My Journey to Birthwork
I discovered my passion for birth early in life. I grew up hearing the story of my own birth often. I was a planned home birth, but after four long days of labor my mom transferred to the hospital for some much-needed rest. I was born vaginally, and she still described the experience as beautiful, despite the long and difficult labor we went through together.
My brother was born just before my third birthday. I don’t remember much from that day other than my mom being loud, the house being full of people, and the heat of a July afternoon. My mom, however, remembers a moment during her labor when I brought her a cool glass of water, which was exactly what she needed at that time. Some might say that I became a doula that day!
When I was six, my mom had my sister. By then, I was completely captivated by pregnancy and birth. I remember attending midwife visits with her just down the road from our house, and being enamored with this kind, knowledgeable woman who welcomed my curiosity. My sister was born in early January. My mom labored next to our wood-burning stove all day, then lay down on our couch and gave birth right there. I sat near the end of the couch, watching it all unfold, and at that moment I knew I would become a midwife.
My youngest sibling was born when I was ten, this time in a hospital after another long labor (yes, that can happen even with your fourth baby!). My mom made sure my other two siblings and I were there, and I think it was just as important to her as it was to me that I witnessed it. Once again, I was awed by the moment a baby emerges into the world. I even got to cut my sister’s umbilical cord and be the first to hold her after my mom.
For a few years, I set my dreams of midwifery aside. I came back to birthwork when I began college with the intention of becoming a nurse and working in labor and delivery. As I completed my nursing prerequisites, I started to lose some inspiration and decided to take a doula training. At the time, I didn’t fully understand what doulas did — I just knew I wanted to be in the room where birth was happening. From my very first training, I fell in love with the work and began seeking opportunities to support births right away. It has been everything I dreamed of and more, reigniting my passion for midwifery.
I plan to begin nursing school in the fall of 2026 and later attend graduate school to earn my master’s in nursing science and become a Certified Nurse Midwife.
My Philosophy Around Birth
My ultimate goal as your doula is to help you have a birth that feels both safe and satisfying. This work has shown me that those words mean something different for every person. I’ve supported clients through hospital and home births, unmedicated labors, planned and unplanned epidurals, planned and unplanned cesareans, and more. I’ve seen clients who dreamed of an unmedicated birth feel empowered in their decision to get an epidural, and I’ve witnessed unplanned cesareans and home birth transfers that still felt exactly right.
Birth can’t be predicted, but we can prepare for many possibilities. Becoming educated and informed about labor and birth helps you understand your choices at every fork in the road, so you can make the decisions that feel right for you. To support that process, I provide evidence-based information, encourage you to explore your own risk tolerance, and help you tune into your intuition. What feels like a tolerable risk for one person may not for another, and sometimes the most intuitive choice in the moment is one you never expected to make.
Outside voices may tell you that the only way to have a physiologic birth is to have a home birth, or that you “don’t get a trophy” for giving birth unmedicated. You may hear that the only way to heal from a traumatic cesarean is to have a VBAC, or that VBACs are too risky altogether. I stray from these absolutes; I have seen traumatic home births, beautiful physiologic hospital births, and redemptive cesareans. There is no one choice that guarantees you an ideal birth. Doing the work to become an informed and educated participant in your own care increases the chances that you will be able to cherish the memory of the day your baby was born, no matter which way it goes. Having a birth support team that you can trust is a part of that. I believe the truth is that there is no single right way to give birth, only the way that feels safest, most informed, and most satisfying to you.
You might feel that I’m the right doula for you if you’re looking for:
A compassionate and personalized approach to your prenatal preparation and birth experience
Evidence-based information and education on the latest guidelines from leading organizations in prenatal and intrapartum care
A science-forward yet holistic approach that considers your emotional, mental, physical, and family wellbeing
Support through a culturally competent and trauma-informed lens
A doula who meets you exactly where you are, with warmth, respect, and genuine care.
Read what my past clients have said about their experience here.
Certifications, Trainings, and Professional Memberships:
Doula Trainings:
Cornerstone Labor, Birth, and Postpartum Doula Training
DONA International Approved Introduction to Childbearing for Doulas and Birth Doula Training
Certifications:
Cornerstone Certified Labor, Birth and Postpartum Doula
Basic Life Support (BLS) from American Heart Association
Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP®) from American Academy of Pediatrics
Basic Life Support in Obstetrics (BLSO™) from American Academy of Family Physicians
Continuing Education Workshops:
VBAC Course from Evidence Based Birth®
Basic Fetal Monitoring with Bundle Birth Nurses
Professional Memberships:
Evidence Based Birth® Professional Membership
The Educated Birth Professional Member
SoCo Perinatal Network Member
Degrees:
Associates Degree in Natural Sciences, Santa Rosa Junior College, 2025
Associates Degree in Pre-Allied Health, Santa Rosa Junior College, 2025
Coming 2026:
Certified Nursing Assistant, Santa Rosa Junior College
Body Ready Method Professional
Evidence Based Birth® Instructor