About Me

Hi, I'm Karen! I became a parent in 2020. My birth was difficult, but it didn't have to be. The pandemic heightened my feelings of confusion and loneliness during my pregnancy and birth, and I longed for a community of support. As I connected with other COVID-era parents, I saw just how deeply that isolation affected all of us, and I came to believe that birth is an experience no one should have to do alone. As a doula, I'm able to provide the emotional, physical, and informational support I wish I'd had; I'm a fierce advocate for my clients and their preferences, and I create a nurturing, empowering space for emerging parents.

When I'm not supporting families, I live in Petaluma with my husband, our two kids, and our cat. I love trying new recipes, spending quality time with family and friends, exploring the outdoors by hiking or rowing on the river, and living a life full of cheesy jokes and wordplay.

My business name, Fermata Birth, captures the heart of my philosophy. A fermata is a musical symbol a composer uses to tell a musician that it's up to them how long to hold a note or pause. Similarly, birth is at once a universal experience and a deeply personal one. My role as a doula isn't to tell my clients what to do; it's to be an advocate and educator, making sure they have the opportunity to interpret their own needs and "holds" through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

My approach is to build confidence and power through knowledge, to liberate from fear, and to cultivate openness toward change and transition. My goal is to help you feel supported, empowered, and never alone every step of the way.

Practice Philosophy

My philosophy is captured in my business name, Fermata Birth. A fermata is a musical symbol a composer uses to tell a musician that it's up to them how long to hold a note or pause. Similarly, I believe birth is at once a universal experience and a deeply personal one, and my role as a doula isn't to tell you what to do, but to be your advocate and educator, making sure you have the opportunity to interpret your own needs and "holds" through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

Having navigated a difficult, isolating birth of my own, I came to believe that no one should have to do this alone. So I meet each client where they are, building confidence and power through knowledge, helping liberate them from fear, and cultivating openness toward change and transition.

Overall, my goal is to help you feel supported, empowered, and never alone, confident to move through your birth and postpartum journey exactly as you choose.

Specialties

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• VBAC
• Advanced Maternal Age
• High-Risk Pregnancies
• First-Time Parents
• Cesarean Birth
• Plus-Size Pregnancy
• LGBTQ+ Families
• IVF
• Lactation Support
• Pregnancy & Infant Loss
• Birth Advocacy & Education
• Client-Led Personalized Support

Services Offered

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• In-Person Labor & Birth Support
• Prenatal Care