Doulas, Educators, & Lactation Experts

Our Amazing Community

When you work with Birthways, you benefit from partnering with nationally recognized experts and the most experienced doula service provider in the Chicago area.

  • All
  • Doulas
  • Educators
  • Labor Support Doula
  • Lactation Experts
  • Postpartum Doulas
  • Staff

Alexis Franklin (she/her)

Alexis joined Birthways in August 2022. While new and fresh to the Birthways community she is not new to Chicago. After moving from her hometown of Washington, D.C. to study Cultural Studies at Columbia College Chicago, she decided to stay ...

Amber Davis (She/Her)

Amber is a certified full-spectrum doula, supporting families during prenatal, labor and postpartum times. She is committed to creating a supportive environment for all her clients and their families. Amber understands pregnancy may be stressful, therefore it is her personal ...

Brandi Gowder (she/her)

Brandi Gowder is a birth worker and owner of Smiley Bee Love. She is Certified with the National Black Doula Association and trained in Fertility, Birth, and Postpartum birth work. She also does placenta encapsulation! Before she began her business ...

Brit Brackins (She/Her)

Brit joined Birthways in 2014 as a Labor Support Doula and Perinatal/Lactation Educator bringing years of experience and love for learning to this work! Brit’s interest in women’s health and perinatal studies began as part of her Bachelors in Applied ...

Carly Ann Braun (she/her/hers)

Carly Ann has been a doula for five years and attending over 50 births. Before she was a doula she worked in social justice education with teenagers. She began feeling dissatisfied with just talking shop about injustice and doulaing was ...
Chanel-washington

Chanel Washington (she/her)

Chanel was a doula even before it had a name in her world. She loves what she does meeting so many families with many different backgrounds, learning from each one! Intuitively knowing what steps she needed to take to begin ...

Daisy Johnson (she/her/hers)

Daisy is a holistic birth and postpartum doula, trained in Advanced Labor Support, Peer Lactation Support and Childbirth Education. She is currently pursuing her Associate's Degree in Midwifery from the Midwest Maternal Health Institute and expects to complete the program ...

Diana Sullivan (she/her)

Diana Sullivan joined Birthways in 2016 as a postpartum doula with a passion for supporting the new family. She brings great care and professionalism to this work, after a long career in television and entertainment. Becoming a mother opened her ...

Ellie Hall (She/Her)

Ellie Hall is a postpartum doula from the city of Chicago who joined Birthways in 2021. She completed her undergraduate degree in Rehabilitation Sciences and Disability & Human Development at UIC in May 2020. Since 2009, she has worked with ...

Harmony Canfield (She/Her)

Harmony joined Birthways in 2021 as a Postpartum, Labor Support, and Sibling Care Doula. Her passion, knowledge, and warmth are evident in her commitment to continuing to learn and grow in this work and be trusted support for expectant and ...
Ilana

Ilana Kahn (She/Her)

Ilana joined the Birthways Lactation Team in 2017. Ilana’s personal experiences, passion, and training have united her role as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). She also maintains an active status as a Registered Nurse. Ilana looks forward to ...

Janina Shorter (she/her)

Janina is a certified full-spectrum doula, including labor support and postpartum care. She is a certified Community Breastfeeding Educator and in her 5th year as a Midwifery student, Janina is a wife of 17 years, a mother to 9 children ...

Jeanine O’Toole (She/Her)

Jeanine attended a Birthways training in 2001 and after a hiatus filled with great opportunities in her music career, returned to Birthways in 2014 as a postpartum doula. Focusing on daytime support, Jeanine brings a strong foundation and ever-deepening knowledge ...
Jessica

Jessica Jacobsen (She/Her)

Jessica joined Birthways in 2021 as a Postpartum Doula. Drawn to the work of supporting families, she is excited to help meet the specific needs of newborns, siblings, new parents, and the home during this transformative time. Jessica supported families ...

Leah Lemelin (She/Her)

Leah Lemelin joined Birthways in 2016 as a labor support and postpartum doula. As a mother of two, Leah has a great appreciation for the care she received on her personal journey in pregnancy and parenting, as well as an ...

Mary Jozwiak (She/Her)

Mary has been a part of Birthways since 1998 as a postpartum doula and lactation consultant. She brings decades of knowledge and experience to working with new families, with a focus on the breastfeeding relationship. With a Bachelor’s degree in ...

Mary Sommers (She/Her)

Mary is the instructor of our Celebrate Birth! classes. She is a Certified Professional Midwife and holds a Master's degree in Public Service from DePaul University. Mary has many years of experience and the wisdom that comes from witnessing more ...
Megan Trinter Birthways Chicago

Megan Trinter (She/Her)

Megan Trinter joined Birthways in 2003 and offers Labor Support and Private Education, as well as occasional Postpartum care. She has provided care to infants and older children and their families since 1999 and is a mother herself. After graduating ...

Michele Holden (She/Her)

Michele joined Birthways in 2021 as a Labor Support and Postpartum Doula. She has a long history (almost 20 years!) of supporting families through birth and the postpartum period. After working as a nanny for a couple of years, Michele ...

Noshaba Bhatti (they/them and she/her)

Noshaba (they/she) is an experienced trauma-informed, healing- centered, and evidence-based fertility, birth, and postpartum doula. She has over fifteen years of experience providing trauma-informed, client-centered, queer and trans affirming direct services, advocacy, and education in various public health settings. A ...
Rhona

Rhona Moore (She/Her)

Rhona joined Birthways in the spring of 2019, bringing over a decade of community-based doula work into her care. Rhona is a Certified Labor Support Doula through DONA and completing training as a Postpartum Doula through WisdomWay Institute. She is ...

Ruby Daniel (She/Her)

Ruby Daniel joined Birthways in 2021 as a Postpartum Doula. A daughter of a former Labor & Delivery nurse and lactation consultant, Ruby has been learning about pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and parenting her whole life. With a Bachelor’s degree in ...

Sadie Cordova (she/her)

Sadie is known to give herself fully in every field of her life. Whether that be caring for friends in time of need or falling into a rabbit hole of research after a glimpse of something that sparked her interest. ...

Severine Avendano (she/her/hers)

Severine has been a community labor support and postpartum doula for a few years. Additionally I am also a FANA trained professional, a BABY TALK trained professional, Mental Health Youth First Aid specialist, Spinning Babies trained professional. Her background as ...

Stacy Hart-Brown (she/her)

Stacy’s passionate journey into birth work began early in life with her work with young children as an assistant dance instructor, mentor, and tutor. Serv- ing others has always been her way of living. Stacy sees herself in every mom ...
Sonrisa

Sonrisa Parker (She/Her)

Sonrisa joined Birthways in 2021 as a Certified Breastfeeding Specialist and part of our Postpartum Team. She is also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). Sonrisa is excited to be supporting families in the home, offering a broad scope ...

Tammany Droll

Tammany joined Birthways in 2016 as a Postpartum Doula. Having trained through DONA International in 2010, Tammany became a Certified Postpartum Doula/First Year Specialist through WisdomWay Institute, aligning her commitment to high-quality care with ongoing knowledge and skills. Tammany has ...