I am a cis, queer female doula married to a woman. My wife and I always wanted to be moms. When we committed to each other, we also knew we didn’t have all the pieces we needed to make that happen easily. Often for LGBTQI+ families like ours, there are so many factors to consider and decisions that need to happen before one can even start trying to get pregnant. For us, it took years to navigate those decisions and the complex medical, legal, and financial systems around us. Time, cost, insurance, genetics, relationships, ethics, legal considerations, and level of medical involvement were all factors that we considered with each step forward. Thinking back, having a knowledgeable advisor and educator support us through the process would have greatly lessened the mental and emotional load. To meet this need, I now own a queer-affirming, trans-affirming, trauma-informed doula practice in Burlington, Vermont. I work as an infertility doula for those with medical infertility or undergoing fertility treatments with donor eggs and sperm, a birth doula, and a babywearing educator. Many of my clients are fellow members of the LGBTQI+ communities.

I have a Masters degree from The Fletcher School at Tufts University, where I focused on gender and intersectional analysis. I spent many years as a gender and social inclusion expert for USAID-funded projects supporting LGBT communities around the world. When I decided to become a doula I trained with the queer, black-owned Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings as a Full Spectrum Doula as well as a Childbirth Educator. I chose BADT because their team utilizes a framework of care, choice, and justice towards a better, more equal world that aligns with my values as a queer person and doula. Several of the sessions were specifically focused on care for lesbian, gay, bi and trans family building and support.