Carmen Oates

Carmen is passionate about supporting women in childbirth, and captivated by the miracle of new life. Originally from Nicaragua, Carmen immigrated to San Francisco with her family when she was a little girl. Through her family’s challenges, she learned the power of supporting and being supported by others and comes from a family of strong, creative and resilient women who have inspired her to love people. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Santa Clara University and a master’s degree from the Wheaton College Graduate School where she studied spiritual formation. She has ten years of experience supporting births at home, in the hospital and at free standing birth centers. She is a DONA certified birth doula with extensive experience coaching families as they prepare to welcome their babies. Carmen is dedicated to helping families understand how to find family centered care, learn self-advocacy, become more confident in their decision making abilities and learn to value their role in creating a positive birth experience. She is also trained and experienced in postpartum follow up and debriefing difficult or unexpected birth experiences.