I’m Ashley Maas, doula, childbirth educator, placenta specialist, wife, and mother. I’m married to my husband, hero, and best friend of 21 years. Together we have two boys. They make us laugh, dance, and occasionally drive us a little bit crazy! I’m happy to be living in my hometown of Reno, NV, helping usher new families into parenthood with confidence and joy. I serve families birthing in Reno/Lake Tahoe. In my eleven years as a doula, I’ve attended over 500 births in hospitals and homes.While I was pregnant with my first son, my husband and I attended classes in the Bradley Method® of natural childbirth. These classes changed my whole outlook on pregnancy and birth—I was empowered to educate myself. I learned more, researched the risks and benefits of my options, and ended up confident that I’d made the best decisions for myself, my baby and my family. I felt proud and peaceful that my birth wouldn’t be just another product of the labor and delivery assembly line. I chose midwives to attend my births, as I knew the midwifery model of care was best for me. Jordan and Peyton were both born into water and their births were the most beautiful days of my life. My births were completely pivotal and transformative experiences that deeply contributed to the person I am today. It’s become my passion to help empower couples to experience what I did—not just the birth of a baby, but a true sensory experience of the power and beauty of childbirth without unnecessary interventions. I believe this gives both babies and families the best possible start in life. I wholeheartedly believe that birth is a normal, powerful, physical and spiritual experience for which women’s bodies are uniquely and wonderfully created. The process of labor is much more than simply a means to that much-wanted end of holding your baby in arms. Labor is something to be experienced, rather than endured. It can be heroic and empowering, something you remember with great joy and pride in yourself and what you accomplished. Birth matters! It matters to women, to partners, to babies, and to families. Giving birth is a profound opportunity to work with your body, your partner, and your baby in a way that is unlike any other life event you’ll experience.
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