Alayna Spratley, Owner
I have always considered myself to be a progressive individual, an engaged advocate for a variety of social justice issues, but it wasn’t until I became pregnant with my first child and needed to navigate the maternity healthcare system while living abroad, that I realized the nearly universal journey of a mother through pregnancy and birth, is both a fundamental human rights issue and truly the last frontier of feminism! So, I began to dig deep, exploring my philosophy about modern healthcare and routine maternity practices, researching local resources, and I uncovered so many options! My quest to be educated about my local birth culture, knowledgeable about women’s reproductive healthcare options, curate a solid support system and expert care team, and trust my intuition as authoritative knowledge helped me have the most positive birth experiences, one in Sweden and the other in Maryland. Shortly after having my second daughter, I began to realize that the empowering births I experienced were not the norm for the majority of people, As I became increasingly active in my local birth community, I followed an overwhelming desire to serve other families who were wanted to have the best possible birth, but didn’t know where to start or didn’t have the right tools to advocate for themselves. So, I trained and certified as a birth and postpartum doula and childbirth educator, in order to better support and guide women during the maidenhood to motherhood transition. Currently I am a certified childbirth instructor with Birth Boot Camp and Lamaze International. I am also a community educator with Indie Birth, and an Evidence Based Birth® Instructor. I continue to pursue advanced trainings, so I am better equipped to support my community. I steadfastly believe that peace on Earth begins with birth!
In addition to my work with Cleveland Natural Birth, I am honored to serve as the volunteer Assistant Director with Babies Need Boxes Ohio. Babies Need Boxes is a non-profit organization that provides a safe-sleep environment (baby box), perinatal education, newborn essentials, and community and breastfeeding resources to expectant and new mothers, in order to facilitate positive parenting decisions and healthy child development. We want all mothers and babies to thrive.
I’m also thrilled to be a community advocate with the HealthConnect One Birth Equity Leadership Academy (BELA). HealthConnect One is a national leader in advancing respectful, community-based peer-to-peer support for pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and early parenting. My work with BELA is part of a coordinated grassroots national network that is dedicated to amplifying the voices of communities of color, to help enrich the conversation around birth, maternal and child health, and breastfeeding decision-making. We want to develop, deepen, and support authentic and effective community leadership to address birth equity on a local, regional, and national level.
Additionally, I am also the founder and moderator for Cleveland Birth Village, an inclusive community for expectant and new families to learn about various holistic pregnancy, birth, and parenting topics. We offer FREE monthly gatherings for Cleveland Birth Village, which are usually held on the second Wednesday of each month, at Fairmount Presbyterian Church, in Cleveland Heights. I welcome you to come connect with other families and wellness professionals interested in natural birth! Please check the Events Calendar for more details.
The mission of Cleveland Natural Birth is to educate, support, and coach families, so they can have safe, healthy, and satisfying birth experience. We are also proud to offer in-person Evidence Based Birth® continuing education seminars and workshops for maternity care professionals, so they can equip themselves with information and resources to better support clients. The classes we offer families are truly exceptional and are comprised of the most comprehensive pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting resources available. Using the Birth Boot Camp childbirth and parenting curriculum, Lamaze principles, and resources from Evidence Based Birth®, coupled with personalized coaching techniques, we’ve curated truly outstanding programs for growing families. Our distinctly collaborative education model is modern and full of evidenced-based information from WHO recommendations and the Mother Friendly Childbirth Initiative, midwives, obstetricians, lactation consultants, nutritionists, physical therapists, exercise specialists, chiropractors, doulas, and a community of perinatal experts. Pregnancy, birth, and parenthood is an amazing time of transformation, and Cleveland Natural Birth can help you feel balanced, confident and prepared for your transition to parenthood. Prepare yourself for a positive and joyous birth and early parenting experience.
Cleveland Natural Birth is dedicated to providing families and birth professionals with resources, education, and community support so they can plan for or help clients get the best chance at an optimal birth experience. Please CONTACT US to learn more about our programs! It is an honor to be on this journey with you!
