A Little About Me

Why I became a doula?

My husband Neil and I welcomed our first child, Camden in a birth center setting. The first part of my labor went quickly and was going so smoothly. After pushing for  two hours, I was not making any progress. My midwife and doula were so patient, allowed my body to do what it needed while also suggesting a variety of helpful positions to help baby come descend. Long story short, after many more hours, and when the ambulance was on its way to transfer me to the hospital, Camden was born healthy as can be. While parts of his birth story were not ideal and scary from my point of view, the consistent calm presence of my birth team gave me the courage and the confidence I needed to deliver my baby. They made all the difference and I am thankful I had them. It was after this experience that I knew I wanted to become a doula to help women achieve the birth that leaves them feeling empowered no matter what their birth experience ends up being. 

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Why should you consider hiring a doula? Your birth story is one you will never forget. Ask any women you know about their own birth story and I can almost guarantee you they will be able to recall what someone said to them, how they were treated from their birth team, and what the immediate postpartum period was like. Statistics are clear in that having a doula's continual presence makes you less likely to: receive pitocin during labor, require a cesarean birth, need pain medications, and MORE likely to look back on their child birth experience positively. Not only is continuous support incredibly beneficial for the mom, but very helpful for dad as well. I always tell dads, my job as a doula is not to replace you but to equip you with tools to best support mom. Birth doula's are a huge benefit to any family. 

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What's your belief about birth? I believe in physiological birth. I believe a women's body was intelligently and intricately made to know how to give birth. I believe that both mom and baby are on the same team working together. A mama's body dilates and the baby needs to rotate.  There are a number of comfort measures we can use - like changing of positions, breathing, hydrotherapy, acupressure, to help ease labor pains - and utilizing other pain medications such as an epidural can also be a great tool to use! At the same time, birth is intense and a marathon and there are things that can happen that are out of our control. We control the controllables. We pivot and do what's best in the moment when something out of our control comes our way!

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What is your doula style? My goal as a doula is to listen to my clients needs and wishes and do everything I can to ensure those are met during pregnancy and labor. We spend a lot of time in our prenatal meetings getting to know one another and what your birth plan is. During labor, I work with you to find your labor rhythm. This rhythm often needs to change through the different phases of labor. I pride myself in being a doula who can switch styles according to what mom and dad might need in the given moment (i.e. sometimes a more direct approach is needed, and other times it's a working behind the scenes to not disrupt the labor rhythm).

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What are some other fun facts about yourself?

My husband and I have three amazing kiddos and there is nothing more rewarding than being their mama. We just started the homeschooling journey. We are Christians and seek to live out our faith in Jesus wherever we go. I love keeping things simple and consider myself a cozy minimalist. I love to cook and bake healthy things that actually taste delicious. I take great pride in being the gatekeeper of our home - this has looked like taking a deep dive into all the products we have and food we eat. I am a brand partner with Young Living because I absolutely love using their oils, and products and trust their ingredients.