Free and Low Cost Birth Doulas and Postpartum Doulas in the Washington DC Area
FREE AND LOW COST DOULA PROGRAMS
If you are a provider and would like to be included in our directory, please submit a paragraph about your practice and services, (300 words or less) similar to those you see on the current list, in addition to your contact information and links, to birthoptionsalliance@gmail.com.
Community of Hopes' Family Health and Birth Center offers free doulas to their clients. Clients receive care from the Birth Center midwives and give birth at either the freestanding birth center, or at Washington Hospital Center.
http://www.communityofhopedc.org/healthcare/family-health-and-birth-center
Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing Birth Companions Program offer free doulas to families. Doulas are trained by DONA and are nursing students in the Johns Hopkins nursing program. http://nursing.jhu.edu/excellence/community/birth-companions/index.html(410) 614-6458 (English/Spanish)
birthcompanions@jhu.edu
Operation Special Delivery
Operation Special Delivery provides trained volunteer doulas for pregnant women whose husbands are in the armed forces and have been injured, have lost their lives, or who will be deployed or unable to attend the birth due to military reasons.
http://www.operationspecialdelivery.com/
FREE AND LOW COST BIRTH DOULAS
Zaynab Aden
Zaynab Aden is a certified culinary nutritionist and doula whose practice focuses on food as medicine, and the mother-child health connection. She seeks to empower families to access optimum health by using food as the primary source of medicine and as a return to traditional and cultural values. She currently resides in Northern, VA with her husband and three children, where she works as a health coach and consultant.
IG: https://www.instagram.com/zeeforty/
https://doulamatch.net/profile/21471/zaynab-aden
Always Faithful Birth Services
Melanie Binversie 804-704-1189
alwaysfaithfulbirthservices@outlook.com
www.facebook.com/alwaysfaithfulbirthservices
www.alwaysfaithfulbirthservices.com
I believe that every mother has the right to choose her own birth story and I offer non-judgemental support to the mother, her partner and other family members. As a former surrogate, I offer a unique perspective to helping to support you through your labor and delivery. I am an expert on options to help guide you to choose what options are best for you! You will feel supported and you will also feel that you are making informed decisions throughout the entire process. I currently serve the Northern Virginia and other DC and Greater DC areas (within 1 hour of Alexandria, VA). I feel confident supporting you in hospitals, birth centers or with assisted home births. I support natural births, elective or schedule cesarean sections, inductions, or medically managed births. I want to help you write your birth story to be one that you will feel strong and proud of! I would feel honored to be a part of your journey. Please contact me at alwaysfaithfulbirthservices@outlook.com to discuss fees.
Ashlee Abney, Student Doula (DONA)- God's Gift Supportive Services
(571) 242- 3199
Ashleeabney@gmail.com
My name is Ashlee Abney and I am currently a Student Doula (DONA). Service areas in VA include Woodbridge, Lake Ridge, Dumfries, Montclair, Dale City, and Stafford. Some information about myself: I am a Clinical Social Worker with a Masters Degree from George Mason University and a Psychology Degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. Providing pregnancy support and education has been the joy in my life since the passing of my son last year at 3 weeks old. My complicated pregnancy and birth allowed me to see the importance of educating women on the power of their bodies and the birthing experience.
I would love to chat and meet to discuss how I can best serve you!
Lovenda Burnett, Student Doula (DONA)
lovendaburnett@hotmail.com
(301) 538-6046
I believe that birth is a phenomenon that can be a positive experience. I am the mother of two children and approached my own pregnancy with fervor. My role as support person is to provide mom and birth partners motivation, encouragement, advocacy, and validation before, during, and after birth. I suggest birth options and encourage mothers to make informed decisions about their bodies and birth experience. I received my Bachelors degree in History and Biology with work experience at Georgetown University Hospital Pediatric Dept.
My services include 2 prenatal visits, continuous support during birth, and a post-partum visit. I am a DONA trained birth doula in process of certification. Please contact me for fees. Service areas include DC and Southern Maryland.
Hadassah Burt-Miller, Student Doula (BADT)/ Virtual Doula (Ancient Song)- Das the Doula Perinatal Care
(646) 685-9001 IG:@dasthedoula dasthedoula@gmail.com
My name is Hadassah and I am currently a Birthing Advocacy student doula. I am also a pre-certified Childbirth Educator (Lamaze -Community Birth Educators) who will be providing placenta encapsulation services beginning October 2020. I service areas in Northern Virginia and D.C. I live in Fredericksburg with my husband and daughter. I obtained my Bachelor’s in Psychology from The College of New Rochelle in New York. I have worked in the mental health field for 15 years serving mentally ill adults. I decided to transition to birth work when I learned the disheartening statistics of maternal mortality as a result of unnecessary medical interventions as well as discrimination and bias. As a Black woman, it is particularly important to me that all birthing individuals receive care that is respectful despite their race, identity or sexual orientation. I am available for both birth & postpartum support. I can provide overnight and sibling support if necessary. I want to empower and educate you as you prepare for your ideal birthing experience. Services are provided on a sliding scale. Payment plans available.
