My name is Anne Lukes and I am a massage therapist and a birth doula. I became a massage therapist in 2003 when I trained in Okazaki Restorative Massage. Okazaki has it's roots in Traditional Chinese Medicine (same roots as modalities such as acupuncture and acupressure) and fit in well with the knowledge I already had of Chinese herbs, acupuncture, the 12 meridians, etc. I've also done beginning and intermediate studies in herbal therapies and at one time carried my own therapeutic body products line under the name Celtic Winds.
   I had wanted to be a midwife since my early 20s. I finally met another midwife at a local festival, and she recommended that I become a birth doula to learn what birth was all about. I met a doula trainer in the bay area and took her training in October 2005. It was an amazing weekend of 16 women learning, sharing, and connecting to become doulas. Once I got into doing births, I found how amazing it is and how much help I was to these women and families who would hire me. Being a midwife still occupies much of my thoughts, but I'm not yet ready to pursue that path in my life.
   In 2007, I went back to massage school to learn traditional Swedish and more advanced deep tissue techniques. I got pregnant during the program and gave birth shortly after graduating.
   At 40weeks, 1 day I gave birth to my son at home in a water birth tub with my midwife team, husband, and doula. I plan to do the same when we get around to having our next child. If you have questions about different birth settings, I can definitely educate you on what's available in this area and would love to talk to you about my own experience. Please feel free to give me a call.
   My son inspired me to create a line of upcycled items for babies and children calledRain Puddles. The clothes I've been making are from sweaters I buy at thrift stores. I felt the wool ones, then cut them out, and sew them together to make some cute and amazing designs.