Vintage

My name is Laura Tolman and I was born and raised in Alaska. I have been involved in working with children and families for most of my life. The first time I went overseas I gained a love and respect for other cultures, countries, and customs. I lived in Scotland and traveled to places such as India, Nepal, and Ireland to work with orphans and families and to learn from the women that I encountered in various countries. I enjoyed living abroad while teaching theater arts classes to children.

Over the years I have worked to assist families in many ways, such as volunteering for the local Salvation Army, Crisis Pregnancy Center, Food Bank of Alaska, and many more such organizations. I have worked in the field of health care for 7 years, 3 of which were at a local hospital where I worked as the Patient Care Coordinator. It was at the hospital that I found renewed passion to see people through the complicated medical processes and procedures by providing the warmth of a human connection, whether I was answering questions, solving problems, or just being a caring person.

With my own pregnancy, I decided to explore the informational and educational resources available to pregnant women and their families. Through much research, study, and perseverance, I gathered the resources that I would need for my own positive birthing and postpartum journey. I had my baby naturally and found the experience to be very fulfilling. It was through this birthing experience that I realized just how essential good information and personal support is to a woman in labor. I gained understanding about the importance of comfort measures, relaxation, and trusting ones own instincts during birth. I wanted to provide other women with the information and support that I had to search for and gather on my own throughout my pregnancy. I decided that I wanted to invest full time in women who were giving birth and I chose to become educated as a doula and childbirth educator. I accomplished certification in both of these areas through the Academy of Certified Birth Educators.

 I now enjoy empowering women to own their birthing experiences. I recognize that each woman is unique and deserves whole-hearted care and education. I provide compassionate heartfelt care to those who are welcoming new life into the world whether I am assisting them in a class as a childbirth educator, in their moment of birth as a doula, or in their home caring for their needs as a postpartum doula. Thank you for making me a part of your birthing experience as together we traverse the world of motherhood.