Jennifer Anderson, RN, BSN; Evidence Based Birth® Instructor
Nurse
As a nurse for 31 years, I have a unique perspective on labor support and normal birth. Prior to becoming an L&D nurse, I practiced NICU nursing and pediatric OR nursing at some of the best free-standing pediatric facilities in the US.
I became an L&D nurse in 2006 after the birth of my first child. As a former RN at the Sutter Davis Birthing Center, I was blessed to witness some of the most precious moments of my nursing career. While supporting and educating birthing couples to make informed decisions and enabling them to have a sense of control over their birth experience, I was present for hundreds of births and welcomed many families into this world in special, unique ways. From home births to tub births to parking lot births to cesarean births - I’ve seen A LOT.
Normal birth is something I wish for every birthing person to experience, but “normal” means something different to everyone. For some, the goal is a “Healthy baby, healthy mom”, and their roadmap is more fluid. For others, prior experiences, values, or an intense desire for certain outcomes give them a firmer sense of the overall goal of their birth experience.
I’ve worked with many definitions of families, including LGBTQIA+ families, extended families, and “just us”. I’ve worked with couples from many different cultures and a wonderful array of countries with different birth beliefs and practices. I’ve worked with a variety of birth experiences from first births to 9th baby, twins to VBACs, unmedicated births to inductions, from healthy low-risk births to births with high-risk conditions or known congenital defects of their newborn. My years of nursing experience in NICU, pediatric OR nursing, and L&D have shaped the nurse and doula I have become today.
An anesthesiologist sketched this during a surgical case I was scrubbed in for back at Children’s Hospital of Phildelphia in 1996. I’ve always cherished this rendering.
Doula
In 2010, I took over as RN Coordinator for the Volunteer Doula Program at the Sutter Davis Birthing Center. I was a fan of this program from the day I was hired, and jumped at the chance to coordinate it at the first opportunity. I was honored to meet, train, and mentor many amazing humans who gave selflessly of their time, day and night, to support birthing couples, sight unseen. I ran this program until 2014 and rejoined it again as a volunteer doula in 2021. I am proud to walk in the footsteps of the selfless doulas who came before me.
I began Birth Fusion in 2011 when I decided to take a break from nursing and stay home with my preschool children. I decided to do doula work to “keep my feet wet” in L&D nursing. Much to my surprise, I found great joy in working with couples 1:1 in their own homes and communities, surrounded by their families and belief systems, and walking hand in hand with them through the entire pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience. This went far beyond my interactions with birthing couples as an L&D nurse and grew my understanding and love for supporting families in birth to a level I never dreamed possible.
I now call what I do “community nursing”. While I keep my nursing license active and remain current on research and best practices, I have found a love for working with families on a more personal level, and I usually say that my nursing hat and my doula hat come on and off multiple times during our relationship. We never know who we’re gonna need in labor. Why not bring them all along in one unique combination? My license plate says “DoulaRN”. Need I say more?
Educator
I have been a childbirth educator since 2007 and have helped hundreds of couples in the Davis and surrounding communities learn about the birthing process and navigate this very personal experience. I started teaching the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class in 2019, initially locally in my community, and now 100% online with couples joining me from all over the U.S. I love the flexibility, convenience, and safety of teaching 100% online while still gathering weekly for LIVE Zoom classes with each cohort. These classes are lively and fun, and we always have a great time getting to know each other and treasuring each other's values while learning about the evidence in an unbiased way. I thank my muse, Rebecca Dekker, RN, PhD, and founder of Evidence Based Birth®, for making the evidence relatable and clear for birth workers and couples all over the U.S.
My teaching style caters to those who desire a deeper knowledge base and want to educate themselves on all of their options. As an educator who gets to “walk the walk” every day with couples during the birthing process, I have a unique perspective on how births can unfold. I’ll never say I’ve seen it all. I never will. But I’ve seen enough to provide a unique perspective as an educator, while keeping things light-hearted, refreshing and fun. Just the way the day of your baby’s birth should be.
Rebecca Dekker, RN, PhD, and I at the Evidence Based Birth® Conference in Lexington, KY.
The final class of one of my summer, 2021 cohorts. Don’t let the online format full you. We still have fun!
Mother
By combining my skills as an RN, doula, educator, photographer, and mother, I have found happiness in what I do and thrive on sharing these experiences with others. I have two college-age children who are learning my “don’t take life too seriously” attitude from the queen of goofballs. My daughter was born in a hospital setting with complications and necessary medical interventions, but with safety, dignity, and respect. My son was born in a horse trough in my living room, surrounded by love as his 22-month-old big sister watched her baby brother enter this crazy world. Both births were beautiful in their own way. They have defined me as a mother and empowered me as a woman. My ability to fuse my various passions and skills into this unique service can be found nowhere else.
