attuned & resourceful presence, for the birth you envision…
I possess absolute faith in the birth process. I see birth as a beautifully vital and uniquely formative journey for every pregnant person and every baby. As a birth doula, I offer evidence-based labor and birth information, plus practical tools to support fully-informed decision-making, as you plan and advocate for the birth you envision. I specialize in providing a personalized spectrum of physical and emotional comfort techniques for you and your birth partner, as well as help establish a warm, loving environment that is peaceful, safe and conducive to gentle birth. I hold absolutely sacred the psychological and psychic well-being of you and your baby during your birth journey together. From providing home birth support to helping make the hospital setting more home-like ~and embracing every hue or variation in between~ I will fully support you in achieving the rewarding birth experience that you seek.
I support families in the North Bay Area; Marin and Sonoma Counties, California
“Thank you for making my journey to motherhood possible in a way I never anticipated. Possible for me to feel powerful and strong and capable in ways I never fully understood until the time came. Your presence made my motherhood journey a beautiful and respectful, open place to bring forth life.”
~B.H., birth client
My support includes:
• A no-obligation interview, to learn about my services, fee, etc.
• 3-4 prenatal meetings, for us to get to know one another and for me to assist as you prepare and plan for your birth
• Access to my lending library of evidence-based books, videos, audio CDs and many other supporting materials for birth and the early parenting journey
• Unlimited phone, text and e-mail access to me (during business hours) leading up to your due window, and in postpartum
• 24-hour on-call support beginning at week 38 of your pregnancy until your baby is born
• Continuous presence for labor and birth once you are ready for in-person support
• Immediate postpartum support for up to 2 hours following your baby’s birth
• A follow-up meeting once you are home and settled (2-3 weeks after your baby’s arrival)
• A dedicated back-up doula, who is compensated from my fee, to be available to us in the event of emergent need such as illness, injury or respite support (you can request to meet the back-up doula during one of our prenatal meetings)
• Qualified referrals to specialized support, as needed
Explore the documented evidence of the benefits of doula support here
Here, I share about many of the benefits of birth doula support with Rachel Rubinstein in her wonderful “Rise Parenting Podcast.”
Have a listen…
kind words
“I am so thankful my husband and I hired Jennifer for support before and during the birth of our little son in July of 2020. Jennifer is an incredibly skilled doula and educator! From the beginning of our first meeting on Zoom, she revealed her warmth and her non-judgmental, supportive presence.
Jennifer provided us with so many resources based on our priorities. I learned a great deal about childbirth from the books and videos that she lent us! And she would always follow up with us about what we learned. She encouraged my partner and I to truly reflect on what we envisioned for our baby’s birth. And she helped us practice together!! Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, Jennifer was willing to meet with us outdoors, six feet apart with masks – she was committed to keeping us safe. She would have been equally willing to meet on Zoom or Facetime as well.
Due to Covid-19, I was very anxious about giving birth at the hospital. Jennifer researched and created a way to support us virtually. I am so grateful she was with us on the computer during the birth – she reminded us of practices we had learned with her and she deeply encouraged me to trust to my instincts. She communicated very effectively with my partner and helped us succeed in what we hoped for, which was an unmedicated, natural birth in a hospital. She communicated with the health care staff as effectively as possible, given the virtual format, and I always felt she was advocating for me and my baby.
The hospital environment during Covid-19 was very impersonal and I often felt disappointed during and after some of my prenatal visits. Jennifer helped me feel that my child’s birth was significant and that I, too, am a person of significance. When a woman is pregnant and transitioning to motherhood, it is so important for her to feel like she matters! Jennifer absolutely made me feel this way and I will be forever grateful to her.”
~B.M., Novato
“My husband and I feel very fortunate to have had Jennifer as our doula for the birth of our second child. She has a very calm, positive, and kind demeanor which sold us right away. Her background in education was very evident in her attention to detail, logistics, and communication. She thought of things before we did, so there were never any surprises, and we had a plan for every scenario.
As it happened, this birth had some medical twists and turns that we did not experience with our first, and Jennifer was right there, in the weeks leading up to the birth- helping us in so many ways. She had many resources; she was an incredible emotional support and even researched things that we had more questions about. Her presence during the weeks leading up to the birth made what could have been a negative and confusing time much more manageable and positive.
For the birth itself, Jennifer came more than prepared with many tools that we had discussed, as well as some very great surprises like lollipops! (Which really helped with my nausea.) I ended up in the hospital for the duration of my labor, and am so grateful to have had Jennifer there the whole time. With her support, we were able to advocate for ourselves, try different positions, and ended up giving birth to a perfect baby boy with VERY limited interventions, which was a priority for us. Her follow up and follow-through have been so thorough and helpful; I would recommend Jennifer as a doula with no hesitations. With her amazing support, we were able to have a very special and positive second birth experience!”
~S.T., Sebastopol
Proud member of the Marin Doula Circle
