At our first prenatal appointment, the midwife told us depending on which doctor or midwife was on call, we potentially could be told I was to stay in bed and not move throughout my entire labor. That day I went home and cried. I cried because I felt so confused. I didn’t know much about labor and birth, but I certainly didn’t think someone should tell me ‘how’ to do something so personal. I knew something had to change for us and this was not how I wanted to welcome our baby into the world; by being controlled or bossed around. I wanted an experience to remember, not a day I'd feel miserable thinking about because it was ideal for someone else. Inevitably, the choices we made for both our daughters’ births not only felt perfect for us, but led to my husband and I feeling even closer as a team. 

We felt warmly supported through our labor and birth experiences, and now as a doula I know that support comes in many forms. I found my way to doula work when my own doula invited me to learn under her after my first daughter was born. She immediately saw a passion in me to support and educate families as I had been supported and educated. My doula work has taught me that above all else find a care provider who supports you in your goals. Find a group or single provider who sees birth the way you do. It doesn’t matter if you hope to have an epidural, or want to avoid medications… Birth is a ‘one step at a time’ kind of journey, and building your dream team is the first step to having a positive birth experience.

My hopes are to provide my clients with support in achieving their birth and postpartum goals. As a birth team we can narrow down your birth preferences, and come up with a game plan for how we will navigate and personalize your birth experience as it unfolds. We can’t plan things, but it is important to have in mind some of the things you hope to achieve throughout your pregnancy and birth journey. Most of my job during labor is to be intuitive by guiding you and your birth partner through the labor and birth. Through comfort measures, position changes, information, and help communicating with the staff; I work with each client I support in a very personalized way. I work together with partners/family members and medical staff to cultivate a positive and openly communicative environment. This way if something comes up that you didn’t expect, we can all work together towards our goal; to bring baby earth-side and create positive memories in the process.

I am also very passionate about supporting families in the first weeks of parenthood. I have learned through my own postpartum experiences that support is not always in the form of visiting to enjoy the new baby. In fact, I want to change the narrative of postpartum care to focus equally on the baby and postpartum person. I hope to empower partners to know how to support the birthing person as well. My goal is to make sure you are heard, supported, and taken care of just as much as baby is tended to. Whether it's in the form of cleaning bottles, giving you time to rest or do self-care, or even cooking you a meal; I want to empower your family to feel confident in this new chapter.

As a birth and postpartum doula my hopes are to provide my clients with support in achieving their birth dreams and goals. I am a very passionate believer that birth can empower you but it can also mold you. The birth of a child is truly a birth of two and sometimes three people. The parents are often born as well. I am so excited for the opportunity to help you experience your dream birth!