What is your training?

I am trained through DONA (Doulas of North America) and completed my certification classes with Kathy McGrath, a leading figure in birth work; she is on the faculty and Certification Council of Lamaze International, faculty of the University of Pittsburgh’s Childbirth Education Program and on the Education Committee for DONA.

I have three children of my own and birthed each baby very differently. I’ve had clients at most Pittsburgh hospitals, including Jefferson, Magee, Forbes, Mercy and The Midwife Center.

Availability around due date?

After an initial pre-natal meeting, I am always available for support via text/phone throughout your entire pregnancy, and consider myself on call from 37 weeks onward. I also work with a local backup doula, Alyson.

What is your personality?

Just as everyone takes their coffee differently, most women are seeking a certain type of doula. Maybe not much sugar…maybe extra cream. A silly analogy, but personality and how you feel when meeting with a potential doula is possibly more important than a long list of credentials. After all, this person will be with you during one of the most intense and intimate moments of you and your partner’s life.

Prior clients describe me as calm and I’m always surprised to hear this consistent feedback; staying home full time with three young children makes me feel anything but; however, holding a steady space for a woman in labor requires an opportunity for the kind of grounded attention that I thrive on and I’ve coveted the chance to give my all my focused energies during each birth I’ve attended.

I taught yoga for ten years at the local Pittsburgh studio Yoga Flow. Those years teaching taught me the importance of a strong meditative breath, an effective tool not only for yoga, but birth. It may sound too simple, but proper breathing can truly help to navigate the depths of labor, whether you choose medical pain management or not.

How long does a doula stay after birth?

My paid time begins when your labor begins. Usually I meet clients at the hospital a few hours after their contractions have started or at a planned induction time. Whether your birth takes two hours or twenty-four, I am with you. After baby is born, a doula typically stays two hours. Intuitively, I will know when it’s time for me to leave, allowing for privacy and bonding and absorbing the soft hours after birth.

What is a postpartum doula?

Birth is special in its own right, but I equally enjoy postpartum work. Once you’re home and settled with baby, days and times will be scheduled for me come to your home and help with newborn care and questions, lactation education + support, taking about the birth experience, and baby wearing education.

(Even dishes or a load of laundry! Whatever mom needs.)

I bring a warm dinner with each visit and my expectation is to make you–a new mom–a priority in whatever ways you find necessary.

How much does a doula cost?

There is a sliding scale when it comes to a doula’s pay (amount of experience, whether they work within a birthing business, etc.). And many doulas charge differently, i.e. hourly or flat rate.

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