Brianna Casciello, CD(DONA), BSN
BriannaCasciello@gmail.com
617.872.2287
I am a Certified Doula (DONA International) and nurse. I offer low- cost services for select clients residing and delivering in the DC and MD/VA public transport-accessible areas. I have served families delivering with OBs at Howard and INova Fairfax hospitals, as well as the midwives at George Washington University. Fluent in Spanish and possess a keen sense of cultural awareness. I welcome the opportunity to work with all expectant families, and am particularly keen to support teen parents and/or single parent households. Please do not hesitate to contact me for further information regarding my qualifications and/ or for resources. I look forward to speaking with you- and wish you and baby all the best!
Gabrielle Elkaim, Birth Doula, (561) 613-8140, gelkaim@gmail.com
I am a Baltimore-based birth doula who was certified by Sinai Hospital in 2011. As such, I provide a space of non-judgmental emotional and physical support to my clients during labor and delivery. I also facilitate communication with the medical staff to ensure that you have the information you need to make informed choices regarding your baby’s birth. I provide reassurance and perspective to you and your partner, make suggestions for labor progress and help with relaxation, massage, positioning and other techniques for your comfort. I generally charge $800 for a first time client, $550 for a return client, and $450 to women who really want a doula but find the cost prohibitive. I strongly believe that every woman who wants a doula should have access to one, so should you decide that I am the right doula for you, I will do my best to work with you to prevent any financial duress and to customize support to your individual needs.
Zatiti Ema MA,LMT,CD, NADA
ahealingtree@gmail.com, 240-277-7179
I am a ICTC CD and Wholistic Practitioner and I generally charge under $600. I am close to Shady Grove and worked out of Washington Hospital, I live in 20886 zip code area. I also give pregnancy massage and can support a natural diet for mama with juices, salads, and plant based diets.
Rachel Carbonneau
(301) 412-2976
info@family-ways.com
http://www.family-ways.com
Today there are more choices than ever before for perinatal and family health care. These choices can seem overwhelming, but we can help you find information, resources, and encouragement to have the healthy pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum experience you want and deserve. Based in Maryland and serving clients throughout the greater Washington, DC Metro area, I provide full-spectrum support for birthing people and their partners in all stages of pregnancy or pregnancy loss, and have specific training to support single parents, LGBTQIA+ families, high-risk pregnancies, and others with unique needs. I am proficient in Spanish and ASL, and comfortable with a variety of cultural needs. With a broad network of community resources online and in person, I can help foster the support you need to start your family off strong and flourish into the community as you grow.
Virginia Fleischman
nursego20@hotmail.com, 804-572-5799), Richmond, VA
I believe that birth should be as natural and non interventional as possible. Noting that I believe that a doula can assist in achieving that but the bottom line is that the doula is there to support the mother and father in their choices even if it is not that end or is contrary to the doula's desires. It is their birth. I believe that since I am a mother of four and an RN that the right environment would be a hospital setting but I would be interested and would likely fit in a home birth with a seasoned midwife present if this is legally acceptable option. I trained with DONA through a workshop for birth doula. I also am certified as a post-partum doula through Full Circle Childbirth and did a post-partum depression workshop through Maternitywise. I am currently training through Childbirth International as a birth doula and childbirth educator. I also did a childbirth education workshop through Charis Childbirth Services. I have been as RN since 1990 and currently do pediatric home health with special needs children.
Sarah Gabriel: 202-664-7787, https://dcdoulasupport.com, sarchance10@aol.com
I am a DONA trained Birth Doula based in Washington DC. I feel that every family should have barrier free access to a truly supported birth! The labor and birth process is so unique for each baby and family. My Role as your doula is to be at your side to navigate the journey you outline for your family starting in pregnancy ... onward! Breastfeeding is also a passion of mine and I am eager to work with you and your family to support that stage of the journey if it aligns with your intentions! My birth birth work journey began almost 12 years ago with the birth of my first child and has grown more deeply through every birth I have had the honor to attend.
Allie Gough
My name is Allie Gough and I am currently finishing my Doula certification. I fell in love with the birth world after the birth of my first child and I am thrilled to be following my passion and beginning my work as a doula. I was raised on the island of Kaua’i, and now currently reside in Utah where I attended college and received my bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a minor in Spanish.
As I am starting out, I will be offering extremely discounted service, which includes 2 prenatal visits, continuous labor support, and 1 postpartum visit. If you are looking for doula services in the Utah County area for your birth but find the cost to be a barrier, please do not hesitate to contact me!
Chassis Hawkins-Younger, Full Spectrum Doula/Perinatal Nutrition Educator/Personal Chef Serving DC Metro Area, including NoVa
littlefeet.violetsdoula@gmail.com
301-944-2897
I am currently a pre-certified full spectrum doula via Sisters in Loss, and longtime personal chef. As a holistically focused mom of 4, I enjoy providing support to new and seasoned families as they embark on their own journeys of fertility, pregnancy, birth, and/or postpartum. My service includes 2 prenatal visits, monthly check-ins, support during/after birth, and two postpartum visits. I've also recently combined my passion for birthwork and feeding others into becoming a perinatal nutrition educator to help support the growing nutritional needs of families and pregnant individuals.I am in the PG County, MD area and would like to serve clients in DC, PG County, Montgomery County, Arlington, VA, & Alexandria, VA.
