Though we always endeavor to work together as a team, a doula’s role is distinct from that of your medical provider. The job of your OB or midwife is to keep you and your baby safe; my job, on the other hand, is to tend to you and your partner(s)’ mental and emotional wellbeing while you’re growing a human and figuring out how to take care of your expanding family.

This looks like:

• Providing you with emotional, physical, and informational support throughout pregnancy, labor, and birth, as well as the postpartum period

• Connecting you with reliable resources and information during prenatal meetings, while helping you think through your birth preferences

• Facilitating an optimal birth space, and protecting that space to ensure that those who enter are supportive of your birth goals

• Assisting you in those first few weeks as a new parent (also referred to as the postpartum period, or the “fourth trimester”)

• Advocating for you and supporting you in making informed decisions to have a more positive experience

• Validating your emotions, encouraging you, and cheering you on!

Studies have found that continuous doula support leads to improved outcomes, including a decreased risk of Cesarean sections or low Apgar scores, and shorter births (source).

My doula work is rooted in trauma-informed and evidence-based care, a spirit of non-judgment, and a reliance on the notion that birthing people are the authority figures of their births (and the experts on their own bodies). Given the inherent unpredictability in birth, I strive to establish a steady, safe, and trusting relationship with your family early on, and maintain that throughout our time together. My work generally has three parts:

• Emotional support: In addition to setting the tone of the room during birth or postpartum care (and making it one of groundedness, encouragement, and levity despite any ongoing chaos), I also view it as my job to impart to you my enduring belief that you can do it even when it feels like too much. This emotional support extends not just to the birthing person but to your partner(s) and other support people you may have with you.

• Physical support: I am always down to roll up my sleeves and offer hands-on support, including counterpressure, touch-based support (such as massage), and help with positioning.

• Informational support: A central part of my job is giving you honest, evidence-based information that allows you to make the best decisions for you, your family, and your baby. You deserve to feel confident in birth and postpartum.

I have a strong commitment to social and racial justice, Health at Every Size (HAES) principles, and reproductive justice. Given systemic injustice, I view my job to be—at its core—ensuring that birthing parents and their families, especially from marginalized communities, receive the compassionate care and affirming support they deserve.

My job is not to replace the support of your partner(s), family, or friends, but to bring them into the process, empowering them to be present and involved. I will coach you and your partner(s) through what to expect during labor and what you may need along the way, and then incorporate them into the birth, through both hands-on techniques and emotional or comfort roles. My support also extends to the partner(s): checking in on them and making sure they have food and water, providing reassurance, and ensuring they have everything they need to support you in this process.

That totally depends on you and your needs! For birth, many people hire doulas in the first few months of their pregnancy, but others wait until around 25-30 weeks/later on in pregnancy. Sometimes I’m even able to step in during the last few weeks of a pregnancy, so it’s worth reaching out regardless of timing. Hiring for postpartum contracts is also flexible.

Once you have an idea of what type of support you would like, you can get in touch via my contact form.

The name Timshel comes from a Hebrew word that translates to “Thou mayest” and encapsulates the human capacity for choice and agency. It is a central theme in John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, which I encountered for the first time at a moment in my life when I was feeling overwhelmed and powerless. The concept of Timshel underscores the empowered agency and informed surrender of birth, and fuels my deep care for each client.