I’m the owner of Atala Doula Services and serving as a birth, postpartum, and bereavement doula. Having spent most of my adult working life as a technical writer, which involves gathering information from subject matter experts and creating written resources that even non-technical people can easily understand and follow, I realized the work was not as rewarding or fulfilling as I wish it would be. So, I embarked on some introspection to evaluate my personality, my strengths, what I enjoyed about my prior work, and what I most want to do in the future…be a source of support and empowerment for others.

You know that question about what topic you could give a presentation on without time to prepare? I realized that pregnancy/birth is at the top of my list of topics because I’ve never stopped being interested in pregnancy and birth since I first started learning about these subjects. I am amazed by the intricacies of successful pregnancy and birth. After the birth of my youngest child, I remembered thinking I would probably enjoy being a doula to assist others in achieving awesome birthing experiences, but I didn’t think I could provide the type of support for others during their pregnancies that I felt they deserved while also being as present for my family as I desired. I have now been drawn to birth work as I know I can serve others without feeling my family will have to make too many sacrifices.

Even though I’ve never had a doula present for my births, I can easily see how it would have been a benefit for each of my birthing experiences. I too often felt unheard, disregarded, and disempowered during these life-changing moments, and I wholeheartedly believe having a doula, someone with knowledge and training present specifically to support me, would have prevented some of those feelings.

Now, I want to be your cheerleader, encouraging you to reach your goals and tap into your amazing capabilities, and also be a person you can lean on when you need to rest to revitalize your energy.