The Kind of Doula I Am

photo by Ashley Payne

I'm the kind of doula who believes that every pregnant person deserves to have a doula at their birth.

I believe this because we live in a world where millions of people will be losing their health coverage soon. A world where clinics aimed at providing people with care, like Planned Parenthood, are being defunded by Congress. A world where maternal death rates for black women far exceed those of any other ethnic group. A world where LGBTQ people's families are discredited and people's gender identity can be denied.

I'm also a business woman who makes my living by assisting people in all aspects of their pregnancy. As I continue additional training and certification I do it with the realization that the more I am educated the better I will be able to assist pregnant people and their families.

Perhaps you've not read the recent Buzzfeed and subsequent NY Magazine articles about the business side of doula-ing,  if you have and it left a bad taste in your mouth about who doulas are or who I am as a doula I hope you know that my goals are always centered around the families I serve, my family, and self care. It is this balance that drives me to continue my education and fuels my determination to make my doula services accessible for all families.

This means that I charge my full birth package price of $900 to my families providing payment options for those who need it. It also means that I have, and will continue, to provide birth doula services to families who cannot afford my full price. There is so much evidence out there that supports the necessity of doula work and I, personally, can't and won't let some very bad press change my passion and desire to provide this necessary service.

I am grateful to my strong circle of doula educators that have touched my life from the kick-ass group of Women of Color who trained me in Brooklyn to the dynamic instructors at Bastyr in Seattle.
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If you're in the South Puget Sound and have questions or concerns about how a doula works, please do not hesitate to reach out to me and I'll do my best to answer your questions or point you to a birth professional with more experience.


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