Nicolle Fletcher
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Nicolle S. Fletchercertified birth doula since 2010
trained placenta encapsulation specialist since 2011 childbirth educator since 2011 doula trainer and mentor since 2012 certified postpartum doula since 2013 certified dancing for birth instructor since 2016 certified lactation counselor since 2017 |
Nicolle S. Fletcher is a native of San Diego, CA her family moved to Arkansas in the Spring of 2007. She has been married to Dr. Phillip D. Fletcher for 20 years and has been blessed with three children as a result of that union. She birthed all of her children, Nicollus-19, Najee’-17, and Nichelle-16, without medicine in 3 different hospitals across the states. She attended the University of California, Riverside (UCR) to acquire a B.A. in Social Relations. She then put that education to good use with Thessalonica Family Services in Temecula, CA helping severely emotionally damaged youth. Shortly after that mission, her husband Phillip joined the United States Army and they became a military family. During the seven years in the military, she developed a passion and deeper understanding for the heart and needs of women.
Nicolle's passion for childbirth began in 2007 after a conversation with a pregnant friend who was planning a homebirth attended by a midwife. They spoke about how birth transforms, empowers, and is completely normal. Her eyes were enlightened about birth options and she began to do research. She then recalled her own births and wondered, "How can I educate, support, and empower women to birth with confidence and without fear?" A flame was ignited to say the very least. In 2009, She began training to become a certified doula through a doula agency in Little Rock, Arkansas. She was certified in February of 2010.
While training to become a doula her family also founded a non-profit organization City of Hope Outreach (CoHO) in 2009 to promote holistic community renewal in under resourced areas of Conway through the gospel of Jesus Christ. After, working as a doula in Central Arkansas Nicolle began to see the need for a stronger presence of birth workers in the city of Conway. As a result she started Birth by Design Birth & Postpartum Services (BbD) in August 2012. BbD established a strong emphasis on improving the quality and care of birthing women in this city and the surrounding area. While BbD began with a focus in Conway, it rapidly grew to serving all of Central Arkansas. Through doula training and continued networking it is her goal to change the lives of women and families by supporting every family to Birth by Design!
Over the past six years as founder and director of Birth by Design, Nicolle has realized many things. Bigger is not always better, and to every time there is a season. Birth by Design began as just Nicolle Fletcher seeking to make a difference and grew into a team of 33 women at its height. Birth by Design has now narrowed its approach focusing on education, empowerment, and community. As an African American woman, Nicolle has felt very passionate about addressing the healthcare disparities which exist in the African American community regarding pregnancy, birth, maternal postpartum care, and breastfeeding.
Nicolle's passion for childbirth began in 2007 after a conversation with a pregnant friend who was planning a homebirth attended by a midwife. They spoke about how birth transforms, empowers, and is completely normal. Her eyes were enlightened about birth options and she began to do research. She then recalled her own births and wondered, "How can I educate, support, and empower women to birth with confidence and without fear?" A flame was ignited to say the very least. In 2009, She began training to become a certified doula through a doula agency in Little Rock, Arkansas. She was certified in February of 2010.
While training to become a doula her family also founded a non-profit organization City of Hope Outreach (CoHO) in 2009 to promote holistic community renewal in under resourced areas of Conway through the gospel of Jesus Christ. After, working as a doula in Central Arkansas Nicolle began to see the need for a stronger presence of birth workers in the city of Conway. As a result she started Birth by Design Birth & Postpartum Services (BbD) in August 2012. BbD established a strong emphasis on improving the quality and care of birthing women in this city and the surrounding area. While BbD began with a focus in Conway, it rapidly grew to serving all of Central Arkansas. Through doula training and continued networking it is her goal to change the lives of women and families by supporting every family to Birth by Design!
Over the past six years as founder and director of Birth by Design, Nicolle has realized many things. Bigger is not always better, and to every time there is a season. Birth by Design began as just Nicolle Fletcher seeking to make a difference and grew into a team of 33 women at its height. Birth by Design has now narrowed its approach focusing on education, empowerment, and community. As an African American woman, Nicolle has felt very passionate about addressing the healthcare disparities which exist in the African American community regarding pregnancy, birth, maternal postpartum care, and breastfeeding.
Awards, Achievements, Recognitions
Nicolle and husband Dr. Fletcher at the Career Woman of the Year Award Ceremony
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2012 Established the Annual Arkansas Birth Fair
2015 Shimmering Pearls Award for Dedication, Leadership & Service to the Community by Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. 2015 Nominated Outstanding Minority Business of the Year by the Conway Chamber of Commerce 2016 Nominated Minority Small Business of the Year by the Conway Chamber of Commerce 2016 Nominated Arkansas Business of the Year by Arkansas Business Publishing Group 2017 Career Woman of the Year by Conway Professional & Business Woman in Faulkner County 2012-2017 Trained, Mentored and Certified 30 women to pursue their dreams and passions as birth workers in Central Arkansas |