Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, I love being outdoors and sipping coffee on my back porch. My husband, daughter, and I live in a little pocket of the Eastside between Issaquah, Newcastle, and the Renton Highlands, just south of Bellevue. It’s a great, accessible location that makes it easy for me to get around the greater Seattle-Tacoma area to visit the families I work with.

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My journey to doula work began 16 years ago when I was pregnant with my daughter. I was inspired by both the joys and challenges of my own experience and wanted to learn more about serving women and families embarking on this journey. I trained as a birth doula at Bastyr through the Simkin Center and started attending births.

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As my experience grew, so did my curiosity. I knew, as a doula, that simply being present at a birth could positively impact outcomes, but I also wanted more tangible skills to encourage greater efficiency and ease in the birthing process and to strengthen the breadth of what I could offer. I found a physiological birth training that sounded interesting and dove in as one of the first doulas in their first cohort—and it blew my mind. Body Ready Method® opened a door into anatomy and the way babies and bodies move through pregnancy and birth that I hadn’t understood before. I finally began gaining the skills and answering some of the questions I’d been searching for.

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After attending over 300 births, the evidence is clear to me: the right support, intentional preparation, trust, and courage can impact the way you show up for your birth and how you feel about it afterward. My goal is to help you find your strength, your inner wisdom, and your bravery so you can step into your birth fully present, feeling capable and seen.

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I care for the whole person, from pregnancy to parenthood. Through the lens of evidence-based physiology, breathwork, mindfulness, and teamwork practices, I help you and your partner understand your options and trust yourselves—and each other—to make choices that feel safe and right for you.

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I hope my guidance gives you a place to explore what is possible.

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Let's do this together.

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Be Well,

Melissa Tuton​​

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