I am a long-time birth junkie who began advocacy work for evidence-based maternity care in 2004 as a co-founder of Birth Matters Lynchburg. Pregnant with my second child, I began learning more and more about how often labor can be positively affected by the right support team, and how interventions can lead to a cascade of undesirable events. I hired my own doula and sought midwifery care, all while working hard to get information on good birth practices accessible to expectant moms in the Lynchburg area.
I wore my baby on trips to Charlottesville while we merged with other groups across the state in order to form a strong, cohesive body that could reach individual communities in Virginia. We strive for access to birth professionals with passion for evidence-based care, and meetings designed to bring together families, birthing women, and local resources. Our desire, my desire, is that women all over learn how to become their own advocates for maternity care.
While helping coordinate the merge of these groups into what is now called Birth Matters Virginia, I had the privilege of meeting and befriending many doulas and midwives, which made me even more excited about being an active part birth advocacy. Finally, I could resist the call no longer and enrolled in doula training through the Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association in 2006. Since then, I’ve attended dozens of births and been absolutely blessed by what I’ve witnessed, and I’ve added an additional child to my own clan.
My degree in chemistry, coupled with extensive work in laboratories and in the sciences gives me a unique ability to interpret data and studies on childbirth, and I have strived to keep up with the newest information available so I can be the best resource for my clients. I took the C.A.P.P.A. doula training course, fulfilled their reading and certification requirements, and have also received training in massage techniques and yoga.
Every birth is totally unique. I am often surprised by the inner reserves a woman can find when she is given the right support and encouragement. I get to watch the miracle, not only of birth, but of a woman coming into her own right as a mother.
I have attended all kinds of births, and the one thing I know for sure is that the best skill I have as a doula is the ability to be still and listen. Most of what I can do for you is based on quietly following your cues in order to give you the kind of support you need. It’s something I’m honored to be able to do, and I look forward to being able to witness many, many more births.