Hello, I'm Rebecca, and I have nurtured and helped children aged six weeks through school-age succeed in learning for the past 20+ years. While working with infants exclusively for the past 13 years, I have found my passion. After raising two children, I am following my dream of caring for infants, newborns, and their parents. I'm also passionate about helping parents successfully return to work while breastfeeding. As a result, I created and implemented a training for daycare teachers entitled “Supporting Breastfeeding Parents in a Daycare Setting.” I believe empowering parents to be their child’s first teacher is essential for keeping children happy and healthy. I am a trained Newborn Care Specialist and a Postpartum Doula. I have taken a “Lactation for Doulas” class, a sleep conditioning class, and have attended a training on perinatal mood disorders. I look forward to supporting parents and other family members as they care for their new charges. Outside of work, I am a published author, and I enjoy writing about everything from infant care to Science Fiction. I love reading and have an extensive library of children’s books.

Meet Mikala: Your Dedicated Birth Worker With five years of experience as a certified birth worker, Mikala has supported over 100 clients, guiding them through their unique birthing journeys. Her passion for this work shines through in every interaction, ensuring that you feel supported and heard every step of the way. Mikala believes in the importance of inclusivity and makes it a priority to involve everyone you wish to have as part of your birthing experience. She respects and advocates for your desires, helping to create a personalized and empowering birth environment. Mikala is well-versed in attending all types of births, bringing a wealth of knowledge and a calm presence to each situation. She understands the significance of listening to moms and honoring their individual needs and preferences. A Little About Mikala: Mikala is a mother of four, with children ranging in age from 4 to 13. Her personal birthing experiences include two medical hospital births and two free births, giving her a well-rounded perspective on different birthing options. This diverse background fuels her mission to ensure every mother feels validated in her choices and confident in their body’s capabilities. She has breastfed all of her children for a combined total of 9.5 years, an impressive milestone that speaks to her commitment and expertise. Mikala has navigated various parenting approaches, from using disposable and cloth diapers to using premade canned baby food to practicing baby-led weaning. When she's not supporting families, Mikala enjoys homeschooling her children and managing her homestead, embodying a holistic and nurturing lifestyle. Mikala’s Expertise Includes: Thriving in all birth settings Baby-Wearing Cloth Diapering Breastfeeding PLC Childbirth Education Postpartum Care Placenta Specialist Rebozo Techniques Bereavement PAILAdvocate LGBT+ Friendly Some Spanish Speaking Blessingway / MotherBlessing Neurodivergent Support Mikala is dedicated to providing comprehensive care and support, ensuring that every family she works with feels empowered and understood throughout their birthing and parenting journeys.

At Family Focused Midwifery, we provide compassionate, family-centered care for pregnancy, birth, and postpartum—whether you're planning a home birth or looking for doula support in any setting. Our services are rooted in the belief that families deserve to feel informed, empowered, and truly seen throughout this life-changing journey. As a Certified Nurse Midwife, I offer full-scope home birth midwifery care, including personalized prenatal visits, continuous labor and birth support in your home, and attentive postpartum care through six weeks. My approach blends evidence-based clinical care with deep respect for your autonomy, preferences, and values. For families seeking birth doula support, our team of experienced doulas shares these same values and provides warm, knowledgeable guidance through prenatal meetings, birth attendance, and a postpartum follow-up visit. **All clients also receive access to my online childbirth education course, Fearless Birth Academy, and are invited to join my live virtual group pregnancy coaching program for even more connection and support! Every offering at Family Focused Midwifery is designed to help you feel confident, supported, and at the center of your care—because that’s exactly where you belong.

My name is Ilana(she/her/hers) and I am dedicated to working with a wide range of family structures and clients. My hope is that I can help people find space for what they need in the journey they are on, whether that be sitting through the feelings or providing practical support. ​ Everyone deserves safe, comforting, affirming, and secure care during such transformative times in life. It would be a beautiful and humbling experience to be a part of that process with you.​

Michelle has a bachelors and masters degree in Occupational Therapy from Mount Mary College in Milwaukee Wisconsin. She is a registered OT in the state of IL. She has a love for working with children of all ages and who have varying needs and diagnoses.

