About Katherine Bramhall, CD(DONA) Written by her mom, Carolyn Murphy My daughter Katherine is one of my 4 children. She grew up in a cabin in the woods in upstate New York in farm country. Living in the woods kept Katherine close to nature and as a result, she became self-sufficient and strong in body, mind and spirit. She was bright in high school and spent a great deal of time outside, riding horses, walking, skiing and gardening. When she was 15 she volunteered at a hospital for the summer. That began her life of caring for people. Katherine got married and birthed 2 of her own daughters. She and their father raised them together on a lot of land and homeschooled them. During that time she trained for and became a Polarity Practitioner and started a private practice in her home. My daughter has an overflowing abundance of compassion and can't not take care of people. She is a natural caregiver and has been since she was young. She is calm and strong in a crisis, upbeat, optimistic and warm. And she is always learning. She never stops learning. From Katherine Each birth that I attend is unique. It requires of me a combination of beginner's mind, adaptability, a strong, capable and healthy body and an unconditional acceptance of each person involved in the birth. Additionally, I must bring my eagerness to hear and stay Present to the Moment... each one in whatever way is required by the people and situations around me. I have been attending births for 18 years. It began organically one night when a friend called me to attend her in labor when her husband was late getting home. Five hours later I felt my first doula rush of post-birth hormones and called my mother to tell her the story. Fifteen years later it's still the same. I have 20 years in private practice as a Registered Polarity Practitioner (RPP), a form of energy massage and holistic health that incorporates yoga, therapy, nutrition counseling, massage and unconditional love. I have worked extensively with women prenatally in my Polarity Practice, providing counseling, massage, and emotional prenatal support. During these years I continued attending births. Three years ago I was introduced to the word Doula and found out there was a name for what I do. I am now a certified Birth Doula with Doulas of North America and attend 2 births per month. My own birthing history includes a midwife - attended labor, ending with a cesarean birth, and a VBAC for my second baby. I went into my trial of labor with my second child knowing that my body and spirit were strong and had healed sufficiently to birth as it naturally knew how. I hold that knowledge for all women.