My name is Chelsa Knowles. I own and operate Milk & Magnolias Birth Services, offering services as a labor doula, a childbirth educator, a birth photographer, and postpartum care. I became interested in working with women during pregnancy birth and postpartum as it opened up the doors to career that could combine my personal social/advocacy interests, as well as offer a creative outlet party planning showers and being involved with my photography, and of course my ability to nerd out over fetal and prenatal development.
I was trained at the Florida Traditional School of Midwifery under a CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association) Childbirth Educator program, and under DONA (Doulas of North America) guidelines. I then began working as a labor doula in Gainesville, Florida in 2011, where I was the preferred doula of North Florida Regional Medical Center and have been active in the birth community since that time in Florida, Colorado, and now Texas!
Wish you were here-Sydney – I’d be up for birth photography! Probably wouldn’t blog them (a little mystery, please!) but I have seen some gorgeous artistic, moving images of this amazingly beautiful adventure.
I wish I was in Sydney also! I have really fallen in love with birth photography. It captures so many exposed human emotions and still remains very tasteful and beautiful; moments that could be lost if dad is holding the camcorder.