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Together, let’s embrace the journey.

I’m Rebecca Clendenin, wife to Nathan and mom to two fun-loving young men, Samuel (14) & Henry (11.5), and two delightful little girls, Louisa (5) & Vivian (2.5). Some things our family loves: Durham, co-housing, our church, hosting international students, pancake breakfast, bluegrass, camping the National Parks and traveling far and wide.

 

I believe in exercising a growth mentality when facing things that are daunting. For me, overcoming fears has looked like many things, including hiking big mountains in Colorado and Europe or occasionally running the Blue Ridge Relay.

 

Mom The Hero, which I founded in late 2018, is the result of a longtime personal—turned professional—passion to help expectant couples confidently prepare for labor, delivery and postpartum adjustment. Mom The Hero is inspired by the huge impact childbirth education had in our own experience of going from a place of “not knowing what we didn’t know” to being prepared for labor and birth when the time came.

Pregnancy is an exciting but also nerve-racking time. As is postpartum—it can be crazy intense! I know this personally and am here to walk with you as you navigate hopes and fears around growing your family.

 

As an ICEA Certified Childbirth Educator (ICCE) and an ICEA Certified Birth Doula (ICBD), I’ve had extensive training—primarily at the Simkin Center for Allied Birth Vocations at Bastyr University in Seattle, WA—in pregnancy, childbirth, labor support and newborn care. (I also hold degrees from Vanderbilt University and UNC-Chapel Hill.) Perhaps most importantly, I’ve had the immense privilege of attending several births and seeing babies come into the world in all the anguish, struggle, mess and beauty that each unique birth entails. To me, there is nothing else more humbling, raw, powerful or glorious than childbirth. The exhausted mothers, every time, are my heroes.

 

Moms and Dads, I consider it an honor and joy to work with you and look forward to getting to know you. Together, let’s embrace the journey of childbirth and beyond.

My Core Values

• Compassion: I believe that approaching maternity care with compassion and a nurturing spirit improves birth outcomes for families.
• Collaboration: I believe that surrounding Mom, at center, with a circle of support is crucial to building her confidence in birth as a normal life event. As an educator, I am one piece of that important circle of support.
• Choice: I believe that knowledge is crucial for couples to be wise decision-makers. Presenting evidence-based research in order for couples to exercise freedom to make informed decisions is foundational to my practice.