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Welcome Ariana!

Welcome Ariana Riegel!

birth, doula, childbirth, support
Ari and baby Zora
I’ve known Ariana for almost 4 years, through the entirety of building my business and truly identifying as a doula.  While I was Program Director for the non-profit Doulas Care, Ariana wisely took advantage of the affordable birth doula class offerings through that organization.  I was so excited that she was going to be entering into this amazing world of birth-work.
I knew she would be a natural!  Ari has a warm and nurturing spirit.  She joined a non-profit organization as a volunteer for an entire year out of college, just to be able to give back to her community.  Ari was then hired by her organization in a coordinating position once her volunteer tenure was through.  She is smart and fast on her toes, a great skill when dealing with unexpected situations, especially in a medical setting.  She is careful and deliberate as well, she’s always very careful when talking about a problem she’s working through to make sure no confidential material is shared that shouldn’t be.  These are all qualities that made me so sure that supporting her dream of being a birth worker would not be a waste of my time.  I know Ari will be a blessing to any family that allows her to support them through their pregnancy, birth, and postpartum time.
Stay tuned, she will be introducing herself early in the New Year!

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Getting back in the game!

It’s been a long time since I’ve done any sort of updating here, and a lot has changed in my life.IMG_2268
I was living my dream of doula-ing full-time taking 3-4 clients per month, and loving life.  When I thought things couldn’t get much better, my husband and I found out we were going to be welcoming a new little soul into the world in August 2013.  Winter, Spring, and Summer were full of birth energy, both from my clients ( I attended 21 births during the first 2 trimesters!) and my own.
All the families I got to work with were wonderful, and the babies are, of course, amazing.  What a fun time.  I stopped attending births as I entered into my third trimester.  This was due to my growing belly making physical support harder, but also to start to move my birthing energy and knowledge inward.  To have some time to reflect on my own pregnancy and focus on my own little one.
After Zachary was born, I tried to jump right in again into doula work.  Leaving my baby proved too anxiety producing, so after a few difficult months of back and forth, I decided to step back and take some real time off with my new family.  While I did support a few repeat families, (which is so amazing!!) my summer was relaxing and spent doing a lot of self reflecting and working on myself.

doula, SAHM, mother
he’s amazing!
SAHM, doula, family, play
my family
What did I learn?  I learned that I absolutely love being a mother!  I learned that being a stay at home mom is very challenging, lonely at times, and the most rewarding thing I have ever done.  I also learned that I LOVE doula work and birth work way too much to stay away for long.  Supporting families as they welcome a new member into their arms is something that will continue to be my calling for the rest of my life.  Having the honor of being present for these transformative moments is something I am eternally grateful for.  I hope I continue to learn and grow as families trust me to hold their space.
Thank you to all of the families who have allowed me to support them over these past 3+ years.  I will forever hold each of your families in my heart!  Love, Katy

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Balsamic, Quinoa, and Chard Salad

Quinoa is a miracle grain.  I love this little seed!  It is high in protein and folate (1), so very beneficial to pregnancy and fetal development.  Did you know that 2013 will be officially be “”The International Year of the Quinoa?” (2) Because of it’s nutritive value and superb biodiversity it is considered a Super Grain!
I have WAY too much Rainbow Chard in my garden this year and so have been trying to find ways to use it, I LOVE this salad and make it very regularly.
Enjoy!

 
 
Ingredients:
1 bunch swiss chard (10-12 good sized stalks)
1 small sweet (or red) onion chopped
1-2 cloves garlic minced
1 cup quinoa (2-3 cups cooked quinoa)
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
butter
crushed red pepper
salt
pepper
 
Directions:
Cook quinoa according to package directions (usually: Rinse grain in cold water. Place 1 part grain to 2 parts water/broth in sauce pan, bring to low boil for 10-15 minutes or until desired tenderness) 
Wash chard and remove stalks from leaves. (the stalks take longer to cook) set leaves aside.  
Chop stalks into 1/2 in. pieces.
Coat bottom of skillet with equal parts oil and butter.
Saute onions and chard stalks on med-low for 8-10 minutes, or until cooked to desired tenderness. While sautéing, cut leaves into ~2 by 2 inch pieces.  Add minced garlic cook for one minute. Add chard leaves  and red pepper, salt and pepper to taste and mix well.  The leafy greens will cook down quickly, so keep an eye on them.  They have A LOT of water stored in them, so they will start to lose their water and lubricate everything.  
Sauté everything for 5 minutes or so, then add balsamic, usually I do about 1 turn of the pan, and mix well.
Pour chard mixture and quinoa into a serving bowl and mix well.  Top with Olive oil and Balsamic to taste.
Enjoy!
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Loving this Work!

I am a Doula! I have been working very hard to learn about birth, labor support,

postpartum and prenatal support. I have been educating myself about marketing locally. I have been working really hard to get my name out there and make this dream of mine work. AND IT IS WORKING! I just love this job! It is amazingly rewarding and inspirational.
Watching new moms hold their babies for the first time, looking into their eyes, discovering what sex their child is, is the most amazing thing to be a part of. This is my job. I am a doula!
Love, Katy