Ten Years In: A Decade of Staying, Growing, and Owning the Work

Ten Years In, No Skipping Ahead

• The personal birth experiences that shaped this work

• Being told “you’re too young” and choosing excellence anyway

• The credentials and experience people don’t always see

• Centering VBACs, marginalized families, and informed choice

• The real cost of staying in this work

• Why naming accomplishments matters

• What’s next

Ready? Let's go.

Ten years in birth work doesn’t happen quietly. It takes persistence, long nights, and the decision to stay when doubt would have been the easier choice.

This year marks ten years since Sarah Pearce, founder of Trinity Doula Services, began her work as a doula. This milestone isn’t just about time served. It’s about building something real in a field that often underestimates the skill and leadership required to do this work well.

Her path into doula work started with her own births.

After an induction with vacuum assistance followed by an urgent (not emergent) cesarean, two subsequent VBACs became deeply healing experiences. That contrast shaped her desire to help families avoid birth trauma and instead walk away with experiences rooted in empowerment and informed choice.

At 25, she was told she was too young to be taken seriously. Instead of shrinking, she invested heavily in education.

She completed multiple doula trainings to become full spectrum, pursued continuing education aggressively, and graduated from one of the top nursing programs in Illinois. Early doubts didn’t disappear overnight, but consistent feedback from families confirmed that her presence made a real difference.

Known for sharing evidence-based education openly, she was often misunderstood. Some assumed she was practicing as an underground midwife or giving medical advice outside her scope. Neither was true. Her work has always stayed grounded in evidence, ethics, and informed consent. Despite a decade in birth work, she still jokes that she’s waiting to catch her first baby.

Over the last decade, her work has grown in both depth and reach:

• 10 years as a practicing doula

• 250+ families supported

• Full-spectrum doula training

• Placenta specialist training

• ICAN training and chapter leadership

• Emergency childbirth provider training

• Ride-alongs with local paramedics

• Nursing degree and work as a pediatric nurse

• Homebirth midwife assistant experience

• CPR and NRP certified

• Magazine features

• Currently enrolled in CPM school

A move to the St. Louis area in 2022 marked a major growth point for the agency, allowing it to serve significantly more families.

VBAC families remain central to her practice, shaped by her own experience as a two-time VBAC parent.

She also intentionally serves:

• Single and teen parents

• Medicaid families

• Families of color

• Families facing socioeconomic barriers

Equitable access to support has always been a core value, not an afterthought.

This work comes with real cost:

• Missed family events

• Leaving home at all hours

• Physically demanding overnight labors

What’s often overlooked is the work before birth: education, planning, and emotional support. Longevity required learning to rest, protect her body, and step away when needed.

Her goal has always been simple: help families walk away with memories they can hold with peace.

While her philosophy has remained steady, her confidence has deepened. Early-career anxiety has been replaced with calm certainty and a grounded sense of purpose. Clients have taught her the importance of flexibility paired with stability: a balance she’s now known for.

After ten years, she is most proud of being known as a reliable source of information, support, and understanding.

Naming accomplishments, she believes, isn’t about ego. It’s about countering imposter syndrome and challenging the dismissal of care work. For those who still doubt her value, her response is simple: they’ve just never seen her work.

Her commitment to this work remains deeply personal.

The next chapter includes a stronger focus on homebirth, completing CPM school and apprenticeship, and building a midwifery practice rooted in the same principles that shaped the last decade.

This work was never done alone.

Family support made it possible to answer calls at all hours, especially when her children were younger.

Special recognition goes to Claire H, a key collaborator who helped bring the vision for TLRC (The Little Resource Center, a family/baby helping local non-profit) to life and beyond.

And to every family who placed their trust in this work: thank you. ❤️