I strongly believe the power of therapeutic touch is healing.

Supporting mothers through pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and the evolving journey of motherhood.

At Massagemomma, proudly serving Cypress, Katy, and Houston, TX, I specialize in pregnancy and postpartum massage and provide compassionate birth doula support. Over the years, many mothers I served began seeking guidance beyond physical care, which led me to expand my work to include mentorship and coaching for women navigating new seasons of motherhood and entrepreneurship.

☎ 832-372-6174☎ 832-372-6174

What is Evidence Based Care?

It’s simple! Evidence based care means care that's based on the best medical evidence.

What Is An Evidence Based Birth® Instructor?

An Evidence Based Birth® Instructor is a birth professional specially trained to help families get evidence based care. I am one of around 150 Evidence Based Birth® Instructors around the world! (Here in Houston, TX).

For more information about Evidence Based Birth®, please click the link below.

Evidence Based Birth®Evidence Based Birth®

Why I Became an Evidence Based Birth® Instructor

Wife and Mother of Three

Prenatal and Postnatal Massage Therapist and Doula

My experience with birth began with my own pregnancy at 17. By 18, I was a mother to my first child. Being a teen mother and black was an eye-opening experience for me that inspired me to be in birth work. I found the information lacking, and my own first pregnancy and birth would inspire me to seek out knowledge and evidence to empower me in birthing my next two children. I know what lack of knowledge can do—foster fear and trauma. I do know that knowledge and evidence promotes endless possibilities.

Workshops

Evidence Based Birth® Savvy Birth Workshop

Sleeping Baby

Are you looking forward to having a baby, but worried about all the unknowns…like how do I know if my wishes will be respected? Will my birth plan be followed? Can I avoid a traumatic birth experience, if I had one before?

The Savvy Birth Workshop for parents was developed by Evidence Based Birth® to give you and your partner the confidence and know-how you need to have a more positive, empowering experience in the birthing room.

At the Savvy Birth Workshop, you’ll learn ways to communicate effectively with your doctor, midwife, and nurse. You will discover strategies for asking questions without seeming disrespectful, and you’ll get the inside scoop on how to stack the odds in your favor of having a positive birth.

Unlike other childbirth classes, I will help you avoid the typical assembly-line care with six virtual “tickets!” These “tickets” are your secret advantage to coping with the unknowns of birth! At the workshop, you’ll find out how you can use these tickets in the hospital or wherever you intend to give birth!

I am excited to offer the Savvy Birth Workshop to parents in the community. I believe that the knowledge you will gain from the Savvy Birth Workshop will leave you and your partner inspired, hopeful, and excited about the upcoming birth of your baby…ready to approach the big day with a savvy swing in your step!

Learning Objective Covered in the Workshop:

1. Define evidence-based care
2. Discuss the availability and pros/cons of local birth options
3. Practice respectful ways to talk with your provider
4. Discuss how partners, doulas, and nurses can work together to provide labor support
5. Describe the benefits and limitations of birth plans
6. Discuss the human and legal rights of birthing persons

Refund Policy

Tickets are nonrefundable but may be transferred to future workshops or seminars.

Ticket Price
Register Today!Register Today!

Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class

EBB Childbirth Class Get Empowered

Get Empowered by a Child Birth Class You and Your Partner will Love

Register Now

If I would have known what I know now 24 years ago birthing my first born, I wouldn’t have two scheduled inductions before 39 weeks following with my last births. I was told my baby was to big therefore he was delivered via forceps. Because I’ll most likely have big babies with my other pregnancies I was told by my OB at the time that I should have inductions before my due dates so my babies will most like be smaller and I won’t run the risk on having another forceps birth or possible c-sections. So not evidence based, right. I trusted my resources which was my OB and didn’t bother to self educate myself, because he knew best?! NOT! Here I am now 10 years along my birth worker career as a licensed massage therapist, certified birth and postpartum doula, and Evidence Based Birth® Instructor who’s in a position to teach a childbirth class like no other. It’s my greatest intention to skillfully mentor birthing parents on evidence based care and how to advocate for themselves. This class will have birthing persons and their partners feeling confident and empowered enough to make informed decisions. Something I didn’t have, and now take great honor in presenting parents how.

