Imagine you are climbing a mountain for the first time.

You have prepared emotionally and physically for what you imagine is waiting for you. You talk with other people who have climbed mountains and heard their stories, good and bad, and integrated them into how you perceive things will go. You take a class to educate yourself about your gear, the terrain, and what you will need to ask of your body to make it to the top.

It is time to start climbing! You know to take it one breath, one hand-hold at a time. You remember not to worry about how many steps are ahead of you, and to think only about the one you are taking now. You feel your muscles work in a way they never have before, and you wonder if this is how it is supposed to feel.

The guide holds her hand out to you, reminds you of the details about your gear, and helps you to avoid foreseeable obstacles. When you slip, she helps you up and tells you how strong you are, and that you can make it to the top. When you feel you can not go any further, she offers you a drink and stays with you until you are ready to continue. She never leaves you behind, she matches your pace and celebrates with you as you pull yourself to the top of the summit.

When you have never given birth before, it can be exciting, scary, thrilling, wonderful, and a little frightening. Imagining your body pushing a whole person out seems impossible! When you have given birth before, you may have strong ideas about what you would do differently this time around, or things you wished you had done during your previous births.

My job is to help you understand all of your options, offer suggestions, be a compassionate ear when things change or support is needed. I work for the couple, not just the laboring woman- so that the partner can participate as they wish, and the mother can have her needs met in labor. Please click here to read more about my philosophy behind doula care and birth.

I look forward to exploring all of the possibilities for your birth with you!