I have always enjoyed being a helper. In the 90’s I discovered I could become a doula and begin serving birthing and postpartum women. I loved working with women one on one but I wanted to be able to serve more women. I added childbirth education classes which enabled me to reach 5 couples at a time multiple times a year.
In 2014 I changed from being a solo practice doula to having a collective. This shift allowed me to serve more families and I was able to “doula or serve” women who wanted to be doulas but were facing some of the same challenges of wanting to do more but also recognizing they could only serve a limited number of women on their own. Being part of a team could increase their capacity and deepen their knowledge by drawing on the collective for support. Therefore, Care for Mom evolved into Care for Mom Doula Service providing excellent care to more families than I could have ever imagined being able to do by myself.
A special thanks to those early doulas who walked that path with me Fran Walker, Roxanne Ervin, Nancy Heath, Jeni Dover. Later Rebecca Christy, Becky Harms, Kristin Hanna, and Kelly Nichols joined the team.
Not just anyone qualifies to be a Care for Mom doula. To be on the team a doula must have integrity, be passionate about serving, be dependable, conduct themselves as a professional and be knowledgeable about pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. The women who have worked with me are very special. They were and are fantastic doulas. These ladies all had a part in making Care for Mom what it is today, many thanks to them. When I needed to step back for my own health concerns, Kristin Hanna and Kelly Nichols kept things going and Care for Mom Doula Service didn’t miss a beat.
In 2020 it was time to return to “work” and I expanded the team. Kristin, Kelly and I welcomed Kim Nowokunski, Hannah Sears, Lindsay Neal and Ali Teeslink. I was so thankful for this team of women whose goal was to serve the upstate with everything they have. Together we built the reputation of offering quality care steeped with compassion and love. The Upstate has been well served and our cup overflows.
The current CFM team: Kristin, Kelly, Kim, Hannah, Lindsay, and our most recently added doula, Hilary Leggett, will continue to provide the excellent service as it has been through May. The beginning of June all of the team members, who have been contractors with CFM, will no longer be under the umbrella of Care for Mom Doula Service; however, they will continue serving families in the Upstate. They are all excellent doulas and one of them is sure to be the perfect fit for you.
A few months ago, I shared that my husband was diagnosed with cancer. Health concerns have entered the picture again. I will be taking a hiatus for an undetermined amount of time. There is a lot that goes into the decision to step back and encouraging the team to move forward without me, but having worked with these ladies I’m confident they will continue to succeed. I love the team model we have. I am very sad to be leaving it.
When I return, it will be as a solo practice focusing on using some other certifications, I’ve obtained making some shifts into areas that will not require me to be on call, miss nights of sleep, and reach more women without managing a team. I’m excited for what the future holds.
Many, many, many thanks to the team, my assistants Lisa and Esther, and all of our clients who have allowed us to serve them.
