My name is Nita Gunn and I am a birth doula and childbirth educator with Birth Boot Camp. I am married to my college sweetheart and the mom of four amazing kids.
My first birth was full of unnecessary interventions and ultimately ended in a cesarean. It was nothing like I imagined and made those first few months of life with a newborn really emotionally and physically challenging. Birth is just a small part of parenthood, but the way a woman’s birth unfolds will impact the beginning of her parenting journey in major ways. I know that if I had taken a comprehensive class before the birth of my first child, my experience would have been so different! I did go on to prepare differently for my next births and had really great, healing birth experiences, including 3 unmedicated VBACs (Vaginal Births After Cesarean), a home birth, 2 hospital births, and 2 water births. I felt called to become a childbirth educator to help other expecting parents prepare to have birth experiences they love from the very first one!
Supporting families as they prepare to welcome a baby has been something I’ve been passionate about for a long time. I have a Master’s Degree in Nursing, specializing as a Family Nurse Practitioner, so advocating for holistic care for women, babies, and families has always been part of my work. But it was the births of my own four children that really opened my eyes to the importance of education and support in childbirth. I saw what birth could look like when a couple is prepared and wanted that for every expecting family.
I love working with first time moms and dads because I so clearly remember that feeling of not really knowing what you’re getting into and, at the same time, having so much excitement about meeting your child! No matter what kind of birth someone is planning, it’s so important to be able to make informed choices and be surrounded by love and support throughout the whole process. Women’s bodies do an incredible job of growing, birthing, and feeding babies. We were designed to do it! Understanding that is so exciting and empowering for expecting couples and I love being a part of that learning process.
I had taken a Birth Boot Camp Refresher course before the birth of my 4th baby and was so impressed with the class, the instructor, and the materials. I love that Birth Boot Camp does not teach one single method for coping with labor, but instead educates couples to make informed decisions and teaches a variety of comfort measures. I also love being part of the Birth Boot Camp community, knowing that we are all working together to bring the best in evidence-based childbirth education and doula support to families across the country.
I trained in Grapevine, Texas with the founder of the company, Donna Ryan. Training instantly made me realize I was in the right place, surrounded by other professionals who put women and families first in the birth experience. Training gave me the practical tools to put my knowledge about birth into a format that makes preparing for birth fun and easy for couples. We practiced teaching strategies to make sure classes are interactive and practical for expecting couples. I know my students genuinely want to be prepared for their births, so I try to come alongside them and do everything I can to help them feel as prepared as possible.
I have been teaching Birth Boot Camp classes in Southlake, Texas since 2016. Hands down, my favorite part of teaching is getting to know my students and seeing them grow in confidence as we progress through the class series. After my first-year teaching, I trained to be a Certified Birth Doula so that I could offer support to families throughout pregnancy and early parenthood. Each birth is a miracle, and it never gets less special no matter how many I’ve attended. It’s truly an honor to walk through this season with families as both an educator and a doula.
What couples are saying about Nita:
“I cannot say enough good things about this class. If you are expecting, check the schedule and sign up early. We took this class to prepare for a hospital birth and to help ease the anxiety we felt over being new parents. This is not just a course for mom. My husband feels prepared to be my partner through labor and the fourth trimester. Together we were able to design a birth plan and discuss options with our doctor that we never knew about. It has also helped us have so many important conversations we didn’t know we needed to have. This class has made us feel excited and prepared for our labor experience. Nita is a personable and warm instructor. You will enjoy every class. This class covers labor extensively, but Nita has so many exercises planned throughout that you will retain it easily. This class is a comfort to new parents who don’t know what books to read or where to start. Nita makes great book recommendations so that you can read up on what is most important to you. The videos, the activities and resources you will walk away with are truly invaluable. This was worth every penny. My wish is that all my friends take this course when preparing for labor.”
“Without Nita and the Birth Boot Camp Class we would have been lost. She taught us everything that was necessary to have a great birth experience. She took time to answer all our questions (which we had a lot) and made the class fun, personal and practical. This class prepared us for every possible labor scenario and kept us calm when it actually started. I would highly recommend this class!!! During labor we were able to stay calm and we knew what to do because of Birth Boot Camp.”
“Our experience with Nita was very informative and enjoyable. She was very patient and thorough throughout our classes. She did an amazing job at including fathers and encouraging participation. I would highly recommend her class for all first-time parents.”
Website: www.metroplexbirth.com
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 682-514-9150
