My Story…My Passion Hello and welcome! I’m so thrilled that you’re here! My name is Maranatha Owens, the Birth Doula at Gentle Presence Doula in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. This photo was taken in 1999, the week I became a Mother! A little about me…I am a seasoned Mama and new grandma, who has birthed all six of my children at home. I have been in love with the birth process ever since I can remember. I experienced my first birth at the age of 19, as a young lady gave birth for the first time-in the hospital-and gave her baby up for adoption. My heart nearly exploded, knowing that i was literally made to hold the hand of birthing mamas, and enjoy the holy moments when a new life was born. In my early 20’s, I went through a year of beginning Midwifery training and devoured every book I could get my hands on about birth and all things natural. I’ve personally experienced vastly different levels of support and bedside manner from the women who assisted with each of my labors, but I never had the chance to have a Doula myself. Two of my midwives provided incredible emotional, educational, and physical support, making me feel safe and nurtured. I also received care from several who provided great medical, physical, and educational support, but lacked the emotional and intuitive aspects of care. Reflecting on those experiences, I realized that those two midwives served me as more than just midwives; they encompassed all of the skills, attributes, and intuition that I strive to provide my clients as a Birth Doula. I am grateful for all of the midwives and friends who have served me during labor and pregnancy, but I’m especially thankful for the high level of support, nurture, and encouragement from those two. They made me know what was possible. After my sixth baby was born in 2013, I was overwhelmed by postpartum health issues that I did not expect and had not previously experienced. I didn’t live close to family or have much support during my birthing years, and looking back, I realize how valuable having postpartum doula care would have been for me personally. That difficult season helped me develop a vision for how to help women prevent some of the issues that I faced postpartum, as well as provide better support, encouragement, and resources to women not just during pregnancy and labor, but after the baby arrives…a time when we as women need so much more support than we often receive or know to ask for. Over the past twenty plus years, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to help many mamas from diverse backgrounds during their births, both in their homes and in the hospital: single moms, adoptive moms, married moms, first-time moms, and moms having their sixth + babies. I have been a Jill of all trades for many years. I taught gardening to young and old in a small community garden that I built up. Gardening brings me so much pleasure and serenity. I have also worked as a teacher in my own home and in homeschool co-ops, waitressed, been a cook for a small remote mountain resort, lived off-grid, and helped my husband manage several home businesses. I’ve traveled the world…I LOVE to travel! I still love the man I’ve been married to for nearly 30 years, and we have learned to be a team, working together to build our family, as well as our home businesses, and to live in peace. Jesus rocked my world when I was 17…and I’ve never been the same since. His love and peace rule my life and direct my steps, helping me to extend peace and a Gentle Presence to the women I serve. And no, you don’t have to be a Christian for me to be absolutely honored to serve you. Thank you for taking the time to be here. I’d love the opportunity to talk with you about your pregnancy and birth, and see how I can best meet your needs during your birth journey. Sincerely, Maranatha Owens CBD(AWWS) Birth and Postpartum Doula