Biography
For as long as I can remember I’ve been drawn to and fascinated by birth. It’s a miracle that takes place in a moment, yet the memories of it will last a lifetime. This is the story mamas will be repeating for years to come and I want the tale to be one they share with pride and positive retrospection. I want to be a part of that joy. With my calm and nurturing spirit, I am a trusted resource and provide families with unbiased education, research-based information, and personalized nurturing support to make their birth story one of their favorites to share.
Babies and families are my passion. I started the doula training through DONA back in 2005; then I met my husband and we were married in October 2005. I go into things wholeheartedly when I make a commitment, so I put my doula dreams on hold and embraced married life. Quickly, I started having babies. In the next eight years, I gave birth to five vaginal, healthy babies, each one being a different experience.
I felt and experienced what the woman’s body is capable of and can confidently guide women through the birth experience. I also know that each birth story is different and it’s my passion to help women navigate through the possibilities of interventions and how that affects the recovery process.
For many years I was blessed to stay home with my five little ones. I was a licensed home daycare provider for 11 years and a preschool teacher at a local preschool for almost four years. Caring for other family’s babies gave me a passion for providing loving, non-judgemental care and assisting them through the beautiful, but sometimes rocky, times of infancy.
My goal is to empower families to create a lasting bond and feel confident taking care of their new precious addition. I love nurturing both infants and mothers and educating and reassuring families as they navigate breastfeeding, healing, and life with an infant.
Tell us about your practice; where you’re located, some stats, etc. Tell us how your practice has changed or grown since joining APPA. Share some of your successes.
I live in Reno NV. I serve families in Minden, Carson City, Reno, Sparks, Truckee and the Tahoe area. I started out as a Birth Doula about 15 years ago. My practice has been on and off due to having a family of my own of five children. During this time my love for serving families grew and I wanted to serve them better. I went on to pursue my education in lactation counseling and placenta arts. Now that I’m educated in those areas, I feel I can serve my community in other areas where moms and families could benefit more.
In what way has being an APPAC/being part of APPA benefited you as a placenta prep provider?
I learned so much through taking the modules at APPA. It was so helpful and now I feel confident enough to encapsulate placentas for families in my community.
Do you have any advice for those interested in becoming a placenta arts provider?
Do it! You won’t regret it. When you get to a point of being overwhelmed, just take one day at a time, keep moving forward and don’t give up. You can do this!
Why did you choose APPA as your certifying organization?
I heard it was most credible program, and it really was everything I would have hoped for in an organization.
What did you like the most about APPA?
The modules and my mentor and how it was set up. The whole thing, I loved it!
How has this training changed your practice or added to your knowledge?
It changed it a lot. Before this I didn’t have “placenta encapsulation” on my website.
