Angela Callais
Birth and Postpartum Doula,
Birthing From Within Mentor
Angela Callais walks a winding labyrinth. While crossing the threshold into motherhood in 2001, Angela discovered that birth is a process with more depth than she ever imagined.
‘After the birth of my daughter, I was shell-shocked and feeling that while I had done a lot of work to prepare for my labor and birth (all of the western medical things – hospital childbirth classes, What to Expect When You Are Expecting, having an OB, etc.), it had clearly been all of the wrong things – I had definitely not been ready for what I experienced.
I decided that information had to be the key to being prepared and getting the birth that you wanted. I studied and read voraciously, burying myself it in and committing to become some kind obstetrical “genius”. Statistics, facts and figures would be my savior, and allow me to also “show the light” to other couples going through the process.’
Angela started her path in birth work by becoming a birth doula in 2003. Soon after, she discovered Birthing From Within and immersed herself in the process of mentoring mothers and families based on the teachings in this book.
‘Through a set of seemingly random events, I found myself in New Mexico in front of Pam England, author of the book “Birthing From Within”, in the beginning of my training to become a Birthing From Within mentor. In that short weekend, the ideas that were presented to me shook the foundation that I had known and challenged me to look at birth on a completely different level.
Pam England suggests that rather than looking at birth as a medical event, we look at it as a rite of passage. As such, childbirth preparation could actually be more effective and fulfilling if we shift our perceptions to look at it as a process of self -discovery and awareness, and focusing less on trying to become an obstetrical “expert” or a specific birth outcomes.
This seemingly simple suggestion changed my life forever. I could literally feel the shift in my body – it was my truth.’
Angela is currently serving her second term on the board of the directors for the Childbirth Collective. She is also in school working towards a degree in Midwifery. A lifelong musician, Angela lives in south Minneapolis with her daughter, Quinn.