I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and a Master’s Degree in Counseling, along with a host of other certifications. I gained valuable experience as a Pregnancy and Women's Health Coordinator working closely with Doctors and Midwives. While in this position, I positively supported over 300 pregnant women and assisted them throughout their prenatal/postpartum journey, provided education on fetal development, and continued to support them when they received gynecologic care. This motivated me so much to do more, that I successfully completed two approved Doula Trainings that led to certification - one with Dona International and the other with Uzazi Village. 

 

Every doula has her own unique story of what motivated her to become a Doula. What inspired me to become a Doula was motivated by my passion for and deeply held beliefs about pregnancy, birth and babies. I recognize that the birth of a child is one of just a few events in life that will be forever engraved in the hearts and minds of parents. I want to do whatever I can to make it a day of joy and love. 

 

I also care deeply about what I can learn from others. I've never cared much for qualifications. I've got plenty of them and know how little they mean. When I look to someone to teach, I learn too, and I care more for what people show me about themselves and what they believe in. Qualifications and certifications don't make you good at your job-they don't make you a caring individual. What matters to me most is being relatable and reliable while serving birthing people. My clients must truly see themselves in me.

 

Ultimately, my goal is to educate, encourage, and empower women. When a woman is educated and supported during pregnancy, labor, birth and the postpartum period, it can be an incredible experience. On the other hand, when a woman isn’t supported during these times, it can feel debilitating, scary and even traumatizing. Knowing this, I decided I wanted to help women not have the births I experienced. They didn’t go the way I had planned, and I was not part of the process each time.

 

I also provide support in other ways during the postpartum period so that my clients can positively meet both their own needs and their babies' needs. Although I am not qualified to diagnose postpartum mood disorders, I will keep a close eye out for anything that my substantial experience and training tells me might be a red flag, and suggest reaching out to a qualified care provider for help. I will support you through it, but within my scope of practice. It just may turn out to be that what you really need is someone to listen and validate you, to support your recovery, and help you prioritize  self-care and sleep in a healthy way. Thankfully, I am finishing up a training to become certified in Perinatal Mental Heath- how amazing is this?

 

Anyone can become a business owner, and I am grateful having a business providing Doula services. In my opinion,  I believe that business owners should be ethical and honest- and I live into that. I also believe in giving my clients the absolute best I have to offer. I am aware that some of the families I support are vulnerable, and I am meeting with them at an important time of their lives, and they deserve trustworthiness from anyone who works for them. My goal is not perfection, but to encourage growth and support personal choices with transparency and knowledge, while providing evidence-based information. It’s also important to have honest conversations with women based on factual, unbiased, and timely information, conveyed in a way that reassures the woman that she is the best person, practically, legally and morally, to decide what is right for her and her unborn child.

 

So whatever it is you need, whoever you are hiring to support you, please make sure that they have the experience to do it properly. Even if it means asking about certifications and training, asking questions about relevant experience, and evaluating carefully to decide who you are comfortable with. I think many people are nervous to ask these questions because it feels impolite, but I promise you that any professional worth their salt will be happy to answer your questions.

 

The most important thing to me is that you get the help you need, regardless of whether that means me or not.

 

To be honest, having access to doula services and quality maternal healthcare is not a luxury- it’s a necessity. The key to a trauma free birth is to educate yourself, have a supportive team, and know your options to make informed decisions.

 

Before I go, I want you to know that I would love to be invited into your sacred space so you can feel valued, heard, and supported- leaving your birth experience with a positive memory. While your care providers treat everything from the abdomen down, I support everything from the abdomen up (the heart and mind!).

 

With Love,

India

And remember....

Your body~ Your birth~ Your baby