A doula shares her experiences with birthing women, and how what may seem ideal or not-so-ideal to her can be different from how a family perceives it.
About Author: Tara Van Dyke
Tara Van Dyke has worked as a birth doula in the Chicagoland area since 2009. After the births of her four children (now ages 15–21), she developed a passion for helping birthing families discover their options, strengths, and confidence as parents. Tara completed childbirth educator training in 2002 and her birth doula certification in 2008—both through ICEA. In 2016 she became certified as a Bringing Baby Home educator through the Gottman Institute. She is cofounder of the DuPage Doula Network, which provides dis-cussion groups for doulas and community gatherings for families. In 2016, Tara founded With U Parenting, Inc., with her husband of 25 years, David, who is a marriage and family therapist. Together, Tara and David aim to provide support, guidance, connection, and resources for families in all stages of parenting, from pre-birth to teens.
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