Metro East Birth and Baby Brings Doula Support and
Perinatal Care to Granite City Families

GraniteCityGossip.com May 24, 2026

Metro East Birth and Baby is setting out to improve birth outcomes and reduce birth trauma for Granite City area families by providing childbirth education, doula support, and more.

Tia Wente, founder of Metro East Birth and Baby, has a passion for helping families have stress-free pregnancies, better birth experiences, and better outcomes for moms and babies. In 2010, Tia was lucky enough to work with a doula through a special program at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Belleville.

She had a wonderful, unmedicated birth and was able to advocate for her wishes and safety when a hospital resident’s preference for an unnecessary intervention did not align with her preferences. At the end of that experience, she vowed to bring doula support to more families throughout her lifetime.

Tia has now worked as a doula, running her own doula company in the greater Chicago area for the past six years, and she is in the final stages of her midwifery training. With much excitement and the help of MEBB’s Director of Community Relations, Megan Crawford, she is bringing doula support and other perinatal services to Granite City and the greater Metro East region.

What is a doula, you may ask? A birth doula is a trained, non-medical perinatal professional who provides education, emotional support, and physical comfort before, during, and after labor. Think of a doula as a birth best friend or a really good “birthy” travel agent. They work with families throughout the entire pregnancy to bridge the gaps left by the dreaded 10-minute prenatal visits, to be available for questions and concerns 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and to make sure families have unbiased, evidence-based education and resources before and during labor.

Doulas will join families at home once labor begins and will remain with them at the hospital for the duration of labor and birth to help with advocacy, pain relief, and labor positions to improve birth outcomes.

A recent Cochrane Systematic Review showed evidence that doula support can reduce the risk of cesarean section by up to 25%, reduce the need for pain medication, increase birth satisfaction, reduce the length of labor, and lead to better APGAR scores for babies. The best part about a birth doula is the continuity of care and the priority given to your family.

You may not know which doctor will be on call the day you deliver or which nurse you might get, but you will know your doula, who is a knowledgeable and passionate member of your birth team. You will also know that their priority is your family’s comfort and safety at all times — not staffing ratios, provider schedules, profit, or liability-driven care decisions. They focus only on evidence-based knowledge and your preferences.

Doula support does not end with the birth. Metro East Birth and Baby is excited to offer postpartum doula services that begin once families are home from the hospital. With day and overnight support available, they are there to make the little moments a bit easier. Sleep deprivation and stress can increase the rates of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. With curated doula support, families can truly take the time to heal postpartum while having a knowledgeable extra set of hands to help as they get to know their newborn.

MEBB’s postpartum doulas provide care and support right in the comfort of your own home to help parents get a little more sleep, assist with lactation or infant feeding, help with household chores, and provide basic newborn education. MEBB wants families to thrive postpartum, not just survive it.

Metro East Birth and Baby prides itself on being adaptable to meet every family’s needs. They support unmedicated, physiological birth, but also high-risk births, inductions, medicated births, and everything in between. They recognize there is no one right way to have a baby, but your family’s wishes and preferences are front and center throughout the process.

They look forward to helping many families in Granite City enjoy their pregnancy and birth experiences and make the postpartum journey one of joy and healing.

For more information about services, tap the link.