I am a mother, massage therapist,  space holder, and educator for women as they navigate pregnancy and  parenting. I have a love for learning about the human body and the intricacies of our minds as much as I can. I'm the oldest of 5 children and have always found comfort in leadership positions, especially working with other women. I believe that birth is a sacred right of passage where women are shown the true extent of our power and are realigned with our highest selves. I believe that birth cracks us open and our babies are sent to shape us, not for us to shape them. 

I believe there is a need in our world for mothers to reclaim the birthing process and all that encompasses it. When I had my first baby, my nurses heard me working through contractions and told me that I wasn’t handling it well, and that I didn't need to suffer. It was heartbreaking to know that the moment where I felt powerful and proud was looked at by professionals as suffering. The obstetrician on call told my husband that he needed to “make me listen” or else I’d kill myself and our baby. Once he successfully got me to comply with his wishes, he proudly and mockingly told me “what happened to all of the attitude you had earlier” while I cried that I’d been awake for days and couldn't keep my eyes open much longer.  This was supposed to be one of the best days of my life, but my hospital staff made me feel belittled, vulnerable, unimportant, and at times... straight up bullied. 

Although I tended to be more natural minded in the sense that I used food and exercise before considering any western medicine (drugs or surgery),  I didn't have a reason to feel distrusting or defensive in a hospital setting. I trusted that birth takes place in hospitals every day, and I was confident that the doctors and nurses were professionals who would always do what was best for me. So when I was completely steamrolled and betrayed by my providers,  I needed to understand WHY, and I took the deepest dive into all things birth and became a doula. 

After years of witnessing both beautiful undisturbed births and heartbreaking hijacked births, I learned the importance of listening to mothers with deep trust and protecting their peace with my whole heart. A lot of my early experience was fueled by a fear for my clients. I had such a strong desire to “protect” them from anyone who tried to steer them away from their intuition and values. I developed a strong defense system to honor my clients wishes - but this kept me on edge and led me to burn out. Birth was never supposed to be about fighting. 

With the birth of my second child I closed my eyes and pictured every single woman who allowed me to witness them in their power, through their experiences I had the courage to achieve a redemptive home birth of my own. My new goal is not to arm women with defenses to go into battle, but to show them just how in control they really are. Now I use the tools that I've picked up in the last 5 years to help more women experience birth fully in their power. Birth is not about fighting, and it’s not about proving your strength to others. Rather, it is about surrendering and learning that you have nothing to prove - everything you need is inside of you and nothing can break the deep intuition and connection we have with our babies.

After 4 years of attending hospital births, I'm ready to pass the torch to other amazing doulas who are fighting for autonomy in a conveyor belt system of care. If you've decided a hospital birth is right for you, I can provide educational support or I can connect you with a trusted referral. If you are giving birth at home or in a birthing center I  would love to support you in person.