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Andrea’s Experience and Education include:

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• ProDoula Trained Labor Doula

• Licensed Master Social Work, MSW, Hunter College School of Social Work

• Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional (PMH-C)

• Labor Support Volunteer Training Participant at VHC

• Spinning Babies Training Participant

• Advanced Birthworker Training Program Participant, Wombs of the World, Tanzania

• Mamastefit Pelvic Mechanics Course for Professionals

• B.A. in Political Science & Sociology/Anthropology, Colgate University

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Andrea has had an interest and passion in the field of pregnancy, childbirth and infant care for many years and pursued a variety of experiences before deciding to become a Labor Doula.  As a child, she was fascinated by infants and was well-known among her family and friends for being an enthusiastic babysitter and caretaker.  This passion led to a lifetime focus in this field, whether in volunteer work in a NICU as a teenager, working at the Children's Defense Fund as her first post-college employment, or obtaining her Master of Social Work graduate degree.  

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As a social worker early in her career, she assisted young mothers aging out of the foster care system, offering parenting, logistical and emotional support. After having her first child in 2006, Andrea became a stay-at-home mother for many years and continued to always learn from her own pregnancy and childbirth experiences while constantly reading, observing, and supporting friends and family through their pregnancies and medical experiences as well.  She was honored to be asked to be a support companion for all of her sisters-in-laws during the births of her nieces and nephews, and from those experiences was struck by how each pregnancy and birth is unique and deserving of its own honor and story.  She also saw how having companionship and support helped mothers and partners have a calmer and better experience during the unpredictable, joyful, and sometimes difficult process of pregnancy and birth.  

 

In addition to being a mother of three, Andrea has worked at Trinity Preschool and been a substitute teacher, volunteered as a mentor to a young mother through the Naomi Project, traveled to Tanzania to learn and support birthing women in rural maternity clinics, and currently has weekly shifts at Virginia Hospital Center (VHC) as a Labor Support Volunteer where she has supported over 100 births, working alongside the labor and delivery staff to provide physical, emotional and practical support in a wide variety of labor scenarios (unmedicated, epidural, planned and emergency c-sections, inductions, high-risk deliveries, etc).  She considers herself to be an intuitive and proactive caretaker and a person that friends and family say provides a calming and reliable presence during life transitions. 

 

Andrea is excited to finally be able to pursue her passion in a concrete way by providing pre- and postnatal support (and can refer to a traditional birth labor doula if desired) to Arlington parents and looks forward to providing any support that a client is seeking to empower them during the pregnancy and postpartum! 

 

Andrea lives in Arlington with her family and pets, and enjoys the outdoors, cooking, reading, traveling and connecting with family and friends!