New Orleans Doulas
An Easy to Read List of Local New Orleans Doulas for the Busy Mama
INTRODUCTION
As a busy entrepreneurial mom to (an even busier) toddler, I myself totally forget (or inevitably neglect) to do the research that I know I need to do for certain things, such as look up a family photographer for this year's Christmas card photos, look up a good pediatric dentist for my 2 year old who needs yearly teeth cleaning now (still haven't researched this yet! LOL) or research what kind of potty training method might work for us in the next year or two as my toddler gets older. For you, Mama, if you are expecting, your research might involve looking for a local doula, or the closest lactation consultant, or a maternity photographer who's style you love, finding the most comfortable and affordable infant car seat, etc. When you're expecting a little one, there is A LOT of research involved for ALL the things! (And I don't think the research ever stops, just so you know. LOL.)
WHY I WROTE THIS BLOG POST
SO...To assist you, dear Mama, in your never ending research as a parent, I wanted to compile an easy to access list of several New Orleans Doulas that serve our area. All contact information will be below each doula or doula service business listed for easy reference. This is in no way a list of every single doula that is located in New Orleans! If I come across more or new doulas, I will be adding them to this list.
If you are wondering what a doula even is, let me start with a brief description for you, Mama, in the next paragraph. But first, a little personal tangent: I personally believe in the power of having a doula at your birth. I regret that I did not have one at my own birth (but will definitely have one for my next!) I wish I'd had the support and skills of a birth doula during my hospital birth (yes, doulas can help you with a hospital birth! Not just a home, or birth center birth). I am sure my birth story would have been much different if I had had the voice and skill of a doula behind me and my birth plan. All this being said, I wanted to make it easier on moms to find a list of doulas in the NOLA area to reference and aid them in their research before the birth of baby!
WHAT THE HECK IS A DOULA?
According to the American Pregnancy Association, a doula is, "The doula is a professional trained in childbirth who provides emotional, physical, and educational support to a mother who is expecting, is experiencing labor, or has recently given birth. Their purpose is to help women have a safe, memorable, and empowering birthing experience." (see this link to read the full article)
A doula is not just someone who is simply "there" at your birth for emotional support. Although they can be if that is what you want. A doula is a real professional, not medically, but they are trained in natural and safe ways to help get baby down and out, or help you during a C-section also. They have training in different pain coping strategies and can also help be your voice for the OBGYN when you can't stand up for yourself in the birth room. Overall, they are a huge benefit for your labor and birth. There are also postpartum doulas! This list covers the realm of birth doulas, some of them are also postpartum doulas, some are not.
New Orleans Doulas
NOLA Nesting
Nola Nesting offers the following services: childbirth classes, birth doulas, postpartum doulas, placenta encapsulation, parent support group, breastfeeding support, doula mentorship, and vaccination doulas
You can contact them here: CONTACT
LABOR AND LOVE
Labor and Love offers the following services: Doula Services , Breastfeeding Support, Mommy Services such as Birth Planning, Mommy Concierge, and Mommy breaks!
You can contact them here: CONTACT
FUll belly birth doula
"My name is Haleigh and I am a resident of Chalmette currently but I grew up in St. Charles parish. I am 32 years old and a mama to Jack, a 2.5 year old little boy, and to 2 big dogs, Mango and Kimchi. I have a BS in Culinary Arts from CJFCI at Nicholls State University and have 10 years of experience in restaurant kitchens as a chef/cook, most recently as a pastry chef. I certified as a doula in April 2021 after the birth of my son, with a vision to fuse my cooking skillset and love for birth work by offering postpartum chef services. I am also a Personal Chef specializing in upscale in-home dinner parties. For myself, I enjoy playing video games, working out, jewelry craft, and being outside with my son. As a doula, I absolutely enjoy seeing a person become a new parent and meeting with my clients in their home when they truly accept and trust me in their most sacred places and vulnerable situations. To be that person in their corner who they know gets it, who is always there if needed even after we've parted, is such a cherished gift to me and what I love about being a doula."
