My fasination with birth began in 1970 when I had my first child. My husband was in the Navy and we were living in Corpus Christi TX at the time. I was only 18 years old and very nieve about what to expect. My labor started with my water breaking and we went right to the hospital. I had very little pain with my contractions and 4 hours later the nurse said I was complete. They wheeled me into the delivery room, gave me a saddle block, which is similar to a intrethecal. The doctor came in through the back door, picked up the forcepes and pulled out my baby. The nurse gave me a shot to dry up my milk. I just thought that was how it was done.

Four years later I was ready to have another baby. This time I did my research. I read Ina May's “Spiritual Midwifery” and became very facinated by the birth process. One month before my due date the doctor order an X-ray. This was in 1973 when X-rays were done rather then ultasounds. She was in a breech position. The doctor planned on delivering her vaginally. At that time most breech babies were delivered vaginally. My labor started at 7:00 in the morning with my water breaking, just like my first. This time, though, my contractions were very painful. After 8 hours of labor I was complete. I pushed for 4 hours. I had no medication up to this point, but in the delivery room I was given a little gas to take the edge off. My baby was delivered with forcepts in front of a room full of nurses and interns that wanted to see a breech birth. I wanted to nurse my baby, but it was a couple of hours before they brought her to me. Nursing didn't go real well at first, but we caught on and I nurse her until she was 9 months old.

I had my third baby, a girl, in 1977. Everything went real well. She was head down, thank goodness, and I had a 4 hour non-medicated, easy labor and delivery. Nursing also went really well.

We thought we were done but we had a wonderful surprise in 1985 when I was pregnant again. This time I wanted a home birth but my husband just wasn't comfortable with that. I just looked in the telephone book one day and found a midwife in private practice who had two rooms she rented from the University of Minnesota Hospital. The rooms were fixed up just like a bedroom. The bed was a regular double bed. The birth went great, another 4 hour easy labor and I felt so comfortable with my midwife and the room. It was another girl and I nursed her until she was 16 months old.

All of my children are grown now and I have three grandchildren. When my daughter was pregnant with my first grandchild she hired a doula. That was the first time I heard about doulas. I always wanted to help woman in labor and had no idea there was a profession that actually did that.

My next two grandchildren were born soon after the 1^st and I was honored to be there at each of their births. Both were beautiful births and I decided then I wanted to be a doula.

I have been certified with DONA since 2007. My dream for every woman giving birth is to have their dream birth. I want to help her surrender to the instinctual nature of birth. To do that she must feel safe and supported. Every birth journey is unique, and my role as a doula is to nurture and protect the mom so she will be able to draw on her own strengths to birth her baby.