Taniqua James , Student Doula (CBI)
703-951-2374
Tjdoula@gmail.com
thehostonhouse@gmail.com
www.thehostonhouse.com
I have loved everything about childbirth since attending my first vaginal birth 5 years ago. Since then I’ve attended vaginal births and C-sections for family members. I’ve decided to become a doula and will be certified through Childbirth International very soon. My services are free as I complete training and will become low cost once I’ve finished training. As a new mother, I couldn’t afford a doula as the cost was high. I want to be able to provide such a wonderful experience for other mothers at an affordable price. I provide prenatal, labor and postnatal care. I serve the entire DMV area.
Imani (Elle) Lewis
Frequency Soil, LLC
Hello@Frequencysoil.com
www.FrequencySoil.com
202-813-9889
I am currently a MAMA GLOW Doula Trainee in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area and founder of Frequency Soil, LLC. We pride our care on being creative and compassionate planners, birth doulas, post-partum doulas and wellness advocates. Our packages include a comprehensive birth plan for birthing families and a variety of activities for birthing person to prepare for newborn arrival. We also offer assistance with Baby shower/sprinkle planning and preparation. For fourth trimester care we offer 3-6 weeks of Postpartum services including meal planning, multiples care, wellness, and other light household task. Cost efficient payment plans and additional arrangements can be discussed. Serving DC, MD, VA and Virtually.
Mamatoto Village
www.mamatotovillage.org info@mamatotovillage.org, (202) 248-3434
Mamatoto Village is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, devoted to empowering women with the necessary tools to make the most informed decisions and choices in their maternity care, their parenting, and their lives. Our mission is to provide complementary and low-cost maternity support services to women and their families during pregnancy through the first year of the child's life. By promoting health equity, we seek to aid in the reduction of barriers and inequality in maternal and child health in the D.C. Metro Area; we aim to foster healthy individuals, healthy families and healthy communities. We offer a variety of maternity support services including: birth and postpartum support, childbirth education, nutritional and wellness coaching; prenatal and postnatal fitness programs; individual, couple and family counseling; support groups and more. We provide support to expectant teens, married and domestic partners, older mothers, single mothers, survivors of sexual or domestic abuse, VBACs, planned cesareans, planned induction and/or epidural, LGBT couples, mothers with rainbow babies, and military families. Services are offered in the NoVA (including Woodbridge, Stafford, Gainesville, Manassas Area), Washington DC, PG County, Howard Co., Montgomery, and Baltimore. Limited service in Frederick, Hagerstown, St. Mary’s County, and Westmoreland County.
We offer low-cost maternity support services through our Community Birthworker Program, which pairs expectant mothers with provisionally or newly certified Community Birthworkers who have undergone 14 weeks of training and 9 months of mentorship. All interns are supported and mentored by an experienced doula who has attended more than 100 or more births. Families receive the same services offered in traditional doulas packages plus more!!! Services include 2-3 prenatal visits, labor and birth support, and 3 postpartum visits, inclusive of in home breastfeeding support. Families also have the option of adding childbirth classes on a sliding scale basis. All services are at Mamatoto are offered on a sliding scale based off income. Fees range from $0-$650 and childbirth education classes range between $0-150.
Lina Martin CBD (CBI), CBC (CBI)
F&P Birth and Breastfeeding Services
www.women-serving-women.com
admin@women-serving-women.com
310.923.8317
I am a birth and postpartum doula, as well as a certified breastfeeding counselor, in MD serving the Baltimore-Annapolis-DC corridor. My model of care is women serving women, one woman at a time and I believe in helping a woman have the labour and birth she desires, whatever that may be.
My birth and doula services provide labouring women and their partners with the emotional, physical and informational support they need before, during and after the birth of their baby. Birth services also include a complimentary lactation consult during the postpartum visit.
Military, out of hospital birth and other discounts available as well as payment plans and sliding scale. Please contact me to discuss your upcoming birth!
NOVA BIRTH PARTNERS
571-406-7705
hello@novabirthpartners.com
http://www.novabirthpartners.com
Serving Maryland, DC, & VA
Our Junior Doula program consists of empowered, certified doulas with hopes to gain more experience working with birth & postpartum families. Please contact us to find out how you could qualify to receive our complimentary services. Our doulas are available for both birth & postpartum support.
Nurturing Life Doula Services
childrenpreciousinhissight@gmail.com
804-258-3949
Hi! My name is Haylee Adamson and I am a doula seeking certification through DONA. I have a passion to help pregnant women and their babies. I live in VA and I am available to serve areas between and near Richmond and the Fredericksburg/Stafford areas. Please contact me with questions. I would love to be of service to you! :)
Meagan Pa
Meags1985@yahoo.com, 757-268-4597, Springfield, VA
Fee is $500
Julia Elizabeth Romero, Student Birth Doula (DONA)
juliaromero112@gmail.com
540.325.4700
I am a DONA trained birth doula and nursing student at George Mason University. I am ecstatic about the natural birthing process, and believe that every woman deserves to have the birth experience she desires, whatever that may be! As a doula, I will provide motivation and encouragement to both you and your partner, make suggestions for labor progress, and provide you with the information you need to make informed choices regarding the birth of your baby. All women deserve to have access to a doula who is nonjudgmental, and provides constant emotional and physical support, which you will find in my practice.
My services include two prenatal visits, phone and email support, labor and delivery, one postnatal visit, and additionally I am on call two weeks before and after the due date. Service areas include the Shenandoah Valley, Fairfax, and anywhere in the surrounding DC area public transport-accessible.
