About Me
My partner and I came to St. Louis in 2004. I fell in love with this gritty, friendly city next to the river. We bought an old brick house next to an amazing city park, and began to make a home here. Soon, I became pregnant, and we began to plan for the birth of our son.
My pregnancy was uneventful, and I had the attentive and gentle care of a local midwife. At 38 weeks, our son was born peacefully at home. The labor and birth was better than anything I had expected. I felt deeply empowered and so filled with joy and pride! I felt closer to, and more in love with, my partner. Moments after Hugo was born I exclaimed “I did it!” And this bright, strong feeling remained within me, helping me transition into motherhood. This strength was so important those first three months, as we parented an unexpectedly fussy, high-needs baby.
After a year I realized that most of my books on birth were newer than my son. My passion for birth had only grown and deepened. I felt called to birth-work.
I attended the DONA training in the fall of 2006 at Barnes Jewish hospital. I have attended over 20 births, and am a Certified Doula with DONA. I am also a student midwife, working on the academic portion of my training and attending several births a year as an apprentice.
It is my joy and my passion to support birth choices. I strongly believe that women who make informed choices and who are supported in their decisions are empowered women and empowered parents. While I love homebirth and un-medicated birth, I know and respect that all kinds of birth can be perfect for different women. I believe that pregnancy and birth are normal, healthy parts of a woman’s life. I believe that birth is normal and, most of the time, extremely safe. I also believe that pregnancy and birth are powerful, life altering, and profound. My hope and desire is to support women and families so that they can fully experience this amazing, miraculous time.
I am committed to supporting partners during pregnancy and birth. I believe that partners are also empowered by information, choice and support. My intention is always to support and assist partners who labor together. Pregnancy and birth can be a time of change, growth and strength for couples. Supporting this is integral to my role as a doula.