Calm, Confident, Strong, & Empowered

         Growing up I was exposed to birth from a young age. My mom had 7 home births with a midwife. I witnessed the last three births. My mom was calm, confident, and strong. She trusted her body and the process. She was surrounded by people who loves and supported her the whole time never leaving her side. After baby was born it was immediate breastfeeding and skin to skin bonding. Over the next few days friends and family brought meals, which was no small task for such a large family. Love, Support, strength and confidence was what always encompassed her birth space and postpartum.
          Fast forward to when I was pregnant with our first baby....
I didn't even question where I would give birth. For me it just seemed normal or natural to give birth at home with a midwife because that is where I was most comfortable. I had zero fears going into labour, only anticipation of meeting our baby!  I had been caring for babies since I was ten years old so I didn't have any fears about caring for a baby either. My labour was very fast for a first time birth. My midwife was very surprised. My labour started at midnight and our daughter was born at 11:21 that morning.  I was calm. confident, and strong!
        Birth as is it today is filled with fear. We hear horror stories of peoples births that were long and painful. Some stories include things done to them or to baby without consent. Movies with birth scenes also paint an unrealistic picture of birth as well.  Sometimes even the things our care provider or family members say to us can plant seeds of fear.  This fear has an enormous effect on labour.   When someone is afraid the fight or flight instincts kick in and your body tenses up and tries to stop labour until you feel safe. This can result in a long painful labor, which will lead to the need of pain medications.  This often leads to the spiral effect of interventions needed. Don't get me wrong I am not against using these tools when needed. I just believe they can be avoided by simply educating families and having proper continuous support.
       This brings me to why I became a Doula...
I have a passion for supporting families through their journey of parenthood.  I believe every birthing person deserves to feel calm, confident, and strong, going into birth and parenthood. I want your birth experience to leave you feeling empowered! The way this happens looks different for everyone. If for you getting an epidural and birthing in the hospital is how you will feel most safe and calm then that is what you should do. I support you in however you want to birth without judgment. I am here to educate you, support you, and advocate for what you want.  Through educating families about what to expect in birth and postpartum it removes the fear of the unknown. As well allows for educated decision making as the need arises. Empowering you to trust your body and your instincts. Our bodies are amazing and were made to birth! 
       My Mission as  your Doula is to remove fear from birth and the postpartum period through judgement free physical, informational and emotional support.  I want you to have a satisfying birth experience and come away with a feeling of empowerment!