For Years, She Welcomed Fitler’s Newest Residents
After helping Fitler families navigate postpartum life for over a decade, doula Christine Golcher is retiring
On the edge of Center City lies the neighborhood of Fitler Square, home to many families and one particularly dedicated doula.
Christine Golcher, who works as a postpartum doula and a newborn care specialist, has called Philly home since 2011, and has been living and working in Fitler Square since 2015.
After 11 years, Golcher is now winding down her practice. Her time had become increasingly in-demand over the past several years, and she’s looking forward now to nannying her own granddaughter.
According to Golcher, demand for doulas in Philly peaked in the last couple of years. “During the pandemic, apparently with everybody being stuck at home, we had a mini baby boom here,” she reports. “It was very, very busy during the pandemic.”
A Strong Fitler Presence
Golcher has worked with clients all over the city, but she’s partial to Fitler families. “I love the community feeling that you get here in Fitler Square.” Working so close to home has other perks too. "It's convenient, and it's good exercise to be able to walk to my clients," she noted.
Golcher’s path to becoming a doula began in 2012 when a friend first told her about the profession. Instantly captivated, she recalled, "I gave my notice and jumped into the doula training, and I've been going strong ever since."
Ava Medarhri, who lived on Taney Street in November of 2020 when she had her first child, appreciated Golcher’s close proximity. “She would walk to our place,” Medarhri recalled. “You could set your clock by Christine.”
As a new mom during the height of COVID isolation, Medarhri grew especially close to Golcher, who visited for postpartum and newborn care services for almost three months.
“We spent Thanksgiving together,” Medarhri recalled. “We said, ‘Chris, if you need to spend Thanksgiving with family, you know, we understand’. And she said, ‘no, you know what? At this point, nobody's getting together. I'll be there for you guys.’”
Parenting in Fitler Square
As a new mom, Medarhri fondly remembers Fitler’s community resources, specifically the Schuylkill River Trail, Markward playground, and of course “the little dog park and the big dog park.”
New parents in Fitler Square have myriad resources at their disposal, from local businesses that offer pre and post natal services, to parent groups that provide community and mentorship.
Golcher often referred clients to Six Fishes, an acupuncture studio on Gray Ferry Ave. Six Fishes is experienced in using acupuncture to induce labor. “If the client is starting to get pressure to be medically induced,” Golcher explains, “they can actually try acupuncture and that can do the job. And then they don’t have to go through the whole medical induction, with all the hardship and medications.”
In September, Golcher joined a group called Fitler Moms for a documentary screening at The Fitler Club. “There were so many people there from all different birth and postpartum professions,” Golcher recalled. “It was really nice to be able to have that right in Fitler.”
Golcher's primary gripe with both Fitler Square and the broader Philadelphia landscape is the absence of birthing centers, which provide a cozier, more domestic ambiance than hospitals. "I wish we had a birth center in the city," she laments.
While Bryn Mawr boasts one such center, Philadelphia proper remains devoid of any. Golcher is drawn to the allure of birth centers, describing them as distinctly home-like. Entering one feels “like you’re walking into your bedroom,” she explains. “It’s just a more relaxing and calming environment than the hospital, which is all bright and scary and noisy.”
Her other wish? That people would update their expectations of what a modern doula is. “They think we're all a bunch of hippies, wearing dreadlocks and flowy skirts and comfy shoes.” With a chuckle, she said, “but I can tell you, as an older doula, that is definitely not the case.”
Correction: an earlier version of this article misspelled Ms. Golcher’s last name. We regret the error.