If you have any further questions, or would like to schedule an interview, please do not hesitate to contact me!
Chandler Sampson, Owner, Bon Fete Doula
www.bonfetedoula.com, 703-975-3255
Serving DC/VA/MD
I am a birth doula trained through DONA International and stillbirthday.com. I believe that birth is one of the most important events of a woman’s life and should be treated as such. I serve clients – specializing in high-risk pregnancies, as well as healthy, happy mamas – in the Washington, D.C., metro area – including the District, northern Virginia and Maryland – and I live and work in Alexandria’s Del Ray
neighborhood with my husband and my dog.
Ellie Sandmeyer
650.346.6952
elliesdoulapractice@gmail.com
I'm a ToLabor trained doula working towards certification. My goal is to provide free doula services to women (and their partners) in the D.C. metro area who would not otherwise be able to afford doula support. I believe a doula’s role is to support a woman’s choice in every possible way and to help ensure her birth is an empowering experience. Pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period are times of enormous upheaval in a woman's life, and all parents deserve the chance to make their own, well-informed decisions about what care they and their child receive. My role is to listen, offer information and be your advocate.
Urban Baby Beginnings
www.urbanbabybeginnings.org
urbanbabybeginnings@capitaldiaperbank.org
Urban Baby Beginnings supports families throughout their most precious time; bringing life into this world. Our mission is to decrease infant mortality and maternal morbidity by providing prenatal and postpartum care and support to families regardless of income and to intensify efforts toward the improvement and prevention of adverse maternal and child health outcomes by addressing community risk factors. Our Community Doula program provides low cost services to expectant Women ages 18-44, 12-32 weeks gestation, low income, Medicaid or uninsured who are in high risk situations (African American, Hispanic, Immigrant, Homeless, Incarcerated, Substance Abuse History) located in Central Virginia. Scholarship assistance may be available. No one is turned away for their inability to pay.
For more information please email urbanbabybeginnings@capitaldiaperbank.org or visit www.urbanbabybeginnings.org.
Kashara Vivieca, Maternal Support Practitioner- Childbirth Educator
301-222-3550
kas.vivieca@gmail.com
I am a Maternal Support Practitioner program where I was trained through Bebo Mia Organization to support people with infertility treatments, birth, and postpartum support. I am also a pre-certified Childbirth Educator through Birth Arts International providing childbirth education to expecting persons. I service areas in Maryland, Northern Virginia and D.C. I offer virtual support also for people outside of the area. Birth work has always been a passion of mine since I birthed my own three children. I was able to experience medicated birth and also two birth non-medicated. Through that experience, I was able to receive first hand childbirth experience and learned a lot about my body and childbirth; that was actually my first doula experience. I support births of any kind (vaginal, c-section, medicated, non-medicated, surrogacy, etc).
It is my goal to educate and empower all birthers and I feel that every family should have a supportive birth with the assistance of a birth worker. My services are FREE and I also provide prenatal and postpartum support. I offer VIRTUAL Childbirth Education classes (a two part 4 hours series) for a small fee. Please contact me for more information.
Ed Wilhelm
lewilhelm@aol.com, 301-585-4925 (home), 301-233-9841(cell), Silver Spring, MD
I’ve been fortunate to help at 16 births, most of them home births. My role has varied from being the only attendant to a midwife/doula helper. Though I am personally biased towards home birth, my role as a doula is to help the woman/family experience birth the way they want and to welcome their new family member. The primary roles of a doula are, first, a teacher. This involves the pregnant lady and the rest of her family. This occurs before, during, and following labor and birth. Second, a doula provides physical and emotional support to the woman to help her experience the birth of her baby. For philosophical reasons, I do not accept payment. I work strictly as a volunteer doula. I’ve entered the DONA training program and completed the preliminary training with the workshop in December 2008.
Edo Young
571-253-9591, edobirths@gmail.com
My name is Edo Young, I am a stay at home mother of four in Woodbridge, Virginia. Currently I am a pre-certified DONA and Birthing From Within trained Labor/Postpartum Doula. I am extremely passionate about my work; I consider it a privilege to assist a woman during her birth, as in adjusting to life as a new mother. I happily take on pro-bono clients, and my fees are on a sliding scale based on economic need. I am also a self-styled birth plan coordinator who will help you create a birth plan that works for you.
FREE AND LOW COST POSTPARTUM DOULAS
Cheryl Annino, CMT, Birth and Postpartum Doula, (571) 730-8699, cherylannino@yahoo.com
Since the birth of my two sons, I have become passionate about empowering women to have a beautiful and positive birth experience. I feel my path as a doula has connected me to honoring and working with the beginning of life, assisting mother and child so they are nurtured and cared for, so every little one can enter into a gentle, loving environment! I am holding education classes at Mind Body and Soul in Leesburg, VA and offering lower rates to women that want to educate themselves about birthing choices.
Edo Young
571-253-9591, edobirths@gmail.com
My name is Edo Young, I am a stay at home mother of four in Woodbridge, Virginia. Currently I am a pre-certified DONA and Birthing From Within trained Labor/Postpartum Doula. I am extremely passionate about my work; I consider it a privilege to assist a woman during her birth, as in adjusting to life as a new mother. I happily to on pro-bono clients, and my fees are on a sliding scale based on economic need. I am also a self-styled birth plan coordinator who will help you create a birth plan that works for you.
