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My path to becoming a doula began when I attended my first birth as a labor coach for a family member when I was just a teenager. After that exciting and rewarding experience I knew that this was something I wanted to pursue. A number of years later, after having worked with a variety of families in childcare roles, I decided to take the Labor Support for Birth Doulas Training Course at the Seattle Midwifery School. Since June 2007, when I became a doula, I have been a volunteer with the Doula Care program at the University of Washington Medical Center. Working with this program has allowed me to provide doula services to women who would not otherwise have had doula-specific labor support. I have also become a member of the Doula Care community as well as other local doula organizations and groups. These communities provide opportunities to enhance my knowledge-base and seek valuable feedback from my fellow doulas. As a birth doula, I support clients who choose to give birth at hospitals, birth centers, and their homes and clients who desire un-medicated or medicated births. When it comes to working with partners and care providers, they have always been positive experiences. I believe that this is due to my personality, communication style and confidence in my role as a doula. As a postpartum doula I am aware of the unique changes and challenges that a new baby can bring. I know that my skills and experience can help make the transitional period more manageable and even more rewarding for every member of the family. I provide support and assistance with feeding, suggestions and assistance with mother's recovery, advice on infant and parent sleep patterns, guidance on newborn care and recognizing and responding to postpartum mood disorders.
I believe that my role as a doula is to fully support my client’s desires and decisions through their individual birth and postpartum experiences. I completely believe that it is your body, your baby and your experience and I pride myself on being open-minded and adaptable. I make a point of establishing good communication with my clients, their partners and their care providers in order to ensure that their needs and wishes are being met. I pride myself on being open-minded and adaptable and make a point of establishing good communication with my clients to ensure that their needs and wishes are being met to the best of my ability at all times while I am providing doula services. I love providing doula services for diverse range families, I have a special interest in supporting alternative families and family's with children who are transitioning to being new older siblings. My initial training to become a birth doula took place during the summer of 2007 through the Seattle Midwifery School Labor Support Course for Birth Doulas. Upon completion, I immediately became a member of the UWMC Doula Care Program and began working toward Birth Doula Certification through nationally through DONA and locally through PALS. In fall of 2007, I expanded my doula services through training at SMS to became a postpartum doula. I am currently completing the requirements for Postpartum Doula Certification nationally through DONA and locally through NAPS. Shortly after becoming a doula, I also began my journey to become a childbirth educator. This process included oberving and assisting numerous local educators, including Penny Simkin, Kim James and others. In February 2009, took the Great Starts Childbirth Educator Training "Teaching about Pregnancy Childbirth and the Newborn" and began their certification process which included co-teaching a comprehensive seven-week series before teaching another series while being evaluated. In October 2009, I sat for and passed the certifcation exam for the International Childbirth Education Association. Additional training related to my doula and educator work includes: - Basics of Lactation Management, November 2007
Lactation Education Resources five-module course covering: Starting Out Successfully, Difficulties, Breast Pumps and Breastmilk Storage, Breastfeeding the Premature Infant and Alternative Feeding Methods
- Working with Labor Pain, August 2007
Great Starts Birth and Family Education-based class covering pain management and coping skills as well as advanced practice of labor support techniques
- Infant, Child and Adult CPR and First Aid, Annually
American Red Cross nationally recognized training of preparedness skills to respond to emergencies in infant, young child and adult victims.
- DONA Conference Attendance, 2008. Two general sessions and two concurrent session. The general sessions were "The Fourth Trimester: A New Framework for Making Fussy Babies Calm, Calm Babies Serene and to Help All Babies Sleep Longer" with Dr. Harvey Karp and "Doulas, Teen Parents and the Power of First Connections: The Illinois Story" with Nick Wechsler and Nancy Sinclair. Both concurrent sessions that I chose to attend were on the topic of breastfeeding support. The first was "Why Breastfeeding Matters: What You Need to Know and What You Can Do to Help Women Achieve Their Breastfeeding Goals" with Kathie Lindstrom and "When Mommy Really Wants TO, But It Just Isn't Working: Supporting the Mother with Significant Breastfeeding Challenges" with Jacqueline Kelleher. These lectures and discussion sessions provided valuable advanced training to increase my ability to be an effective doula and to enhance my support of my breastfeeding clients.
- Rebozo Workshop, September 2008 lead by Carrie Kenner as a PALS Advanced Doula Training
Valuable hands on training covering numerous ways to use a rebozo (Mexican shawl) to support a woman in pregnancy, labor and postpartum, including an introduction to the importance of movement and energy in birth, hands-on practice using the rebozo in various stages of maternity care, specific uses of the rebozo to encourage optimal fetal positioning, and considerations for using the rebozo in different setting.
- Childbirth Education class series attendance and instructor assistant through Great Starts Birth and Family Education, Big Belly Services' Lesbian Childbirth Immersion and Penny Simkin's home, birth center and hospital focused childbirth preparation. I attend classes regularly as a way to increase my knowledge regarding what parents may know going into birth as well as in preparation for my next goal of becoming a childbirth educator myself.
- Member of the Board of Directors for the Northwest Association for Postpartum Support as the Membership Services Co-Chair, two-year term beginning September 2008.
- Happiest Baby on The Block Certified Educator.
- Certified as a birth doula through DONA and PALS.
- Certified as a postpartum doula through NAPS.
- Certifited as an ICEA certified childbirth educator (ICCE).
As an avid reader, I am constantly reading new book and materials related to fertility, pregnancy, childbirth and family transition during the postpartum period. Many of the books I read I also purchase and add to my growing library, which I loan out to my doula clients. To make a recommendation or for more information on the titles of these books, please feel free to contact me. I also further my knowledge and skills through my certifications with organizations and my relationships with other local doulas. I maintain active membership and involvement with the following doula organizations:
More about my life outside of my doula work: As a student and engaged community member I am always looking for the ways in which my passions intersect. During my undergraduate studies at the UW, I completed two Bachelor Degrees in Women Studies and the Comparative History of Ideas with a minor in Diversity Studies. In the autumn of 2008 I began a Masters of Arts in Cultural Studies. My personal and academic interests include anti-racism, lgbtq and anti-oppressive parenting practices; childbirth, the postpartum period and family transitions; community-based learning and the public education system, and travel—including studying abroad to Paris and Bayeux, France in high school and Cape Town, South Africa in 2008.
I currently live in Shoreline (on the North Seattle border) with my partner and our little dog, Kai. Among other things, we enjoy exploring the Seattle area, visiting family and friends and going on trips to the dog park.    
*photos 1, 3 & 4 taken by Chrisine Unten*
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