I am 39 years old, I have been married for 19 years and my husband and I have been blessed with 8 children, ages 14 down to 3 months. I have a degree in Early Childhood Education, and although I do not teach outside the home anymore, it has helped me with homeschooling my children. My family and I live on 4 acres in the country, and we enjoy various activities such as milking goats, gardening, and breeding English Springer Spaniels. I also enjoy sewing, quilting, scrap booking, and various other crafts, when I have time.

My first exposure to birth was when I was 17 years old and was invited to attend a home birth. I was allowed to listen to the baby’s heartbeat through a stethoscope, and a short time later, I witnessed new life enter the world. I was entranced by the experience, and ever since then I have been fascinated by pregnancy, birth, and anything to do with babies.

Becoming a mother was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for me, I had always dreamed of growing up, marrying a handsome man, and having lots of babies! My first two children were both born in the hospital, only 21 months apart. I chose to have natural births with both of them. My third baby was born at home in the water, after about 6 hours of labor.  My baby came out so quickly that the umbilical cord broke on the way out – but after a few dramatic moments, we were snuggled together on our very own bed. I was hooked on home birth from that moment on, and knew that was the right choice for me.

My fourth baby was also born at home, but his labor was shorter than we expected, and we did not make it to the water in time for the birth. So when my fifth baby came along, we prepared the pool very early so that I could take advantage of the water as soon as possible. My labor was a bit longer and more intense this time, but everything went normally and he was born bright eyed and alert in the early morning hours. My sixth and seventh births were both very peaceful and joyous water births as well. My eighth and most recent birth was my best yet, and with 2 midwives, my husband, 2 daughters, and a special friend acting as my doulas I did fine and had another wonderful water birth at home.

My Qualifications and Experience

I am a certified doula with Childbirth International (CBI). I am currently in the final stages of certification as a Christian Labor Doula and Christian Birth Educator with Cascade Christian Childbirth Association. I teach a 20-hour Christ-Centered Childbirth Class that gives comprehensive prenatal education and birth preparation to expectant couples. I am also certified as a Baby’s First Massage Instructor and am available to teach private classes in newborn massage. I am experienced in breastfeeding counseling and can help with normal breastfeeding issues as well as deciding when help from a lactation consultant is needed. I have been breastfeeding my own children for a combined total of over 14 years, including tandem nursing 2 of them for 2 years. I have knowledge and experience with herbal and natural remedies and can help with suggestions for pregnant and breastfeeding moms and their families. I also have personal experience in dealing with pregnancy loss and can help support a mom through this very difficult time.

My belief is that birth is a natural event that can be trusted to progress normally on it’s own in most cases. The birth of a new baby should be a positive experience and a joyous occasion in a family’s life. Every mother-to-be has different ideas and beliefs about what she wants her birth experience to be. As a doula, my role is to support the mother in whatever her beliefs and desires are, and to help empower her to make the decisions that will give her the most positive birth experience possible.