If you are a provider and would like to be included in our directory, please submit a paragraph about your practice and services, (300 words or less) similar to those you see on the current list, in addition to your contact information and links, to birthoptionsalliance@gmail.com.
Community of Hopes' Family Health and Birth Center offers free doulas to their clients. Clients receive care from the Birth Center midwives and give birth at either the freestanding birth center, or at Washington Hospital Center.
http://www.communityofhopedc.org/healthcare/family-health-and-birth-center
Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing Birth Companions Program offer free doulas to families. Doulas are trained by DONA and are nursing students in the Johns Hopkins nursing program. http://nursing.jhu.edu/excellence/community/birth-companions/index.html(410) 614-6458 (English/Spanish)
birthcompanions@jhu.edu
Operation Special Delivery
Operation Special Delivery provides trained volunteer doulas for pregnant women whose husbands are in the armed forces and have been injured, have lost their lives, or who will be deployed or unable to attend the birth due to military reasons.
http://www.operationspecialdelivery.com/
FREE AND LOW COST BIRTH DOULAS
Zaynab Aden
Zaynab Aden is a certified culinary nutritionist and doula whose practice focuses on food as medicine, and the mother-child health connection. She seeks to empower families to access optimum health by using food as the primary source of medicine and as a return to traditional and cultural values. She currently resides in Northern, VA with her husband and three children, where she works as a health coach and consultant.
IG: https://www.instagram.com/zeeforty/
https://doulamatch.net/profile/21471/zaynab-aden
Always Faithful Birth Services
Melanie Binversie 804-704-1189
alwaysfaithfulbirthservices@outlook.com
www.facebook.com/alwaysfaithfulbirthservices
www.alwaysfaithfulbirthservices.com
I believe that every mother has the right to choose her own birth story and I offer non-judgemental support to the mother, her partner and other family members. As a former surrogate, I offer a unique perspective to helping to support you through your labor and delivery. I am an expert on options to help guide you to choose what options are best for you! You will feel supported and you will also feel that you are making informed decisions throughout the entire process. I currently serve the Northern Virginia and other DC and Greater DC areas (within 1 hour of Alexandria, VA). I feel confident supporting you in hospitals, birth centers or with assisted home births. I support natural births, elective or schedule cesarean sections, inductions, or medically managed births. I want to help you write your birth story to be one that you will feel strong and proud of! I would feel honored to be a part of your journey. Please contact me at alwaysfaithfulbirthservices@outlook.com to discuss fees.
Ashlee Abney, Student Doula (DONA)- God's Gift Supportive Services
(571) 242- 3199
Ashleeabney@gmail.com
My name is Ashlee Abney and I am currently a Student Doula (DONA). Service areas in VA include Woodbridge, Lake Ridge, Dumfries, Montclair, Dale City, and Stafford. Some information about myself: I am a Clinical Social Worker with a Masters Degree from George Mason University and a Psychology Degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. Providing pregnancy support and education has been the joy in my life since the passing of my son last year at 3 weeks old. My complicated pregnancy and birth allowed me to see the importance of educating women on the power of their bodies and the birthing experience.
I would love to chat and meet to discuss how I can best serve you!
Lovenda Burnett, Student Doula (DONA)
lovendaburnett@hotmail.com
(301) 538-6046
I believe that birth is a phenomenon that can be a positive experience. I am the mother of two children and approached my own pregnancy with fervor. My role as support person is to provide mom and birth partners motivation, encouragement, advocacy, and validation before, during, and after birth. I suggest birth options and encourage mothers to make informed decisions about their bodies and birth experience. I received my Bachelors degree in History and Biology with work experience at Georgetown University Hospital Pediatric Dept.
My services include 2 prenatal visits, continuous support during birth, and a post-partum visit. I am a DONA trained birth doula in process of certification. Please contact me for fees. Service areas include DC and Southern Maryland.
Hadassah Burt-Miller, Student Doula (BADT)/ Virtual Doula (Ancient Song)- Das the Doula Perinatal Care
(646) 685-9001 IG:@dasthedoula dasthedoula@gmail.com
My name is Hadassah and I am currently a Birthing Advocacy student doula. I am also a pre-certified Childbirth Educator (Lamaze -Community Birth Educators) who will be providing placenta encapsulation services beginning October 2020. I service areas in Northern Virginia and D.C. I live in Fredericksburg with my husband and daughter. I obtained my Bachelor’s in Psychology from The College of New Rochelle in New York. I have worked in the mental health field for 15 years serving mentally ill adults. I decided to transition to birth work when I learned the disheartening statistics of maternal mortality as a result of unnecessary medical interventions as well as discrimination and bias. As a Black woman, it is particularly important to me that all birthing individuals receive care that is respectful despite their race, identity or sexual orientation. I am available for both birth & postpartum support. I can provide overnight and sibling support if necessary. I want to empower and educate you as you prepare for your ideal birthing experience. Services are provided on a sliding scale. Payment plans available.
