I believe I was put on this earth to be a mother. And yet following a painful struggle with infertility, when I finally welcomed the birth of my first child, I felt so totally overwhelmed with everything that came with motherhood: the physical chaos caused by hormones, the stress caused by the difficulties I was having with breastfeeding, and the isolation of feeling solely responsible for this tiny human. I felt so vulnerable and completely ill-equipped to handle everything that was coming at me. It was as if my innate ability to care for myself and my baby were hijacked by hormones, exhaustion and fear. To cope, I became obsessed with feeding schedules, how to boost my milk production, and sleep routines in hopes of gaining some semblance of control over a situation that felt totally out of control. My own challenges during these first few months of motherhood are what led me to my work as a postpartum doula. Not only do I love the newborn phase, but I am able to empathetically nurture parents who are perhaps experiencing that same sense of overwhelm I experienced, as well as those who have little to no idea what to expect. My goal is to empower them with the skills and knowledge they need to feel confident and capable as new parents. Today, with over 19 years of experience caring for newborns, I am excited to bring my passion for babies, my sense of groundedness and intuition, and my innate nurturing and compassionate care to new and expanding families. I’ve come to understand that no two babies, or families, are alike, and I aim to provide non-judgemental, evidence-based physical and emotional support, and serve as a trusted resource for all of your postpartum recovery needs in Marin County and the Bay Area. I value our differences, and seek to create an inclusive practice honoring all orientations, ethnicities, cultures, religions and gender identities, and will work tirelessly to support your personal choices for your family. I live in Mill Valley, CA with my husband and our blended family of 4 kids. For me self-care looks like hiking the endless trails of Marin County, meditating and doing yoga with my husband, and spending as much time outside soaking in the California weather with my friends and family. I am equally obsessed with dogs as I am babies, so I promise to love your fur baby/ies as much as I love your human!

During this tender time of the postpartum period, my role as a doula is to provide non-judgmental, compassionate and nurturing care to new and expanding families. I aim to validate new parents’ feelings, normalize their concerns, and work alongside them to empower them with the knowledge they need to become confident and capable parents. With my support, my clients will have evidence-based information at their fingertips, such as knowledge of typical and atypical signs of emotional and physical recovery for mama, an understanding of age appropriate development for baby, and connections in the local perinatal landscape to provide referrals and recommendations for specialists as needed. My services include, but not limited to: • Emotional and Physical Support After Childbirth • Specialized Newborn Care • Basic Feeding Support • Soothing Techniques and Healthy Sleep Habits • Nursery Set-up and Household Organization • Sibling (and Pet) Adjustment • Trusted Local Resources and Referrals Newborn Support: I work alongside parents to educate them on the basics of newborn care including diapering, bathing, and helpful soothing techniques, while also offering the parents the opportunity to rest and recover, or spend quality time with older siblings. Feeding support: Whether you are breastfeeding or bottle feeding, or some combo of the two, my role is to provide reassurance and validation of any of your feeding challenges and choices. Support includes listening to your feeding goals and helping you achieve them, basic adjustments for optimal latch, understanding you supply, proper milk storage and/or formula preparation. Sleep support: Admit it, every new parent's biggest question is "when will I sleep again?" During our time together I will gently guide you and your baby into a flexible but consistent sleep and feeding schedule. When done properly, these routines will allow you to read your baby’s cues and anticipate their needs, nurture their ability to sleep (and therefore yours!) and improve moments of connection with your baby during their wake windows.