Listen to what some of the first students of the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class have had

to say:

“This class is a total game-changer for us. I’d heard negative stories…I was scared and very on

edge. Then once we started taking the class, and when we learned about interventions that I

was apprehensive about… It brought us together in that [my partner] understood birth more,

and I understood it more. And as soon as I went into labor, we were on. We were a team.”

“I really appreciated how informative it was. I knew a lot about the biology of birth and babies,

but what we learned was just very impressive. It was a really good experience—fairly chill, fairly

laid-back, and not nearly as stressful and awkward as I thought it might be. All the

information—I never would’ve thought there was that much information out there!”

Take the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class!

Get mentored by your own Evidence Based Birth® Instructor!
Learn about evidence based care, comfort measures, and advocacy
Get prepared, get answers, get empowered!

Click here to register for a class todayClick here to register for a class today

Your Childbirth Class includes:

Mentorship from me, Sasha Sumling, experienced EBB Instructor
Five weeks of online videos for you and your partner to watch together
First Intro Virtual Class to get to know each other
Four weekly Zoom class calls to discuss what you learned from videos with your Instructor and classmates!
Virtual Comfort Measures Rehearsal
BONUS: Breastfeeding and newborn care videos
BONUS: Earn points throughout the class to redeem for prizes at the end!

Ready to Get Empowered? Register for Your Class Now!

Spots in each class are limited (6 couples per class), do not wait to schedule.
Click below to register for a class near you

Don’t pass up on this opportunity!

Your birth experience is too valuable for you to avoid educating yourself beforehand.
Sadly, I’ve spoken with many parents who have major regrets about how they went into birth without preparation—and the health consequences they suffered as a result
Take action, get educated, and find the answers and mentorship you need today!

Listen to what this couple had to say:

“Take this course! I started out nervous but I am now very excited and looking forward to the

birth of our baby! My husband and I feel very prepared for our baby’s birth day.”

“Sign up!! You’ll feel more prepared for your baby and your spouse.”

Frequently asked questions:

Q: Can’t I just educate myself online using search engines and videos?

A: A lot of that info you find online? It’s bad or inaccurate! The benefit of the Evidence Based

Birth® Childbirth Class is that we curate all of the best, evidence-based information and get you and your partner engaged in the learning process.

Q: Shouldn’t I just let the doctors and nurses tell me what to do?

A: Routine practices in some hospitals are still about 15 to 20 years behind the research, and

there is a lot of pressure to conform to traditions that might not be in your best interests. We

will teach you and your partner how to be your own advocate—a skill you can use for the rest

of your life!

Q: My friends told me that taking a childbirth class is a waste of time.

A: There are a lot of poor-quality classes out there that have given childbirth education a bad

reputation. The founder of Evidence Based Birth®, Rebecca Dekker, PhD, RN, APRN, knows how to make classes exciting for young adults. The end result is a class that is motivating and SO much fun to participate in. You will learn more than you could ever imagine!

Q: What will I actually learn in this class that could be of use to me?

A: Our students are most excited to learn about the entire toolkit of comfort measures for

labor. We cover pain management techniques like massage, water immersion, upright birthing

positions, acupressure, music therapy, and deep breathing, just to name a few. When labor

starts, you and your partner will be ready!

Ask me a QuestionAsk me a Question

It’s time to register for your Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class

Remember: There are only SIX SPOTS available in each class! First-time parents and

experienced parents welcome!

Evidence Based Birth® Instructors are independent contractors and distributors of the

Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class and are not employees of Evidence Based Birth®. You

can find our terms and conditions for the class here

https://parents.evidencebasedbirth.com/parent-membership-terms/

Contact MeContact Me

Evidence Based Birth® Savvy Birth 101

Happy Couple

Are you looking forward to having a baby, but worried about what it’s like to be a “patient” in the hospital system? Never fear, Savvy Birth 101 is here! The 1-hour Savvy Birth 101 class was developed by Evidence Based Birth® to give you the inside scoop on how to form the ultimate birth team, so when the time comes to bring your baby into the world you can find yourself at the center of respectful, evidence-based care.