Services Offered: Birth and Postpartum Doula, Birth Planning, Prenatal and Postpartum Visits, Placenta Services, Postpartum Chef Services.
You can contact Haleigh here: CONTACT
All Ways Birth
Jenna Iberg Johnson is a certified birth and postpartum doula, certified childbirth educator, and Certified Breastfeeding Specialist. She supports parents and families in the greater New Orleans area with the belief that every parent deserves personalized support through pregnancy, labor, birth and the postpartum period so that they may feel safe, vulnerable, powerful, seen and heard. Jenna, a mother of two children, found her own transition to motherhood to be intense, overwhelming, amazing and exhausting, and through that transition learned the deep value and importance of community and support. Jenna obtained her doula certification in January of 2019, childbirth educator certification in June of 2021, and Certified Breastfeeding Specialist certification in May of 2023. Originally from Evanston, IL, Jenna earned her Masters of Science in Public Health from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and has worked at the Louisiana Office of Public Health as an Infectious Disease Epidemiologist since 2011. She is honored to support families as a doula, educator and Certified Breastfeeding Specialist.
Services Offered: Birth and Postpartum Support, Childbirth Education, Lactation and Infant Feeding Support, and more!
You can contact Jenna here: CONTACT
Doula Karelle
Karelle is a Louisiana native, originally from Alexandria. She moved to New Orleans in 2012 after graduating college from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston. She worked as a nanny gaining experience with newborns, multiples, special needs children, and most importantly, moms. Through her experiences working with families, she learned new and better ways to emotionally support moms and dads through parenthood. This learning led to Karelle obtaining her BEST Doula certification in 2017. She also expanded her education to include BEST Placenta Expert and BEST Childbirth Educator in 2019 and BEST Postpartum Doula in 2023. Karelle’s passion is helping families as a whole, through childbirth education during pregnancy, labor support during birth, and postpartum doula support during the fourth trimester. Karelle says the most rewarding part about being a doula is guiding moms and partners in becoming a better team during the labor and birth process, in order to help families thrive, not just survive, in their new role as parents. She decided to pursue StillBirthDay’s bereavement doula training in 2019. This training has helped Karelle support families through loss and families maneuvering their grief while awaiting for the arrival of their rainbow baby. She is currently working on obtaining her IBCLC certification to better support families on their breastfeeding journey. She plans to take the IBCLC exam in April 2024. Karelle is available to support you for a hospital birth, home birth, or birth center birth in New Orleans, the North Shore area, and in Baton Rouge.
You can contact Karelle here: Doulakarelle@gmail.com
birth mark doulas
Birth Mark Doulas offer the following Services: Doula Services, Childbirth Education, Lactation Services, Postpartum Doulas, and Support Groups.
You can contact them here: CONTACT
vip doula services
VIP Doula offers the following services: Labor Support, Virtual Support, and Postpartum Support
You can contact VIP Doula here: CONTACT
Conclusion
I hope this list of local New Orleans Doulas will help you in your research, dear, Mama! Hiring a doula will help take care of your labor, birth, and postpartum needs, and we can take care of your maternity and newborn portrait needs! Sarah Finicle Photography is a full service motherhood portrait experience for busy mamas who want beautiful, timeless artwork of their motherhood journeys to grace their homes with. If you're looking for a beautiful, simple, and timeless type of photo session for your family, send me a message here, and I will be more than happy to get you started on planning your dream session! We offer complimentary, professional hair and makeup for our mamas to feel their very best in front of the camera, as well as a lovely client wardrobe of gorgeous dresses for Mama to choose from! Sarah will also help you design beautiful, custom heirloom albums, wall art, and more for your home that's tailored to fit your needs and dreams! You can check out what the SFP experience looks like here.
Looking for tips on what to wear to your photo session?
More From the SFP Blog
Do you have that maternity or newborn photo shoot scheduled yet, Mama? If so, perhaps a few tips on choice of clothing for your upcoming session would be just the thing you need before you leave! Click the button below to read all about selecting the perfect outfits for your motherhood portrait sessions!
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