birth
While I still continue to do web development and training on the side, my passion is birth. The birth of my son in November 2009 opened up a whole new world to me. Everything that I learned & experienced in the 9 months before his birth led me firmly down the path to home birth and made me realize what a disaster maternity & birth are in the United States. I realized that home birth is actually the safest, healthiest option for normal, low risk birth - but don't get me started.. (His birth story is quite entertaining - drop me a line and ask about it!)
I'm currently working towards becoming certified as a postpartum Doula, as well as studying to be a childbirth educator. I believe, strongly, in home birth for low risk birth and believe all women need to know that they have options and that hospital birth will often lead to many unnecessary and detrimental medical interventions.
I chose to pursue being a postpartum Doula because, truthfully, I realized that I couldn't now make the time committment & sacrifice required to be a birth doula or midwife. Having had our son while living on the West Coast - far from friends & family, and moving to another state entirely shortly after, I know well the struggles & isolation that can come from going at it alone. I've come to feel that being a postpartum doula would be a perfect fit for me and, dare I even say - a calling. I feel that I have a lot to offer to new mothers, particularly those far from family. I hope to complete my certification by the end of 2011.
In addition, due to many of the personal struggles that I experienced, I came to know a lot about nutrition for new mothers and, in particular, breastfeeding mothers. I've become very familiar with foods and herbs that boost milk production (galactagogues). Cooking with whole, real, local, and seasonal foods is a passion of mine and is yet another part of what I will have to offer to new moms.
- Thinking about home birth? Email me - I have many resources and tons of information.