Deb Correia CD(DONA,PALS)
My niece, Natilee
My road to becoming a doula is different from many others. I spent 29 years in the publishing industry in jobs ranging from graphic designer to technical documentation developer and software trainer. I was unable to have children, which is a great regret to me. My husband and I are skydivers, and we have a very strong social community of mainly 20-40 year olds, so I am "Mom" to many of them, which is very rewarding for me.
When my stepson and his wife had a baby in 2001, she used a doula (he was deployed with the Army), and that was the first I had ever heard of a doula. At the time I thought it would be an amazing job but didn't feel I had anything to qualify myself for that kind of job, especially since I had never given birth.
In 2007, my stepson was murdered and then 6 months later we lost 10 skydiving friends in a plane crash. I had been drifting since then, knowing my current profession was no longer fulfilling to me, and trying to find some purpose and a way to bring joy into my life. The desire to be a doula kept coming up for me, and I feel I was directed to this path at the end of 2009. Since then, everything has fallen into place very quickly, and I know I've made the right choice.
I would describe myself as nurturing, loving, kind, gentle, quiet, and intuitive, all traits I consider invaluable for this type of work.
When my stepson and his wife had a baby in 2001, she used a doula (he was deployed with the Army), and that was the first I had ever heard of a doula. At the time I thought it would be an amazing job but didn't feel I had anything to qualify myself for that kind of job, especially since I had never given birth.
In 2007, my stepson was murdered and then 6 months later we lost 10 skydiving friends in a plane crash. I had been drifting since then, knowing my current profession was no longer fulfilling to me, and trying to find some purpose and a way to bring joy into my life. The desire to be a doula kept coming up for me, and I feel I was directed to this path at the end of 2009. Since then, everything has fallen into place very quickly, and I know I've made the right choice.
I would describe myself as nurturing, loving, kind, gentle, quiet, and intuitive, all traits I consider invaluable for this type of work.
Certifications
I am a Certified Birth Doula with DONA International and PALS Doulas [CD(DONA,PALS)].
Volunteer work
- Open Arms Perinatal Services: This organization provides free doula services to low-income women.
- University of Washington Medical Center: Volunteer birth doula
- PALS Doulas: Board of Directors
A Great Partnership...
I love working with a Doula Partner. We both started as individual doulas, but found that by joining forces we are able
to offer twice the expertise! You will meet us both at our initial
meeting, and you
will be free to contact either of us at any time. Please meet my
partner,
Carol Lynn.
Carol Lynn.
Personal
In my spare time, I enjoy making jewelry, especially working with different types of metal (see pictures below). I'm an accomplished skydiver. I have over 2200 jumps, and I'm an instructor and coach at Skydive Snohomish and iFly Seattle, an indoor wind tunnel. I competed on a 4-way formation skydiving team for several years, and our our team took first place in our division in a national competition. I enjoy cooking, entertaining and wine tasting, and I'm a recipe tester for Clean Eating magazine.
Areas served: all hospital, birth center and home births in King County and South Snohomish county including Kirkland, Juanita, Bothell, Woodinville, Kenmore, Bellevue, Redmond, Sammamish, Seattle, Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, Greenlake, Northgate, Ballard, Shoreline, Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo, Mill Creek, Monroe, Everett, and Snohomish.