Meet Caryn
Hi, I’m Caryn Allen, certified childbirth educator and birth doula. I was born and raised in the Saint Louis, Missouri area but have called Utah my home since 2013. I am the youngest of six children, having five older brothers, five beautiful sisters-in-law, and sixteen nieces and nephews. My husband and I met when he came to Missouri to do summer sales, and what started out as a summer romance turned into 14 years of marriage, 5 moves in 3 states, 4 children, 1 dog, and loads of fun. I’ve been playing the piano for 25 years in just about every capacity, including festivals, competitions, and choral accompanying, and I had taught piano lessons off and on for over 13 years. I enjoy board and card games, sewing, crocheting, movie watching, Dungeons and Dragons, and a good camping trip. I have dreams of one day living on a small farm with a variety of animals, doing birth work for animals and humans alike.
My journey to birth work started just after our first child was born in 2008. We went into that birth without any experience or education, and my only wish was to avoid an epidural. My mother had my five brothers naturally either in the hospital or birth center, and decided to try an epidural when I was born. She recounted the experience as being cold, sterile, and disconnected, feeling like she wasn’t really a participant in the experience. I decided I didn’t want that, but that was the only choice I had made about my birth beforehand. I didn’t know I had options, and as such I was pressured into things I likely wouldn’t have accepted with full informed consent. After our daughter was born, I was relieved it was over but also felt dissatisfied with the experience. I’m not sure where the idea came from that birth should be a satisfying experience, but I knew I wanted things to be different next time.
I started soaking up everything I could get my hands on--books, blogs, news articles, and movies--to try and figure out how to make my birth experience better. As I was learning so many new things, I decided I wanted to become a doula to help other women have great birth experiences. I became pregnant with our second child and completed my doula certification before she was born. Her birth was notably different. We made sure to have a good birth team there with us, including my skilled mother-in-law and a good friend of mine who had also just completed her doula training. That alone, having a good birth team, made a world of difference. They saw to my every need before I knew I even needed it so that I could just focus on being in the labor zone. I had zero interventions. Just me, my baby, and my birth team. After she was born I knew I could conquer anything! I felt on top of the world! I knew then that I wanted to become a childbirth educator and help expecting parents know their options. Not long after her birth I trained and certified as an educator and have been helping expecting couples ever since.
My journey to birth work started just after our first child was born in 2008. We went into that birth without any experience or education, and my only wish was to avoid an epidural. My mother had my five brothers naturally either in the hospital or birth center, and decided to try an epidural when I was born. She recounted the experience as being cold, sterile, and disconnected, feeling like she wasn’t really a participant in the experience. I decided I didn’t want that, but that was the only choice I had made about my birth beforehand. I didn’t know I had options, and as such I was pressured into things I likely wouldn’t have accepted with full informed consent. After our daughter was born, I was relieved it was over but also felt dissatisfied with the experience. I’m not sure where the idea came from that birth should be a satisfying experience, but I knew I wanted things to be different next time.
I started soaking up everything I could get my hands on--books, blogs, news articles, and movies--to try and figure out how to make my birth experience better. As I was learning so many new things, I decided I wanted to become a doula to help other women have great birth experiences. I became pregnant with our second child and completed my doula certification before she was born. Her birth was notably different. We made sure to have a good birth team there with us, including my skilled mother-in-law and a good friend of mine who had also just completed her doula training. That alone, having a good birth team, made a world of difference. They saw to my every need before I knew I even needed it so that I could just focus on being in the labor zone. I had zero interventions. Just me, my baby, and my birth team. After she was born I knew I could conquer anything! I felt on top of the world! I knew then that I wanted to become a childbirth educator and help expecting parents know their options. Not long after her birth I trained and certified as an educator and have been helping expecting couples ever since.
Credentials
2011 - Birth Doula Training and Certification with Childbirth International
2012 - Childbirth Educator Training and Certification with Childbirth International
2012 - Degree in Marriage and Family Studies at Brigham Young University-Idaho
2020 - Instructor Training and Certification with Birth Boot Camp
2020 - Birth Doula Training and Certification with Birth Boot Camp
2021 - Headquarters Team at Birth Boot Camp
2021 - Project Manager for Birth Boot Camp
2021 - Postpartum Doula Training and Certification with Birth Boot Camp
Current member of the Utah Doula Association
2012 - Childbirth Educator Training and Certification with Childbirth International
2012 - Degree in Marriage and Family Studies at Brigham Young University-Idaho
2020 - Instructor Training and Certification with Birth Boot Camp
2020 - Birth Doula Training and Certification with Birth Boot Camp
2021 - Headquarters Team at Birth Boot Camp
2021 - Project Manager for Birth Boot Camp
2021 - Postpartum Doula Training and Certification with Birth Boot Camp
Current member of the Utah Doula Association
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