I believe every woman should be deeply held by other women during pregnancy birth and postpartum. This is how it has always been until our modern times. What is so beautiful about attending births as a doula is that I will be there for you continuously throughout labor and birth. This kind of support on a birth team can help bring ease and grace to everyone. I strongly believe women should be respected, honored and educated.

In the United States we have the worst maternal outcomes out of any other developed country, and we spend more on maternal health care then any country in the world! We have a 33% cesarean birth rate, that’s one third of our births. It is crucial that we look deeply at the system that is causing this, and ask ourselves “What can we do to see change?” Choosing a doula is a perfect start. More education, more support, more trust, and less unnecessary interventions are deeply needed. My prayer is that every mother is respected, every newborn is touched with loving hands and every birth is honored as an incredibly sacred moment.

I love this question and if I can be the first person to tell an unsure mother that a home birth is absolutely safe, then I’ve done my work. The majority of the births I have attended have been in homes, and there is something so profound about each one. If you desire a natural unmedicated birth, midwifery care will support you every step of the way to achieve that goal. In the United States births attended by a Certified Professional Midwife have a 5% cesarean birth rate. 3rd and 4th degree tearing were significantly lower for home births, and mortality rates are the same in hospital vs. home. It is a big choice to make where is best for you to give birth and I believe home births should be accessible and considered by every low-risk pregnant woman.

When I was in my early 20s my sister invited me to be with her for the births of my niece and nephew. I had no idea it would change my life forever in the way that it did. A couple years after they were born I had a sure thing AHA moment. Every cell in me vibrated as I spoke to my friends “I am going to be a midwife!” It took some time after this until I dove deep into self study and attending births with some local midwives. The more time goes by the stronger my passion for this work becomes.

I would tell them they are strong and can trust their bodies. Spend time in nature and remember to have fun. Life wants to create more life and love will always grow into more love. Thanks for birthing another child of the Earth!

For the past 5 years I have apprenticed and assisted five different midwives here in California and on the island of Kauai. They all had beautiful backgrounds and so much knowledge to share. Observing births as home gave me a deep sense of trust in women’s bodies. I learned how to support a woman who is unmedicated and what physiological birth looks like. This past year I have begun to provide doula services and it has been amazing to serve these women. Taking all that I have learned into hospital settings as a doula has proved to be invaluable.

I support every woman and birthing person. I’ll care for you no matter your background, the beautiful color of your skin, who to or how you pray, how you choose to birth, what gender you prefer to smooch, how you dress, walk, talk or where you were born. Humans are magical and each one of us deserves loving compassionate support when bringing life into the world. I am studied in anti-racism and anti-oppression in relation to maternity care and I deeply understand the need for our country to look at what it is that leads to poor maternal and fetal outcomes within minority communities.