For those who love a good story, I think I have been blessed with a pretty good one, and I love to share it!  I will keep it brief here, but  if you'd like the story in full, click here.

​

My name is Celeste Youngblood. Both Louisiana natives, my husband Kermit and I have been married since 1996 and are the proud parents of nine children with us, and five with the Lord.  Of our nine children here, five were born at the hospital with an OBGYN, and the last four were born at home with midwives.

​

God gave me my first taste of birth work one day in 1990 when, as a 13 year old candy striper, for a double shift of 8 hours, I supported a brave single mother who was laboring alone. I held her hand, talked to her, encouraged her, and admired her silent strength. That birth left an indelible mark on me. Ten years later, during a difficult induction with my second child, the one pictured above, I learned the value of having a member of my birth team who was knowledgeable, respectful of my wishes, encouraging, and able to spend large amounts of time with me. Although it was a difficult birth, I came away from it with very positive feelings, and I knew then that my nurse's support played a large role in that. In 2006, a friend asked me to assist at her birth if her husband happened to be out of town when she went into labor. Having recently discovered what "doulas" were, I seized the opportunity and enrolled in the DONA birth doula certification program, completing my certification in about six months. I embarked on a beautiful stretch of birth work for the next eight years, making it my mission to help women have the most positive birth experiences possible, regardless of the circumstances.

​

In 2007, I began offering placenta encapsulation to women throughout Northern Virginia, having had a very positive experience with my own pills following the birth of our sixth child. Although I did not keep a strict tabulation, we estimate that I encapsulated over 150 placentas during those seven years. I offered both the Traditional Chinese Method and Raw Method encapsulations, and eventually added tinctures and salves to my placenta preparation skills. 
 

In 2009 I decided I wanted to officially add childbirth education to my repertoire, and I certified through Childbirth International. This is when I added the highly popular labor simulation classes to my offerings.

​

In 2014, following a series of miscarriages, I made the decision to step back from the birth work to be able to focus on my family and on healing. I had not expected to stay away as long as I did, but when our ninth, and youngest, blessing was born in late 2015, I chose to work for a time in jobs which would not take me out of the home for long periods of time.

​

Throughout my years on hiatus, I definitely felt the tug back towards birth work,  especially when I would assist friends with their births.  In July of 2022, we moved to Huntsville, AL., and I knew the time and place were right to return to birth work.

​

It is always a pleasure and a privilege to serve pregnant mothers and their families. I never take lightly the invitation by a woman to be part of her pregnancy and birth story. I am excited to begin sharing my gifts and passion for birth again, and would be honored if you thought I might have something to contribute towards your childbearing experience. 

​

​