Meet Nora
My Philosophy
After my traumatic first delivery, I dived into research upon research of birth. I wanted to know everything. I had found my new passion. After using my own power to deliver my baby, I felt like Super Woman. I felt since I could do this, that I could do anything. And I wanted every mother to experience this.
As women, our power has been stolen from us through male-lead interventions. Unnecessary interventions which have been perpetuated through the years without question. Take food for example. If you’re hungry during labor, please eat.
My goal is to allow your power to flourish within you. But I'm also determined to give more babies a beautiful birth day. And if you and your previous child or children have had traumatic birth experiences, I'm here to return that power to you.
You CAN do this. My only job is to encourage the power you already have within you.
My Story
I'm Nora Yerena. I launched Central Coast Doula Services as a team effort to bring education and support to the Central Coast of California.
As a child, I'd watch in amazement at pregnant women walking by. To know they had created a baby within them. It has always been purely miraculous to me.
My time to create a miracle came in 2011. I loved every minute of it. But it ended too soon. I developed HELLP Syndrome at 31 weeks gestation. My baby was born via emergency cesarean section. She was 3.2 pounds. My miracle was fighting for her life, as was I in the ICU. When I finally met her, three days later, I held her against my chest for the next six weeks. I pumped breast milk, which was fed to her through a feeding tube in the neonatal ICU.
Her story is a success though. She became stronger and healthier since coming home in September 12, 2011. By two years old, she “graduated” from the NICU and was actually excelling ahead of her adjusted and gestational development.
I was scared now of birth because I was so dramatically faced with death. When I became pregnant again, I was terrified. But more so, I realized I needed to heal from my first birth experience. I needed to accomplish a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean).
And that’s exactly what I did.
My Training
Birth Doula
DONA
Postpartum Doula
DONA
Lactation Counselor/ Educator
NMC 2014
Certified Family Life Educator
NCFR 2010
BA in Family Sciences
California State University, Fresno 2010
