I have been interested in birth and breastfeeding since my early childhood experience of watching my neighbor’s kittens give birth and witnessing how newborn kittens naturally began nursing just moments after being born. As a young girl I felt conflicted by witnessing birth as a physiologically normal experience in nature compared to medicalized and fear-centered childbirth experience portrayed by popular media.

Not fully understanding that I could make a career out of empowering women to feel confident about birth, I spent some time in college majoring in music before settling on my final degree of choice, English education. As a result, I taught high school English in the public school system for nine years before discovering the possibility of following my heart and passion to begin working with women and their support partners by informing them about evidence-based birth, supporting them and providing a calming presence through labor and birth, and providing education for breastfeeding.

I am DONA certified and a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator. I have been a La Leche League leader for nearly five years and am also a certified lactation counselor. Additionally, I have attended the ProDoula postpartum doula training and am working toward certification with this organization.

I currently live in Raleigh, NC with my husband, a dedicated high school band director. We have two children, ages 11 and 15. Our first child was welcomed into the world through a cesarean, and our second child arrived through a medication-free, natural childbirth. Each birth affected me differently, opening up my perspective to the importance of supporting each woman’s own definition of what she wants in her birth experience.

Childbirth Training, Education, and Experience Timeline:

2001: BS in English Education

2007: Personal Bradley Birth Ending in Cesarean (1st Child)

2011: Personal Unmedicated VBAC (2nd Child)

2011: Became La Leche League Leader

2013: DONA Birth Doula Training

2013: Lamaze Educator Training

2013: CAPPA Advanced Doula Training

2013: CLC Certification

2014: Rebozo Training

2014: HypnoDoula Hypnobabies Training

2015: DONA Certified Birth Doula

2015: Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator

2015: ProDoula Postpartum Doula Training

2016: ProDoula Advanced Business Training

2016: Reiki Level I Training

2016: Reiki Level II Training

2017: Perinatal Mental Health Postpartum Support International Training and Certification

2018 Holding Space for Pregnancy Loss Training