About
What languages do you speak?
English
What is your personal definition of “doula”?
A doula is a trained professional who supports clients — the birthing person and their birth partner — through the stages of pregnancy, labor, birth, and early postpartum. We are a non-clinical pillar in the room and part of the birth team, whether families have an OB or a midwife, and whether they’re birthing in a hospital, a birth center, or at home. We provide physical and emotional support alongside non-biased, evidence-based information. We are also champions and supporters of our clients’ innate intuition and wisdom, helping to educate on benefits, risks, and alternatives. For me, being a doula is about holding sacred space with compassion, protecting the experience, and helping families feel less alone as they welcome their baby. My place is not to take over, but to remind families of their own strength.
What brought you to birth and postpartum work?
Growing up in England with a midwife mum immersed me, from a very early age, in all things perinatal and the sacred birth environment. I often joke that I could use words like “cervix” and “dilation” in complete sentences before I knew my alphabet!
In a climate of caregiver burnout, how are you caring for yourself?
Seeking out and spending time in my community of birth workers, taking every opportunity to move my body outdoors, listening to music (often too loud), hanging out with my very cool adult daughters, driving without a destination, and traveling as often as I possibly can. And my nightly bath ritual — it’s the perfect way to seal up the day and prepare for sleep.
What is a standout book, movie/tv, etc about the childbearing/parenting journey that you return to?
To watch:
- Call the Midwife (fun fact: my mum was a consultant in the early development of this show)
- The Business of Being Born
- Birth Story
To read:
- The Red Tent
- Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers
Birth Care Package
To better understand Brood’s birth package pricing model, read on → Making Birth Doula Care Accessible: The Green Bottle Sliding Scale Method
Tell us more about the ethos in your birth doula practice:
What drives me as a doula is a deep belief in the strength, wisdom, and individuality of every birthing person. After decades of supporting families, I know that no two births are the same, and that every family deserves to feel heard, respected, and supported in their choices. Even after witnessing hundreds of births, I still learn something new every single time. That constant knowledge-seeking keeps me learning and growing as a doula. What makes my approach unique is the blend of experience, intuition, evidence-based knowledge, and a grounded, light, down-to-earth presence. I bring the mix of practical and emotional support that families need, while honoring the magic and sacredness of birth.
I’m not there to take over or tell anyone how to birth. I’m there to walk beside, help navigate, and support with warmth, honesty, and a sense of humor. I’m holding space for the beautiful, the messy, and the transformative experience of becoming a family.
Prenatal Care
My approach is relaxed, personal, and down-to-earth. We start with a quick connection phone call to get to know each other and confirm we’re a great fit. Our initial meeting makes space for questions, honest conversation, laughter, and sharing any fears or worries. Once the decision is made, I’m available via text, email, and phone for the duration of pregnancy. We typically spend two or three in-person prenatal sessions together covering all the stages of late pregnancy, early and active labor, interventions, pain management, delivery, and immediate postpartum.
- Free In-Person Foundations Visit → Once your contract is signed and your first-choice doula has been confirmed, your doula will visit your home for around 1+ hour so you can chat, connect, and ensure the fit feels right—for both of you!
- Two to Three Unhurried Prenatal Visits → Approximately two hours each, allowing us to truly get to know one another and build trust and confidence.
- Birth Preparation → Personalized to each family’s unique needs, values, hopes, and concerns. Together, we’ll explore your preferences while providing evidence-based education on pregnancy, labour, comfort measures, medical interventions, induction, cesarean birth, VBAC, newborn care, and postpartum recovery, so you feel informed and confident as you prepare for birth.
- Birth Plan Guidance → Helping to create flexible preferences that support decision-making while honouring the unpredictability of birth.
- Partner Preparation → Encouraging and educating partners to become “birth superheroes”.
- Hands-on Comfort Practicing → Including labour positions, breathing techniques, movement, labour tools and coping strategies.
- Continuous Support (between visits) → Via text, email or phone to answer questions and navigate decisions as they come up.
- Community Referrals → Access valuable local resources like prenatal classes, lactation consultants, and mental health support.
- Brood’s Family Membership → Gain exclusive access to five online courses covering prenatal and newborn care, plus join our virtual private clubhouse and member area for downloadable resources.
- Postpartum Product Guide → A curated list of our top postpartum must-haves, based on what we see that supports families again and again.
