A birth doula is so much more than a labor companion. I’m a childbirth educator, preparing you in advance to meet the challenges of labor with information and hands-on practice. I’m a personal advocate, making sure your birth preferences are known and honored. I’m a coach, taking the pressure off of you and your partner to know all the answers & options, and creating space for both of you to be fully present and involved. I'm a teammate helping with massage, positions, comfort measures, breathing, and more. And I’m there to encourage, motivate, and inspire, making your birth both positive and enjoyable.
I've been learning about birth for 23 years. It all started with two lines on a pregnancy test, and just kept right on going! I completed training in childbirth education at the Seattle Midwifery School and taught for two area hospitals for a dozen years as a side gig while teaching children and adults as a licensed teacher. During the
I've been learning about birth for 23 years. It all started with two lines on a pregnancy test, and just kept right on going! I completed training in childbirth education at the Seattle Midwifery School and taught for two area hospitals for a dozen years as a side gig while teaching children and adults as a licensed teacher. During the past 15 years, I found myself called into doula work as word spread to my family, co-workers, and community about my skills, knowledge, and passion for helping families work toward the birth of their dreams. Fast forward to the fall of 2022, when I stepped out of the classroom and into birth work full time. I'm now a doula 24/7, and am excited to be working each day with expecting people and those that love them.
Carrots or broccoli? Jane Austen or Stephen King? Our preferences color every aspect of our daily lives, and our preferences for birth are often there long before the baby bump appears. Birth preferences, sometimes called birth wishes, matter a lot, and what's optimal to someone else might not be optimal for you. As a doula, my job star
Carrots or broccoli? Jane Austen or Stephen King? Our preferences color every aspect of our daily lives, and our preferences for birth are often there long before the baby bump appears. Birth preferences, sometimes called birth wishes, matter a lot, and what's optimal to someone else might not be optimal for you. As a doula, my job starts long before the first contraction, with prenatal meetings to help you craft your birth wishes into a solid plan of action. I'm there to provide evidence-based resources, listen to both your hopes and fears, and let you decide what your pathway to parenthood should look, sound, and feel like. No matter what your preference is for dealing with discomfort or delivery, I'm there with you and for you every step of the way. I will help you advocate for what you need and want. It's your birth. And I'll help make sure it feels that way.
For most people, having the birth they’ve dreamed of doesn’t happen by chance. Most often, it takes prior planning, practice, and a continuous labor support team leveraging evidence-based strategies and a variety of effective coping techniques to raise the odds of turning the birth you dream of into reality.
During prenatal appointments
For most people, having the birth they’ve dreamed of doesn’t happen by chance. Most often, it takes prior planning, practice, and a continuous labor support team leveraging evidence-based strategies and a variety of effective coping techniques to raise the odds of turning the birth you dream of into reality.
During prenatal appointments we’ll craft a plan of action for before, during, and after birth that fits your unique vision for your baby’s arrival and stacks the deck in your favor for a shorter, easier, and more enjoyable birth.
And what happens if the baby has other ideas, and things don't go as planned? As an experienced and compassionate birth doula, I bring information and encouragement to help you pivot and embrace the new path, resulting in a joyful, powerful, and rewarding experience.
I've been a Doula for a wide variety of births:
*Unmedicated & Medicated Birth
*Hospital, Birth Center, & Home Birth
*Planned & Unplanned Cesarean Birth
*Inductions & Water Birth
*VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean)
*Birth After Previous Pregnancy Loss
*Solo Parent Births
*Anxiety / Neurodiversity
*Queer Parents
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