.png)
More about Lauren
Owner, Empowered Birthwork Services
Hello! My name is Lauren Hansen (she/they), I am a queer, full-spectrum birthworker serving the greater Chicago area. I read health economist Emily Oster's 'Expecting Better' while in graduate school and was immediately drawn to the role of the birth doula (fewer Cesarean births, shorter labors, and less instrument use during birth?! Amazing!) [1]. After more research, I decided to reroute my career path and pursue full-spectrum doula training to become a "community care worker who offers support to people during the full spectrum of pregnancy." [2]
​
I'm passionate about creating space for people to express their emotions, to prioritize their personal autonomy, and to receive dignified, empowering reproductive care. My goal is to honor & support your vision for yourself and your family, whether that's seeking gender-affirming fertility support, preparing for labor with an OB or midwife, or deciding not to become a parent at all. All people and families are deserving of respectful, empowering support; I particularly love supporting queer, poly, and trans clients.
​
In my free time I love roller blading by the lake, cuddling with my tortoiseshell kitties, and tending to my indoor plants.
Qualifications & Education:
-
DTI Full Spectrum Doula Certification
-
Trained: May 2021, Certified: May 2022
-
Subject matter includes:​
-
Childbirth education
-
Body feeding support
-
Comfort measures & pain management
-
Navigating induction
-
Compassionate cesarean birth
-
Postpartum changes in the birthing person
-
Postpartum mood & anxiety disorders
-
Newborn behavior & care
-
Integrating baby into the family​
-
-
*Lauren is fully vaccinated & boosted against COVID-19.
To read Empowered's COVID-19 response & policies, click here.*
About Empowered Birthwork Services
We are an independently-owned & -operated doula practice serving pregnant, birthing & postpartum parents in the Chicago area. We support our clients through the whole spectrum of pregnancy and birth with an evidence-based & holistically-minded approach. Our support is centered around client education and empowerment, powered by reliable, open communication with your doula.
We acknowledge the huge mental, emotional, physical & financial impacts that pregnancy and birth may have on an individual or family, and believe providing evidence-based resources, non-judgemental emotional support, and space to explore your preferences & options are vital to the doula role, in any context. Our work is rooted in reproductive justice principles, which we strive to uphold through business practices like sliding scale birth support fees and free abortion support.
Empowered aims to...​
-
Connect clients with relevant, evidence-based resources
-
Celebrate clients' identity & autonomy
-
Provide culturally humble support to clients of all backgrounds
-
Expand doula accessibility for all
-
-
August 2021-Present
-
Birth & Postpartum Support training​
-
Birth Justice training
-
​
-
Gender Affirming Birth Work 201 from Moss Froom
-
April 2022​
-
Subject matter includes:
-
Trans-supportive prenatal support
-
Supporting a client who’s being misgendered or who feels dysphoric
-
Providing trans-affirming resources & referrals
-
Trans-specific reproductive issues
-
-
​
-
American Heart Association Basic Life Support Program
-
February 2022​
-
Infant, child & adult CPR/AED certifications
-
​
-
University of Chicago certificates
-
Labor preparation (September 2021)
-
Infant & child safety (October 2021)
-
Breastfeeding (February 2022)
-
[1] Expecting Better, Emily Oster (2018)
[2] Everything You Want to Know about Full Spectrum Doula Work, Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings