Hi, I’m Dez Weyburn.
This page is a little about me and my work. I’m so glad you’re here!
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
Dr. Seuss
This quote from a children’s author fits my life perfectly! It’s funny how much reading has changed my life.
If I could go back and tell my teenage self that one day I would be attending births for a living, I probably would have laughed. My plan at seventeen was simple: marry my sweetheart, major in music education, and teach high school or college level band. Well, I did one of those things! And started college as a music education major, but that’s when life threw a wrench in my plans. Or rather, I threw a wrench in my own plans.
“Doula”
I found out I was pregnant in 2012. I excitedly started reading everything I could get my hands on about pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and postpartum. During my reading, I came across the word that would change my life forever: “doula”. As I learned more about birth and doulas, I became fascinated. Even after giving birth, I kept reading books about pregnancy.
In 2013, I attended my first birth. It was a marathon labor and I came home to my baby daughter completely exhausted and yet exhilarated. It was the kind of feeling I had only had before while sitting in the middle of a concert band as the music swelled to its apex, but it lasted longer. It’s a feeling I can’t ever find adequate words for, but I get it after almost every birth I attend.
Becoming an LMT
In the summer of 2022, my doula business was just starting to really thrive and start paying some of the bills after a long period of sporadic births and even more sporadic profit. At the same time, my wonderful friend and mentor Joleen had been looking for another apprentice to learn massage therapy under her tutelage. Something about her posts caught my eye and I couldn’t get it out of my head. After a long discussion with my partner and a night to sleep on it, I jumped.
I am so grateful that I trusted my intuition. I started my apprenticeship by maxing out a credit card to pay my tuition and no clue what I was really getting myself into. My life went from busy to over scheduled almost overnight. My doula business continued to grow, I had class 2-4 days a week, and I still had to be a mom during my “off” time!
And it was incredible!
I learned so many new skills, made lifelong friends, and really built a new niche for myself, both in the birth world AND the massage therapy world. Truly, my doula work prepared me to trust the human body to be its own best healer, and my massage training elevated my doula work. I’ve been licensed now for over two years and I am so glad I took the leap.
History and Training
Since I attended my very first birth, I have taken multiple trainings, including bereavement trainings. I took part in a breastfeeding training and a training I feel was pivotal in how I doula: Birth Monopoly’s “Know Your Rights” course. I worked for three years at Babies R Us, taught classes, and learned a ton about baby gear, all while helping so many new parents celebrate their babies. Recently I’ve had the opportunity to take the Comforting Touch, Spinning Babies, and Rebozo training. I relish every opportunity to add to my skill-set.
In the past twelve years, I have attended births in many forms. I have been to full term births, preterm births, and first and second trimester births. I have experience supporting cesarean births, VBACs, water births, high risk inductions (with and without epidural), and low risk births (with and without an epidural).
In 2022 I had a first- a client whose labor went so fast I missed the birth! While I wish I could have been there, our prenatal preparation had left my client confident and prepared, and I definitely helped make up for it in postpartum care! This uncommon situation made me even more confident in the way I work with my clients at our prenatal visits. 2022 is also when I began my massage apprenticeship and my clinical hours necessary to get licensed.
In 2023, I started working as a part of the Northern Utah Doula Collective, and I’m so grateful for the incredible support of my local doula community. They have served as my backup at births or called me in as backup for their own clients. We meet monthly to give our clients the opportunity to get to know our backup, just in case!
Who do I work with?
Due to my history as a doula, I represent a tiny fraction of LMTs who aren’t afraid of pregnancy. Nearly 40% of my clinical hours were spent doing prenatal and postpartum massage, and I continue to serve many pregnant clients! I work primarily with women, with the local queer and trans community, and with plus size individuals as a massage therapist.
As a doula, I love helping my clients find their own confidence, especially helping the non-birthing parent feel competent in their support role. My partner was my rock, especially in my second birth, and I really needed to see that during the birth process before I had to lean on him during a rough postpartum experience.
Special Considerations
Due to my own background as well as my family background, I feel a call to work with teen parents as well as clients who are serving as gestational surrogates or choosing to place their babies for adoption. I really want my services to be accessible, especially to under-served communities. If you could use doula or massage services but can’t afford my listed prices, please reach out to me anyway! I would love to find a way to get you the support you deserve!
What’s New?
I am a Licensed Massage Therapist and work out of my office in Sugarhouse. If you’d like to schedule a massage, you can find my rates and availability here.