Hello and thank you for your interest in Paradise
Birth doula, childbirth education, and lactation services.
I want to take a few minutes of your time to share
a little about myself and my birth philosophy. I am
a wife and mother of three wonderful children who
were all welcomed into the world via unmedicated vaginal
births. I became a doula to offer women, and their
partners, the confidence and resources to make informed
decisions about their birth and to foster birth experiences
that are spiritual and emotional, rather than medical
events alone. I am open to working at all types of
births and I welcome the opportunity to work with
non-traditional families, including same-sex couples.
I believe that families deserve to empower themselves
to make sound choices in pregnancy and birth through
education, as well as learning how to ask questions
and effectively communicate with their caregiver of
choice. Helping families achieve wonderful lifelong
memories of the births of their children is paramount
in my practice.
My training includes the Labor Support Doula training
program recognized by DONA International as the standard
in doula training. I am a certified childbirth educator
through the Florida Outreach Childbirth Education
Program (FOCEP). In addition, I am a certified lactation
counselor through the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative
Course. I am a La Leche League leader outside of my
work and training in doula support, childbirth education,
and lactation counseling. I hold various childbirth
education and breastfeeding classes in the community
to educate parents, and foster satisfying birth experiences
and successful breastfeeding relationships. I continue
to attend classes in breastfeeding and childbirth
education to further my knowledge and community resources
for pregnant couples and parents. I have attended
homebirths with midwives, including water birth, as
well as hospital births with OB’s and midwives.
Every woman is different, thus every pregnancy and
birth are different. One of my strengths is flexibility
in addressing the natural variations inherent to every
birth, which comes in handy as a doula helping parents
navigate changes and challenges as they arise, while
empowering them to make informed decisions. Even with
optimal preparation, birth is an organic and uncontrollable
event; therefore, planning on a particular birth outcome
can lead to undue stress, pressure, and disappointment.
I find each birth I attend is as unique as those involved.
My services are tailored to each individual’s
needs in acknowledgement and support of the varying
pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding dynamics as they
evolve. I recognize fathers, or partners,
as an integral part of the birth team, experiencing
their own equally important journey through pregnancy,
birth, and into parenthood. Please visit my Doula
and Dads page for more information on how doulas support
the family as a whole. Ultimately, my goal
is for parents to look back on their birth experience
with joy and satisfaction, rather than focusing on
a particular birth outcome. In my practice, I aim
to give parents the “road map” to navigate their journey
through the birth labyrinth utilizing education, access
to resources, and practical labor support techniques.
Please peruse my website and feel free to contact
me with any questions, or simply to explore how my
services may benefit you during this momentous time
in your life as you welcome your child into the world.
I look forward to providing my services to your family!
“The road of life twists and turns and no
two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons
come from the journey, not the destination.”
- Don Williams, Jr.
http://www.hscmd.org/FOCEP.asp
http://www.dona.org/
