Like many birth professionals, I am fascinated and humbled by the wonder of birth. It is an honor to be invited into the birth room time and time again, to share in this celebration of life, which the mother and her baby will remember for the rest of their lives. It is a transformative experience for everyone in the room, particularly the mother as she makes this transition into parenthood, which can be challenging, joyful, and empowering all at once. After watching mothers birth their babies in so many different ways, I began to see labor as a unique and intimate art form arising from within, and as a doula I strive to support this creative process. In my Prenatal Partners and HypnoBirthing® workshops, I help the mother and her partner to prepare for labor and create sacred space, whether at home or in a hospital setting. I respect the mother's wishes and values in regards to childbirth and advocate on her behalf in the delivery room. During labor, I provide continuous emotional and physical support, helping to alleviate discomfort with acupressure, massage, hydrotherapy, aromatherapy, conscious breathing, and guided visualization. After birth, I provide immediate postpartum care, including breastfeeding support, placenta encapsulation, and photography as desired. I currently offer birth doula services to families living in San Francisco, Alameda, and Contra Costa counties. Over the years, I have studied with many teachers, including Debbie Lavin, MA, ICCE, CD (DONA International), Jane Austin, PRYT (Mama Tree), Rusty Wells, RYT (Bhakti Urban Flow), Juli Tilsner, CBE, CPM (Cornerstone Doula Trainings), Madeleina Bolduc, CH, CHT (Ohlone Center of Herbal Studies), and Ellie Shea, RN, CD, HBCE, CHT (Birth Education Services). I am grateful for the wisdom of my teachers and continue to be inspired by their work. In 2012, while working at LifeLong Medical Care during my AmeriCorps year of service, I founded the Mama Yoga Project, a volunteer-run program offering free yoga classes to low-income pregnant and postpartum patients at West Berkeley Family Practice, a nonprofit community health clinic serving the East Bay. I consider this program the foundation of my path of service and appreciate all those who have helped the Mama Yoga Project to blossom and grow over the years. I am currently working toward a Master's Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine at the Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine College in Berkeley, CA.
