Hi, I’m Melissa.

Growing up as the daughter of a childbirth educator and doula in the 80s and 90s, I vividly remember my mother waking me up after attending births to tell me all about them. We had open conversations about pregnancy and childbirth, and I feel so fortunate to have been given that seed of wisdom about what my body is capable of doing—I have never doubted it.

With the birth of my daughter, Ella, in 2002, I was fortunate to live in Seattle where I attended Penny Simkin’s childbirth classes and birthed at a free standing birth center with the help of a licensed midwife, a doula, my husband, and my mother. She held my leg as I pushed in a side-lying position and proudly cut the cord.

During the 13 years I spent dealing with infertility, I explored the birth world and dreamed of having the freedom to pursue working within it in some capacity. My career was locked into another realm, and my family life did not offer me the opportunity to pursue it. However, as someone actively trying to get pregnant for over 15 years and having friends going through it, I never felt too removed. 

One of my good friends invited me to attend a hypnobirthing workshop as her birth partner, and I jumped at the chance to take the class with her, help her practice, and attend her birth. I witnessed the power of serving as her faithful meditation guide and championed her efforts and success. Witnessing and supporting her birth touched me deeply.

When my last-ditch round of IVF worked, I birthed my second baby at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California with the aid of their amazing team of midwives (some of whom studied with Ina May Gaskin—there is a large community of former Farm families in the area). Our daughter Ella attended hypnobirthing classes with us and, for all intents and purposes, she became my doula. Ella helped catch her brother and even cut his cord, and witnessing his birth inspired her current journey to become a doctor.