Lynn Fingerhut

Credentials/education: DONA-trained—2005; Hypnobabies Childbirth Hypnosis Doula—2010
Services offered: Essential Oils
Service area: Greater Peoria, IL region

Bio

**Lynn Fingerhut is a founding member of PLD. She is currently an honorary member and is no accepts doula clients. She is available for information/education on essential oil use during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

Hi, my name is Lynn and I came to the doula profession from an interest in women’s health and the amazing fortitude and determination of women. I found an interest in birth work long before I had an interest in birthing my own child. I believe every woman and her partner should have the right to be fully educated and supported in their health and birthing choices. I completed the DONA training in 2005 and since that time have been present at the births of several friends, several private doula clients, and about 30 births as a staff doula at a hospital. I have also been with many other women during their labor or during preterm labor situations.

My experiences include women with a variety of pregnancy and birth circumstances including:

• high-risk women,
• women over 40,
• teen moms,
• twin births,
• planned c-sections,
• prematurity, and
• VBAC.

I also have worked with a surrogate mother and same-sex couples. Every pregnancy and birth is a unique experience and I learn something new from each amazing mother, her partner, and her family.

I birthed my first child in September 2009; my amazing (and big!) son Henry was born after an unmedicated labor and delivery in a hospital with the help of a fantastic husband, a great doula, and supportive OB. I successfully breastfed him while also working full-time, resulting in some experience and advice for moms who must return to work and express milk for their babies.

My second son, Clayton, was even bigger (!) and born at home in the water in May 2013, again with my husband, a wonderful doula, and awesome pair of midwives supporting us.

We cloth diaper, use Baby Led Weaning, and borrow from a variety of parenting techniques that we feel work for our family, gentle and attached parenting especially.

I have a Master in Social Work and worked full time (with HIV+ adults and adults with developmental disabilities) until Clayton’s birth. I now stay at home with my boys and am gradually getting back into birth work.

I am interested in all parts of a family’s journey including pregnancy planning, pregnancy support, childbirth, and postpartum support. I am knowledgeable about fertility awareness, optimal fetal positioning, labor comfort measure, essential oils during pregnancy, labor and the postpartum period, and am now offering placental encapsulation.

I am a certified Hypnodoula and enjoy supporting women using Hypnosis in childbirth. I hope to become a childbirth educator in the future.

I am passionate about birthing choices, and honored to be included in the journey of growing a family.

Testimonials

Katie Heaney: My experience with Lynn Fingerhut during my labor and delivery was wonderful. She helped me throughout my entire pregnancy and continues to guide me with her expertise and tips even now that my baby boy is 3 weeks old. Lynn helped me prepare a birth plan and answered all my questions about what to expect and my options during labor…. She helped me manage my pain throughout labor by suggesting massage, laboring in water, birth ball, and other non-medication alternatives. My goal was to have a natural labor if possible, and I definitely would not have gotten through it without Lynn. After my baby was born, I had some issues in the hospital with initiating breastfeeding, and Lynn helped me with solutions and resources, and now nursing is going fantastic! My baby is eating well, gaining weight, and healthy.

I think every pregnant woman should consider hiring a doula if they have the means to do it. I would highly recommend Lynn Fingerhut as a doula, and will utilize her services again if I have more children in the future!

Bob Baker: We appreciated Lynn’s gentle manner. Lynn listened, and helped us feel empowered as she guided us through the process, during pregnancy and as we adapted to changing events during labor.

Our plan was a natural birth, but open to intervention…. Lynn guided us through labor, while hospital staff only came in periodically. It was nice to have the lights down, and just Lynn, my wife, and I working together.

…. Lynn then guided us through 4 hours of advanced labor, with almost non-stop 90-second contractions. Though my wife was exhausted and unsure about continuing, Lynn encouraged her to continue and find her own strength minute by minute. Several times my wife was wanting to quit, but Lynn found a way to help her through the immediate pain, and rally.
At 7am, my wife turned to a nurse, and said “I want a patient-administered epidural, and I want it NOW!” We all knew she had reached her limit. Lynn had held her off as long as possible, longer than I could have, and it was time for option B of our birth plan.

…. The epidural was a disaster, inserted incorrectly. Finally, an hour later, she got one injected dose of anesthetic, and relaxed enough to finish dilating.

…. My wife was fed up with the hospital staff at this point, exhausted, in pain, and didn’t trust anything they were saying. Lynn sensed this, and stepped in to take control. My wife responded well to that. Without any epidural, Lynn coached her through her pushes and the actual delivery.

We can’t imagine having gone through the process without her!

Amber Pawula-Marcin: Lynn helped to give us the birth experience we were looking for. When I believed I was gearing up for labor, she stayed frequent contact and arrived quickly after I was sure I needed my support. When she arrived, we discussed how I was feeling and what we could do for comfort. We decided that I wasn’t active enough to get in the tub yet, so she helped with a sifting rebozo, which was a great comfort at getting me through my early intense period. Once I felt the contractions were getting strong enough to get in to the tub, Lynn became a wonderful unobtrusive support to my husband and myself. He was able to focus fully on being my emotional support, while Lynn did a number of tasks focusing on my physical comfort – cool cloths on my neck and forehead, holding my water glass, applying counter pressure on my back during contractions. During my pushing stage, she offered comfort support until she recognized that birth was imminent, and then she maneuvered my husband into being right at my side where I needed him. After our daughter was born (this was a home birth), she assisted in making sure I was comfortable during the flurry of post birth activities. It was a wonderful, healing birth for us and Lynn was instrumental in giving me the physical and emotional support I needed, especially with the pain of pushing out a surprise posterior baby!