For me, becoming a doula speaks to who I am as a person. All my friends and family have known I’ve wanted to be a mom since I was a little girl, so it was only a matter of time before I started working with mothers/families/babies.
For 10 years I had a successful career as a marketing/sales manager in the automotive and marketing industries, but I craved a career that would leave me feeling fulfilled at the end of the day.
My son was born early on in the quarantine, and while I was reveling in my husband and I becoming parents and loving on our sweet boy, it was the most difficult time of our lives. Even without the threat of a national pandemic, we had a tougher time than most because our son was born with a complete bilateral cleft lip and palate. My dreams of breastfeeding were out the window, and chose to pump for him for about 8 months. Weekly doctors visits and several surgeries came and went, and while my husband and I felt like we were going through a gauntlet, it showed us how strong we can be. We came out the other side stronger than ever. Figuring out my new identity as a mother, how to keep this tiny perfect human alive, how to keep my marriage strong, how to love my new body, etc. were all stages of this gauntlet for me, and all very natural and normal. While I look back at all we’ve accomplished with pride, I also very much wish we had a postpartum doula to make things a little easier.
After some soul-searching and consideration, I knew I wanted to take what I had learned from my own experience (and the experiences of others over the years) and help support families during the fourth trimester.
I help my mommas and partners feel empowered in this chaotic, stressful, beautiful time in their lives, and let them know they are not alone. I want to help them achieve their goals and become a stronger family unit.