The fabulous Michelle Fonte with her daughters Emma (19), Grace (17) and Olivia (9). Michelle is also mom to Addyson (23), Gabriel (21) and Kai (13). Michelle was well educated when she was pregnant with her first but perhaps still not fully prepared for the realities of giving birth in the setting she chose with hospital protocals. She knew she wanted a natural delivery but other than giving birth to Addyson vaginally she didn't feel that any of her wishes or desires were respected. She feels that experience led her then to explore other options - first midwives in a birth center and ultimately home births. Michelle is a birth & postpartum doula, childbirth educator and yoga instructor, and a passionate breastfeeding and natural birth advocate. She breastfed for a total of 17 years and nursed all of her children for extended periods from just over 2 years to 4 years old. Michelle is a huge asset to her local community as co-owner of The Gathering Place, a local resource center dedicated to the support of woman and families through pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding.
The Gathering Place