Michelle Kaufman

Hi! My name is Michelle Kaufman. I am a Charis Certified Childbirth Educator & Doula in the Tidewater area of Virginia. I am married to my high school sweetheart, Chris (the greatest man in the world!), and we have 3 wonderful children who are precious gifts to us! Haley is 17, Renee is 15, and Nathan is 11. I have been with Charis for 4 years and am currently moving into the role of "Local Director" for the Tidewater area. I decided to be a part of Charis for several reasons; one reason was I was a teen mom. My husband Chris and I were 18 and 19 when our oldest daughter Haley was born. Those were some tough times! I did not have a voice at that age. I did not know the right questions to ask. I felt ashamed to ask the questions I did have because they were embarrassing. I would go to the doctor and leave feeling confused and afraid. Even the birth classes I took were scary to me! The only thing I took away from that class was I did not want an epidural because I did not want to be paralyzed! I did not know what to expect in my pregnancy or labor. No one in the class developed a relationship with me. There was no one to gain my trust.

I am a firm believer that there is purpose in our pain. God does not waste our life experiences. When I met Kristin and heard all that she was doing, I decided I had to be a part of that! I did not know what a doula was at the time, I just knew that serving expecting families and helping take some of the fear away was what I wanted to do! It is my desire to not just serve childbearing families, but to develop a relationship with them so they will be able to receive what I have to offer them. I do not just want to give information-- they can get that in a book-- I want to give compassion and care. I want to be an extension of Jesus to them. A doula is a servant. It is a tremendous privilege to be invited to share in someone's birth! A doula is not a spectator though. I am there to serve in whatever capacity the family needs. I am a coach, a hand-holder, a cheer-leader, I build a bridge between the staff and the family, I massage backs and feet and hold hot compresses where ever it hurts, I protect mom's dignity, I pray with and for the family, I deliver messages to waiting family members, I have even been the one waiting with family members! Come to think of it, I think we all could use a doula in our lives!

I am so excited to be a part of an organization that recognizes childbirth as something God designed women to do! That is so empowering! When women understand that they are specifically made to give birth, their confidence soars! Charis teaches families how to make faith-based decisions about their birth instead of fear-based decisions. In a world where so much fear is attached to childbirth both from society and the medical community, I am so proud to be a part of Charis.

My dream is to be a certified professional midwife someday and I plan to take my midwifery academics course through Charis!

Mom's baked Apples
Shared By Christina Viera

4 Apples
2/3 cup of granola, your choice of what type
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup of chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons of dried currants or cranberries
Vanilla ice cream for serving

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Trim the bottoms of the apples if necessary so they sit upright. Using a small pointy spoon scoop halfway into the apple to remove the seeds and core and make a hole. Place the apples in a small baking dish.

In a medium bowl, use your hands to mix the granola with the cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, walnuts and currants. Stuff the apples with the mixture and bake until the apples are tender when pierced with a toothpick. 30 to 35 minutes. Serve hot topped with Vanilla ice cream.