Writing your own bio is so high pressure! But I love people and if you’re reading this I want to get to know you so I’ll go ahead and jump in here and get our conversation started. First the obligatory stuffy credentials.
My bachelor’s degree is in Family Studies from Texas Woman’s University. My original goal was to be a marriage and family therapist (which is actually one aspect of midwifery care, I’d say). I was married and had recently given birth to our first daughter when I graduated. I felt like I’d
apply for grad school once I was ready to write papers again. That was in 1999 and I still haven’t felt like writing papers.
In the meantime, I jumped into motherhood, worked for WIC, and helped my husband start a non-profit helping women in unplanned pregnancies to make life-affirming choices. I was the Executive Director of that ministry for several years, served on the board then helped revamp a similar ministry in a neighboring community.
We had four more daughters (that’s five total if you missed that. Nope, no sons. Yes, we know what causes big families and we like it very much). We home school our daughters and at some point moved outside of the mainstream regarding many lifestyle choices.
In 2010 I became a doula (professional childbirth coach) and childbirth educator. Ninety-five percent of my clients gave birth in the Wichita Falls hospital. I met many great health care professionals including Dr. Mike Lamar. He loved to help women achieve the births they wanted and we made a great team. When he left Texas for Alaska in 2017, I decided to (feebly) fill the void, so I started midwifery school. I sat for the national test in March 2020, received my CPM credential the same month, and my Texas license in April of 2020-the Year of the Nurse and Midwife.
So now that the boring stuff is out of the way, let’s get down to business. Here are ten facts that tell you more than degrees and certifications:
- I forget that I’m rather crunchy but then I remember not everyone makes their own kefir or kombucha.
- I absolutely love being a mom to all girls. So does my husband, even though all we’ve heard for years is, “Poor Shane, he never got a son.”
- I could never get all my kids ready for school on time and drive them the 10 miles to school (we live in the country) five times a week all school year long. Never.
- I have an old mini Australian Shepherd named Sam who thinks I’m his main owner, he’s terrified of thunder but wants you to think he’s scary.
- As of this writing we have two dogs, two a steer and a heifer, two ducks, a handful of chickens and too many barn cats. I enjoy them from afar.
- I don’t really like owning pets but I have children who do…
- I read Pioneer Woman’s blog before she was selling her dishes at Walmart
- I live in Sunset (near Bowie), we go to church in Decatur, which is also where my husband works, making our lives stretch about 115 miles up and down US 287
- My oldest is planning to go to medical school to help community midwives and their clients.
- I rode bikes with my dad, oldest daughter, Mike Lamar, an aunt and friend across Iowa in a week in 2019. Yes, I’m one of “those people” who ride in the HHH each year (when babies don’t demand I stay behind).
Bonus list- the three best things I bring to the table in birth are:
- My passion for informed consent/refusal and for letting birth unfold without unnecessary interference.
- My passion for informed consent/refusal and for letting birth unfold without unnecessary interference.
- My ability to know what a woman is dilated to by listening to her labor sounds (thank you doula
skills!). - My ability to go from passionate extrovert in the office to quiet encourager in the birth room.
I’m truly excited to start this next chapter in my life and I look forward to the new adventures that will unfold. If you have any questions for me, please feel free to submit them!