I grew up all over the world – in Japan, Laos, France and Thailand as well as in Ottawa and Toronto.  My father was a diplomat and my family led an exciting and peripatetic life.   It led to a close-knit and loving family life and a great education in how people can be different and the same all at once.

I studied Psychology and Linguistics at the University of Toronto in the early 80’s and earned an MA in Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education in 1987.   It was in Toronto that I met Randy Enkin who became my husband in 1985. Together we moved to France in 1986 where Randy pursued a PhD in Geophysics while I taught English as a Foreign Language in a large French company. Our son Daniel was born (in a private maternity hospital, attended by a brisk French midwife) in Paris in 1989.

In 1991, Randy, Daniel and I  moved to Edinburgh where Simon was born (at home, into the hands of a lovely NHS midwife).   This is where I began my  career in childbirth education with the National Childbirth Trust in 1992.   I will always be grateful to the Scottish women who introduced me to this field with so much friendliness and compassion.

In 1993, our family moved to Victoria, BC.   Our daughter Hannah was born at home (with the support of a kind, unregistered lay-midwife) in November of that year.   I completed my training as a Childbirth Educator with the Vancouver Community College and started teaching childbirth preparation classes at the YM-YWCA of Greater Victoria in the fall of 1994.

I trained as a doula in 1994 and was certified as a doula by DONA International in 1999. I have attended over 160 births. In 2005, I was approved by DONA International as a Birth Doula Trainer and I have trained over 600 doulas. My workshops are attended by aspiring doulas from Victoria, all over Vancouver Island and from as far away as Yellowknife and Calgary!

In 1999 I completed the Douglas College Breastfeeding Course for Health Professionals.   I have been offering my services as a lactation educator in private practice since then.  It is such a rewarding and fascinating field!

In 2003,  I opened the Mothering Touch Centre at the top of a heritage house on Fort Street.   We moved on to a commercial location in 2004 and added a retail component to the centre.   In 2008, three generations of the Bild-Enkin family helped with the re-design and construction of the space at 975 Fort Street.   Daniel, Simon and Hannah have all worked for Mothering Touch on and off – Daniel providing IT support, Simon providing maintenance services and Hannah at the retail desk.

In February of 2022, we closed Mothering Touch on Fort street as a retail store. The Childbirth. Parenting the Newborn and First Aid Classes will continue at the new location on Johnson street, under the direction of two of my longtime instructors and friends, Pamela Bethel and Melissa Harris.

Randy and I live in a well-loved and messy house in the Fairfield neighbourhood of Victoria.   The children have moved out now, and all live in Ontario. I am now moving into a new chapter of my life: a semi-retirement in which I hope to continue to be busy with supporting new families with sleep and lactation issues.