A Continued Commitment to Learning

In 2004, I trained with Cathey Daub, the owner and creator of Birth Works, International as a prenatal & labor doula. I chose it because she used language surrounding birth that felt better than what I had experienced with my NICU baby.  By then, I had 3 kids of my own, the eldest being 7. While I completed the packet, my 3rd birth was too short, so it was not acceptable to certify. Shortly after, I was pregnant with my 4th baby and gave it up.

In 2019, the 4th kid was in middle school and gave me the encouragement to start chasing my dream. If not for him, I would never be here, doing this.

My training started again with Ann Grauer, in a lovely NYC brownstone talking all things postpartum.  I immediately began working as a back-up postpartum doula, and submitted my certification to DONA.  

I began as postpartum doula working with The Nesting Place. The agency had need for certified birth doulas, and I was intrigued about the option of returning to that work. COVID hit, so I opted to take a virtual, live class with Active Birth Institute so I could experience connection with other training birth doulas, and have a beautiful mentor in Crystal Sada, the owner. I worked all through COVID, no breaks, always masked, and I was learning. 

This work, together with my personal experiences, taught me that training in bereavement support was critical due to lack of available support and need for appropriate language as not to cause further hurt or trauma. In 2021, I became a birth and bereavement doula with Still Birth Day. 

In order to offer my clients encouragement and easier access to breastfeeding support, in 2024, I enrolled in the Healthy Children Project’s Lactation Counselor Training. In April, I received notice that I passed the national exam. I now also hold a CLC certification, which does not cost my clients any more than if I were a straight-forward doula. 

I am an insured, CPR-certified birth, postpartum, labor and bereavement doula with the added benefit Certified Lactation Counseling. It’s my honor to serve women and men as they grow families.