My name is Kelly Sijapati, and I am an experienced International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. I was certified in 2015, and I have served as a volunteer peer breastfeeding counselor since 2011. I have a degree in Psychology and believe that the most important aspect of lactation care is listening closely to the new parent so I can understand their individual situation and feeding goals before working together with them to create a personalized care plan. Having been part of the lactation field for over ten years, my goal is that every new parent feels fully supported during their feeding journey. I provide care in home visits, telehealth, and office visits. I specialize in latch and positioning adjustments for greater comfort in breastfeeding and have expertise in all areas of lactation including pumping, bottle-feeding, tongue tie, weaning, induced lactation, and more. In my free time I enjoy reading, traveling, being outdoors, and spending time with my husband, two children, and our cockapoo puppy, Maple.

Hello, My name Is Lorraine. I prefer to go by Raine. I'm a full spectrum doula (birth, postpartum and bereavement), placenta expert/encapsulator, childbirth & lamaze educator and more. I have been providing doula service even before being certified. I've been providing services since I was thirteen. It's part of my culture, It's just naturally in me. I made it official a little under four years ago. I have attended 50+ births. Providing birth and postpartum care. I feel birth is a judgement free zone. I focus on keeping birth peaceful, using evidence-based information and techniques. I am also on my journey to become a Midwife. I enjoy music, spending time with family & friends, reading books & literature and just seeking knowledge. I have upwards of twenty specialties. I can't wait to share with you.

I am a pelvic floor and obstetric physical therapist at New Journey Physical Therapy. I live in Deerfield, IL with my husband and my three daughters. I enjoy exercising, spending time with my friends and family, reading, and enjoying good food.

I combine education, evidence-based research, and hands-on support to help you have an entirely different kind of labor and birth. Whatever kind of birth you are planning, I am here to support your choices. I work at hospital births, home births, and birth centers. Some of my clients choose an epidural for pain management, and others choose to go med-free: I'm here to support whatever YOU choose. I serve many high-anxiety clients, as well as high-risk pregnancies and VBACs (vaginal birth after cesarean). Many of my clients are international, and English is often their second language. My team and I value diversity and inclusivity.

The Birth Zone is an agency serving families from Chicago through Milwaukee with childbirth education and birth doula services. We specialize in providing non-judgmental support for all families. We serve all kinds of births including hospital, home, medication-free, epidural, water birth, and land births.

I am a photographer who strives to catch the heart-warming moments of life with every click of the shutter. My goal is to capture those milestone moments for you and your family: the unexpected gurgling smile of your breast feeding newborn, the somewhat spicy over the shoulder glance in a boudoir shoot, the joy invoking smile of seeing your beloved for the first time on your wedding day, the fierce concentration it takes to breathe through contractions, or the crazy fun that can ensue with a toddler at a family photo shoot. I love what I do and I feel strongly about photographing families who want to remember important phases in their lives. Time flies by; as any mother knows, therefore my mission is to offer my clients something concrete to look at and remember the times that are most important to them.

Hi my name is Monica and I am a sleep coach! I help parents teach their little ones independent sleep skills to get them sleeping through the night and taking solid naps ASAP. Book a free 15 minute call to see if I would be a good fit for your family.

Hi! My name is Nefertia Jones and I am a Newborn Care Specialist and Postpartum Doula serving families in the Chicago North Shore area. I am passionate about supporting parents as they adjust to life with a newborn, providing both practical guidance and compassionate care to help make the transition smoother and more joyful. With a background in medical training, I bring a strong foundation of clinical knowledge alongside years of hands-on caregiving experience with infants, toddlers, and families. My approach is centered on creating a calm, supportive, and judgment-free environment where parents feel empowered, confident, and well cared for. Outside of my work, I enjoy fostering kittens, visiting new restaurants, and spending time with my husband and our cat.

Hi! I'm Joanna but everyone calls me Jo (she/her/hers). I am a Birth Doula, as well as a Children and Families Social Worker. I am also a wife and mother. I have ways been passionate about working with people and after having my son I was inspired to empower families during pregnancy and birth. I believe everyone should have a doula. Things I enjoy are drinking a good hot cup of tea, a good book, the smell of the fresh outdoors, finding new adventures to get lost in and just doing things that give me pure joy and adrenaline in life. In my free time you will find me learning new things, cooking, crafting, helping others out, dancing with my toddler and spending time with those I love.

