02/01/2024
It’s January 1 and so the time to officially share that I have been tapping the breaks on my birth work and no longer taking clients. What is suitable for one season isn’t always suitable for the next. I’m beyond grateful to have been regularly serving parents for the past 9 years and don’t imagine ever being done. Since moving to MN, birth work has looked very different for me, including different means of offering support. From this I have learned that, for me, my greatest service is being able to be right there with a family in their birth space. Labor support is just what I do. I’ve learned so much from every birth I’ve attended and have evolved over my years of experience. ALWAYS I am astounded by the power and process that is bringing a life to their first breath. I’ve seen the physical and mental strength of a woman and her partner move through so many various types of births, sometimes learning how to move forward in uncertainty and yet confidence through selecting the *option* that fits them in the moment. Because, as I emphasize with my clients, seeking your options - KNOWING you have options - often makes your experience, helps you own your decisions and be an active participant in your birth.
I’m so grateful for the start I was given in my early years, surrounded closely by so many wise and experienced Des Moines women. Beginning with countless maternity center tours given at Methodist downtown, so many CIDA meetings and evenings with my gals at Iowa Doula Agency. And then my backup group I was privileged to partner with. They all helped me develop confidently into what I’ve grown to offer families over time.
I sign off with a quote I refer to often:
“Instead of my midwives and my husband treating me as a damsel in distress or a medical case to be managed, they treated me as a strong deliverer of life, a valorous woman.” from Holy Labor by Aubry J. Smith
⭐️ If you are a previous client, fellow doula or an expectant friend looking to work with me, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I would love to create room for you. For anyone else even just curious and with questions about doula support, use my website as a tool for information.