ABOUT ME
EDUCATION
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BA Saint Louis University
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DONA Birth Doula Trained - Ana Paula Markel at Bini Birth, 2014
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DONA Postpartum Doula Trained - Kathrin Auger at Bini Birth, 2014
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Introduction to Childbirth for Doulas - Ana Paula Markel at Bini Birth, 2014
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Breastfeeding Trained for Doulas and Birth Professionals - Lacey Macey, 2014
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American Red Cross Adult and Pediatric CPR Trained - Michael Curtis, 2014
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Return to Zero Training for Supporting Fetal and Infant Loss -Kiley Hanish and Ivy Margulies, 2016
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HypnoBirthing- the Mongan Method and HypnoMothering Trained- Alisha Tamburri, 2016
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Acupressure Comfort Measure Workshop for Birth Professionals; Pregnancy Care, Labor Support, and Postpartum Care- Nicholas Olow, 2016
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Breastfeeding Baby Class- Cheryl K. Baker at Los Angeles Birth Partners, 2016
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The Impact of Birth Interventions on the Pelvic Floor - Zoë Etkin, 2016
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Newborn Care Class- Yana Katzap-Nackman at Head, 2016
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Babywearing for Doulas- Karla Leng and Zoë Etkin, 2016
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Founder of Blooming Tree Birth, 2015
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Member of DONA International and Doulas Association of Southern California (DASC).
Hi, I'm Tina! I am a birth and postpartum doula, currently living in Los Angeles. I strive to empower mothers on their journey into motherhood with a gentle doula heart... using emotional support, physical comfort, and by “mothering the mother” during pregnancy, birth and when returning home... to help the family bloom!
MY STORY
i would love the opportunity to meet you and your family, and help create a lasting memory of this milestone moment in your lives.
-Tina
As long as I can recall, my Momma has greeted me on
my birthday, with the story of my birth. I can still hear the
words; “Happy Birthday Tina! I remember the day you
were born…I was painting the back bedroom and…”.
Over the years, this became my favorite thing about growing older. Perhaps it was hearing the familiar detail of how my mother gave birth to me sitting upright in a birth chair, or my dad remembering that “the lights were turned down real dim…not bright like a surgical room”. I can only imagine that this yearly recollection of my birthday has fed my fascination with birth and babies since a young age, and taught me that the experience and memory of birth is powerful, everlasting and sacred.
As I explored the community of birth professionals in Los Angeles, I knew I had found my people and my calling! I completed my doula training at Bini Birth as soon as possible. Since this journey started, I’ve learned so much about myself, and found my ever blooming call of service to mothers, babies and the birth of new families.
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So I guess you could call this my Doula “Birth” Story…
My eyes were opened in a whole new way when I learned about the work of the DOULA! How wonderful and exciting that there is a modern way to empower, support, guide, love and inform women and their families during this monumental time in their lives, the way that women have done for thousands of years!
I was 17 years old when I first witnessed this miracle. At the time, I was already planning to study pre-med in college, with dreams of eventually specializing in Obstetrics. So when it was time for my sister to give birth, her doctors were all on board with her “little sister” getting some hands on experience. It was intense, beautiful, emotional, and inspiring. When I cut my nephew’s knotted umbilical cord, the seed was planted in my heart that would later blossom into what I do today.
sunflowers, trying to make something from scratch...perhaps sugar-
When I’m not doula-ing it up, you might find me hiking through a field of
free (a new obsession), reminiscing with loved ones over an old-
indulging in a dark chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting, binge reading a book that takes place in a far off land in a time long before now, or soaking in the energy of the sun while the birdies sing!
my grandmother’s quilt or maybe starting a new one,
timey gin cocktail, cultivating my inner homesteader with
small attempts at container gardening, stitching away on