5- A Foundation for Healing: Bereavement and Bonding

Angie has been passionate about families and children since her college days when she worked for a family-focused non-profit. She gained experience in the women’s health field when she acted as a patient educator at a breast cancer center in Philadelphia, but her real journey into women’s health service began when Angie and her husband, Brian, decided to begin their own family.

Deciding to start a family and the ability to do so are sometimes separate things, the couple discovered. After several rounds of infertility treatment, Angie and Brian suffered the miscarriage of their first child, Calan, in the 8th week of pregnancy. This was followed by a late term loss of their son, Anduril, the following year. The loss of her children and the need she felt to have personal guidance in the days after her children’s births, inspired Angie’s desire to see every bereaved family companioned by skilled caregivers.

It was at this point of her mothering journey that Angie began investigating the life processes of fertility, pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding. She discovered within herself a passion to be with women and their families as they encounter the many varying outcomes of birth. Angie believes that God is present at birth and at death- it is her honor to stand as witness to these families’ transitions and to hold space during this sacred time regardless of outcome.

Professionally, Angie is a doula trained by both the Doulas of North America and the Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association, and is certified by both Madriella and Hypnobabies. She is a certified Baby-Empowered Birthing Education child birth educator and a Certified Lactation Counselor. Angie is a Certified Midwifery Assistant trained through Mamtoto Village, Inc. in Washington, DC and is a NARM Phase II midwifery apprentice in Lancaster County, PA.

Angie has assisted in the creation and teaching of international bereavement training programs, birth/bereavement workshops and webinar instruction series which have trained hundreds of perinatal professionals on five continents. She is an experienced bereavement doula, serving families through pregnancy loss since 2011. Angie is an accomplished public speaker who has presented at perinatal bereavement conferences, midwifery workshops, hospitals and birth centers. She has been a guest writer concerning bereavement for several prominent birth related blogs and has enjoyed being interviewed on internet radio. Angie is the Founder of The Network of Perinatal Loss Professionals, a support network for those serving families through perinatal loss.

When she is not obsessing with all things birth, lactation and bereavement related, Angie loves celtica, Arthurianna, volunteering for her church, homeschooling her children and reading really excellent juvenile fiction. Angie, Brian and their beautiful children live in Denver, PA.