ABOUT KAREN
I have two sons, one born in the hospital and one born at home. Prior to becoming a mother, I worked for 10 years in the IT field; once I had my first baby, I knew it was time to leave that field and work to support women in childbirth.
I certified as a doula through DONA International and was invited to become a member of Birth Assistants of Boulder, Inc. A few years later, I took some time off from attending births when I was pregnant with my second baby and instead devoted my energy to supporting doulas in an administrative role. I volunteered as a state and regional representative for DONA and was a founding member and the first president of the statewide Colorado Doulas Association.
In the fall of 2002 I again returned to attending births, with the desire of creating a warm relationship with mothers and their families by caring for them through labor, birth and the early weeks of new parenthood. In February 2004, I began studying to become a homebirth midwife and completed my training in March 2008. I practice now within a wonderful community of midwives, assisting them at births and inviting them to attend births with me. I truly feel like I have found my "heart home" in this calling and with the women I care for and practice with.
Education, Training and Affiliations
- I am a Certified Professional Midwife and Colorado Registered Midwife
- I have a Bachelor’s Degree with a double major in French and International Affairs from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
- I am certified in Adult and Child CPR and Neonatal Resuscitation, and have attended several workshops on suturing.
- In an effort to stay current in the care I provide to pregnant women and new mothers , I regularly attend conferences and lectures relating to the care of women in the childbearing cycle
- I have lots of practical experience supporting women with breastfeeding issues and am occasionally hired to provide one-on-one breastfeeding support.
- I am a member of the Colorado Midwives Association and the National Association of Professional Midwives
Experience
- As a doula, I attended over 100 births both in the hospital and at home.
- I have attended over 350 home births and managed over 150 of them as Primary Midwife. I have a 13 percent transfer/transport rate for reasons ranging from pre-eclampsia to failure to progress to fetal intolerance of labor. Six percent of my clients have needed to birth their babies via Cesarean Section.
Some of the complications with which I have experience include:
- Postpartum Hemorrhage
- Severe Pre-eclampsia
- Precipitous and Prolonged Labor
- Premature Labor
- Meconium Staining
- Nuchal Cord and/or Hand
- Abrupted Placenta
- Newborn Resuscitation
- Maternal Hypothyroidism
- Anemia
- High Blood Glucose Levels
- Prolonged Rupture of Membranes
- Fetal Bradycardia
- Small-For-Dates Baby
- Maternal Hypertension
- Placenta Previa