Hi, I'm Sarah, the heart behind The Diabetes Doula.

I've been living with type 1 diabetes since I was 15, and for a long time, taking care of myself was complicated. I was figuring out how to care for my body while navigating the emotional and spiritual weight of living with diabetes. It wasn't until my early 20s, when I found the diabetes online community, that I began to understand how much it mattered to be around people who just got it. People who understood the hard stuff without needing it explained. People who made room for honesty, connection, and the possibility that things could feel different.

In 2013, I started facilitating peer support groups for women with diabetes in the Boston area. That experience shaped so much of the work I do today. I saw what can happen when people have space to share their stories, ask questions, and feel less alone in figuring things out.

My own experience with diabetes complications, including gastroparesis, retinopathy, and neuropathy, along with Hashimoto's, pushed me to look beyond the numbers and think more about my health as a whole. I studied integrative nutrition, completed my 200-hour yoga teacher training, and began offering yoga, meditation, and mindfulness to the diabetes community. I also co-founded DiabetesSangha, a nonprofit bringing contemplative practices to people living with diabetes.

But reproductive health was personal, too.

For years, insulin omission and its impact on my body meant losing my period and feeling disconnected from myself. Rebuilding that relationship with my body and menstrual cycle became a big part of my own healing. It also opened my eyes to just how much diabetes and reproductive health intersect and how often people are left trying to connect those dots on their own.

Pregnancy, birth, and becoming a parent brought even more of those questions to the surface.

I trained as a full-spectrum doula with Doula Trainings International in 2021, just before becoming pregnant with my first son, Angus, who was born via emergency cesarean in January 2022. I went on to breastfeed Angus for 16 months.

In the time between my pregnancies, I spent time researching, learning, and preparing for the possibility of a trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC). When I became pregnant with my second son, Colm, I felt more informed about my options and what I wanted for my birth. In November 2024, Colm was born via VBAC.

Colm spent his first week in the NICU receiving care for hypoglycemia. Experiencing the NICU not just as a doula supporting someone else, but as a parent sitting beside my own baby, gave me an entirely different perspective. I saw firsthand how much there is to navigate when you're trying to understand what's happening, make decisions, and find your footing as a new parent. His NICU stay didn't define our feeding story, either. We continued breastfeeding for well over a year, until he was ready to wean.

Now that both of my boys are a little older and Colm has weaned, I'm finding myself in another season of preparation and possibility. We're considering growing our family one more time, if we're lucky enough to do so. I know that whatever comes next, I'll be bringing everything I've learned so far with me.

My experiences with diabetes, pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and the NICU have shaped not only who I am, but how I show up for the people I support. I understand these experiences through both professional training and lived experience—and I know that no two people, pregnancies, births, or feeding journeys are exactly alike. My story isn't a blueprint for anyone else's. It's part of what helps me listen, ask better questions, and offer support that makes room for the whole person behind the numbers.

Today, I bring together my lived experience and professional expertise as a full-spectrum doula, lactation educator, integrative nutrition health coach, and yoga and meditation teacher. My work supports people with all types of diabetes through pregnancy, birth, feeding, and the many stages of reproductive health—from cycles and fertility to postpartum and menopause.

So, what does that actually look like?

It looks like helping you make sense of all the information coming your way—from your clinical care team to the internet and everyone with an opinion. We can explore your options, talk through your questions, and make room for what matters to you, too.

I'm a doula, an educator, a longtime member of the diabetes community, and a mom of two little boys. I don't have all the answers, and I'm not here to replace your clinical team. I'm here to bring my experience, knowledge, and care to the conversations that can be hard to navigate alone.

My hope is that you feel a little less alone, a little more informed, and more connected to yourself along the way.

I'm here to help you find your way through it all without losing yourself in the numbers.