Deb Correia, CD(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 PALS-Doulas [CD(PALS)], and will soon be submitting my documents to become certified by DONA International.
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
- United Way of King County Volunteer Reader Program: I read to preschool kids weekly during the school year at a school in Redmond.
Additional information
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 2000 jumps, and I'm a coach and instructor. 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 love entertaining, and we have 15-20 people over for dinner every other week.
