A little about my doula journey

Hi! Welcome to my website, I'm happy you are here, and I hope that if you want a doula, I would be the right fit for your family. My name is Camille Perhacs-Monticello, and I am a certified birth doula serving Central and South NJ, as well as Eastern PA.

Camille the doula with her sons

I love what I do, and I am a vessel that is learning more and more every day (even as a mother myself!) I have been married for (almost) 5 years to a guy who grew up in the same town as me, but I met him as a customer at an art store I was working in. It was love at first sight. I was smitten with him the moment we met, and we've been together ever since. One of the most important things for both of us was becoming parents as soon as we could. There was no reason to rush but for us, we both knew we wanted to start a family as soon as possible. So, once we got married in September of 2021, we wasted no time and by October 5th, 2021, I saw two pink lines indicating we were going to welcome our first son into the world!

Gratefully and joyfully, I went through my first pregnancy like a breeze. Although the pregnancy was not the best I've ever felt, I enjoyed that I was finally doing something I had longed for for so long. A day after my due date, early labor started in the morning, by 3 am, I was in active labor, and our son was born at 10:18 AM. My first birth was textbook, and I believe it was because I had great support from a wonderful provider (Lawrence OBGYN at the time, now Capital Health), a great doula, encouragement from all the women in my life that I could, and would have the birth I desire, and a loving partner to top it off. While I had an amazing pregnancy and delivery, it became apparent to me pretty quickly I had hit the first-time pregnancy and birth lottery. I would read stories again and again about traumatic births that stemmed from medical mishandling and an overall lack of support.

Camille with her first baby and doula Lauralee Lightwood-Mater

It felt wrong that my birth should feel like a lottery, why aren't more mothers having the same experience as they walk into motherhood? How can I help more mothers to have experiences like mine? From asking myself these questions, I found myself figuring out how I could become a doula. I reached out to my doula (Lauralee Lightwood-Mater, owner of Lightwood Maternity) and picked her brain a little on where I could certify through and start getting the ball rolling. I learned very quickly that the doula community is a loving one and so very supportive. So in August of 2022, two months after my firstborn's first birthday, I took the doula certification course with DONA, taught by Laura DiPascquale. Laura was a great doula trainer, I would recommend her training to anyone looking to become a doula in NJ; I felt supercharged and ready to start supporting families. My best friend was due in January, so I felt on the clock to get certified to attend her birth.

One thing that I like about DONA doula training is that it is very in-depth, and I feel like the doulas for DONA need to put in the footwork to obtain certification. Showing up to births educated as DONA wants their doulas is beneficial. That being said, it was a lot of work and a lot of reading, and it took me some time to consider audiobooks for accomplishing the reading I needed to complete. So, every day at work, I'd listen to the books so I could get this complete, so I could get my provisional certificate, and get to her birth! In November of 2022, I made an effort to find a doula who was a little closer to me to meet with, who could guide me a little bit and be my friend. I met Kerry, who had been a doula for 4 years by this point (maybe longer; she'll correct me if I'm wrong if she ever reads this) Kerry and I hit it off almost immediately, and after our first meeting, Ker told me she'd help me to complete my certification, and send me to births whenever one came up that I would be a good fit for. Kerry also insisted that I come and hang out at the office during classes to see how her business runs. I would come almost every week and see how Kerry ran the classes in this small community she was starting for mothers.

Well, come January my best friend went into labor, but I couldn't get my provisional certificate in time, and I wasn't able to attend her birth. Although I was able to virtually support her, I was disappointed I couldn't be there in person. After this, I continued attending some of Kerry's childbirth education classes, and hit the ground running to achieve my provisional certificate to start going to births, for real!

Before I knew it, though, my best friend's adorable newborn son inspired us to get back to business and add another member to our tribe. By February, we were excited to find out that baby number two was on the way. Also, I had finally submitted my paperwork to DONA, with all of the written parts of the certification completed, ready to get my provisional certificate to start attending births. So now, it became my goal to complete my doula certification before baby number 2's arrival in October. Doula-ing pregnant was a little daunting, but I decided early on that I wouldn't let my clients know I was pregnant until it became undeniable.

By April, I was working during the day as a benefits administrator, going to some of Kerry's classes, meeting with clients, and going to births, all while being pregnant with a toddler at home. It was crazy and chaotic, but I found myself enjoying every moment of my life revolving around pregnancy and birth. Especially knowing that my second birth was impending structured what I wanted my second birth to look like and how I wanted to do things differently. In the next few months, I attended eight births leading up to my maternity leave. I had times when I'd go to birth all night, then go straight to the office, tired and pregnant. Every birth taught me fundamentals about birth and the intricacies of it all. How different everyone could be, and how birth worked outside of a textbook. As my maternity leave started, I finished all my paperwork from attending births and submitted my certification for review.

My second baby boy came into the world in October. Kerry was my doula this time, and she was so fundamental in the outcome of my second birth. My water broke suddenly in the middle of the night, and I didn't have that typically quick labor after that seen with most second-time mothers ( Did you know that second-time labors tend to be much quicker?) Well, by midnight the next day, my second son arrived. Again, what a gift to deliver with the midwives at Capital Health (I'll probably write a blog eventually explaining what hospitals near us are my favorite; spoiler, Capital is on the list), with my mother, husband, and, of course, Kerry's assistance. I enjoyed my time with my family and adding a new member, but as my certification was confirmed shortly after, I was ready to get back by the time he was 6 months old. I started back at Kerry's office, now being the one that was teaching the classes, not just attending, starting to meet with clients, and getting ready for my first birth postpartum.

Camille teaching childbirth in Allentown NJ at At Peace Birth & Wellness.

About 8 months postpartum, I went to my first birth after my second son, and I hit the ground running from there. I have now served over 50 families welcoming their babies into the world, and every single one has been an honor to attend. I've learned so much and have certainly attended a handful of births that were mismanaged and ended in sections. Not every birth is perfect, but even with the harder births, my clients have benefited from my support despite goals not being met. I've learned that the most important thing about birth is that while there are ways we can manipulate, encourage, or change birth when we do less, there are better outcomes, period. Helping my clients to feel educated on the timing of certain interventions ( epidural, nitrous, membrane sweep, AROM, pitocin..etc.) has helped tremendously, and it's why I suggest childbirth education of some degree to all my clients. With the right support, more mothers can have more desirable birth outcomes. Even in the case of an unplanned cesarean section, the benefits of knowing that every decision made up to that point was a decision fully made by you - not for you, is a huge move in the right direction.

My plight to help mothers in their entrance to motherhood is continuing in the most delightful of ways. Continuing to support mothers in birth, and now, in March of 2025 adding postpartum support to my offerings. I truly feel called to do this work; every birth and every postpartum shift is a labor of love for families in this new chapter of their lives. I look forward to the rest of this year to see the new humans I will get to meet in their entrance to Earth and the little humans whose parents hired me to help them manage new parenthood a little better. If you're looking for support, whether it be pregnancy or postpartum, I am always happy to chat and see how I can best support you. I believe all parents deserve doula support, and I am happy to help create a package that fits your needs. Feel free to send me an email at mydoulacamille@gmail.com, and we can schedule a time for a free consultation to talk about your goals and how I can help you achieve them.