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My beliefs, education, and training.

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Hi!  My name is Amanda.

I believe in your ability to give birth and make the best choices for you and your baby. 

In order for a birthing person to optimize their chance of navigating a natural labor, they must feel safe. They must use their intuition when choosing where to give birth, and I trust that a they can make that choice for them and their baby. I believe that with education, preparation, and support, most people are able to give birth naturally.

I have always been drawn to babies and birth. My education about my body as a young woman was very limited (as most of ours are).  My sister began educating me about a woman's body and birth when she was pregnant. I attended a local birthing class that was taught by a midwife in Duluth when my sister was pregnant in 2010, and her journey through natural birth education had a huge impact on me.  When I was pregnant, she coaxed me into attending a toLabor doula training when it was offered in Minneapolis. I originally took it as a "prenatal" class so I would feel more prepared for birth.  It encompassed 26 hours of learning about the physiology of the body, natural hormones that help with the labor process, labor support, compassion, and advocacy.  I was hooked.  Since then, I have taken multiple courses, listened to podcasts, read books, watched videos, learned from wonderful and knowledgeable local women, and have made a network of connections with like-minded people in the Duluth area. My passion for helping others prepare for birth eventually led me down the path of bodywork and movement instruction, and I am now a Body Ready Method® Certified Pro and Spinning Babies® Aware Practitioner.

I have given birth at home. Three times. Out in the country.  I had an abundance of education in natural labor. I looked at research, and I decided what was right for me and my babies.

I believe in your ability to do the same.

More about me.

I am a Lifelong Learner

  • Dynamic Body Balancing , 100 hrs training, 2021
  • Indie Birth Midwifery Skills Workshop, 2021
  • Institute for Birth Healing, Facilitating a Smooth Birth and Faster Recovery (course), 2020
  • Birth Warrior Project: Doula Training and Transformation, Certificate of Completion, 2020
  • Spinning Babies® Resolving Shoulder Dystocia, Certificate of Completion, 2020
  • Birth Monopoly, Know Your Rights, 2020
  • Spinning Babies® 2-day International Workshop, 2019
  • ToLABOR 3-day Doula Workshop Training Program, Certificate of Completion, 2014

I grew up and still live on a small farm in Mahtowa, MN.  I attended UWS and received my bachelor's degrees in Mathematics Education, Chemistry Education, and Spanish Cultural Studies.  I spent several months abroad in Costa Rica and Peru studying their language, history, and cultures.  Since then, I have taught mathematics at local high schools and earned my master's degree in Educational Leadership.  Currently, I stay at home with my three kids, I run my own business doing bodywork and doula work, and I do online math tutoring, and also I and help run our farming business.

 

Throughout my own experiences with birth (my miscarriage and three subsequent births), I have felt Informed and Empowered. It was not an easy journey, but I have come to trust my body and my baby to do things that I do not know how to do. I have come to trust my body to have wisdom passed down from the mothers before me. When I remember my births, I remember my inner strength.  I feel empowered. I feel that I was informed. I feel that my births were sacred.  I want the same for YOU.  

       

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