Although I did not realize it at the time, my passion for birth work began as a young, first time mother.  Growing up, I had very little knowledge about birth, the different ways one can birth, and what it entailed to be a childbearing woman.  This was no fault of my own, but rather a fault of main stream culture.  What I knew came from tv, movies, and a memory of my youngest sister being born in a hospital.  When I became pregnant with my first child, I began receiving the conventional prenatal care from my OB/GYN office.  I never felt comfortable in my prenatal appointments, I always felt rushed, and there was an ambiance of condescendence.   I also realized that my care providers did not look like me, nor have anything in common with me.

 

Months later, I came across a brochure about a birthing center near me that provided prenatal care and alternative birthing options. Upon arriving at the center, I was greeted and cared for by compassionate midwifes, and doulas.  It was then that I realized that I had choices about my body and how I wanted to birth my babies.  This information in and of itself was empowering, and I knew that I had control over my body and my baby.  This sparked a passion in me to ensure that ALL women have access to pertinent information so that they too acquire the same feeling of empowerment.

 

This experience, combined with my passion for social justice, giving back to my community, and the amazing care that I received from all of my midwifes throughout the years, has lead me to believe that I can make a difference also in the life of other women.  There is a need to provide access to high quality, socially and culturally competent prenatal, labor, and postpartum suuport for all women.  As a professional doula, I have tasked myself with doing the best that I can to meet this need within my community.