When I was pregnant with my first child in 2001, I began to search for the perfect birthing experience. I read so many things on the web and through many books and found The Bradley Method® fit for myself and my husband. My husband is the type of person who loves to know all that he can, and the classes taught by her did just that! I loved that I would just have to learn about keeping relaxed during labor.
My first child was born in January 2002. It was not my ideal childbirth experience. I was induced and received an epidural. I felt blessed to have my healthy daughter and began my journey into motherhood. I soon realized that having a child and trying to maintain my professional life as a middle school teacher just was not a great fit for us at the time.
In May of 2003, we made a big move from Illinois to Southern California. It was a big change for us. We discovered we were pregnant with our second child and prepared ourselves for his birth. For this birth, we decided we wanted a homebirth.
Our second child was born at home in December 2003. I read more and more on labor so I could have the perfect birth experience. Ina May Gaskin's book Guide to Childbirth helped me learn new ways of relaxing. We practiced our relaxation exercises and re-read Natural Childbirth the Bradley® Way. I found his birth to be very relaxed and in some ways refreshing for me. I discovered that my body was capable of beginning labor on its own and was able to handle labor on its own. I was relaxed and kept using my same relaxation techniques that I had learned before and from Ina May. My midwives were amazed at my relaxation skills. I knew from that moment on that those techniques that I learned were amazing for me and worked. I wanted to share this knowledge with everyone!
A year later I began training with the Academy of Husband Coached Childbirth®. I was pregnant with our third child and felt I needed to do more with my professional experience as a teacher. I felt I needed to help mothers more and teaching natural childbirth classes seemed the best fit for me. I enjoyed the process of training to be an educator in 2004.
In 2005, I gave birth to my third child om Fontana, CA. I again had a homebirth with Geeta Swamidass, LPM. I really loved Geeta. She was so kind and comfortable for me. She supported my move into childbirth education. My 3rd birth was fast and again another amazing experience. Craig was with me the entire time and used amazing encouragement. We had also prepared our daughter to share in the birth, but unfortunately, he came quickly so she only saw the birth of the placenta. She was one of the first people to hold him.
I have been teaching natural childbirth classes since 2005. Over the years, my knowledge and enthusiasm for teaching The Bradley Method® has continued to grow. I am experienced teacher having taught over 100 couples. I have breastfed all my children and practiced extended breastfeeding. We were a co-sleeping, clothing diaper, homebirthing, extending breastfeeding family, but we have recently moved into the world of homeschooling. I hope to share the joy of birthing naturally with you soon and helping you on your parenting journey.