Birth
The Felt Sense of Doula Work
In addition to my doula work, I am a copywriter for a continuing education platform for psychotherapists. In my role, I meet many expert therapists who are offering courses and I learn about their work. So far, I’ve learned about: How I Learned About Felt Sense A few weeks ago, I was interviewing one of…
Read MoreA Tribute to Penny Simkin
One of my most impactful mentors, Penny Simkin, left this realm on 4/11/24. Penny is known as the mother of the modern doula movement. She has star quality in the birth world. But to know her up close and in person — to learn how to teach alongside her — was a lesson in humility,…
Read MoreGrowing A Doula Business: My Journey into the Heart of Entrepreneurship
How I Started My Doula Business …and how the doula world has changed. A few months ago, I was talking about the nature of human beings: families, our brains, decision-making, and where our passions and inspiration come from. Next, I explored how we want to be heard and seen, which led into where your business…
Read MoreGetting Started and Finding My Voice
This is my journey of finding my voice in a society that silences women, starting with my mother’s subtle but unsuccessful rebellion. How do you bring an idea to life if your passions are silenced? Dedicated to my mom. My mom was born in 1929, when women weren’t known for having their voices heard.…
Read MoreDecision-Making Part 3: Skills for Doulas
Decision-Making in Real Life: Role Plays and Reality This is the last of a 3-part series on decision making doula skills. In this post, I outline the process I used with my clients when working as a doula. The Decision-Making Role Play This process is done in a prenatal visit — a meeting done with…
Read MoreDecision-Making Part 2: Tools
Part 2 In a 3-Part Series In last week’s blog, I shared about decision-making and how it’s not what we think it is. In this blog, I share about various decision making models doulas can use when supporting their clients. We tend to think decision-making is very logical, analytical, and reasoned. But it’s almost the…
Read MoreDecision-Making Part 1: Faking You Out Big Time!
A new series of blogs on how we make decisions I read a newsletter article this week by Anne-Laure Le Cunff of Ness Labs. It was called “Why Smart People Make Dumb Decisions.” It’s all about how the brain makes decisions. Her article reminded me that I wanted to blog about decision-making in birth, so…
Read MoreInductions: Why Are They So Damn Hard?
Labor inductions are a topic that so many doulas struggle with. Why are they so challenging? And is there anything doulas can do to make them more manageable? First, let’s start with the basics: What Is an Induction? A labor induction is when labor is started artificially. Normally, labor starts on its own due to…
Read MoreDoulas Are Revolutionary!
The Impact of Doulas I was recently filling out an online dating profile (yes, was looking’ for love ♥ when this post was originally written), and one of the profile questions took me back to a birth I attended eight years ago. The question was: What’s the best compliment you ever received? My answer: “You…
Read MoreA Love Letter to the Seattle Birth Community
An Open Letter of Love and Gratitude… As I close the doors to Big Belly Services, sell off my belongings, and prepare to drive off into my new life, I am filled with so many memories and so much gratitude for the Seattle birth community. My midwives who started me off on this path, Suzy…
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