Long beach's Only Lawyer-doula!

Doula/Childbirth Educator/Breastfeeding Coach

In 2007 I followed my heart and decided to leave my work as a lawyer for abused kids and start helping families in a different way. My work as a doula actually started in 2007 with sleep training (think of it as really delayed postpartum doula work, when the kid is already over four months old).

I read a ton of books and did it with my son, then started getting calls from friends of friends to help them coach their kid into better sleep. I realized I could turn that into a small business and still be at home with my son, and then my best friend became a doula (after attending my birth and seeing my doula in action)!

I realized I could become like the doula I hired for my own birth in 2006, and follow in my best friend's footstep's by blending advocacy with my hippie upbringing where home births, midwives and even unassisted birth were common. I quickly discovered a lawyer-turned-doula was a huge asset during a hospital birth!

I've been providing breastfeeding support, sleep coaching, placenta encapsulation and doula services since 2008, and I love all of it!

My Own Birth

Many prospective clients ask me about my own birth. You don't have to do what I did. Every woman is unique, and every one of her births will be unique. Part of what makes my advice during labor valuable is that I've attended so many births in so many different hospitals with different doctors and nurses. I also read everything I can get about pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding.

However, since my job is so intimate, I am happy to share my own story with you. Briefly, I had a hospital birth with an obstetrician and a fabulous doula. Though I planned a medication-free birth, I got an epidural so I know how birth plans change and I think every mom and baby has to do what's right for them. I support my client's choices completely.

What is my training? Am I certified?

Yes, I am a certified HypnoDoula, trained to assist moms using Childbirth Hypnosis. I also completed a Doula Internship through South Coast Midwifery.

I'm trained and I got certified by both CAPPA and DONA (I'm currently re-certifying with them), the leading doula certifying organizations in the United States.

All of my certifications require me to attend several continuing education trainings each year. Training courses I have attended include:

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) (1 afternoon)
Low Milk Supply (1 day training); trainer Diana West's book, Making More Milk
HypnoBirthing for parents (The Mongan Method) (4 evenings)
The Bradley Method (12 evenings classes)
Stemming the Tide of Formula Supplementation (1 day)
Hypnobabies HypnoDoula Training (1 day)
Hypnobirthing Doula Training (1 day)
CAPPA Childbirth Educator Training (3 days)
CAPPA Lactation Educator Training (3 days)
DONA Labor Doula Training (2 days) attended three times since 2008
CAPPA Labor Doula Training (2 days)
Spinning Babies (1 day) with Gail Tully, homebirth midwife
CAPPA Annual Conference (3 days)
DONA Advanced Doula Skills (2 days)
DoTerra Essential Oils Basics (2 hours)
Peer-to-Peer Breastfeeding (3 days)
Neonatal Resuscitation Protocol (1 day)

Does certification matter?

The part of it that makes sense to me is that I have agreed as part of my certification that I will not exceed the scope of practice of a doula: a non-medical support person who does not make decisions for the mother. I believe in the limits of my work and hope to be a valued member of your non-medical support team.

Long beach's Only Lawyer-doula!

Doula/Childbirth Educator/Breastfeeding Coach

My Own Birth

My Certifications

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