As a certified postpartum doula and a student midwife, I passionately defend birth rights, lactation rights, and informed consent, especially in regards to childbirth, parenting, and medical decision making. I offer childbirth and breastfeeding classes, breastfeeding counseling, and postpartum doula services to women in the Cincinnati and Dayton areas.
I love all things handmade. In my spare time, I am a knitter and closet artist. I enjoy projects and crafts that focus on family living, especially knit toys and games. I am always striving to craft cherished items for my dear family and friends. I love organic materials, bright colors, and modern flair. My husband, David, always the creative one, specializes in drums, whips, wood turning, sculpture, and other types of functional art. Very often, he takes things a step beyond the norm to create excessively unique geekery. You can see much of his work on his blog, Heartbeat Artistry.
As a lifestyle choice, our family is dedicated to green-living and natural parenting. I live to preserve the earth, enjoy nature, and live a healthy lifestyle. With a conscious effort to support these conventions, my family is vegetarian, we eat mostly whole foods, we cloth diaper and reuse cloth (over paper products), we recycle a good portion of our waste, and we buy most of our necessities second-hand, from local markets, and in fair trade. We also homebirth our babies, allow our children to self wean, wear our babies and toddlers, and share our bed with our children.
Another passion of mine is coming-of-age literature. I have a BA in Integrated Language Arts and young adult literature from Wright State University. I study and enjoy both classic and contemporary fiction selections that reveal the psychological and moral growth of the main character from youth to adulthood. Since this is only now a blossoming genre, despite its deep roots, its importance in literacy in young adults is groundbreaking. I believe literacy involves practical information being communicated, interpreted, understood, and applied by a community of individuals. It is no longer sufficient to consider whether a student can 'read' (decoding text, really) and 'write' (encoding text), and it is necessary to consider more meaningful aspects of literacy in education and in society as a whole.
This blog was established as a space to share the knowledge I gain on my path to becoming a midwife, although, as my family has grown, my obligations and goals have evolved. While one day, I hope to practice homebirth midwifery, I must take time now to focus on family life. My blog has become a way for me to share my projects and the creativity of my family. While I continue to post information on childbirth and natural parenting, you will find many more posts on creativity and crafts.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at:
doula[dot]mama[dot]crain[at]gmail[dot]com
I feel honored, humbled, and touched by the emails and comments that I receive. They truly make my day and encourage me.
