Hi I’m Emily! Thank you for considering me to be your doula. I love all things pregnancy: birth, families, and babies! I have been married to my best friends and partner since 2006 and we enjoy spending time with our two beautiful girls! Madeline born at home  in Taylorsville Utah June of 2014 and Elizabeth born at home in Midvale Utah July 2019. We have struggled with infertility and pregnancy loss through much of our marriage and we feel very lucky to be their parents after so many years and wanting and wishing for them! We currently live in Midvale Utah. We love all things games. Board games, card games, and VIDEO games! I’m not afraid to admit it. I also love to read when I get the chance and we visit the library in our neighborhood nearly every week. I love the outdoors, but not the bugs! We have commited to get 1000 hours outside as a family this year so you might find us at the park rain or shine. I love staying up late and sleeping in (but our kids disagree!) I love being a mother and I feel incredibly honored to be able to do what I love, what I am passionate about, which is supporting growing families as they navigate the journey of pregnancy, birth, and new parenthood.

I have always wanted to work in the medical field. Even from a young age I was a nurturer and never shied away from difficult or emotional situations. I lived with my Grandparents at the end of their lives and my Grandmother received loving and compassionate hospice care in our home at the end of her life. I was intricately involved in that care. As a teenager I was helping with bathing, insulin shots, medications and daily care. I had the privilege of holding my Grandmothers hand as she slipped peaceful away from this world when I was just 15. I think birth and death are strongly related and both need a similar gentle, respectful, and calm reassurance. 

As an adult I began working with Intermountain Healthcare and enjoyed two wonderful years there in clinical nutrition. Preparing for nursing school and working in a hospital taught me a lot of things. I learned how hospitals run. I learned of the many miracles that modern medicine has made possible. I learned that nurses are amazing and over worked! I learned that patients are often left confused about who is caring for them, what is happening now, what their options are, or what is coming next. Much like a natural death, birth is emotional, raw, and often intense. It is also empowering, beautiful, and incredibly life altering.  Many low risk birth happen best when allowed to start and progress on its own. Most birth needs little medical intervention, just a watchful eye that everyone is tolerating labor well. Medical providers do an amazing job of practicing medicine, but families need more. Those in labor need continuous emotional support from early labor at home straight through to their first nap together as a new family! Parents need education and information, and every patient in the hospital needs an advocate, someone who is working for them and has no other interest or obligation. When I took a childbirth education and DONA approved doula training class to fill up some credit needed in school in the fall of 2011 the pieces all fell into place. There is a missing link in our care of birthing people and new families and that missing link is a professional doula!

At this realization I began to learn and devour any information I could on pregnancy and birth. I became obsessed! I attended my first live birth and it was magical, I was in awww. I would spend my life supporting families in labor. I was home. I decided that nursing was not my path, but midwifery was! I completed a year of midwifery school before I discovered I was pregnant with my own child after years of wishing to be a mother myself. I am not sure what the future holds. For now my midwifery education in on hold as I enjoy our babies while they are still young, but my career of helping and support growing families is full steam ahead! I continue to attended numerous conferences and classes on all topics of pregnancy and birth to keep my skills relevant and my knowledge fresh. I make a habit of staying informed of new studies and recommendations, I continue to read and grow my knowledge and skills.

I am experienced in supporting births in hospitals, at homes, and in birthing centers. Although I don’t use any of my clinical skills as a doula (I won’t check your blood pressure or your cervix, I don’t prescribe medication or perform procedures) I think my strength as a doula lies in my years of experience with birth, in my midwifery education, and in my experience working in the hospital. I can see and understand why the medical staff might recommend a certain test, procedure, or intervention. I can help you understand the medical language they use and help you communicate your plans and wishes back in a way they will understand. I will help you ask the right questions and to learn about all your options. I can provide you with as much research and information as you want from trusted resources to help make the best choice for you and your baby and then help to make sure your wishes are respected. I am a strong advocate. I love what I do as a doula and I would love to have the chance to meet you.