Editor's Note: Meet one of the newest additions to the Emerald Doulas team! Birth Doula, Genevieve Hutchings, joined Team EmDo this year. Genevieve brings kindness, and a calm, gentle guidance to our clients and their birth spaces. You can read her full bio on our "Meet the Team" page, and learn a few extra, fun tidbits below!

1. Give us a three word summary of who you are.

A kind, open-minded listener.

2. What drew you to a career as a doula?  

After working in a maternity clinic in West Africa, I discovered that I wanted to devote my career to supporting parents and their newborns.

Fun Fact: Genevieve served in the Peace Corps, working in Benin, with her counterpart Elizabeth (pictured above with her son, Kenneth, and Genevieve), on a variety of different health topics ranging from how to make enriched porridge to malaria prevention. 

3. What's rocking your world right now, in birth or in parenting? 

The growing media attention on racial disparities in birth outcomes.

4. When you're not doula-ing, where are we most likely to find you?

When I'm not doula-ing, I'm either reading a book (speculative fiction is a personal favorite of mine), going to a movie theater or cooking.

5. What's your Top 5 Registry Must Haves for new parents?

• Onesies (and lots of them!). We're big fans of the side-snap style here at EmDo, for easier outfit changes with squishy newborn arms!
•  A travel stroller
• A gift card for a portrait session (maybe with EmDo BFF, Heart in Hands NC)
• A baby carrier (learn to use it, or find the perfect carrier for your family's babywearing goals at an upcoming class!)
• Either a gift card for a diaper service, or a large supply of disposable diapers