Our Birth Doula Apprentice program was established in 2010 by founder Tara Poulin. All of the Birth Doulas listed below have attended the DONA International birth Doula workshop, taught by Tara Poulin. The students listed below are in the process of completing the requirements towards certification, or have completed certification and are trying to gain more birth experience. These Doulas are available at a significantly lower rate.
If you are looking for a Birth Doula with extensive training & experience, please visit the Experienced Birth Doula’s page.
There are few moments more spectacular than witnessing a baby come in to this world. One of those moments is watching a woman become a mother, and the bond that she and her baby form immediately postpartum. As a doula, it is an honor to be a part of this process and help cultivate an ideal birth as the mother (and her partner) envisions it. Equally important is the ability to support the parent/s if their birth plans change unexpectedly. Relaxation, massage and visualization with the help of a doula can bring sense of calm to the experience.
I decided to become a doula as an extension of my work in research at a Boston hospital, and my volunteer work at a clinic which provides care to the homeless. My comfort with the medical setting allows me to pass on compassion and knowledge to those in labor and delivery. I truly believe that communication and respect from those providing care can have a large impact on the mom's satisfaction with her birth. I am thrilled to be on this new journey and look forward to many births to come!
I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with families as a birth doula, and help them create a birth experience that meets their physical needs and personal goals. Preparing and going through birth should be a hopeful, exciting, empowering transition, and I believe all families should have access to that type of birth. I am pleased to help families have the support and knowledge they need to achieve their best birth experience.
First of all, CONGRATULATIONS! I'm Bethany, DONA trained birth doula working towards certification. I believe birth is such a deepening and transformative time for a woman, and I am honored to be there to support her as she blossoms into motherhood! Each and every birth I have attended are different in a special way. I started shadowing a midwife and other doulas in 2008 in MA, Maine, and New Hampshire and learned something from each and every birth! I have worked in quite a few hospitals and feel I have good insight to navigating the medical birth setting while still holding true to your personal beliefs, desires, and preserving your birth plan. I am not here to judge or tell you right from wrong, I am here to give you the knowledge and support for you to make the best decision for you and your family.
I am also working toward my certification to become a childbirth educator through CAPPA and Lamaze and a Lactation Educator. I am also a Registered Yoga Instructor including Prenatal Yoga and Thai Massage.
When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, reading, crafts, yoga, kayaking, running, hiking and baking.
For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with pregnancy and birth. Even as a young child, I was in awe of what a miracle our bodies are capable of, creating a precious little person. The birth of one's child is truly a remarkable even in a woman's life. I realized my passion for the birth process during my pregnancy and the birth of my daughter. I feel that every woman should be surrounded by both love and support during this crucial time. No matter what a woman's personal birth choices, I believe that each woman deserves a positive birth experience. As a doula, it is my goal to foster this positive experience by respecting and honoring a woman's birth wishes. I provide prenatal, labor, and postpartum support, including breastfeeding support. My goal is to support each woman, including her partner, so that the mother may have a gentle start to their new family.
Born (at Brigham and Women's Hospital) and raised in Boston, and having attended college in Atlanta, I think of myself as a combination of Bostonian directness and Southern kindness. I remember the first time I held a newborn - I fell in love and never wanted to let her go - this sparked the beginning of my journey to being a doula. I think there may be nothing more rewarding than holding a content and peaceful baby, and I am passionate about helping that baby arrive in your arms gently and safely. In my "day job," I work in HR at an education nonprofit in Boston, helping to recruit, hire, and support people who are working hard to ensure a quality education for children regardless of race and socio-economic status. I have always had a drive to help people shape their lives and am excited to help you have the best birth experience possible. I am there with you every step of the way, helping you educate yourself, ask the right questions and advocate for your birth plan. I am there to provide comfort and support during labor and birth and help you adjust if things don't go as planned. I offer moms and partners practical support and an empathetic ear. Thank you for the opportunity to share this exciting time with you and your family!
Congratulations on your pregnancy! I'm Yael Sofer and I am a DONA trained labor doula working towards my certification. I began my practice in New Jersey after assisting my best friend's first birth. From that experience and with each following birth I assisted, I have learned that pregnancy and labor are indescribable moments for women and their partners. Even more amazing is their transition into parenthood in the baby's first minutes of life. To reach this moment, parents deserve the utmost support during these last few months.
I received a BA in Ethnic Studies from the University of Hawaii, which has cultivated my understanding that each person is unique in their approaches towards birth and parenthood. There are many different ways to prepare for this extraordinary moment, and I work according to the parents' personal strengths and goals for achievement.
I have had the opportunities to learn from inspiring childbirth professionals including Penny Simkin's counseling for victims of abuse, Tara Poulin' labor doula training, and Jessica Kosa's lactation educator training. I work as a pregnancy fitness educator which I offer in my prenatal visits, and I am educated in assisting VBACS. My goal is to help you achieve a positive and empowering birth experience, and to acknowledge your own efforts in making the right decisions for yourself and your baby.
I have always been intrigued by the Ben Franklin idiom, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," which led me to pursue community-oriented primary care as my Master of Public Health focus. When I first learned that a doula can be hired to assist with any birth as opposed to solely high-risk births, and that hiring a doula is associated with less medical interventions and labor complications, I was fascinated to learn more.
The more I learn about the field, the more enthusiastic I become about being a birth mentor. Our culture embraces mentors for other areas of our lives, such as education and in the work force, and I consider mentorship during birth to be an important way a mother can receive guidance without judgment or pressure. I provide mothers-to-be with continuous physical and emotional support, knowledge, and encouragement leading up to, during, and after the birth of their family. My goal is to empower mothers to discover their innate strength and birthing ability, whether they plan to labor with or without medication and other interventions. I've completed my certification and am serving as an apprentice to gain more experience.
I am a work-at-home mother of two young girls, ages four and two years. I enjoy photography and organizing the objects in my house. I am a foodie, yogi nerd. We eat seasonally and locally as much as we can. I love to cook almost as much as I love to eat, and I spend much of my free time in search of the perfect recipes.