Who's Your Doula? Get to Know Yvette

We are so excited to be announcing the addition of Yvette Stephens into our Nest. We wanted to help you get to know her better (and why we think she is the perfect addition to our team) so Yvette is sharing a bit about herself.

Let's start it off with some fun(ny) info:

1. I usually have some kind of hard candy with a soft yummy centre somewhere in my purse for life’s little emergencies
2. I tend to color code everything in my office. My doula calendar events are purple, personal turquoise and joint events with hubby yellow… (Just in case you wanted to know!)
3. My twins were blonde with light eyes when babies and my hair color is almost black. When they were born, the nurses kept checking to make sure I had the right babies! 

How did you become a doula?
One of my philosophies in life is to engage in things that bring me joy. With my boys grown, my time had suddenly become more flexible and I knew it was time to explore new career options that include my passion for child development and maternal well-being in a deeper way. I have worked with moms and babies for a very long time in different capacities, (teaching and mentoring) and supporting women through birth seemed both inspiring and a good fit both with my skill-set, passions and where life was taking me. In May 2014 I trained with DONA International through Douglas College and in January 2015, I took the leap, left my career at a non-profit and became a full time doula!

What is your favorite part of being a doula?
There are so many favorites, it’s hard to choose. I think my favorite part of being a doula that moment when a labouring woman locks eyes with me and I nod and smile, letting her know not just that she can do it, but that she is doing it! There’s so much silent communication in a birth and I love that all women speak the same language in those times. 

What do you do when you’re not doula-ing?
My hubby John and I are coming up on 25 years of marriage next summer. We are really BFF’s (known each other since we were 14) and like to putter, take road trips and do projects together. My girlfriends rock, so when I’m not with John, I love to have deep conversations with my girls. I’m also pretty artsy and when the mood takes me, I do mixed-media acrylic paintings. 

What is something people may be surprised to learn about you? 
I am fairly administrative and organized, and often work in those capacities, so sometimes people are shocked to find that I am also very creative and flexible! I like change and variety- as long as it’s all color-coded (ha ha ha). ☺