I am a DONA certified birth and postpartum doula providing support to women and their families in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, including Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, and sometimes Suffolk, Hampton, and Newport News. My goal is to inform women of their options for childbirth and to provide physical, emotional and informational support during the last trimester of pregnancy, labor, birth and the postpartum period. I consider it my utmost responsibility to help women achieve a postive birth and postpartum experience, encouraging the best start for both mother and baby, and the new family as a whole.
I absolutely love what I do and am continually inspired by the women and families I work with. Pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period are an exhilarating and challenging time. And having good support both before and after baby's arrival is the key to a smooth and confident transition into motherhood.
I have been fascinated with pregnancy, birth and babies for as long as I can remember. As a twelve year-old I was supposed to see the birth of my baby brother but the unpredictable nature of labor prevented that from happening. I carried that curiosity with me through to my own first pregnancy many years later, however, and I have only grown more passionate about the process with each of my own birth experiences.
I was privileged to begin supporting moms as a birth doula in 2003 and in 2008, added my certification as a postpartum doula, easing the transition at home with the new baby. It is my hope to pursue a second bachelor's degree in nursing in the next few years as a stepping stone toward my goal of becoming a certified nurse midwife.
I have been blessed with a loving and supportive husband and four children of our own. Family is the most important thing in my life and the reason why I value my doula work so much. It is a true privilege and blessing to me to be invited to assist other families as they grow.
