A Little About Me...

I am a married mother of two, who was raised in Henderson, Nevada.  Both of my children were born natural (unmedicated) and breastfed past one year old.  It was my first experience of having a baby that inspired me to become a Doula.  People were so shocked to hear that I loved my birth experience.  When I realized many women did not describe their birth as being positive, I knew I needed to help.

At that time, there were no Doula organizations that came to Las Vegas for certification. I would have to go out of state, or get my training another way. Since I was starting a family, going out of town was not an option. Determined to be a Doula, I completed DONA's (cert. org.) required reading list and attended a Child Development class at CCSN. For the next few years I provided free Doula care, attended childbirth, breastfeeding, and parenting classes.  I also received a certification for Neonatal Resuscitation.

Since then, in the past four years, I breastfed both of my children. I have assisted women both in hospital and at home with a midwife.　I continue to read extensively on the subject and attend any classes to further my education. I am pursuing an Advanced Doula certificate through Well Rounded Momma, and started a course on midwifery through New Life Home Birth.

As a Doula I really enjoy talking to my clients about nurturing themselves. I strongly endorse the use of herbs, yoga or dance and good nutrition. Cooking is my hobby and though I'm an omnivore, I am familiar with cooking different diet types like vegetarian, vegan & raw. I love women and babies. I love to help families feel good about themselves and proud about what they’ve done.   I am really super excited to provide Blessingways as a service! As a birth professional  and a mother, I knew there was something missing when it came to empowering women and having a sense of community during a woman's pregnancy.  Baby showers are always centered around a newborn and very rarely do they uplift the mother or address any fears and anxieties a new mother might have.   When I was pregnant with my first child, I had help incorporating a Blessingway into my own baby shower and left with some of the most precious tokens I'll ever have.

 My Philosophy

 When working with women and having two babies myself, I’ve come to believe a few things about childbirth.　 The first is that our bodies were exquisitely designed for the task at hand, in labor, during birth and to breastfeed.　 The natural course of labor is already perfect, and should be interfered with as little as possible. Pain is part of labor, which women can learn to cope with, with proper encouragement and support. However, natural childbirth has many obstacles when it comes to giving birth in a medical facility, and that sometimes pain medications are the best choice.　 How you give birth can greatly effect how you end up parenting. It can effect how well you bond with your child and can greatly effect your decision to breastfeed.　 It is important to embrace every type of birth scenario.　 Whether it is a home birth or scheduled birth by Cesarean, all women who give birth are mothers.　 It is also very important that you educate yourself, are involved in decision making and that you ultimately are okay with the outcome. In addition, it's also good to keep your sense of humor, laugh a lot, and remember that it is OK to have a great time at your birth.

I also adhere to the Birth Works philosophy and the Mother Friendly Childbirth Initiative.

“Labor and birth unfold within a
complex, and infinite web,
spun by the mother,
and by everyone who has ever taught her
about mothering, birth, sexuality, pain,
control and surrender.
All the people at her birth
helped spin the web with threads from
their histories, beliefs, experiences, fears…
and recent birth experiences that they have witnessed,
which empowered
or terrified them.”
Excerpt from Birthing From Within