​I am a certified HypnoBirthing® International practitioner/childbirth educator, postpartum doula and NEWLY a birth doula-in-training! I also plan Mother Blessings and Women’s Red Tent gatherings; and am working toward a Breastfeeding Educator certification. I have backgrounds in business, including degrees in Economics, International Business, and Human Resource Management; and in education as a Teach for America Corps Member in Houston’s refugee neighborhood schools.
I am a mother to two wild and lovable boys. I live in Skokie, IL aka Chicagoland; but have lived in Utah, Houston, and Ecuador (sí, hablo Español).  I love to laugh and I adore the outdoors. I have come to love all the quirky little traits that make me who I am. I make a mean meatball sandwich and chocolate chip cookies that’ll probably change your life. Music is a huge part of my life and my heart beats to Indie, Rock, 80s, Bachata, Louis Armstrong and Folksy stuff.
Also, I’m in love with the idea of everyone having support when they need it and a friend to share life with. To sum up me- someone recently put it like this, “you’re a thinker, a feeler, creator of joy; a happy wanderer enjoying the journey and finding beautiful distractions along the path”.

​I guess my first intro to birth work was when I met a HypnoBirthing instructor that lived in my neighborhood. Happy coincidence! I was pregnant with my second child and looking to do things a little different than the first time around. She became a friend and guru of sorts. All of a sudden I learned what a midwife and doula are; learned about home birth, placenta encapsulation, evidenced based birthing choices, my rights as a birthing woman and how to claim those rights, what an IBCLC is and how amazing they are and on and on. I was a sponge to every new thing. And best of all I felt free to decide for myself what I did and did not want to embrace. Knowledge became an addicting power. All of this combined to be the catalyst for me having the most transformative and transcendent birth experience- everything I had imagined it could be. It consumed me. All women should be allowed (who’s allowing anyway??) to know and then make decisions for themselves. It was only natural that I begin by becoming certified to teach and inspire others the way I had been and the rest is history.

​Current offerings at Graceful Birth & Families:
            -Comprehensive HypnoBirthing Childbirth Education (group and private series)
            -Postpartum Doula Support
            -Mother Blessing planning/officiating services
            -Birth Doula Support (as part of my path to certification)
            -Breastfeeding Education (also part of my current training process)
My approach:
Every pregnant person, each family, has its own needs and desires. My approach is to listen, educate, empathize, and then empower. My goal is always to work myself out of a job so that each client can take the reins and never need me again. This whole process is not about educators, doulas, care providers; it’s about babies and their families. Hands down- respect for where they are coming from and where they are going.

​Good question! There can be so many things! Sometimes moms are looking for a way to heal and find strength and positivity to press forward. Sometimes, very enlightened parents know just what they want from birth and postpartum but know that our societal systems don’t effortlessly support that.
Expectant families taking HypnoBirthing are looking for pregnancy and labor comfort measures, to empower partners, familial connection in the process. Sometimes due to legitimate medical issues that arise they want to know how to use self-hypnosis and relaxation skills in their journey and add good decision making skills to prepare for whatever turn birthing may take. Some moms are just terrified of the whole process and don’t know where to start, this actually happens a lot, the fear of labor and a deep desire to overcome it.
Postpartum families are looking for an extra set of hands, emotional support, someone to facilitate rest and healing.
Women looking for Mother Blessing services want to connect to their own power, feel love and strength on their journey from Maiden to Mother (the first or seventh times). They are searching for something to ground them and a support system to hold space for them while they carry forward ultimately alone, but certainly not lonely.

​My experiences: I’ve lived both the trauma of unnecessary intervention and experienced the euphoria of a med-free, intervention-free, natural birth.
My belief: Birth is a normal function for healthy women and babies; our bodies are designed to do this. It is each woman’s inherent birthright to be made to feel like a goddess warrior in change of her own path and destiny. Couple that with unwavering support from caring experts and you’ve got a great thing going
My mold-ability: I want the key players to be the families. I want to be invisible.
My intuition: I am an empath. With this gift of discernment, I can read a room, and person’s emotions, the unspoken and the unseen. And I know that each person—we’re not just crossing paths for a moment but our interactions will leave an imprint. Birth changes people. Forever. And I approach everything thing I do with this most present in my mind.

​The evidence of childbirth education and doulas is clear:
-Less unnecessary interventions (epidurals, Pitocin, inductions, c-sections)
-Less PPMDs (perinatal and postpartum mood disorders, like postpartum depression)
-Less instances of regret about birth outcomes
-More empowered, knowledgeable, and overall happier with their providers
From Mother’s Blessings moms are more connected, infused with energy and positivity, and supported by her loved ones. Moms and their families have both a clear vision and the tools to carry it out.

