Meet Shana
Welcome! My name is Shana Bartlett and I live in Santa Cruz, California with my husband Osh. We have been blessed with five wonderful children, ranging from 13 to 26 years old and have lived in the same house on the westside since we were married in 1995. Our family has spent most of our free time together either at the beach or in the ocean with friends and family. These coastal activities along with our amazing community have played a large role in shaping who my children are today. Surfing, surf instructing, lifeguarding, skim boarding, fishing, beach volleyball, biking, west cliff walks are some of our daily routines. I am grateful!
For me, becoming a doula is a natural transition after years of serving my own family into serving others in the areas I am most passionate about-pregnancy, babies, motherhood, and family!
A little bit of history about my mothering journey. At 22 years old, my dream of starting a family came true with the birth of our first daughter Selah, followed by Eden, Faith, Adam and Ryder over a span of almost 13 years. Car seats, strollers, and young people have filled my car for over 26 years. I still cannot believe how fast those precious years flew by!
After giving birth for the first time with the help of my husband, a midwife, and a doula, I started helping support countless friends and family in their pregnancies and births. Over 20 years ago, I took a doula course when my children were young but knew I could not commit to the on-call lifestyle of a doula at that time.
Now, with my youngest being a teenager and my oldest married, we have entered a new season as a family. The time was right to complete my certification and training to become a professional doula. For me, more than the doula certification and trainings, it is my own pregnancies and life experiences as a wife, mother, sister, daughter, and friend that I believe have equipped me most to be a blessing as I walk alongside individuals on their own pregnancy and birth journeys. It is a true privilege for me to have the opportunity to encourage and support others as their unique story unfolds.
With love, Shana
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13-14