Brianna Casciello, CD(DONA), BSN
BriannaCasciello@gmail.com
617.872.2287
I am a Certified Doula (DONA International) and nurse. I offer low- cost services for select clients residing and delivering in the DC and MD/VA public transport-accessible areas. I have served families delivering with OBs at Howard and INova Fairfax hospitals, as well as the midwives at George Washington University. Fluent in Spanish and possess a keen sense of cultural awareness. I welcome the opportunity to work with all expectant families, and am particularly keen to support teen parents and/or single parent households. Please do not hesitate to contact me for further information regarding my qualifications and/ or for resources. I look forward to speaking with you- and wish you and baby all the best!
Gabrielle Elkaim, Birth Doula, (561) 613-8140, gelkaim@gmail.com
I am a Baltimore-based birth doula who was certified by Sinai Hospital in 2011. As such, I provide a space of non-judgmental emotional and physical support to my clients during labor and delivery. I also facilitate communication with the medical staff to ensure that you have the information you need to make informed choices regarding your baby’s birth. I provide reassurance and perspective to you and your partner, make suggestions for labor progress and help with relaxation, massage, positioning and other techniques for your comfort. I generally charge $800 for a first time client, $550 for a return client, and $450 to women who really want a doula but find the cost prohibitive. I strongly believe that every woman who wants a doula should have access to one, so should you decide that I am the right doula for you, I will do my best to work with you to prevent any financial duress and to customize support to your individual needs.
Zatiti Ema MA,LMT,CD, NADA
ahealingtree@gmail.com, 240-277-7179
I am a ICTC CD and Wholistic Practitioner and I generally charge under $600. I am close to Shady Grove and worked out of Washington Hospital, I live in 20886 zip code area. I also give pregnancy massage and can support a natural diet for mama with juices, salads, and plant based diets.
Rachel Carbonneau
(301) 412-2976
info@family-ways.com
http://www.family-ways.com
Today there are more choices than ever before for perinatal and family health care. These choices can seem overwhelming, but we can help you find information, resources, and encouragement to have the healthy pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum experience you want and deserve. Based in Maryland and serving clients throughout the greater Washington, DC Metro area, I provide full-spectrum support for birthing people and their partners in all stages of pregnancy or pregnancy loss, and have specific training to support single parents, LGBTQIA+ families, high-risk pregnancies, and others with unique needs. I am proficient in Spanish and ASL, and comfortable with a variety of cultural needs. With a broad network of community resources online and in person, I can help foster the support you need to start your family off strong and flourish into the community as you grow.
Virginia Fleischman
nursego20@hotmail.com, 804-572-5799), Richmond, VA
I believe that birth should be as natural and non interventional as possible. Noting that I believe that a doula can assist in achieving that but the bottom line is that the doula is there to support the mother and father in their choices even if it is not that end or is contrary to the doula's desires. It is their birth. I believe that since I am a mother of four and an RN that the right environment would be a hospital setting but I would be interested and would likely fit in a home birth with a seasoned midwife present if this is legally acceptable option. I trained with DONA through a workshop for birth doula. I also am certified as a post-partum doula through Full Circle Childbirth and did a post-partum depression workshop through Maternitywise. I am currently training through Childbirth International as a birth doula and childbirth educator. I also did a childbirth education workshop through Charis Childbirth Services. I have been as RN since 1990 and currently do pediatric home health with special needs children.
Sarah Gabriel: 202-664-7787, https://dcdoulasupport.com, sarchance10@aol.com
I am a DONA trained Birth Doula based in Washington DC. I feel that every family should have barrier free access to a truly supported birth! The labor and birth process is so unique for each baby and family. My Role as your doula is to be at your side to navigate the journey you outline for your family starting in pregnancy ... onward! Breastfeeding is also a passion of mine and I am eager to work with you and your family to support that stage of the journey if it aligns with your intentions! My birth birth work journey began almost 12 years ago with the birth of my first child and has grown more deeply through every birth I have had the honor to attend.
Allie Gough
My name is Allie Gough and I am currently finishing my Doula certification. I fell in love with the birth world after the birth of my first child and I am thrilled to be following my passion and beginning my work as a doula. I was raised on the island of Kaua’i, and now currently reside in Utah where I attended college and received my bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a minor in Spanish.
As I am starting out, I will be offering extremely discounted service, which includes 2 prenatal visits, continuous labor support, and 1 postpartum visit. If you are looking for doula services in the Utah County area for your birth but find the cost to be a barrier, please do not hesitate to contact me!
Chassis Hawkins-Younger, Full Spectrum Doula/Perinatal Nutrition Educator/Personal Chef Serving DC Metro Area, including NoVa
littlefeet.violetsdoula@gmail.com
301-944-2897
I am currently a pre-certified full spectrum doula via Sisters in Loss, and longtime personal chef. As a holistically focused mom of 4, I enjoy providing support to new and seasoned families as they embark on their own journeys of fertility, pregnancy, birth, and/or postpartum. My service includes 2 prenatal visits, monthly check-ins, support during/after birth, and two postpartum visits. I've also recently combined my passion for birthwork and feeding others into becoming a perinatal nutrition educator to help support the growing nutritional needs of families and pregnant individuals.I am in the PG County, MD area and would like to serve clients in DC, PG County, Montgomery County, Arlington, VA, & Alexandria, VA.
