Pictured above is my sweet family! It is composed of some beautiful people as we have my supportive husband, our two energetic and adventurous boys, and our dog, a 3 year old Boxer named Bennet(look below for super cute pictures of him). They keep me busy and laughing throughout each and every day. My other passions in life are the great outdoors and birth. Both of these things resonate with me in different ways but they both bring refreshment to my well being as well as deepen my awe and love for our Grand Creator, Jehovah God. If you’re curious as to how I entered into the birth world, I tried to “summarize” my story below.

As a young teenager I remember researching potential careers and checking out colleges near me. I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going to end up but I knew that I wanted to be somewhere in the medical field. There was a Midwifery school near where we lived and that was just something that really stuck out to me. I’d grown up in a holistic household and everything about the midwifery model of care was impressive to me. It just made sense to allow the pregnant woman to do what God made her body to do without intervention. Birth isn’t dangerous. It is and always has been beautiful, natural, and normal.

Fast forward 5 years… I got married to the love of my life at 19 in Springfield, IL and by then I had decided to go to school to become a labor and delivery nurse. I no longer lived anywhere near the great Midwifery school so I thought that would be a good alternative career. My passion for pregnancy and birth was still very much alive! I was working through my prerequisites for nursing school when I got a job at St. Johns Hospital in the labor and delivery unit as a CNA (Nurse Technician). I am so grateful for the opportunities I had while I worked there. It is a level 3 labor and delivery unit so we treated a large variety of patients. After a while though, it became clear that several more years of college didn’t align with some of the other spiritual goals that I had in life. After lots of prayer and even some tears, I quit college and soon after this, COVID hit. Due to budget cuts at the hospital, I was being transferred to various units in the hospital. Before every shift I had immense anxiety as I never knew where I was going to end up. I felt that it was unsafe and unethical to be sending techs to units that we were not trained in so I eventually quit.

Let’s jump forward another year! I’m pregnant with our first baby! I did some DEEP diving into all things pregnancy and childbirth. This came easy as I was already obsessed with this incredible transformation. I listened to every evidence based podcast I could find. I read books and articles that guided and prepared me for what was to come. I had lists of questions in my pregnancy notebook for each prenatal visit. I had a workout schedule that I had researched thoroughly. I was eating as well to support my baby and me. Despite all of this, I was still nervous. Maybe it was the fact that people seemed surprised when they asked where I was delivering and I said, “The Birth Center in Bloomington, IL”. Then of course ensued a conversation about midwives, natural birth, the 1 hour drive or maybe it was the fact that although I had a lot of knowledge… I didn’t feel like I had the support I truly needed to feel absolutely confident in my ability to birth.

In my research I had come across the HUGE benefits of having a doula involved during pregnancy and childbirth. From the unwavering support to assisting with comfort measures during labor, I knew I wanted one. I needed one! It was the missing piece to my inner peace. So there began the interviewing and hiring process. After we hired our doula, I instantly felt as ease. As we made decisions moving forward, my husband and I both felt confident. (Shout out to Marcia Mattern, also located in the Central Illinois area) If ever there was a twinge of doubt, we called or texted our doula. Through the countless texts, phone calls, and Facetime calls we felt like we had everything we needed in order to have the birth I had worked so hard for. As a result of this preparation and the support from our doula, our birth went beautifully. My breastfeeding journey was also an absolute success, with the help of our doula.

While we had planned that I stay at home with our baby it quickly became clear that we would need some additional income for our young family to make it. My husband and I were trying to think of things that I could do without sacrificing me being home the majority of the time. I wanted to do something that I would love because if I was going to be away from my baby… It was going to need to be something that I was passionate about. One day my mother in law casually mentioned that I should be a doula. I thought about that for awhile. What an obvious, wonderful, incredible recommendation! I found a training that I thought would be helpful, I chatted with other doulas, and in I jumped. And I LOVE it. I love seeing families kick off that part of their lives feeling prepared, strong, and confident! I love helping mama’s as they embrace the absolute miracle and incredible power of their bodies. I love seeing dad’s faces as they witness the miracle of life. It’s a privilege to be here, finally pursing a passion that I’ve had for over 10 years.