I am an integrative nutritionist helping women in the Chicagoland area address hormones balances to feel their best! As a Certified Nutrition Specialist®, Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist, and RYT-200 certified yoga instructor, I use my blended education to address the root cause of your symptoms from various angles. I focus on utilizing whole foods, not just nutrients, to heal the body. My area of focus includes assisting women through all stages of life, including prenatal, pregnancy, and postpartum.

Hello! I’m a birth doula serving Chicago and surrounding areas. I specify in supporting clients through unmedicated births at birth centers, home births, and midwife-led hospital births. I am also a VBAC certified doula.

Crossroads Speech Therapy provides pediatric speech and language and occupational therapy. Each session is individualized and provided by a therapist who is experienced, licensed, and who holds their American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) Certificate of Clinical Competence or National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). Crossroads Speech Therapy serves children from their first year of life through adulthood. Katie, owner and Director of Crossroads Speech Therapy, is passionate about providing the highest quality speech therapy and occupational therapy to each child the practice sees. She is also a mother of three young children and one of her children has childhood apraxia of speech (CAS,) he has now overcome it. Katie has been licensed and practicing since 2008 and has extensive experience treating children and adults with speech and language delays and disorders. Since that time her services have been in high demand and many schools, daycares, and doctor’s offices refer to her and her expertise in the field. In 2016 Katie opened Crossroads Speech Therapy. Since then, Katie has hired a wonderful team to serve the Chicago and suburban Chicago community. Each team member is handpicked by Katie and has a caring, personable, and engaging personality, is from an incredible program, has great experience, and is knowledgeable as well as skilled, and loves to communicate about your child. Katie received her Bachelor’s degree in Speech and hearing Science at the University of Illinois in 2006 and her Master’s degree in Communication Science and Disorders from Saint Louis University in 2008. Katie is a certified speech and language pathologist in the state of Illinois and Maine, a member of the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association, Advanced PROMPT trained and hold her Level 2 certification in PROMPT, is on the Apraxia Kids website as a provider for childhood apraxia of speech, holds her PEL license for Illinois, and owns Crossroads Speech Therapy in Chicago. She specializes in childhood apraxia of speech, articulation and phonological disorders, feeding/swallowing, and expressive and receptive language disorders. She is energetic, fun, and kids love working with her! Children enjoy sessions with her and meet their goals quickly when working with her. Katie loves being a part of the community and is always there to help and support clients and their families.

Meet JulieAnn JulieAnn is a mother, certified Postpartum Doula as well as a certified Antepartum & Bereavement Doula. JulieAnn is also a certified Newborn Care Specialist. JulieAnn has received her certification as a Medical Assistant. She is a certified Early Childhood Education Teacher and is currently pursuing her associate degree in Early Childhood Education. JulieAnn has spent her entire career in the childcare and education field. Supporting families and educators alike. JulieAnn works to empower families, as she provides excellent care, and a foundation to assist in all areas of a child’s development. Her firsthand experience as a mother and ability to “tune in” to new parents needs allows her to approach each family with a conscious and informed approach. JulieAnn is warm, caring, and loving with the newborns she works with. She wholeheartedly enjoys spending time with new parents as they rest and recuperate after birth so they can enjoy the postpartum period. Her empathetic and intuitive nature allow her to be a reassuring presence and hold space for the transformative experience that becoming a parent deserves. Supported birth and postpartum experiences help parents gain the confidence they need to trust themselves and grow with their child. This is why JulieAnn approaches each day with a mindful mindset of the importance of honoring her clients and treating them with dignity and compassion.

Hello! I am a licensed physical therapist who specializes in hypermobility (EDS/HSD) as well as pediatrics. My philosophy is to restore the body's mechanics and retrain motion through functional stabilization and strengthening. For pediatrics, therapy is done through play activities and developmental movements such as crawling while teenagers and adults use functional movements that apply to their goals. I believe that therapy should work within a patient's lifestyle and be a positive experience instead of a burden. My goal for every patient is to educate them on the core issues and teach each patient tools to manage and prevent pain. This gives patients independence and empowerment to take control of their pain and lives.

Paula Acuña, M.A., CCC-SLP, known as Ms. Paula by her clients, offers customized speech, language, and feeding intervention for children and adults with a wide range of abilities to promote independence and improve their quality of life. While her expertise is in working with pediatric populations, her interests and dedication to the field extend across the lifespan. As a bilingual/multicultural provider, she is committed to providing specialized, therapeutic support among culturally and linguistically diverse families in her community.