Taniqua James , Student Doula (CBI)
703-951-2374
Tjdoula@gmail.com
thehostonhouse@gmail.com
www.thehostonhouse.com
I have loved everything about childbirth since attending my first vaginal birth 5 years ago. Since then I’ve attended vaginal births and C-sections for family members. I’ve decided to become a doula and will be certified through Childbirth International very soon. My services are free as I complete training and will become low cost once I’ve finished training. As a new mother, I couldn’t afford a doula as the cost was high. I want to be able to provide such a wonderful experience for other mothers at an affordable price. I provide prenatal, labor and postnatal care. I serve the entire DMV area.
Imani (Elle) Lewis
Frequency Soil, LLC
Hello@Frequencysoil.com
www.FrequencySoil.com
202-813-9889
I am currently a MAMA GLOW Doula Trainee in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area and founder of Frequency Soil, LLC. We pride our care on being creative and compassionate planners, birth doulas, post-partum doulas and wellness advocates. Our packages include a comprehensive birth plan for birthing families and a variety of activities for birthing person to prepare for newborn arrival. We also offer assistance with Baby shower/sprinkle planning and preparation. For fourth trimester care we offer 3-6 weeks of Postpartum services including meal planning, multiples care, wellness, and other light household task. Cost efficient payment plans and additional arrangements can be discussed. Serving DC, MD, VA and Virtually.
Mamatoto Village
www.mamatotovillage.org info@mamatotovillage.org, (202) 248-3434
Mamatoto Village is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, devoted to empowering women with the necessary tools to make the most informed decisions and choices in their maternity care, their parenting, and their lives. Our mission is to provide complementary and low-cost maternity support services to women and their families during pregnancy through the first year of the child's life. By promoting health equity, we seek to aid in the reduction of barriers and inequality in maternal and child health in the D.C. Metro Area; we aim to foster healthy individuals, healthy families and healthy communities. We offer a variety of maternity support services including: birth and postpartum support, childbirth education, nutritional and wellness coaching; prenatal and postnatal fitness programs; individual, couple and family counseling; support groups and more. We provide support to expectant teens, married and domestic partners, older mothers, single mothers, survivors of sexual or domestic abuse, VBACs, planned cesareans, planned induction and/or epidural, LGBT couples, mothers with rainbow babies, and military families. Services are offered in the NoVA (including Woodbridge, Stafford, Gainesville, Manassas Area), Washington DC, PG County, Howard Co., Montgomery, and Baltimore. Limited service in Frederick, Hagerstown, St. Mary’s County, and Westmoreland County.
We offer low-cost maternity support services through our Community Birthworker Program, which pairs expectant mothers with provisionally or newly certified Community Birthworkers who have undergone 14 weeks of training and 9 months of mentorship. All interns are supported and mentored by an experienced doula who has attended more than 100 or more births. Families receive the same services offered in traditional doulas packages plus more!!! Services include 2-3 prenatal visits, labor and birth support, and 3 postpartum visits, inclusive of in home breastfeeding support. Families also have the option of adding childbirth classes on a sliding scale basis. All services are at Mamatoto are offered on a sliding scale based off income. Fees range from $0-$650 and childbirth education classes range between $0-150.
Lina Martin CBD (CBI), CBC (CBI)
F&P Birth and Breastfeeding Services
www.women-serving-women.com
admin@women-serving-women.com
310.923.8317
I am a birth and postpartum doula, as well as a certified breastfeeding counselor, in MD serving the Baltimore-Annapolis-DC corridor. My model of care is women serving women, one woman at a time and I believe in helping a woman have the labour and birth she desires, whatever that may be.
My birth and doula services provide labouring women and their partners with the emotional, physical and informational support they need before, during and after the birth of their baby. Birth services also include a complimentary lactation consult during the postpartum visit.
Military, out of hospital birth and other discounts available as well as payment plans and sliding scale. Please contact me to discuss your upcoming birth!
NOVA BIRTH PARTNERS
571-406-7705
hello@novabirthpartners.com
http://www.novabirthpartners.com
Serving Maryland, DC, & VA
Our Junior Doula program consists of empowered, certified doulas with hopes to gain more experience working with birth & postpartum families. Please contact us to find out how you could qualify to receive our complimentary services. Our doulas are available for both birth & postpartum support.
Nurturing Life Doula Services
childrenpreciousinhissight@gmail.com
804-258-3949
Hi! My name is Haylee Adamson and I am a doula seeking certification through DONA. I have a passion to help pregnant women and their babies. I live in VA and I am available to serve areas between and near Richmond and the Fredericksburg/Stafford areas. Please contact me with questions. I would love to be of service to you! :)
Meagan Pa
Meags1985@yahoo.com, 757-268-4597, Springfield, VA
Fee is $500
Julia Elizabeth Romero, Student Birth Doula (DONA)
juliaromero112@gmail.com
540.325.4700
I am a DONA trained birth doula and nursing student at George Mason University. I am ecstatic about the natural birthing process, and believe that every woman deserves to have the birth experience she desires, whatever that may be! As a doula, I will provide motivation and encouragement to both you and your partner, make suggestions for labor progress, and provide you with the information you need to make informed choices regarding the birth of your baby. All women deserve to have access to a doula who is nonjudgmental, and provides constant emotional and physical support, which you will find in my practice.
My services include two prenatal visits, phone and email support, labor and delivery, one postnatal visit, and additionally I am on call two weeks before and after the due date. Service areas include the Shenandoah Valley, Fairfax, and anywhere in the surrounding DC area public transport-accessible.
