Editor's Note: Meet the newest member of the Emerald Doulas team! Birth and Postpartum Doula, Lauren Robinson, joined Team EmDo this summer when she and her family moved back to Durham from Tennessee. Lauren brings patience, kindness, and steady, evidence-based support to the families she supports. 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:

Empathetic, Nurturing, Lifelong Learner

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

I came to doula work through the birth of my son & my educational experiences in child development & theology. I know firsthand that both birth & parenting are simultaneously beautiful & hard. I see my work as a doula as helping parents navigate the transition in their own ways, while providing compassionate support & gentle reassurance. I love research & evidence-based information and honoring other ways of knowing. I also am growing in my understanding of intersectionality & view supporting all birthing persons & their families as integral to my work. Fun Fact: Emerald Doulas co-owner, Ashley Collins, was my doula!

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

I’m really into how connection plays into our experiences of birth & parenting. I know that sounds a bit vague and/or out there, but hear me out.

We all, parents especially, need community for about a million reasons.

That’s one very important part of our connectedness. Another is becoming aware of, honoring, and caring for our own needs (bodily, emotional, mental, & spiritual). By doing so, we can enrich our experiences of birth & parenting. For example, we can discover (and benefit from) how our body & thinking work together to affect labor/birth & parenting. Also, we can be present with our partners, children, & other loved ones in deeper ways because we can learn how to interact with greater intention. Babies also have deep need for connection in order to feel safe, learn, & grow. I’ve been exploring how various parenting philosophies express and engage our (parents’ & babies’) human need for connection. I’ve also learned a lot from Brene Brown’s work & my DTI training.

Certainly, “connection” isn’t a fix-all. And, like all things related to birth & parenting, flexibility & kindness towards yourself when things aren’t going as you hoped go a long way.

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

With my family outside somewhere around the Triangle - Durham Farmers Market, Museum of Life & Science, or a park… or inside at a local restaurant.

5. What’s on your Top 5 List of Registry Must Haves?

Dohm (or other white noise machine or app) for helping everyone sleep
Wrap/carrier - feeding yourself while soothing your baby? Yes, please.
Crock pot or Instant pot -- nutritious food you don’t have to stand over
NoseFrida
Swaddles -- I recommend three types for parents to compare with their needs -- muslin (great for multipurpose), Miracle Blanket (for super-wigglers), & Swaddle Up by Love to Dream (for babies who really like to use their hands to soothe & for transitioning from swaddling) {If I have to pick just one, I’d say the muslin. At least today I would.}
Okay, okay. {+1: doula support, of course!}