I am the mother of three children.  My oldest two children were born in the hospital, both with the help of a doula by our side.  It was a tremendous gift to have a doula there for their births.  The expertise the doula brought with her and her calming voice allowed me to open and surrender to my body during labor.   So much so that my husband and I decided that our third child should be born into the peace and comfort of our own home.  It was that last birth that empowered me enough to finally become a doula, and eventually a midwife.  I wanted to be able to share and pass on the knowledge that women are designed to give birth and are strong enough to do it on their own power.  It is my desire that this knowledge be passed onto my daughter's generation and beyond and I feel a sense of duty to be the one to show them and all the women and families I serve that women are powerful, strong and they can do this.

I am currently enrolled in Ancient Art Midwifery Institute's Advanced Midwifery Studies program.  This is a three year distance education program for midwives.  I have been named to the honor roll three times and expect to graduate sometime in 2014.  I have gained clinical experience from a trip to Africa with The African Birth Collective, where I assisted at 17 births.  Locally I have worked as an assistant to two local midwives and have attended several out of hospital births with them.  I am working toward earning my CPM and in that process (read more here) I am beginning to take my own clients as a "primary under supervision" midwife starting in 2011.

I offer doula assistance to those who choose to give birth in the hospital as well.  I have attended women at several hospitals in the area and have been attending births as a doula since the Fall of 2007.  I am an ALACE trained doula and a certified lactation counselor (CLC).  My CPR and Neonatal Resuscitation certifications are current.