Birth Attendance
Once active labor is established, I join families in hospital to support their labor and delivery, and typically stay for a couple of hours afterward to help introduce and establish early chest-feeding (or bottle-feeding). An aside: while I’m no expert, I do take a whole lot of photos during labor and delivery — with client permission — and I typically print 20 to 30 for families to keep.
- On-Call Support → When labour begins, I am on call 24 hours a day, ready to join your family whenever you need support. I come with calm, experienced guidance and an unwavering belief in your ability to navigate birth in the way that feels right for you.
- Continuous Care → I remain with your family throughout labour and birth, providing steady emotional and physical support from the time I arrive until approximately two hours after your baby is born.
- Collaborative Advocacy → I work alongside your healthcare providers, respecting their clinical role while focusing entirely on your comfort, emotional well-being, and informed decision-making throughout the birth experience.
- The First Hours Together → After birth, I support those first precious moments together by assisting with the initial feeding, helping everyone get settled in, and ensuring your family feels supported before I quietly step away.
Postpartum Support
After families are released from hospital, I visit at home 5 to 7 days later to review, update, answer questions, and unpack the experience.
- Postpartum Follow-Up → During our first postpartum visit, approximately 7–10 days after birth, we’ll reflect on your birth experience, answer any questions, and process your transition into parenthood. I’ll provide evidence-based information, offer personalized recommendations, and support you as you navigate the physical and emotional changes of the early postpartum period.
Training + Education
BIRTH & POSTPARTUM
- Doula Training Program, Douglas College, 2001
- Birth Doula Training Workshop (Advanced), Bini Birth, Los Angeles, 2025
- Postpartum Doula Training Workshop (Advanced), Los Angeles Doula, 2025
- Childbirth Educator Training, Douglas College — in progress, completing Winter 2026
OTHER
- Healthcare Provider CPR-C with AED
- Certified Criminal Record Check, including Vulnerable Sector Screening
- Carrot Fertility-Hopeful Doula
- Eligible for Extended Health Reimbursement
WORKSHOPS & ROUNDTABLES
- Fundamentals of Chestfeeding Workshop, Bini Birth, Los Angeles, 2025
- Introduction to Matrescence with Cayley Benjamin, Vancouver, 2026
- DONA International Summit, Seattle, 2026
FOR YOUR PERSONAL LEARNING, WHAT IS THE WORKSHOP/TRAINING ON YOUR RADAR?
Spinning Babies, Lactation Consultant certification, and doula trainer programs.
Testimonials
“If you’re looking for a doula, Rachel is your lady! After our experience with Rachel throughout pregnancy and birth, I cannot imagine having welcomed our baby girl without her. She helped us navigate each step of the process, finalize our birth plan, and advocate for us in the birth room. My first pregnancy was amazing and Rachel played a big part in that. We will definitely be including her if/when baby number two comes! We are thrilled to have hired her and she truly made bringing our baby girl into the world magical!”
— Meagan M.
“I truly can’t imagine our birth experience without Rachel. From the moment she joined us, she brought such a calm, reassuring presence into what ended up being a very long and difficult labour and delivery. As first time parents, we were navigating completely unfamiliar territory, and having someone we trusted by our side made all the difference. Rachel was our steady constant. She advocated for us, explained what was happening, helped us make informed decisions, and somehow managed to make a stressful experience feel as peaceful as it possibly could.
She wasn’t just a doula. She became a source of comfort, strength, and reassurance. She knew exactly when to offer guidance, when to encourage, and when to simply be there.
What has meant just as much is that her care didn’t end when our son was born. Even with no obligation to, she has continued to check in, offer support, and show up with thoughtful acts of kindness. It speaks volumes about the kind of person she is and how deeply she cares about the families she supports.
If you’re considering hiring Rachel, do it. She is worth every penny and then some. We will always be grateful for the role she played in bringing our son into the world, and I genuinely don’t know how we would have gotten through it without her.”
— Elle K.
“Rachel is simply an incredible doula. Her calm presence, warmth, and wealth of experience made us feel supported, educated, heard, and confident throughout our birth journey. She has an incredible way of quietly holding space while honouring our choices and advocating for our needs. We are so grateful for her care and will wholeheartedly recommend her to any family looking for support.”
— Samantha K.