​My goal is to become a clinical hypnotherapist and holistic family psychotherapist. That will not happen in five years from now, nope, no way. Haha. But on my way to that goal, I will have completed my birth doula training and started supporting more women during birth, not just before and after. I would like to think that in ten years from now I’ll have started my degree path and be researching postpartum care and maternal mental health issues inherent in the systemic failures in our society. BUT, in the next year, you’ll see me expanding Graceful Birth & Families to include birth services, breastfeeding education, hosting more Red Tent groups and more Mothers Blessing services.

​All the words! Things are going to be so, so amazing! That knowledge is power. This will be/can be your greatest achievement; a whole rebirth of you. You already have everything you need inside of you. In your labor experience, it will matter a lot how you were made to feel, maybe even more than the outcome or little details. It can inspire you to do and accomplish anything or crush your very self-worth. Educate yourself- own your experience. You will remember these moments forever. It can be and was meant to be so powerful, so good, so sacred. You deserve respect and support. It’ll take preparation and dedication, and you and your baby are worth it. 

Quotes I will always love:
“Change the way you view birth and the way you birth will change.” –Marie Mongan
“Giving birth should be your greatest achievement, not your greatest fear.” –Jane Weideman
“A woman in birth is at once at her most powerful, and her most vulnerable. But any woman who has birthed unhindered understands that we are stronger than we know.” –Marci Macari
 
My favorite birth book right now is The Gift of Giving Life by Austin, Allgood, Axman, Farrell, and Ripley (no, they are not a law firm, but rather the most amazing group of women you may ever meet!)
 
Ok tied for current favorite is The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother by Heng Ou. It’s an amazing resource for nourishing your soul (and your body) for moms.

One thing I noticed quickly upon entering the birth world was that it seemed a lot of women experienced a disappointing (on the good end) to traumatic (on the bad end) birth with their first baby that led them to want something different with subsequent babies.

I am all for learning from our experiences and being able to look back and say, "Wow!  I'm so proud of what I know now!"  However, having a negative birth experience under your belt should not be the requirement to achieving a great one.

When women ask me what I think is important in having a 'good birth' (which is completely subjective, you should know; only you get to determine if your birth experience met your expectations), one thing I always suggest is choosing a care provider carefully.  

What's tricky about this is that we often aren't sure about the ins and outs of what we want our birth to look like until we are close to the actual birth, itself!  While it is certainly possible (and a woman's prerogative) to switch providers at any point during pregnancy, the further along you are the more daunting it can feel.  Here are a couple tips for finding a provider that shares your outlook.



1. Research!  Early on in your pregnancy, or better yet - before you conceive, talk to those friends that have raved about their births.  What made it great for them?  Read positive birth stories (check out this and this to start) to hear stories of women that really felt empowered in their births.  Then, assess what YOU connect with.  The freedom to claim the epidural upon entering the hospital?  The language the caregiver used with the client?  Pushing as the client chose and not as someone else directed?    

2. Referrals! Get names from friends that had birth experiences you wouldn't mind having as well.  Your OB may be *GREAT* at pap smears and helping you sort out birth control options, but perhaps is less practiced in extending patient autonomy during the throes of labor.  These are the things to know!

3. Ask the detailed questions early on!  Say you want a water birth in the hospital.  Your care provider might be fine with it, but perhaps the hospital you plan to birth at has restrictions in place.  Things like this, when learned in the first or early second trimester, can more easily be addressed than if you discover them at your 38-week appointment.  Give yourself some time to jump the hurdles.

4. Be honest!  Remember, you employ your care provider.  When you are looking for a company to give your home a new roof or you're getting estimates for a painting job, you get to be crystal-clear about your desires and expectations.  Hiring a care provider to oversee your pregnancy and birth is no different (though, one might argue far more important).  Be explicit in what it is you're wanting in your birth and care provider experience, and don't be afraid to speak up if those expectations aren't met along the way.

The are so many great birthing options in Evanston and the surrounding areas.  If you aren't clicking with your provider, do a little research and find the care provider of your dreams!

This past week ACOG (American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) made waves in the birth world by releasing a statement addressing real ways to help first time mamas avoid delivery by c-section.  The biggest surprise for natural birth advocates?  Their encouragement that continuous labor support (as in, a doula) is a proven way to improve labor outcomes: "Published data indicate that one of the most effective tools to improve labor and delivery outcomes is the continuous presence of support personnel, such as a doula."  The statement goes on to say: "Given that there are no associated measurable harms, this resource is probably underutilized."

(Go here to read the the full statement "The Safe Prevention of the Primary Cesarean Delivery"; for a great summary of all ACOG's suggestions read this post over at Science and Sensibility.)

I love to see ACOG encouraging its doctors with evidence-based care and I'm hopeful that this recommendation will quickly trickle down to patients. 

How about you? Have you benefited from the invaluable support of a doula?