During my pregnancies, not only was I moved by the miracle of a new life forming within me, but also by the compassion and personal care I found through my nurse-midwives.  I learned the value of having caregivers that listened, understood, encouraged, and reassured me through the births of my four children.  Offering this same kind of support to friends at their births came naturally for me, and developed into one of my passions over the years that followed.

It’s my privilege as a certified birth doula (Greek for “woman who serves”) to offer educational, emotional, and hands-on support to women and their birth partners during pregnancy, continuously throughout labor, and in the precious first hours to weeks following the birth of their baby.  Because there is no “right way” to give birth, I support every woman’s choice for the type of experience she hopes to achieve, whether planning for a natural or medicated birth.   I’ve also learned the importance of offering additional sensitivity and assistance for unexpected or planned cesarean births, as well as for a VBAC.

As a certified Lamaze educator, my classes follow a philosophy that instills confidence in women preparing to give birth and become mothers—in partners learning ways to provide practical support through the many twists and turns of labor—in preparing both for the transition into life with a newborn.  Participants learn about medications and medical procedures, including the benefits and risks of each, which will help them to make informed decisions. Extended time is given to practice relaxation, breathing, comfort measures, and ways to help labor progress—all are beneficial, even for those planning on a medicated birth.  I invite class members to lay down their fears of the unknown and replace them with the understanding that birth is a process to be trusted, and their bodies already know just what to do. Childbirth education ought to be far more than an academic exercise—it’s an amazing journey of discovery!

          I understand the significance of childbirth in a woman’s life, and I am privileged to help nurture and protect the memory of her birth will all my heart and soul. 

“Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said,
“Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”

*References are available upon request.