More importantly then, "About me", is "About you"! I am here to support YOUR birth wishes.
For me to learn more about you, some of the questions we may cover in our pre-natal discussions are
- What are your biggest concerns and fears regarding your pregnancy and upcoming birth?
- Do you know what options are available to you in terms of your care during labor and delivery?
- Historically what has helped you most when dealing with stress and discomfort?
- What dialogue have you had with you OB or Midwife regarding your birth wishes, and how did they respond?
- What are you doing to prepare yourself educationally, physically and emotionally to have the kind of birth you are hoping for?
- What are Dad's distinct concerns about his role in labor and delivery?
- Do you feel confident about breastfeeding?
I feel so fortunate to have had the incredible experiences
of giving birth to my seven children with whom I am equally enriched,
amazed and amused. I also was lucky enough to be the person that friends
would ask to accompany them into birth.
There is something in the childbirth process that enables women to discover powers in themselves, both physical and spiritual, they didn't know they possessed. When I learned there was a helping profession that involved supporting couples to have less stressful and more positive birth experiences, I had a "light bulb moment" and
knew that this was my calling.
My philosophy is to pass no judgments on your choices
as far as utilization or avoidance of pain
medications, but rather to support you as a couple, as best as I can, to achieve
whatever your hopes
are for your birth experience.
Natural childbirth is generally the safest
option for mother and baby. However, depending
on the birthing woman's desires, and the birth
itself, it can sometimes be advantageous
to utilize pain
medications as well as medical interventions
to result in a safer and more satisfying
outcome for mother and baby.
Professional Affiliations:
- Doulas of North America - Labor and postpartum doula training and certification
- Association of Labor Assistants and Childbirth Educators - in training for certification in childbirth education
- Le Leche League International
- Northeastern Illinois Doula Association
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Susan and Alexander
"We all want to thank you so very much…you helped us enjoy a miraculous experience and helped us make it the birth we wanted."
Susan and Kevin
Lisa, Henry and Sharon
Henry's first feeding
My Children
"In providing women with the tools they need to go through childbirth in an empowering way they discover a strength in themselves that they may not have been aware of and later use those abilities in motherhood."
Sharon
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