice to speak to not only pregnant couples but also to the medical world, specifically nurses. So, I hired the most amazing nurse and together we have created Bundle Birth Nurses, a branch of Bundle Birth dedicated to educating and supporting nurses to have more tools to help their patients achieve their birth preferences… and our first workshop is Jan 16, 2020!

Has it been a smooth road?
Not in the least, but at the same time, I feel extremely grateful for the favor and connections that I have made along the way. I am a nurse. I am trained as a nurse I have literally never taken a business class in my entire life. So to begin a business on my own, learn to be an entrepreneur, and even give myself the freedom to dream be creative and go for it has been the first struggle that I’ve had to get over. It has been the biggest learning curve of my entire life, and I really feel like I am winging it! But it’s working! I’ve learned that Google is amazing and that there are some really awesome people in the world. That literally it takes putting one foot in front of the other every day and remembering why you’re here and for me, that is to make a difference in the world and that keeps me going.

I have literally done everything on my own: website, logos, YouTube filming and editing, marketing, curriculums, Instagram, the entire process and education for my clients, it’s all been me. As with any business, there are lots of sacrifices that are made to get where you need to go. Financially, of course, has been a struggle especially because I didn’t really prepare to leave my job. I have had to choose to be confident in my skills and background every single day and not let the losses get me down. It has also been a struggle for me to learn what it means to be a businesswoman and not just give myself away to everybody that I meet. I had to learn to know how to set boundaries in relationships, work and my own personal life. You can imagine that self-care as well has been a massive struggle for me as I have been doing everything on my own.

But I really feel like I can’t complain as even less than two years out I am most definitely feeling like this business is going to work out and that I am on the exact path that I am called to. I have learned that time really is money and that we can do more than we ever dreamed. But at the same time I also know that going forward I do need to build out a team. Which is so incredibly exciting to me and definitely wear Bundle Birth is headed.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
Currently today I have private birth coaching clients that I personally accompany through their pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum, I offer private 1:1 classes, manage a flourishing YouTube and Instagram childbirth education avenues, have on-demand online childbirth, VBAC and Coping with Labor classes, offer the Birth Coaching program to anyone, anywhere and just launched Bundle Birth Nurses! And we’re not stopping there! I dream of Bundle Birth being THE trusted expert resource for pregnancy, birth, postpartum and beyond! I want anyone who gets pregnant to know that they have a trusted resource they can go to to get all they need for a confident, healthy, empowered birth and parenting experience. I want all who experience us to feel bundled in love, resources, education and support for their journeys as pregnant people and now, also as nurses.

Bundle Birth is known for their up-to-date, confidence-building support and education that they offer patients and nurses. I believe I am pioneering a new “profession” of sorts for labor & delivery nurses who love what they do but want the freedom and flexibility of working outside the hospital setting. It is extremely rare to be able to work directly with your own private perinatal nurse through your pregnancy, labor & birth. I balance my nursing and medical background with your preferences. There’s so much scary information in the world related to childbirth and we have become a culture where women don’t understand or believe in their own bodies.

My goal is to empower them that they can do it, that they have everything they need inside of them and learning about the process doesn’t have to be scary and in fact, will only help them to have a Happier birth-day. With so much education in the world related to childbirth, it’s hard to know who or whom you can trust. I’m also finding that my upbeat, say-it-like-it-is but girl-next-door personality connects with a different clientele than the general birth community. I believe in holistic care but am no hippy 🙂 I find that I am relatable and comfortable to connect with. Bundle Birth prides themselves on being up to date, balancing both the medical and holistic, realistic for the client, and helping to give informed information so that the patient can make the best decision for themselves based on their own preferences.

We are unbiased, we will not tell you how you should birth your baby. We know that all of the information is inside of you – that you are smart and wise and that with the right education and support you can make the best decision for you and your family. That’s where we come in. We want to make sure that no decision you make is out of fear or coercion but only out of confidence that it’s the best thing for your family. We also specialize in-hospital birth and have a particular skill in helping you navigate all the different situations that may come up in the hospital setting, helping you to feel more comfortable there which ultimately helps your labor go smoother. Through Bundle Birth, you receive an elevated level of service and expertise based on evidence, having your own private access to nursing education and support to help you have the happiest, healthiest day of your lives.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Absolutely I feel like Los Angeles is the only place I could’ve started out this business. First of all, we have so many different hospitals and the culture surrounding birth is much more advanced than a lot of places in the United States and the world. There’s also so many different resources, people to partner with, and learning opportunities here let alone the thousands and thousands of women giving birth in this city. I think also that there is a culture that is open to learning and looking for resources to help them have a safer, more informed experience. Patients are more likely to seek out help and assistance along the way and have the finances to bring someone like myself along.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Elizabeth Kitchens, Sarah Lavonne, Ashley TerKeurst Hodges

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