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About Minda (Leading Lady Labor Support Doula) My
name is Minda Lee (Miller) Hager. I
was brought up with strong moral values and self -confidence to pursue just
about anything I take the mind to pursue as a career in life.
Finding meaning and goodness in life and people innately drives me.
I share deep friendships with few and try to serve many, if only by a
smile and look of understanding. My
career path has been directed by life changing personal experiences in
childbirth. I have the desire to
educate parents embarking on this right of passage and provide means for them to
take responsibility for their own birthing and parenting experiences.
I truly believe that experiencing Art in this education provides an
excellent learning and a personal growth or healing pathway. Teaching Philosophy In teaching childbirth education and in labor support I take my cues from the parents. They are paying me for the services I provide so I let them lead. My undergraduate degree is in Theatre. My teaching philosophy is patterned very much after my directing philosophy. It is important that the actors/students take possession of the character/learning they are playing/experiencing. They need to own the words/birth that they say/have and the positions (physically and mentally) they take on stage/in labor. I make suggestions and the actors/students make suggestions. It's their adventure. I am there to guide and support and provide means of discovery. Teaching Methods My methods are heavily loaded with experiential learning largely due to what I teach. How is that possible? To teach and learn pain coping practices you have to do them. It is totally ineffective to just tell a mom how to do something in labor because of the nature of labor itself. She will not be able to recall something she has not experienced through practice or cemented in her being through creating an experience. In creating experiences I encourage my clients to use art. I provide the themes and let them take the journey of discovering the truths about the themes. My methods are influenced greatly by Pam England's book, Birthing From Within. My
professional goals include: recognize each person as an individual and be in tune with learning needs create confidence in mother in her own body and its ability to give birth create confidence in father in his ability to comfort and support his birthing partner inspire
in parents a need to take responsibility for their own birth experience guide
parents in ways to embrace their birth experiences and life experiences provide
a means for the proverbial light bulb provide
a flexible, comfortable atmosphere for learning, experiencing, interacting provide
satisfactory education on physiology provide a safe spiritual place for the parents in labor by protecting and asserting their desires for birthing environment and practices establish credibility for my profession and individual skills with parents and other professionals Efforts to Improve I
am continually making efforts to improve by reading just about anything on
childbirth I can get my hands on most importantly including personal birth
stories. Improving through
experience is particularly important. The
more I teach and give support the better I become and the further my clients
push me toward improvement. I
attend about every workshop I can to network with those in my profession.
It is invaluable to share experiences with others in the same field.
I hold memberships in several organizations for childbirth professionals
that provide updated information and networking.
Pam England's "Birthing From Within" workshops have been truly
enlightening for me not only as a teacher but also as a mother.
I hold a a Masters of Education
in Classroom Teaching concentrating on the Fine Arts. Earning this degree has increased my understanding of the use of Art in my teaching and of the different
learning personalities of people I endeavor to teach. The More Personal Side For the longest time I believed I would never find a passion in life. I enjoy my life. I love being a wife and mother. I enjoy the Arts. I love to write poetry and songs, to do educational and community theater, and create visual art. But, until embarking on the journey to resolve my birth "loss" I had nothing I was truly passionate about doing. I found a true need in parents for meaningful learning in childbirth education. I feel my background in the arts, experience with birth, and my desire to help birthing families will support a unique educational experience for parents-to-be. Thank you for viewing my site! Webmaster Minda L. Hager |