 I came to supporting families with new babies with out really intending to. In fact I started out wanting to be a neuroscientist. The first step away from my academic aspirations was the birth of my oldest child in January of 1992. After a long labor (over 30 hours), I pushed out my son and lifted him onto my belly. It was the most amazing experience of my life and I felt like I had just conquered Mount Everest (my apologies to real mountain climbers). I had done all I could during pregnancy to avoid using medication during labor; reading, taking a private childbirth class, practicing my relaxation exercises and carefully choosing my care provider, because I knew medicated births were risky and could be harmful for the baby. What I hadn't realized was that an unmedicated birth was such an empowering and amazing experience for the mother.
The next step away from my academic career was helping my high school friend at the birth of her first child two years later. My friend's baby was pulled from her epidural-numbed body using a vacuum extractor. As her baby was born, she let out a scream that shook me to my core. After the birth she thanked all the attendants and doctors for saving her and her baby. She was elated and satisfied with her birth experience. I, however, went home and cried. I was devastated by the contrast between the two births. Only then did I realize the value of what I had experienced two years before, and the rarity.
Another two years passed before I started studying to become a childbirth educator and a breastfeeding counselor. But the motivation to help others enjoy the experience I had in childbirth and as a mother started with those two events.
I have now been teaching childbirth classes and supporting breastfeeding mothers since 1998. I first taught in a hospital in Minneapolis, MN, and since moving to Birmingham in 1999, I have been teaching privately.
I started leading support groups for mothers at The Oasis Women's Counseling Center in 2001 and have been teaching parenting workshops since 2003.
I am the proud mother of four delightful children and the ecstatic wife of one wonderful husband.
Training:
Childbirth Educator training; one year course with the Israel Childbirth Education Center (ICEC)
Became a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator June 2009 Breastfeeding counselor training; correspondence course with Breastfeeding Support Consultants (BSC)
And of course conferences and workshops and reading.... I am forever learning. |
About me |