Being the self-assured, type-A woman that I was, I decided against taking any sort of childbirth or newborn education. I was excited about the baby but had no clue what would happen next.
Instead, I came home from the hospital struggling to breastfeed, with physical pain, trouble sleeping, and only 10 days of help.
No one had told me about all of the chaos that could come in these early days or the community that I would so desperately need. When my daughter was about six months old, I knew that a new passion was forming inside of me to start sharing my story and helping other mothers not feel so alone. I so wished I had the support and companionship of someone who had been where I stood in those early days of struggle.
👋🏼Hey, I’m Danielle, and I used to assume motherhood would come easily to me…
At five weeks postpartum with my first, I was diagnosed with severe postpartum depression and anxiety. I spent the next 6 months working with a psychiatrist, therapist, and spiritual counselor to heal. When I got pregnant again three years later, I knew something had to change. I took the time to educate myself, prepare holistically for postpartum, and receive lactation support from day one. It wasn’t until after my son was born that I heard the word doula, and I knew that my life’s calling was found.
In the Winter of 2022, I began a 3-month intensive full-spectrum doula certification program through BirthWorker Academy. Although I knew I wanted to focus on postpartum doula care, it was important to me that I know and understand the complexities of birth as well as to best support mothers during the postpartum period and beyond. I am a partner with Be Her Village, a unique baby registry. With BeHerVillage you can add A Bridge to Motherhood to your registry and encourage your family and friends to help pay for postpartum support.
As a former teacher, I value knowledge and my learning is ever ongoing. I am pursuing my certifications in Gift Registry, Babywearing, and Perinatal Mental Health next.
My goal as a postpartum doula is to bring you peace, education, and encouragement every step along the way! If you’re ready to commit to loving yourself throughout this stage and placing just as much importance on your holistic health, let’s book a call to talk about how we can work together!