About Me

I am an experienced professional doula. I hold Birthing From Within childbirth preparation classes and I am an active committee member of the Gauteng Breastfeeding Forum. I am currently registered with and getting an international certification as a doula and mentor with Birthing From Within.

I have been attending births as a professional doula since 2003. My extensive experience as a doula includes supporting births at home, in active birth units and private hospitals in Johannesburg and Pretoria as well as a public hospital. I have experience with water birth, cesarean birth, VBAC's, inductions, epidurals and natural birth, single mothers, mothers whose babies will be adopted and supporting families who wish to have older children and other family members present at the birth.

I have attended workshops with Maria Sterrenberg (Village Doula training), Jacky Bloemraad-de Boer - Holland (acupressure, reflexology, rebozo technique, polarity, moxibustion and cupping - techniques useful for natural inductions (eg where your waters have broken and contractions have not started), helping with difficult labours and positioning babies into a good position for birth), Lactation Management Course with Brenda Campbell and Brenda Pierce (breastfeeding), Laura van Deth - Holland (Midwife; water birth), Elena Tonetti - USA (Russian Spiritual Midwife; gentle birth and limbic imprinting - how birth and the first few hours, impacts on the baby's well being emotionally and physically), Jodi Hall - Canada (DONA Certified Doula, Masters in Woman's studies and director of A Safe Passage in Canada) - training on identifying and reducing the impact of trauma, childhood sexual abuse and ongoing physical, emotional or sexual abuse on pregnancy, childbirth and early postpartum including post natal depression.

Prior to becoming a doula I was a social worker in the field of child and family. My social work experience includes counseling, family therapy, marriage preparation and enrichment, trauma debriefing, sexuality education, parenting groups and community work. I am the mother of two children, Jennifer (13) and Dylan (9) both were born at home with midwives. I am also blessed with a very supportive husband.