I strive to honor all of these elements in birth by affirming each family’s unique journey welcoming a child through the three pillars of birth doula support: emotional support, physical support, and informational support. Each pillar plays a role in making your birth journey one in which you feel empowered, assured, safe, and supported in body, mind, and spirit.

My journey to becoming a birth doula began when my sister (& best friend!) became pregnant with her first baby in mid 2020. She asked me to be with her during labor and delivery, and nothing felt more special or important to me. It was such an honor to be asked, and, wanting to be well-prepared to support her, I began to self-teach as much as I could about birth support. In May 2021, she delivered a beautiful baby girl - my niece, Vera. 

There was nothing quite like the feeling I got when preparing for her birth and supporting her through it. I was eager to learn skills and techniques, and also recognized how strongly the role resonated with my nature. We are all familiar with a feeling of bittersweetness at times in life, experiencing joy and grief simultaneously. 

I feel most myself at those intersections of darkness and light: just at the edge of something miraculous and beautiful. I witnessed and protected that intersection during my niece’s birth, as it brought pain alongside sheer joy. I knew that in doing so, I lit a flame inside that had been waiting to spark. I held on to this feeling, but sort of tucked it away at the time. When my niece turned one, I reflected on my experience the year prior, and still felt it tugging at me. The flame was still burning, so I decided to complete my birth doula training (through DONA International) in summer 2022. Over this time, I heard the phrase, “let the energetic world guide you more than the physical world” and I knew that while I had a sense of accomplishment in my educational and career path up until that point, my energy was being pulled toward the world of birth work. I leaned into that intuition and found that with each birth I’ve supported, the flame only burns brighter.

I noticed in the moments of my sister’s labor, though, it was the strength that found her in the moments of true surrender. I believe that no matter what pathway is preferred and taken to bring a baby into the world, everyone has the ability to both summon strength from within and let strength come to them through their own instincts and intuition. I see my role as a doula as being there to honor, enhance, and bring attention to that passageway for strength. In doing so, I strive to be attentive to the unique needs of each birthing person so that they may have a birth experience that is rewarding and satisfying by their own definitions, and remembered with positive feelings of support, accomplishment, and love.

Prior to doula work, I studied economics, cultural anthropology, and public policy, and worked at a nonprofit dedicated to behavioral and social science research and evaluation. These experiences helped me become an open-minded and skilled consumer of research and evidence, which I apply in my role as a doula. Outside of supporting births, I love to cook and try new foods, practice yoga, love on my family (including my dog, Cleo), be outside, tend to my houseplants, and get lost reading a book or listening to music. My youth was filled with all kinds of dance (ballet, jazz, modern, you name it) and I still feel eager to dance in the kitchen, learn a new ballroom step with my partner, or sway to music (something that has been powerful for many during labor!). I grew up in a beautiful small town in the mountains of New Mexico, and have enjoyed living in the vibrant DMV since 2018.