Everyone deserves to go into their birth with confidence.
Benefit from the full attention of an instructor who has been an active doula in the Bay Area for over 20 years.
You want your birth to be as positive as possible. You also want support on this journey from people who will help you use your own instincts and preferences toward that goal (rather than their own opinions about what you "should do").
You want a childbirth prep class that is personalized to you, at your pace, with plenty of time to focus on what matters to you. This is not an online video course created to apply to a large population, and this isn't a live virtual or in-person course with several other couples asking questions that aren't relevant to you.
This is about you and your partner, and only you.
You want to be helpful, and you want to feel confident in your ability to be what your partner needs. You also want to be realistic.
You want a childbirth teacher who will work with you and your partner's specific personalities to help you see how you are both likely to show up during the birth, and how you can work together before and during (and even after!) for the most positive experience for you both.
I've created childbirth preparation that involves me listening as much as I talk. Because of this, I
call each session a meeting, rather than a class. We are collaborating, because you know
yourselves better than anyone, and I know birth.
I've spent 20+ years working with over 350 families through prenatal preparation and birth, studying their dynamics together, how different personalities move through challenges, how they work together through stress and
doing hard things.
Whether you're wanting to release expectations for outcomes, or you're desiring strategies for
creating the optimal chance of your birth going the way you want; whether you want everyone
involved to make sure you don't miss your window for an epidural, or needing your partner to
see that you want them to empower you to forego pain medication rather than trying to "fix" what
you're experiencing—this is your childbirth prep.
I get to know you in very deep, nuanced ways. I listen and ask questions that help me see you
clearly, and I come to care about you in ways that most childbirth educators can't. This care
inspires me to connect to empathy, which helps me teach you from a "what would I want if I was
you?" perspective.
This offering is a combination of teaching, putting you in touch with tools that are appropriate for you personally, and exploring your patterns during challenge and stress.
We will also work within your interest and availability. For example, if you're already on leave and are excited to do everything you can to prepare, I will help you decide what to focus on. But I don't give "homework" to folks who are overwhelmed and stressed. Or if you've tried meditating and you know don't like it, I'm not going to tell you to do guided visualization every night. We will find what fits into your life and personality.
Once we are done, you'll have what you need to prepare for the day your baby is born, in ways that work for you.
Each meeting has a general focus but is always personalized to your needs
with plenty of space for your questions and reflections.
Getting to know you — exploring your hopes, fears, and what you can be doing right now to have a more positive birth.
In this session I let you know what's important to start earlier on in your last month or two of pregnancy.
For most folks this includes tools for optimal fetal positioning for a smoother birth.
We often talk about your own relationships with anxiety and how to go into your birth with calm and confidence.
This is essentially What Happens in the Hospital, Logistics, and Advocacy. It's how you'll navigate protocol with your personal preferences. We'll talk about your individual styles of advocacy, with or without a doula, and how to incorporate your desire to have pain meds, or forego them, into the picture.
This is everything from when to go to the hospital, to how to keep your family updated without being distracted.
For those planning to give birth at home or at a birth center, this conversation is a little different. We still talk about advocacy and logistics, but the conversation is more led by your questions and concerns.
Comfort Measures & Coping Strategies — hands-on techniques, mindset tools, and practical preparation for both partners.
This session is where you really gain confidence in your abilities to move through the physicality of labor together.
If you're planning on avoiding pain meds, comfort measures like breath and position changes can be the difference between pain and intense sensation.
If you're planning on pain meds, it's still important to have tools for early labor, and in the case of a delayed epidural or one that isn't working well.
We'll meet in person rather than virtually for this hands-on option.
Response times depending
on time-sensitivity.
As available, up to one hour.
This is me and my first-born at the SF Zoo on December 7th 2005—he was a year and a half old. I’d just become a doula, had attended my first birth on September 20th! I’ve celebrated that date every year as the day I found my calling. I have adored my work as a full-time, solo doula more than any work I dreamed of finding.
All these years later, after raising my two children and now empty-nested, I love my clients and attending their births more than I ever have. But I’m getting older, and a lot of things are changing. So I’m attending fewer births, booking up happily with my doula partner Kim Winkleman, and growing other passions and future callings.
But I have ALL this birth wisdom! And more importantly, I've learned so much about how to advise folks based on WHO THEY ARE. I dig deep, into my innermost knowing, when my clients tell me about themselves and their desires. I want to share that with as many people as possible.
I do believe everyone benefits from a doula, so I will encourage you to find one, and will even assist you in finding one if need be. Most doulas agree it’s important to take a separate childbirth prep class in addition to your prenatal meetings with them. And if you don’t have a doula, this is the best way you can prepare—with the help of a longtime doula.
I sincerely would love to work with you.
I truly believe I have a powerful, unique way of helping folks prepare for childbirth that addresses them in the utmost individualized, personal way that they don't get from the average class. I want to bring this to people who aren't my doula clients.
My clients repeatedly report that they felt seen and supported by me as I got to know them, and that my prenatal preparation is more thorough, personalized, and in-depth than they could have
expected. They also report that I am a resource throughout their journey, as far into their parenting experience as they wish.
Gain confidence, understanding, and empowerment. Through individualized
teaching and strategic exploration, you'll come away from our time together with a realistic idea
of what to expect from yourself, your partner, and your caregivers during your birth.
To learn more about working with me and to set up a consulation please reach out via email with your estimted due date.