My name is Mikalia Dyer. I have always known I wanted to be involved somehow with babies and birth. I had been going to school to become a nurse when my husband and I discovered we were expecting our first son. I decided at that time to put school on hold to raise our family. I had a very difficult pregnancy with our first that included a few short hospitalizations and bedrest for preterm labor that ended in being induced at 33 weeks due to pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome. Our son had to spend some time in the NICU, but did very well. My pregnancy and birth were obviously less than ideal.

     When we decided to become pregnant again, I read and studied everything I could get my hands on. I had a wonderful birth experience with my second that was everything I could have ever wanted from a hospital birth. One of my friends was pregnant with her third at the time and after I told her about my experience she began to ask me lots of questions. We spent quite a bit of time talking about birth and how disappointed she had been with her first two birth experiences. She had wanted un-medicated/natural labors, but had ended up with epidurals for both. I offered to come help support her and her husband through the birth. She was able to achieve her ideal birth experience completely un-medicated. It was a wonderfully gratifying experience for both her and myself! After that I knew that I definitely wanted to help women through this exciting and wonderful time in our lives.
      I believe that every woman should be able to have the birth that she desires, but I also believe every woman needs the information to know what her options for her birth are. While I felt so many things were out of my control with my first son, I now know that there were many options I did not explore because I did not know they were open to me. I believe a woman can give birth in any environment as long as she feels safe, secure and supported.
      I am a mom to three beautiful boys that each had a birth as unique as they are. One a highly interventive hospital birth, one a wonderful un-medicated hospital birth and one beautiful homebirth. I feel this makes me uniquely qualified to help in any birth setting you may choose. My family and I live on top of Table Mountain in the community of Cherokee, it is a short drive to all the surrounding towns of Chico, Oroville and Paradise in California.

      I have been a volunteer since 2005 with Sidelines, an email and telephone support organization for women with high risk pregnancies that are typically on bedrest. I attended my first birth as a doula in 2007 and decided to certify in 2008. I am now a certified birth doula and childbirth educator through Childbirth International. I have also decided to become a midwife and began midwifery school in the fall of 2010 with an expected graduation date in 2013. I am certified in neonatal resuscitation and CPR.

     I provide doula services in Butte county and surrounding communities and I teach group childbirth preparation classes in Oroville or private classes in your home anywhere in the county.