ABOUT
Hi there, my name is Mia! From a young age, I found birth and child development fascinating. As a member of a large, close-knit, and blended family, we always have reasons to celebrate and get together. Whenever I met one of our newest additions, I would be first in line to hold them (still applies!). When I was 12, I watched two shows on TLC, A Baby Story and Bringing Home Baby, that truly opened my eyes to the world of pregnancy and birth. I did not know it then, but those shows, along with my family experiences, were what planted the seeds for my passion of being a doula.
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The first time I heard the word “doula”, it was used by one of my classmates during my undergrad studies in Kentucky. I assumed it was a synonym for a midwife, but quickly learned they have their own roles within the birth-worker world. After educating myself a bit more on the history, current practices, and steps to become a doula, the more I could see myself in that kind of work. It was a huge a-ha moment for me! After earning my B.A. in Child & Family Studies in 2013, I came home to the Bay Area and waited a bit before starting the search for my first job. My hope was to find something in the child development field, but in February 2014, I was offered an entry-level position at my local community college. I started as a Financial Aid Advisor and later was promoted to the Scholarship Program Specialist in 2016. Through those jobs, I was able to strengthen my communication, organization, and service skills. In the midst of my experience in higher education, working to become a doula moved out of focus, until now.
I know I'm not alone when I say that 2020 shook things up. When the pandemic hit, I had just celebrated my 30th birthday. I was looking forward to celebrating the rest of my friends' birthdays, going to concerts across the country, and even had plans for international travel. None of that happened. Instead, I spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted this next decade to look like for me. Most of those thoughts overwhelmingly kept pointing to starting my own birth support services. There had been many moments of heavy self-doubt and lots of coaxing from loved ones. They helped me realize that there wasn't any better time than now to finally see Little Love Doula Services come to fruition.
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Thanks for joining me on this journey. I appreciate you. It means a lot to me. Being a doula is my purpose. I would love to be a part of your birth team! While I will primarily serve Bay Area families within the counties of Contra Costa and Alameda, I am willing to negotiate travel outside of these areas.
My intentions as your doula will be:
* To support you,
* To be a listening ear,
* To be patient,
* To answer your questions to the best of my ability,
* To hold space for you,
* To respect and honor your decisions throughout your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum,
* To welcome your Little Love into the world