If you have any further questions, or would like to schedule an interview, please do not hesitate to contact me!
Chandler Sampson, Owner, Bon Fete Doula
www.bonfetedoula.com, 703-975-3255
Serving DC/VA/MD
I am a birth doula trained through DONA International and stillbirthday.com. I believe that birth is one of the most important events of a woman’s life and should be treated as such. I serve clients – specializing in high-risk pregnancies, as well as healthy, happy mamas – in the Washington, D.C., metro area – including the District, northern Virginia and Maryland – and I live and work in Alexandria’s Del Ray
neighborhood with my husband and my dog.
Ellie Sandmeyer
650.346.6952
elliesdoulapractice@gmail.com
I'm a ToLabor trained doula working towards certification. My goal is to provide free doula services to women (and their partners) in the D.C. metro area who would not otherwise be able to afford doula support. I believe a doula’s role is to support a woman’s choice in every possible way and to help ensure her birth is an empowering experience. Pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period are times of enormous upheaval in a woman's life, and all parents deserve the chance to make their own, well-informed decisions about what care they and their child receive. My role is to listen, offer information and be your advocate.
Urban Baby Beginnings
www.urbanbabybeginnings.org
urbanbabybeginnings@capitaldiaperbank.org
Urban Baby Beginnings supports families throughout their most precious time; bringing life into this world. Our mission is to decrease infant mortality and maternal morbidity by providing prenatal and postpartum care and support to families regardless of income and to intensify efforts toward the improvement and prevention of adverse maternal and child health outcomes by addressing community risk factors. Our Community Doula program provides low cost services to expectant Women ages 18-44, 12-32 weeks gestation, low income, Medicaid or uninsured who are in high risk situations (African American, Hispanic, Immigrant, Homeless, Incarcerated, Substance Abuse History) located in Central Virginia. Scholarship assistance may be available. No one is turned away for their inability to pay.
For more information please email urbanbabybeginnings@capitaldiaperbank.org or visit www.urbanbabybeginnings.org.
Kashara Vivieca, Maternal Support Practitioner- Childbirth Educator
301-222-3550
kas.vivieca@gmail.com
I am a Maternal Support Practitioner program where I was trained through Bebo Mia Organization to support people with infertility treatments, birth, and postpartum support. I am also a pre-certified Childbirth Educator through Birth Arts International providing childbirth education to expecting persons. I service areas in Maryland, Northern Virginia and D.C. I offer virtual support also for people outside of the area. Birth work has always been a passion of mine since I birthed my own three children. I was able to experience medicated birth and also two birth non-medicated. Through that experience, I was able to receive first hand childbirth experience and learned a lot about my body and childbirth; that was actually my first doula experience. I support births of any kind (vaginal, c-section, medicated, non-medicated, surrogacy, etc).
It is my goal to educate and empower all birthers and I feel that every family should have a supportive birth with the assistance of a birth worker. My services are FREE and I also provide prenatal and postpartum support. I offer VIRTUAL Childbirth Education classes (a two part 4 hours series) for a small fee. Please contact me for more information.
Ed Wilhelm
lewilhelm@aol.com, 301-585-4925 (home), 301-233-9841(cell), Silver Spring, MD
I’ve been fortunate to help at 16 births, most of them home births. My role has varied from being the only attendant to a midwife/doula helper. Though I am personally biased towards home birth, my role as a doula is to help the woman/family experience birth the way they want and to welcome their new family member. The primary roles of a doula are, first, a teacher. This involves the pregnant lady and the rest of her family. This occurs before, during, and following labor and birth. Second, a doula provides physical and emotional support to the woman to help her experience the birth of her baby. For philosophical reasons, I do not accept payment. I work strictly as a volunteer doula. I’ve entered the DONA training program and completed the preliminary training with the workshop in December 2008.
Edo Young
571-253-9591, edobirths@gmail.com
My name is Edo Young, I am a stay at home mother of four in Woodbridge, Virginia. Currently I am a pre-certified DONA and Birthing From Within trained Labor/Postpartum Doula. I am extremely passionate about my work; I consider it a privilege to assist a woman during her birth, as in adjusting to life as a new mother. I happily take on pro-bono clients, and my fees are on a sliding scale based on economic need. I am also a self-styled birth plan coordinator who will help you create a birth plan that works for you.
FREE AND LOW COST POSTPARTUM DOULAS
Cheryl Annino, CMT, Birth and Postpartum Doula, (571) 730-8699, cherylannino@yahoo.com
Since the birth of my two sons, I have become passionate about empowering women to have a beautiful and positive birth experience. I feel my path as a doula has connected me to honoring and working with the beginning of life, assisting mother and child so they are nurtured and cared for, so every little one can enter into a gentle, loving environment! I am holding education classes at Mind Body and Soul in Leesburg, VA and offering lower rates to women that want to educate themselves about birthing choices.
Edo Young
571-253-9591, edobirths@gmail.com
My name is Edo Young, I am a stay at home mother of four in Woodbridge, Virginia. Currently I am a pre-certified DONA and Birthing From Within trained Labor/Postpartum Doula. I am extremely passionate about my work; I consider it a privilege to assist a woman during her birth, as in adjusting to life as a new mother. I happily to on pro-bono clients, and my fees are on a sliding scale based on economic need. I am also a self-styled birth plan coordinator who will help you create a birth plan that works for you.
