Birth Boot Camp Regional Trainer in Colorado!
We are pleased to introduce Jennifer Valencia as our Mountain States Birth Boot Camp Regional Trainer. Jennifer will be based out of Denver, Colorado, but is excited to travel and host childbirth educator trainings in Phoenix, AZ and more.
Jennifer has long been active in the birth community and her kindness, professionalism, and compassion shine through. She is simply a fun person to be around and we know you will love her trainings!
Keep reading to learn why Jennifer is so excited to bring Birth Boot Camp childbirth educator trainings to the Mountain States!
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Hello! I’m Jennifer Valencia, Birth Boot Camp Regional Trainer! I am an Arizona Native, now living in Colorado with my husband, Jesse : he is my rock, my best friend, and my biggest fan. We have three beautiful children, and of course, each child has their own very unique and beautiful birth story.
Jennifer, hiking with her children.
My family and I enjoy hiking, rock climbing, being outdoors, and : while my husband might be an introvert : I love to make new friends. I can’t think of a better way to meet and connect with like-minded leaders and influencers than to share my love for Birth Boot Camp, and empower families and communities with knowledge.
How Using our Power as Consumers Could Change Maternity Care Forever (Clark, 2016), examines the powerful influence of women as change makers in maternity care. Women have the power to be the authors of their own birth stories when fueled by education.
Without education, the consumer is powerless.
Knowledge is power and the Birth Boot Camp curriculum offers parents a comprehensive guide and committed preparation for childbirth.
I have worked as a birth doula since 2010, with the support of my husband, who encouraged me to pursue the career I had dreamed about. Throughout my career, I have encountered families desiring birth experiences across the spectrum. I have supported natural births, planned cesarean births, and everything in between; each time, I have seen evidence of the power of knowledge.
The Birth Boot Camp curriculum was the perfect choice for me and is a paramount choice for any educator who wishes their students to be prepared with:
- Nutritional information
- Fitness training
- Relaxation skills
- A plethora of tools to choose from in order to cope effectively with labor and birth
- A wealth of information to understand the impact of their birthplace and team
- Awareness of the benefits of chiropractic care and professional labor support with a doula
- Familiarity with the midwifery model of care and the Mother Friendly Childbirth Initiative
- Tools to avoid a cesarean
- VBAC facts
Parents who choose Birth Boot Camp for their childbirth preparation prepare for birth as a team, and receive the most up to date, comprehensive education.
As I mentioned earlier, Clark’s article explains the power consumers hold; my journey to Birth Boot Camp began not only as a doula, but as a consumer.
When I was pregnant with my first child I didn’t have knowledge of midwives, and I had no idea that the closest hospital may not be the best choice for my birth. This lack of knowledge, combined with the authoritativeness of a male obstetrician led to an unnecessary cesarean birth. As my first birth, this now left me with a label for every subsequent birth I would go on to have; a label, that at the time, I did not understand the reach of.
With my second pregnancy, I very quickly realized the frustration of finding a provider who would support my birth wishes. After finding a group midwifery practice for a planned hospital birth about an hour and a half away from my home, I found myself again being told I should have a cesarean at 36 weeks, but this time, I knew enough to change providers.
This was my first act of exercising my power as a consumer.
We were sure to let our provider know exactly why we were leaving, right after finding a new provider just down the block, when we had been told “you won’t find a care provider anywhere in the United States who will let you VBAC a breech baby.â€
I went on to have a fast and furious vaginal birth of a vertex baby who simply enjoyed choosing his own comfortable position in utero. With my first birth, I wasn’t educated enough see the red flags when my provider suggested I was going to have a big baby after a third trimester ultrasound. I didn’t know I shouldn’t have to negotiate being allowed to try and birth my baby.
I didn’t know enough to look elsewhere for care and consider driving and I certainly hadn’t done much in terms of preparation. As a consumer, I was powerless. And when my obstetrician declared failure to progress, with 12 hours as being “long enough†for a first time mother, I consented to cesarean on a perfectly healthy mother and a 7lb, 3oz baby.
During my third pregnancy, I knew the kind of birth I desired, and I was fully aware of the steps I needed to take to obtain it.
But, I was still daunted by the VBAC label that hung over my head. In my quest to find the right provider for the birth I desired, I found myself living evidence of the importance of having VBAC knowledge as a first time mom. This made finding a curriculum that taught couples about VBAC, how to find providers and birth places right for them, how to avoid a cesarean, and about being in charge of their own bodies and births, an essential component to any childbirth class I would teach.
Besides a comprehensive curriculum, I wanted to teach a childbirth class that really prepared couples as a team, was fun and up-to-date, that focused on prenatal health as an essential component to healthy birth, and provided couples with a variety of tools to choose from in order to effectively cope with their labor.
As a doula and as a mother experienced in natural birth, I understand that different things work for different women, and even the same woman in different births, so it’s important to have a variety of tools to choose from. In February of 2015, I became a Birth Boot Camp Instructor, and in the course of that year I had the most ideal birth I could envision, and I helped many other couples prepare for their births.
Jennifer (left) with her third baby and fellow Birth Boot Camp Regional Trainer, Janine (Kansas).
I taught a total of five Birth Boot Camp series’ to couples throughout Northern and Central Arizona, and now I am ready and trained to empower you : doula, teacher, mother, advocate, consumer, lover of birth, leader, influencer : to help couples in your community prepare for their own amazing births!
I am so pleased be the Birth Boot Camp Regional trainer for the Mountain States; these include Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona! I have earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Applied Human Behavior, and have pursued studies in labor support, education, leadership, social services, and entrepreneurship.
The Birth Boot Camp curriculum never ceases to amaze me, and I am thrilled to be able to bring it right to your doorstep!
My goal, as your regional trainer, is for you to leave feeling confident and prepared to empower families with the gift of knowledge, and I have complete confidence that after training as a Birth Boot Camp Instructor, you will do just that! I look forward to getting to know you, what you’re passionate about, and to sharing this amazing childbirth curriculum.
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