a little More about me
My birth stories:
I gave birth to my first daughter in 1997. Because she was breech I needed to have her by c-section. She was very healthy and sweet, and she caught on to breastfeeding right away. I unfortunately I become very sleep deprived and experienced postpartum depression which went undiagnosed. The first few months were very difficult, but with time I started to enjoy my new role as a mother, thanks to the support of family and friends.
Two years later my second daughter was born after 49 hours of hard labor as I gave birth to her in a successful VBAC attempt. Lots of medical interventions were necessary to avoid another c-section and she was finally assisted out by the use of forceps. She was so alert and affectionate that I bonded with her immediately. But I found breast-feeding a challenge and didn’t get the help I needed, so I formula fed her from six weeks on.
I gave birth to my third daughter in a quick and easy labor just a few hours after walking into the hospital to get checked. My poor husband was late to the delivery since it was so much shorter than the previous one, and he didn’t get to meet her until she was an hour old. She turned out to be a great nurser and an “easy” baby with a headful of long, thick, black hair, which made her look like a baby doll. Her older sisters adored her.
My fourth and final daughter was born in 2003 with her oldest sister attending her birth and getting to name her. I again found breastfeeding a challenge, and it only lasted two months. But right away my little newborn’s sweet and spunky personality brought so much joy that our little family finally felt complete.
I am now “officially” done raising my kids and I am looking forward to watching them welcome their own babies into the world in the coming years!
my education and experience:
In July of 1997, I earned my degree as a Colorado licensed Registered Nurse after completing my time as an intern at Saint Joseph Hospital in the Labor & Delivery unit
In 2000 and 2001, I enjoyed working at Arapahoe County Detention Center as an on-call “county-jail nurse” with the inmate population
June of 2008, I completed my Labor Doula training through CAPPA. In April of 2010, I completed my certification requirements and began full-time work as a doula
From 2010-2020, I worked as an on-call doula at Rose Medical Center, boosting the popularity of the Doula Connections Program, and attending over 600 births in my time there
In March of 2012, I completed my Lactation Educator training through CAPPA
In 2017, I certified to become a Hypnobabies® Hypno-Doula for couples who have taken a Hypnobabies® course
From July 2020-January 2022, I worked at Cherry Hills Surgery Center as a Pre-op and PACU nurse
As of November of 2021, I have been working for Trusted Ally Home Care as a nursing case manager, providing quality in-home assessments and end-of-life care to former workers of Rocky Flats
My Birth Philosophy:
I understand that every birth experience is as different and unique as the mother herself.
I believe birth is best experienced as a normal bodily process, and I encourage every birthing mom to let labor progress naturally until, or unless, the time comes when medical interventions are desired or necessary.