My Guiding Principles

My guiding principles are a reflection of how I aspire to show up for and be seen by my clients and community. This is a living document and may be updated to reflect personal and professional growth, our current political climate, ongoing conversations in my field, etc. I am, first and foremost, dedicated to growth and the care of my community and myself. If you’d like to learn more about me, you can head to my about page!

Person-Centered Care

Every person that I work with is a unique individual who deserves to be treated, spoken to, and supported in ways that see them fully and affirm who they are. The care and support that I provide is offered with consideration of their needs, values, identities, and histories. While I may have more knowledge about things related to reproductive health, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, my clients are the experts on themselves.

No Judgements

I am committed to meeting my clients where they are, without judgment. I have no expectation of what your decisions should be and I will not impose my values onto the people that I work with. Everyone comes to this chapter in their life with a set of values and experiences that inform the decisions they make. It's my goal to help my clients understand their options and then to support and uplift whatever decisions they make about their care. I honor my clients’ choices, in pregnancy + birth, and in parenting + life.

Inclusive and Affirming

I acknowledge that harmful cisheteronormative assumptions are often made when it comes to reproductive health, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and parenthood. I am committed to doing education and advocacy work to dismantle oppression caused by the gender binary, so that people of all experiences and identities can have their unique needs met by care workers and service providers. I support all growing families regardless of family structure, or their use of donors, surrogacy, surrender, or adoption in their choices to have or not have children.

Advocacy

I hope to assist my clients in becoming their own best advocates and I will always advocate for your choices by helping to slow things down, ground you and your team, and walk through your options. I believe in the power of autonomy - personal, bodily, and political. Your decision-making power matters most. When you need help, I will guide you and when you make a decision, I will support you.

Reproductive Justice

I believe that birth, parenthood, and reproductive health are political, not only existing in but also structured by the social, legal, and economic systems that define our world. My work is grounded in the framework of reproductive justice, which is defined as the “human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities” (Loretta Ross). I strive to be trauma-informed, queer and trans-affirming, and anti-racist.

Anti-Racism

I acknowledge that many of the injustices and inequalities in the world of reproduction and family building disproportionately impact people of the global majority, especially Black birthing people, and am committed to addressing the impact of race, racism, white supremacy, and whiteness on the politics of reproductive healthcare and family building. I stand with the Movement for Black Lives and am committed to using my privilege as a white birthworker to promote and center the work and lives of BIPGM birthworkers, parents, and people.