welcome to sweet willow birth!
Hi, I’m Sarina and I am a birth worker in Charlotte, NC! I offer heart centered support for your birth journey.
I moved to Charlotte to apprentice and live in community with local birth workers. This has truly given me a full heart, a beautiful network, and chance to witness incredible birth stories.
Before landing here, I grew up in New York, raised by my wonderful mother, and went to school for Public Health, not too far from here, at Elon University! Since then, I have lived in Phoenix, AZ, for a service year through AmeriCorps where I lived in a home with previously homeless families expecting little ones, walking side-by-side as a support system from pregnancy through their baby’s first year! This was a transformative experience for me as I witnessed very closely how sharing unconditional love and support can give people an opportunity to look at themselves with love and support and strive for the unwavering care and respect for their birth, decisions, and life that everyone deserves.
Since leaving Phoenix, I’ve traveled and lived on working homesteads and farms. These experiences truly showed how important connecting with people, sustainable living, and having an interwoven support system are. Next, I found Birthing from Within.
Studying with Birthing from Within has been a huge part of my foundation as a doula. This shows up as passions for holistic care, support and dedication to walking with you through your unique birthing journey with love, compassion, and center around what matters most: you! With a unique journey, we personalize a partnership that serves and honors your individuality and empowers you to trust your inner knowing to navigate the nuanced unknowns of birth.
There is one thing that can be absolutely guaranteed in this journey. And that is the unknown. It is guaranteed that there will be unknown territory. This is true for every person and every birth. As uncomfortable and scary as this place of unknown can be, this is where personal transformation happens. The biggest opportunities for growth are in the valleys of not knowing what to do… and then discovering what is there.
I am here to walk with you, supporting informed decision making, nourishing your spirit and striving for a safe and deeply satisfying birth experience.
More about me(:
I am newer to Charlotte and have felt so at home here with the wonderful people I have been meeting and mentoring with!
I love to travel and explore - I am proud to have adventured to 27 National Parks and hope to get to all 63 in my lifetime!
You can find me laying in the grass, soaking in the sun, chasing waterfalls, or with a perfect cup of tea as the sun sets.
some of my biggest influences:
Valarie Kaur, Brene Brown, Viola Davis, Michelle Obama, Anita Diamant, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Oprah Winfrey, A.A. Milne, Thich Nhat Hanh, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Sarah Eiley Cowherd, Heidi Snyderburn-Campbell, Resa Walch, Natalie, My Mama Suzie, Mother Earth, Sun, and Moon
Birthing from Within, Maggie’s Place, Sister Song, Black Mamas Matter Alliance
Valarie Kaur, See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love (and my favorite book!)
“A stranger is just a part of you you do not know yet.”
“When we choose to wonder about people we don’t know, when we imagine their lives and listen for their stories, we begin to expand the circle of those we see as part of us. We prepare ourselves to love beyond what evolution requires.”