My passion for family support and empowerment began as an older sibling. Watching and supporting my own mother as she nurtured and cared for my baby brother, sparked my love for the delicate newborn period in all of its beautiful, emotional glory. I want to be source of support and empowerment for growing families.

I decided to combine my love of newborns, their family, and science. I began the journey toward becoming an OB/GYN. I wanted to give birthing families the information and confidence to make the decisions that were right for them. Once I was in medical school, I became quickly disheartened by my training to only spend 15 minutes with a patient per visit. My heart and intuition began pulling me in another direction.

I left medical school and became an infant nanny. With patience, I lovingly supported countless infants and toddlers through their big feelings around teething, sleep regression, and the daily frustrations of learning how to be a human. Loving it, I continued my search to find work that not only supports the infant, but the entire family.

As I was training as a birth doula, I discovered the program Maine Families and joined as a Family Visitor. The program is a free home-visiting service for birthing families across Maine. I was trained extensively in evidence-based infant care, early childhood development, parent-child interaction, transitions and routines, and family well-being.

The work I did with Maine Families was immensely fulfilling, as I visited families of all backgrounds and experiences across Greater Portland. I was able to validate, normalize, empower, and support each family I met. I learned that parents are the experts on their children and often intuitively know what to do for their families.

As I visited with families, I found recurring themes of family isolation, the want for unbiased support and information, and the need for rest. I was called to make my passion for birth and postpartum doula work my full-time focus.