Welcome
I discovered my passion for supporting birthing families through my own birth experiences. My first was born at an Atlanta-area hospital with an Ob-Gyn practice. I noted through that care that the “medicalization” of birth has created an environment where birthing families are no longer encouraged, educated, and supported through a very normal human event. Healthcare providers are ultimately responsible for your and your baby’s health as “patients,” but this often means care that is impersonal and guided by prescribed, non evidenced-based protocol. I sought out a doula for my second birth and discovered that the doula fills an important gap in care between care providers and partners. I then went on to have two empowered Atlanta Birth Center births, one on land and one in water and subsequently completely transitioned my career.
Through my first 10 year career as an emergency veterinarian, I learned first-hand that medicine is as much an art as a science. I learned the value of communication and patient-centered care. I found that in uncontrollable situations, knowledge, communication, and preparation allowed clients to feel supported and empowered in the outcomes. I learned that there is a big picture to medicine: pressures outside of just the patient in front of you. My medical background and ability to “see the fine print” allows me to serve my birth clients in navigating pros and cons and the complexities of labor situations.
Let me be your birth “BFF,” as I guide you step-by-step through the amazing transition to Parenthood.
Qualifications:
I am a DONA International certified labor doula. I am a certified Perinatal Patient Advocate through the Perinatal Patient Advocate Center. I teach Childbirth Education and Comfort Measures for Nurses classes as an Evidence Based Birth® Educator and Professional Member. I am TENS unit certified for use in labor. I have attended trainings on birth advocacy, Birth Monopoly’s Know Your Rights course, and Georgia Birth Advocacy Coalition’s seminar on birth inequalities in Georgia. I have trained in VBAC support through VBACFacts. I have trained as a full-spectrum doula through Birth Advocacy Doula Trainings and serve as a volunteer bereavement doula. I mentor 2-3 new doulas per calendar year, including through the Georgia Medicaid Doula Program.
I support births at the Atlanta Birth Center, most Atlanta-area hospitals including Northside Hospitals (Atlanta, Cherokee, Forsyth), Emory Hospitals (Midtown and Decatur), and Wellstar Hospitals (North Fulton and Kennestone), Piedmont hospital Atlanta, and midwife-attended homebirth.
