I am so glad you’re here. As I am sure you have gathered, I am a birth and postpartum doula serving the Denver Metro area. This journey has been nothing short of amazing and it makes me happy to share that passion with so many wonderful families! For this first blog post, I just wanted to give you a little glimpse into my life and my doula work so you can get to know me a little better.
I was born in Memphis, Tennessee but grew up in a small town in Oklahoma. My parents, brothers, and I would visit Colorado every summer and we all fell in love with this gorgeous state. So much so, that my parents decided to pack up and move me in the middle of high school to Salida, Colorado. Hated it at the time, but I am so grateful to be here. After graduating high school, I moved to Boulder to attend CU. I took a psychology class in high school and LOVED it so that was my major with a minor in philosophy just for fun.
I loved college and really enjoyed all my psych classes. I just didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do with it. I had worked/volunteered with kids throughout high school and college so I felt called to work with families. In my mind that looked like getting a Master’s degree in Counseling or Social Work. But more schooling just didn’t feel right at the time.
After graduation from CU, I taught preschool for a few months. I enjoyed it, but ultimately I knew it wasn’t the career choice for me. Then, surprise, a positive pregnancy test! Around 7 months of pregnancy I left preschool teaching and worked from home while we prepped for our newborn.
Going through pregnancy, birth, and the transition to motherhood is ultimately what lead me to birth work. I fell in love with the classes and the community – being at a birth center for my prenatal care made a huge impact on me! My water broke at midnight when I was 37 weeks and 6 days. Another huge surprise! Throughout my labor my midwives took a very hands off approach and let me do my thing at home and guided me through techniques at the birthing center. Unfortunately we had to transfer to the hospital and while it was not ideal, everything worked out wonderfully. After 28 hours of labor my son made his arrival earthside, and wow, what a feeling! It was the hardest and best day of my life.
After a couple days in the hospital we were sent home and it was honestly the weirdest feeling walking out with this tiny newborn, no nurses or lactation consultants were following. It was a feeling like “are you sure we can leave with this baby? Are we cut out for this?” The transition at home was tough for us. We were breastfeeding so the sleepless nights were hard, and then when Ollie was one week old, my husband went back to work. It was just me and this new babe, figuring out this whole motherhood thing.
I will be honest and say that it was a struggle for me. The love I felt was immense but the anxiety was tough to manage and made it hard to feel calm and connected to him. Essentially I felt pretty isolated and I didn’t know how to reach out for help or even what I needed help with. It seemed like doing anything was a huge task and I really just need more than 3 hours of sleep consecutively. We managed pretty well, my husband and I trying to find our parenting groove. Then 5 months postpartum I felt like I got hit by a huge wave of depression. Crying all day every day for seemingly no reason. This was a really low point and it became hard to manage work and family life. Finally I felt comfortable enough to reach out and get therapy and I was able to get out of the dark place I was in. I figured out what I really needed was more support and help. It really does take a village! I needed someone to tell me I was doing a great job, someone to tell me not to clean or cook, someone to tell me to do anything alone for any amount of time. I gravitated toward other moms with new babes and watched all the tv about parenthood. I was slowly finding my voice again and figuring out how motherhood fit in with my previous identity. For me it was a long process, but one that helped me grow and discover this new side of myself.
Along my postpartum journey, I learned more about doulas. I did not have one, not really understanding the role of a doula at the time. It started with a brief google search when Ollie was about 3 months old. Then a few months later the thought came back and I searched upcoming doula training sessions. After my experience, I knew I wanted to support other families through the childbearing year. I took the plunge in January of 2018 and there was no looking back, this is my calling, I feel it in my soul.
I attended my first birth in June of 2018 and it was the most amazing experience, not one I will ever forget. The mom and I made an instant connection, and tears streamed down my face when she finally met her baby girl for the first time. That was the moment I knew birth work was the right fit for me! I have been so grateful to serve many families after that first client and I always cry when baby arrives. It’s a beautiful experience and I will always be grateful to be apart of it.
So, that is the gist of my story into birth work. I absolutely love it and hope I get to do it forever. Birth is amazing, but I also especially love helping families in the 4th trimester. I offer daytime and overnight support so parents can hopefully relax while I’m there and get the rest and support they need so much.
If you have read this far, thank you! I love being able to share my story. Wishing you all the love and peace you deserve.
McKinzey
