Hello! I’m Katharyne. I created Shinemama because I’m passionate about birth and parenting. I wanted to make a useful resource for mamas, as well as somewhere to share my thoughts on these subjects.

I’ve been in San Diego for a year but I lived most of my life in Guernsey, a small island in the UK. I also spent a little time in Yorkshire, England. I’ve done a whole mishmash of things from computer programming to performance art and stand-up comedy. I’m currently completing an MBA (Life Sciences) with a special interest in maternity services.

I have three children. The youngest was born at home, in water, here in San Diego with a doula and midwife. It was a fantastic experience and inspired me to go on and study as much as I could about birth so that I could help other women make their birth experiences as good as they could be. I have since trained as a doula and childbirth educator and working towards certification in both. I’m also hopefully close to certifying as a lactation counselor. My aim is to educate, so that women can make truly informed choices about birth, rather than hopping on a one-size-fits-all treadmill.

Birth is amazingly important. Top of the list is a safe outcome for mother and baby. But that’s not the whole story. You’ll remember the birth of your children all your life, so that has to be a day you can look back on with a sense of satisfaction and joy, rather than fear or anger. Hopefully I can help you to do that.

I’ve also recently started home-educating my children and am fascinated by the philosophy, politics and practicalities of education and parenting in the current era.