About Crowning Joy Doula Services

I live in beautiful Altadena, California with my husband and two children. Around the time of my first child’s birth, I became a bit of a birth junkie. I took childbirth education classes, read countless books on childbirth and breastfeeding, and asked just about every mother I met about their birth experiences. What I heard and read upset me – that women/birthing people were being given interventions just because it was hospital procedure and not because they were medically necessary, they were being induced or given c-sections for the doctor’s convenience, and that many couples didn’t know they had a choice and ended up feeling angry and betrayed by the medical community. This often marred what should have been one of the most joyful days of their lives.

I developed a passion to empower couples in birth and knew I wanted to do something in that field, since it’s a great thing when one’s passion and career are one in the same. I then had the opportunity to attend a friend’s birth as a doula and I was hooked. I decided that was the perfect path to follow, since it would allow me to support birthing and postpartum couples and assist with breastfeeding (another passion of mine), baby care, and recovery and also to stay at home with my wonderful children, which was one of the most rewarding, joyous, and tiring experiences of my life.

I am certified through DONA and Madriella. I am also a certified lactation education specialist, trained in Infant/Adult First-Aid and CPR, Spinning Babies, and Evidence Based Birth. I have worked with over 300 clients and have done extensive reading on pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and breast-feeding. I am experienced in babywearing and can teach parents how to use a variety of carriers. I have also breastfed my own two children. I gave birth to my first child in a hospital and was privileged to give birth to my second child at home with midwives. Both were wonderful – yet very different birth experiences. As a doula, I feel privileged to join couples in those life-changing moments of birth and the postpartum period.

In my spare time, I enjoy reading, hiking, going to the beach, camping, and attending musicals and plays.