Tori
Senior Labor and Birth Doula
Certified Labor and Birth Doula
Hi, my name is Tori.
Since I was a young girl, I have been fascinated with the human body and with pregnancy. I was always asking my mom thousands of questions about how and why babies are born. She might have been a little hesitant to share all of the details with me when I was younger, but she was always open with me about the entire journey. I learned so much about the birth experience from my mother and from other women around me. Birth was never a scary or touchy subject but a time to honor the gift of the female body.
As I grew older, the fascination with the human experience never faded. I put myself through school and got my bachelor’s degree in psychology. Determined to diversify my education, I started to train as a yoga teacher. As I began to teach more classes, I found myself teaching students who were pregnant. I wanted to help them as much as I helped any of my other students, so I put myself through training to become a doula. From there, my understanding of birth started to grow, and I threw myself into pregnancy and birth education. Although I don’t have children of my own yet, I kept getting a, “Hey, Congratulations!” from strangers in coffee shops noticing the birth books I am reading. What started as a curiosity for me has shaped into a passion for birth and what it means to be a doula.
To be a doula means that I am there for you through thick and thin. I come to you wherever your birth sanctuary is. I help bring you and your partner comfort by offering my support whether it be physically or emotionally. Being a doula means I am educated on the process of birth through different stages and different experiences. I am trained to teach coping strategies for pain management, whether it be through movement or mindfulness. I know how to help you navigate hospital protocols and procedures when they come up. I am here to help you advocate for your desired birth plan and support you if things don’t go as planned. I will be there to turn off the lights and shut the door. Listen to you when you feel like you can’t do it. To give your partner a break from offering counterpressure or back rubs. I am there to be your doula to give you both encouragement and compassion every step of the way.
My hope for all parents out there is that your pregnancy, birth, and parenting journey is a healthy and beautiful experience.
Tori was truly an incredible doula, and I cannot recommend her highly enough.
From the very beginning, she was so sweet, caring, thorough, thoughtful, and incredibly supportive of every decision we made. I went into my birth wanting a completely natural, physiological birth, and Tori supported that vision wholeheartedly. She provided us with an abundance of resources for anything and everything we wanted to learn about, along with thoughtful advice and guidance whenever we needed it. She never made us feel pressured in any direction, she encouraged us to make the choices that felt right for our family and supported us every step of the way.
When I went into labor in the middle of the night, Tori came across the island without hesitation and was there for us in no time. She stayed with us at the hospital and supported us through every single moment. She helped communicate our birth plan to our doctor and nurses, made sure our wishes were understood and respected, and was an incredibly encouraging, calm, and reassuring throughout the entire experience. Because of Tori’s support, we were able to have the beautiful birth we had hoped and planned for. Everything went absolutely perfectly, and I was able to follow my birth plan to a T. I truly could not have asked for a better person to walk alongside us during such an important moment in our lives. I really am beyond grateful for Tori and everything she did for us. She is incredibly knowledgeable, compassionate, attentive, and genuinely invested in helping her clients have the birth experience they desire.
If you are looking for a doula who will listen to you, educate you, advocate for you, and support you wholeheartedly, I cannot recommend Tori enough. She was such an important part of our journey, and I will always be incredibly grateful that she was there for the birth of our baby, for me, and for my partner.
Onna-Marie J.