What is a doula?
Women were never meant to do this alone
and neither are you.
so... what's a doula actually do?
My professional answer? A doula is a trained professional who provides support during labor and childbirth and acts with your values, wishes and best interests in mind. Birth doulas work alongside doctors and nurses to help ensure that your emotional and physical needs are being met, and I want to make sure you feel informed and empowered to make the best decisions for you and your baby.
The answer I give most people? I'm here to be your birth bestie of sorts. The person that settles your nerves at 3am when you're doom scrolling birth horror stories, helping you understand all of your options and walking you through to process of what to expect so nothing is a surprise, to help guide your partner in finding the best ways to support you, reminding you whats normal and whats not when you cant get ahold of your OB because its a Saturday. Last but not least, as much as I love your baby and am so excited to meet them, I'm there for you. I stay with you. When eyes shift from you to that baby, mine are on you, making sure you have what you need, that you feel safe, that you're never alone.
if you're a STATISTIC type of gal...
50%
Rate of reduced cesarean section births for those with a doula.
25%
Reduced length of labor for those with a doula.
30%
Reduced rate of mothers requesting pain medication with a doula.
+
Having a doula has been proven to reduce rates of postpartum depression.
what i believe about birth
While I love providing the facts about having a doula, it's also not my main focus when serving women in birth. As a doula, my role is to serve you emotionally, physically and to provide informative care. I'm not the type of doula to place all of my trust in essential oils, labor combs, mediations or affirmations. I do believe each of these things have their place in birth, but they are not an end all be all. However, I am the type of doula that wants to be your friend, hold your face and brush your hair while you're in the throes of labor, support you through postpartum and love your baby like my own. Birth is a rite of passage, a portal to new life and women have been conditioned to look for a way to escape it. We often rely on medical intervention for just about everything, but with birth, when we do this we are surrendering our power to the system. You're capable of birthing your baby. Your body was designed to do this.
My passion within birth came to life when I had my son at the age of 19. I wanted to have a home birth with him, but it wasn't in the cards for us at the time. I was young, shy and wasn't confident enough to advocate for myself throughout my birth, and that birth experience was very traumatic for me. 2 years later, I was pregnant with my daughter and I vowed to never have a hospital birth again. I had her at our local birth center, Bella Donna in 2023. I was determined to have a better birth experience. I hired a doula and birth photographer as well, and I truly believe having those women by my side ignited this burning passion for women and peaceful births. I'm here to protect your birth goals, to give back to the community that gave to me, and to be a villager for the women that need it.
Get in touch
I'd be happy to grab some coffee, answer any questions you have, and chat about your birth goals!