I’m Anna Kate and I began the journey of becoming a birth doula in the Spring of 2023 after the birth of my son.  Despite having a smooth and healthy birth, I was left with the feeling that I had somehow failed.  Labor and birth were harder than I expected and I felt disappointed in myself for struggling to cope. As I processed the emotions around my birth experience, I found a lot of healing from the wisdom of birth doulas, and I felt inspired to serve other women in this same capacity. After praying and discussing it with my husband, I began my journey of training as a birth doula.  

Through my personal experience with birth and through working with women and families in various hospital and home birth settings, I have seen how important having the right support team is for helping women feel safe, cared for, and satisfied by their birth experience. When it came time for the birth of my second child, I made sure to surround myself with people I trusted and to be in a place where I felt safe.  I discovered that labor and birth were still very hard, but I no longer felt disappointed in myself.  Feeling safe and supported doesn’t just help you in the throngs of labor, it helps you as you begin the beautiful, challenging, and enriching journey of nurturing your baby outside the womb. You can’t decide how your labor and birth are going to go, but you can decide who you want to be there with you.

I live in the Sierra Nevada foothills with my husband and our two beautiful children.  When not chasing around my toddler in the great outdoors, you can find me cooking or baking from scratch, sewing, reading, reheating my coffee, or spending time with friends and family.  It is my dream to one day open the first Catholic women’s health clinic and birth center in the Sacramento area.