All About Jen:

My Birth Philosophy:

I believe that birth is a normal, natural event that we can trust to go right the majority of the time.  I know that with adequate knowledge and preparation a woman can learn to trust the natural birth process and give birth to her baby, instead of being "delivered".

I am grateful to have skilled medical providers who can assist in making things right when things do go wrong.  I admire the dedication and skill of the professionals in the medical field who save lives every single day.  My husband is one of them. For me, a natural, unmedicated birth was best choice.  I realize that it may not be the right choice for someone else, and I respect every woman's right to make her own birth choices.   As a doula, I strive to help each woman become an informed consumer, take responsibility for her choices, and provide a warm, nurturing presence to assist her as she creates her birth experience.

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My Background:

I grew up the oldest of 5 children, all born by cesarean section.  I remember looking at my mother's scars, listening to her talk about how ugly she felt because of them, and how her body has never fully recovered from having 5 cesarean sections. As I grew older, got married, and tried to start a family of my own, those memories impacted my birth decisions.  I knew that I wanted to have a natural birth, but didn't really know much more than that.  After 5 years of infertility I finally conceived.  I found a ob/gyn who was supportive of natural birth, but didn't really know what else to do.  My husband came home one day with a brochure for The Bradley Method childbirth classes.  Since it advocated natural childbirth we decided to enroll.  The 12 week class was full of practical information on how to stay low risk, and covered the natural procesess of birth in great detail. We learned so much, and the classes really gave me confidence that I could have a natural birth.  It helped empower us to become informed consumers, and how to take responsiblity for our birth choices.  We learned about doulas in one of our classes, and our teacher informed us that she was a doula.  We asked her to be our doula, and were thrilled when she agreed to support us. When labor started, the intensity of the contractions shocked me.  Thank heavens that my doula arrived so quickly.  Her encouragement and guidance reminded us of all the things we'd learned in class, and we were able to work together effectively.  I know that if she would not have been there, I would not have had a natural birth. The experience I had filled me with the desire to help other women.  I feel so blessed to have found my calling, and to be supporting women as they give birth to their family.

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