When you ask a five year old to share something interesting about themselves you don’t expect to hear “I was nine pounds and thirteen ounces when I was born” however this was always my go to answer, ever since I was able to carry a conversation. At age six I had my hands full as the “owner” of an “infant-only day care” (as pictured). By age seven I had convinced my mother to let me watch TLC’s “Birth Day” and at age ten I sat in on my aunt’s appointment with her lactation consultant. I loved everything about pregnancy, babies and caring for them.

As I grew older and became more knowledgeable about pregnancy, infants, and the labor process, I decided that I wanted to pursue a career working with expecting mothers and bringing their bundles of joy into the world. This translated to starting off my undergraduate degree at The University of Texas at Austin on a pre-medicine track to become an OBGYN. I quickly realized that this dream of mine would consume my twenties and likely postpone starting a family. A shift from pre-medicine to public health allowed me to pursue my passion of maternal health without potentially sacrificing my biggest dream in life: becoming a mom.

Fast forward seven years to now and I have completed my Master of Public Health (MPH), have a job in the public health field which I love, but desire a more active role in improving maternal health outcomes. I began researching doula training opportunities and found Doula Trainings International (DTI), an organization that emphasizes autonomy, cultural humility, evidence-based research, and collaborative entrepreneurship, all things that I stand for as a public health practitioner and now a doula.

-Alexandra Rodrigues, MPH