About
About the Author
Coral Slavin, PhD, spent over 25 years working with families as a childbirth educator, doula, and birth center owner. In 2004, she became the first doula in the United States to open a free-standing birthing center, Well-Rounded Maternity Center, where she supported hundreds of families through pregnancy, labor, and birth.
Over the course of her career, Coral assisted at more than 500 births, taught childbirth classes to roughly 2,000 families, and helped build one of the first doula networks in her community. Her work took her into hospitals, homes, and birth centers alike — and into the kind of unpredictable, high-stakes, deeply human moments that fill the pages of My Doula Life: A Memoir in Birth Stories.
When Well-Rounded Maternity Center closed, Coral returned to her first love of health and wellness, earning a graduate degree in Family Life Education. She now works with individuals, couples, and families navigating life’s stressors — bringing the same steady, clear-eyed compassion to that work that she once brought to the labor room.
Coral lives in Wisconsin, where she continues to teach and mentor the next generation of doulas.
About the Author
Coral Slavin, PhD, spent over 25 years working with families as a childbirth educator, doula, and birth center owner. In 2004, she became the first doula in the United States to open a free-standing birthing center, Well-Rounded Maternity Center, where she supported hundreds of families through pregnancy, labor, and birth.
Over the course of her career, Coral assisted at more than 500 births, taught childbirth classes to roughly 2,000 families, and helped build one of the first doula networks in her community. Her work took her into hospitals, homes, and birth centers alike — and into the kind of unpredictable, high-stakes, deeply human moments that fill the pages of My Doula Life: A Memoir in Birth Stories.
When Well-Rounded Maternity Center closed, Coral returned to her first love of health and wellness, earning a graduate degree in Family Life Education. She now works with individuals, couples, and families navigating life’s stressors — bringing the same steady, clear-eyed compassion to that work that she once brought to the labor room.
Coral lives in Wisconsin, where she continues to teach and mentor the next generation of doulas.
About the Author
Meet the Author
Interview with Coral C Slavin, author of My Doula Life: A Memoir
What motivated you to write the book?
Initially, I wanted to leave something of my legacy for future doulas. Few doulas have had a career as long as mine, and none have opened a free-standing birth center, which afforded me with a unique perspective. As I continued writing about some of the unusual births I attended, the book morphed into a memoir. Readers would see the birth stories through my eyes, complete with struggles, growth and redemption.
One of the suggested titles for this book was Call the Doula, playing off the popular TV series and the books by Jennifer Worth. How is your book like hers and how does it differ?
Like the Call the Midwife books, my book is filled with birth stories from the ordinary to the dramatic. Where my book differs is in the addition of the birth center journey, which highlights the challenges of operating a small business.
Why open a birth center?
My experience at a birth center for my daughter’s delivery was the catalyst. It was so lovely that I wanted to go that route again when we moved to Wisconsin, but there weren’t any birth centers at that time. It occurred to me that this offered an opportunity for an enterprising businessperson. I come from a long line of male entrepreneurs. I wanted to show that a woman could succeed in business as well. Why not open a birthing center?
As a mother, you have experienced hospital, birth center, and home birth. Was there a particular favorite for you?
I have to say that both out-of-hospital births were a dream come true for me. I loved the birth center because it was such a beautiful setting where everything was about the comfort of the laboring mother. It gave my husband the illusion that it was safer than home birth, although he later said, “We could have done that at home.” I also loved my home birth. We didn’t have to go anywhere—the midwives came to us. It felt so intimate.
How do you think your graduate training in Health Education helped you be a better doula?
I believe that labor progresses more smoothly when the mother (pregnant person) feels safe and relaxed. In graduate school, I specialized in Stress Management which taught me about the various ways to counteract fight-or-flight. Those relaxation techniques proved invaluable when working with nervous clients.
You started as a doula when the profession was fairly young. Do you think things have changed?
Yes. When I started as a birth assistant most people had not heard of doulas. Birth professionals had to collaborate to educate the public about the benefits of having a doula, such as less need for pain medication, lower cesarean section rates, and greater satisfaction. Often partners were reluctant to hire a doula for fear that they would be pushed aside, when in reality doulas helped partners be more actively involved in the labor. And in the early days, doctors and nurses feared interference from doulas rather than accepting and appreciating their help.
You said you started to write this book as a way of sharing your experiences with aspiring doulas. What readers do you now think would enjoy this book?
Anyone in the birthing profession, such as midwives, doctors and nurses, might appreciate the birth stories. Expectant parents could benefit from learning about their choices in childbirth. Even women entrepreneurs would appreciate the struggles of starting and operating a small business.
