Although I didn’t know it then, my journey towards becoming a doula began nearly 15 years ago with the birth of my first child. My labor and birth experience was far from empowering and while I was overjoyed to have my son, I always wished things had gone differently- that I had been listened to when I tried to assert myself, that I had been given alternative pain management options when I said I didn’t want an epidural, that the nurses and doctors had explained what they were doing and given me choices before just going ahead and doing it. I always wished that I had felt more in control in that delivery room.
Flash forward 14 years to the birth of my second child, and things went exactly as I could have hoped for largely in part due to the team of amazing people I chose to surround myself with. I switched to a Midwife group that took the time to listen to me and honor all of my wishes; I chose a birthing center where I knew I would have plenty of options, but still have the safety and security of a hospital and NICU nearby should something go wrong; and I hired my doula! She made me feel safe, secure, listened to, and protected. She was there as my advocate (though I never had to use her as such because my Midwife was so amazing), she was there as a shoulder to lean on, and she made sure my wife and I had all that we needed during my labor and the birth of my daughter.
Between kiddo number one and kiddo number two, a lot happened- 14 years worth of happenings! During that time in-between, I owned and operated Bloom Yoga Fitness Studios in Southington, CT. I taught thousands of hours of yoga- hundreds of them to pregnant clients. And I also became a Licensed Massage Therapist certified in Pregnancy Massage.
My personal birth experiences, my decade of yoga teaching, my time as a massage therapist all led me to where I am today. I am now a Birth Doula working with clients in Hartford, New Haven and Middlesex counties. I still teach yoga and perform massage and you’ll see many of my doula offerings include yoga, meditation, and massage. I am passionate about birthing people making informed choices that feel right for them and it’s an honor to standby my clients as they take the amazing journey that is labor and birth.