Learning Objectives Covered in Savvy Birth 101:

1. Define evidence-based care and discuss the difference between evidence-based care and routine care
2. Describe how the power system works in most hospital labor and delivery units
3. Discuss ways to create a team-based atmosphere in the birthing room, so that you and your partner can get evidence-based, family-centered care

Refund Policy

Tickets are nonrefundable but may be transferred to future workshops or seminars.

Ticket Price
Optional: How does Savvy Birth 101 differ from the Savvy Birth Workshop for Parents? Savvy Birth 101 is an abbreviated, 60-minute class for parents who do not have time to attend our full-length, 3-hour Savvy Birth Workshop.

Register Today!Register Today!

Evidence Based Birth® Comfort Measures

Pregnancy Massage

Are you an L&D nurse who wishes you had more tools in your toolbox to help keep patients comfortable during labor?

By attending Comfort Measures for Labor and Delivery Nurses, you will not only get hands-on practice with comfort measures skills, but you’ll also learn how you can overcome barriers to providing comfort measures on your unit!

All nurses who register at the Professional level or higher will earn 3.5 nursing contact hours, and those who register as Super Users will receive a Comfort Measures Toolkit to take back to your unit and teach to your peers. Come enjoy an afternoon of demonstrations, discussion, and networking with L&D nurses from all over.

This Comfort Measures Workshop is taught by Sasha Sumling, Licensed Massage Therapist.

Birth and Postpartum Doula and Evidence Based Birth® Instructor

This workshop was designed specifically for labor and delivery nurses who are looking to add to their labor support knowledge and skills. However, local doulas, midwives, and childbirth educators are also encouraged to register!

Contact Hours

By attending this workshop and completing an evaluation and quiz, registrants at the Professional or Super User ticket level will earn a certificate for 3.5 nursing contact hours from Evidence Based Birth®, a continuing education provider for the Kentucky Board of Nursing #7-0081. Nursing contact hours can also be applied to most childbirth educator and doula certifications.

Learning Objectives for the Comfort Measures Workshop

1. Discuss the evidence on comfort measures
2. Demonstrate a variety of comfort measures
3. Discuss how we can overcome barriers to providing comfort measures

Registration Options

Basic Ticket
Audit Only (No Contact Hours)

Professional Ticket
Certificate for 3.5 Nursing Contact Hours

Super User Ticket
This includes a certificate for 3.5 nursing contact hours, lanyard, and flash drive loaded with the “Comfort Measures Teaching Toolkit” that includes lesson plans and handouts with permission to teach lessons to your peers, 30-day free trial to the Professional Membership at Evidence Based Birth® with access to 24 additional contact hours, and a laminated “Pocket Guide to Comfort Measures.”

Additional Information About the Super User Ticket
I am encouraging each local hospital to sponsor at least two nurses to become Comfort Measures Super Users! Your Nurse Super Users will be able to teach their peers how comfort measures can decrease the Cesarean rate, decrease patient pain levels, and increase patient satisfaction. Having at least two nurses trained as Super Users will make it easier for them to demonstrate to the other L&D nurses on their unit what they learned at the workshop.

Super Users will receive a Comfort Measures Toolkit on a flash drive which will be loaded with:

Lesson Plans On:

Sending patients home in early labor
Hydrotherapy for pain relief during labor
Positive language that decreases patient pain perception
Upright positions during labor for improving birth outcomes

Full-length printer-friendly PDFs with the Evidence on Fetal Monitoring, Birthing Positions, Eating and Drinking During Labor, and Protecting the Perineum
One-page handouts to share with patients covering Birthing Affirmations, Birthing Positions, Comfort Measures in Early Labor, Eating and Drinking During Labor, Fetal Monitoring, and Nitrous Oxide

Questions? Contact Sasha Sumling your Evidence Based Birth® Instructor at

832-372-6174.

Refund Policy

Tickets are nonrefundable, but may be transferred to other attendees or to future workshops.

Register Today!Register Today!

Contact Me

Do you have questions about my workshops? Perhaps you want to inquire about my pregnancy massage packages too? Get the information you need straight from me. Just dial the provided phone number or drop me a message.

Mother of Newborn Son, Mr. MJ Calvert

“Sasha definitely has hidden wings and came to my rescue. My husband and I are truly blessed to have had her, and I wouldn’t change a thing about my experience.”