Mikaela

Mikaela is a natural caretaker. As the oldest in a family of seven children, she grew up taking care of her siblings and helping around the home. She enjoyed the role she was born into and found herself seeking opportunities as an adult to explore more ways she could support children and families. In 2004 Mikaela became certified through the University of Montana Western in Dillon to teach infants and toddlers. In 2005 she was promoted to the lead teacher position in the infant room at The Children's Place, which was a nationally accredited preschool utilizing the Reggio Emilia Approach® teaching philosophy. After the preschool closed, Mikaela enrolled at Montana State University and pursued a degree in Psychology, with a focus on behavioral therapy, and a minor in women's studies. When she became pregnant with her oldest daughter she chose to take a hiatus from school and focus on her own family. Two years later Mikaela and her husband experienced a miscarriage, which only more deeply shaped her commitment to supporting women and families through times of great transition. Drawing from her own experience as a mother and her training in education, Mikaela along with three other moms in the community launched a non-profit called Baby Wearers of Bozeman. The 501c3 offered a community for people to learn how to wear their babies and to feel supported in parenthood, making daily life go more smoothly. Although the non-profit has now dissolved, Mikaela continues to be very much involved in the baby wearing community and loves helping people get set up with the carrier that works for them. With the birth of her third baby in 2015, Mikaela found herself even more committed to supporting families. Her daughter was born with health complications that opened her eyes to a whole new level of struggle in the postpartum parenting world. This experience rooted her in compassion and empathy for families going through similar challenges. Discovering another layer of commitment to women and families, Mikaela decided to begin her Doula certification at this time. In 2019, Mikaela was happily pregnant with her fourth baby and welcomed her into the world with a doula by her side. As the world began to respond to the uncertainty of COVID, she and her family decided to purchase a camper, renovate the inside, and make their home smaller, but travel and live off-grid for the next 6 months to a year isolating from the worry around them. When they came back to Bozeman in the summer of 2021, Mikaela started working with Tree of Life Doula Care. It has been an incredible experience and her true life calling, helping mothers and families transition from new parents to thriving families. When Mikaela is not wearing her doula hat, she is taking professional photos of birth, babies, and families. She enjoys spending time with her husband and four girls, their dog, and coming up with epic Halloween costumes.