Childbirth Expert and Mother | Erica Shane

​I believe that parents deserve high quality, individualized support and more options other than cry-it-out. 

I learned first hand the difficulty of navigating sleep and parenthood, with my own baby, in the summer of 2016. I was alone, bouncing on a ball with a crying baby, for many hours a day. If I knew then what I know now about sleep and infant development, and about support systems, what a different experience it would have been! ​

​I received a Bachelors Degree in Women’s Studies and Spanish from the University of Arizona in 2001, then went on to become a certified birth doula just days after graduating. I was able to study and apprentice with childbirth experts and leaders in Mexico, Thailand and Bali off and on for many years, where I also worked as a doula with locals and expats. I became certified as a lactation counselor and postpartum doula and midwife assistant throughout those years. Being abroad was my dream; I loved being immersed in other cultures, learning their language, & connecting with people so far from the reality I grew up in. My worldly studies came to a halt when my father died in 2014. I came back to NYC at that time, began to work full time as a local doula once again (and mostly postpartum overnights!). I became pregnant in late 2015. After my child was born in 2016, I then went on to become a certified gentle sleep coach with Kim West (the Sleep Lady) in 2018.  Becoming a sleep coach was a necessary pivot as I became a single mama and knew I needed to be able to work from home from then on. It has been a wild ride since 2018 as I practice masterful coaching in the virtual realm - and I do appreciate more than ever my clients who allow me to bring in that nurturing doula that still lives in me!

Since then, I have have completed various certifications including:

• Baby Led Sleep with Isla Grace, 2019
• Coaching Mastery with Joanna Lindenbaum, 2018-2021
• Parent Coach Certification with Jai Institute, 2021

My goal is to bring realness & empathy & compassion to each family I serve.