My 2015 Recap! It's Been an Amazing Year!

This year has truly been amazing! I am a bit of a Renaissance woman and always have many projects going at once. I am a Bradley Method Childbirth Educator, Birth Doula, and I design and create meditation and relaxation jewelry, such as, malas and breathing beads.

This year I attended three births and am waiting on a baby #4 to decide to arrive which may end up being the first baby of 2016! (yep, she will be!) Two of the births were at Harrison Medical Center and the third was a VBAC at St. Joes in Tacoma.

I taught 14 couples about how to have an empowered and satisfying birth using the tools learned in my Bradley Method childbirth class. I taught over 60 classes as each series is 12 weeks long. This was my first full year of teaching.

In May of 2015 I began the Kitsap Cesarean and VBAC Support Group. A couple of my students gave birth by cesarean and I saw a need for support in our area, so, I made it happen. We meet every second Wednesday of the month. I continue to improve my skills of listening and holding space as I facilitate these meetings and facebook group.

I took a CPR class and a NRP (neonatal rususcitation program) class, passed the tests, and now have cards for both. I have signed up for another NRP class taught by Karen Strange in Seattle next week, if babies will allow it.

I attended a BRAS (breastfeeding resources and skills) class for doulas, taught by the lovely Carrie Kenner. There was some new information but it was great to be assured that I knew quite a bit about breastfeeding already.

I think the most exciting thing I did this year was attend a three day course, taught by April Duggins, about becoming a birth assistant. I learned so much about how to assist a midwife in a home and birth center setting. I am working hard to make birth assisting happen in 2016!!

So many beads! I continue to design and create relaxation and meditation jewelry including malas and other prayer bead pieces. I have malas at Vivaflow Yoga studio in downtown Bremerton as well as YogaBliss on Mercer Island in Seattle. I hope to have my designs in more studios in the coming year.

It has been a humbling and exciting year, for sure and I am looking forward to flourishing in 2016 serving others, loving my family, making art, eating good food, and moving my body. xoxo

Cheers to a new year!!

#doula #BradleyMethod #birthassistant #NRP #breastfeeding