Gwen Lipsey, Certified Postpartum Doula
My road to becoming a Postpartum Doula started after my son was born.  I had been a career woman, feeling like, of course, I would go back to work after my child was born.  I could never stay home all the time.  Little did my husband, Michael, and I know what was in store for us.  Our son Jacob was the biggest gift we had gotten as a married couple, and we fell in love with him right away.  No matter how much in love with him we were, the first month to two months of his life were hard … joyous, but hard.

My first month was difficult with a spinal headache that kept me horizontal for two weeks.  I was breastfeeding my son and he ate well, but I was troubled by how uncomfortable for me it was.  What a blessing it was that I had my mother and my husband taking care of me, so I could manage to nurture my son with the little energy that I had.  I had an amazing network of friends that brought us food to help out.  Still even with that, I still had the thoughts of “I didn’t sign up for this,” and “I don’t think I can do this.”

I called friends and took their direction finding a breastfeeding support group, which was instrumental in helping me become more comfortable and confident that I was able to nourish and care for my son.  Because of the women I met and their dedication to helping mothers mother their children, I discovered after months of being unmotivated and unhappy in my job, that I too wanted to help families off to a good start in their life.  I even met a new group of friends that are still a big part of my families lives and I’m sure will continue to be as all our children grow up together.

Even before I had completed my Postpartum Doula training with the Chapman Family Center, I had been conveying my experience to many friends, helping them with newborn care information, including breastfeeding.  Upon completing my training, I knew that I had found my next career and passion in life, helping new families blossom. 

My Goals as your Postpartum Doula:
Empower new parents by providing them with infant care skills, building their confidence in themselves as capable parents.
Pamper the new mother, giving her the energy and strength to nurture and love her new child(ren).