Professional Biography
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My journey into birth work began when I supported a close friend through two of her birth experiences during my college years. These formative experiences set the foundation for what would become the focus of my future career.Â
Years later, a newspaper article about Birth Doulas pointed me toward my future profession. Reading those words ignited something in me. I enrolled in a Birth Doula training, where I spent the entire workshop nodding and smiling from ear to ear, recognizing that I had found my purpose. Nine months later(!), I took the leap of faith, leaving my full-time career to embrace doula work completely.
That same year, by extraordinary coincidence, the DONA International conference was held in San Francisco. Again, I found myself immersed in conversations and connections that affirmed I was exactly where I belonged. During the conference, a young, vibrant doula and student midwife approached me, collecting contact information to connect local doulas. This chance meeting led to a small gathering in her living room—the genesis of the San Francisco Doula Group.
Our monthly meetings held in various Doulas' homes became sacred spaces. We shared delicious food, hosted professional speakers, and engaged in powerful conversations about everything from interviewing techniques to supporting perineums to prevent vaginal tears, from extraordinary births to challenging ones, and our own health journeys. We went on retreats together, brought each other coffee while supporting clients in labor, and created an invaluable community where I felt truly at home among my doula sisters. This network provided critical back-up support and emotional sustenance.
My evolution continued when I discovered Natural Resources, a nurturing haven for expectant and new families in my San Francisco neighborhood. Drawn to become part of this organization, I pursued certification as a Childbirth Educator. By 2005, I was teaching the core prenatal classes—Childbirth Preparation, Lactation, and Newborn Care & Behavior. When the facilitator of the Postpartum Doula Training transitioned to homebirth midwifery, I enthusiastically stepped into the role of training new Postpartum Doulas.
My Doula work revealed a particular passion for supporting lactating parents, prompting me to further my education to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). After my own children were born, I returned to school for my nursing degree. As a Maternal/Child Health Nurse and IBCLC, I've worked across multiple settings, including Labor & Delivery, Antepartum, Postpartum units, and currently in an outpatient pediatric clinic.
Working with new parents and creating meaningful differences in people's lives is what truly nurtures my soul.
