Philosophy

I believe firmly in the following tenets:

Birth is a natural physiological process.

Mothers are deserving of  care and compassion during the transformative times of pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period.

Mothers and partners who are well supported through their birth experiences emerge better prepared to adapt to their new roles in life.

Babies thrive when cared for by well-supported caregivers.

My labor support goals are to provide:

• The education and tools women and their families need prenatally to enter into the birth process aware and without excessive anxiety;
• Consistent emotional and physical support throughout labor and birth, both for the laboring mother and her partner;
• Support, encouragement, and access to local resources during the postpartum period.   

My desire is to offer care that is tailored individually to each family and provided without a sense of "right" or "wrong" around birthing choices.  I believe that women have a deep and intuitive knowledge of their bodies and babies and I seek to help integrate that knowledge into birthing and parenting decisions, while providing access to evidence based information.   And I honor the experience of birth as a time of intense change and growth, one that I hope my clients (and all women) will come away from with an increased understanding of how strong and capable they are.

I have attended births in hospitals, independent birth centers, and homes, and am comfortable in all settings.  Likewise I appreciate the wide variety of families that exist and believe each and every one of them is deserving of loving support.