How it all began....
Back in April 2000, my husband Tom and I got married and proceeded to get pregnant with our first child on our honeymoon. After deciding to quit my current job and become a stay-at-home mom, I heard from a friend that she hired a doula to help her through labor. A What? I hadn't a clue what a doula was, or how she would help, but I wanted to have her there. So, we hired the same doula my girlfriend had used, and I had an incredible birth experience. It was shortly after having my first son that I decided that I wanted to become a doula myself to help other pregnant women. I trained with the doula who I had hired, who had 20 plus years experience as a doula and labor & delivery nurse, and had finally found my passion. After working along side my mentor and friend for a few years, in January of 2006, I decided to go on my own and create what is now Blessed Beginnings.
Educating and helping parents-to-be has become a unique career opportunity for me and one that I love. I think that every mother should be able to look back at her childbirth experience and be satisfied. That doesn't mean that everything was as picturesque as she imagined it, but that she knows she did all she could to maintain that idea. The one thing about labor is that every labor is different and you won't know how you or the baby will respond to labor until it is happening. I encourage my moms to go into labor with their 'wish lists' of how they would like labor and delivery to go, with the ultimate goal of healthy baby, healthy mom. When keeping this perspective in mind, moms can still have a wonderfully memorable birth experience even if happens to not go exactly as planned.
About Dani M. Ball, CD, CCE
I am a DONA International Certified Labor Doula and a CAPPA Certified Childbirth Educator. I have been a doula since early 2002. I currently teach childbirth classes at St. Joseph's Women's hospital in Tampa, as well.
I am the mother of two sons, Noah (8 1/2) & Devin (6) , as well as the wife to a great guy, Tom, who's been my best friend since 1995. It is my privilege to work with families during this special time in their lives. I have been blessed by past clients and continue to be blessed with the new clients that cross my path.
Please take a few minutes and look through my site. There are some great websites to check out on my Links page, as well as some pictures of my family. There is also a contact form if you wish to get in touch with me. On the Services page, you should find the answers to all of your basic questions. If we never have the chance to cross paths, I wish you a beautiful birth story that you can look back on and cherish. Good Luck on your journey to parenthood! Dani
