I was asked to write a little about myself to share with everyone, which is a bit out of my comfort zone, so I will start with the basics! I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas and in 2003 my husband’s military career took us to Hawaii. He deployed within 30 days of arriving and I had to learn a lot about island living and being a military spouse in a very short amount of time. In 2006 we relocated to Oklahoma and there we would stay for the next 11 years. During this time we had two more deployments, bought a house, tried to conceive, had a few miscarriages, had a baby, and did lots of learning and growing.
We started fertility treatments in 2006 and finally became pregnant in 2011. I knew that my labor experience needed to be different than with my first birth and through infertility treatments, I had learned so much about what I needed and wanted (and how to ask for it!). I did as much research as I could to try and make the things I hoped for to happen. What I didn’t learn about was what a doula was. I went into labor earlier than expected and adding to that my doctor added a few interventions, which made labor difficult. Luckily I had two dear friends with me and they helped get me through my labor. One is now a nurse and the other became a doula right after my birth. I watched her and knew this is what I wanted to do.
I completed my degree as an early childhood teacher and continued to work as both a prekindergarten teacher and a doula. I moved back to Texas in 2017 and have been teaching and doulaing here in my home state. People call me crazy or overly dedicated, but I love both of my jobs. I have been blessed to be welcomed with families as they go through this life changing experience more times than I can count. I am so grateful for each family I have served and each birth impacts me more and more.
I’d love to be your doula!