LGBTQ+ Affirming Doulas in Chicago, IL

These providers list LGBTQ+ families as a specialty. Read their profiles and reviews, and message the ones who feel right for your family.

41 LGBTQ+ Affirming Doulas near Chicago, IL

Carrie Sobel

Chicago, Illinois 16 years of experience

5.0 (32 reviews)

Carrie Sobel

Accepts insurance

Hi everyone! I'm LGBTQ+ friendly and I believe all families deserve love and support. I'm a certified postpartum doula and I provide daytime support in the city of Chicago. Not only can I provide excellent care of your newborn, but I'm there to provide support for the whole family by assisting with breastfeeding or bottle feeding, making meals and snacks, answering questions about newborn development or postpartum recovery, and generally providing emotional support during a time that can be both joyful and stressful. I take your family's health seriously, which is why I'm fully vaccinated and boosted, and I've received the Tdap vaccine. I get a yearly flu shot and I keep my CPR certification updated.

Recent review

carrie is a rare combination of a professional (always on time, scrupulous about billing, always looking to add value) with a big, big heart. as a single mom with a toddler expecting my second son, i was pleased to find carrie through a referral. from our first meeting, i was impressed by her ability to innovate and think creatively about her role as a postpartum doula. she gave me the impression, which was confirmed time and time again over the following months, that her work is satisfying for her when she can make the lives of the families she is working with better and easier. and she brings experience, flexibility and creativity to figuring out how best to do just that. carrie spent her time with us helping with whatever needed doing, and she learned very quickly what kinds of things we needed help with (often before i knew myself). she cooked delicious foods, kept our home tidy and neat, fetched my toddler home from school, helped with laundry, and even did the shopping on occasion. she brainstormed with me about anything that entered my mind, from the mundane (how to organize my bookshelves) to the profoundly important (how to help my toddler adjust to his baby brother and how to cope with my newborn’s medical issues). most importantly of all, carrie provided kindness and warmth and love to my two boys, and unflinching support to me through it all. my toddler and i speak of carrie often and miss having the daily gift of her patience, encouragement, humor, and damn good sense in our lives.

- carolyn sprinchorn

Annamarie Rodney

Chicago, Illinois 20 years of experience

Annamarie Rodney

Responds within an hour

Anna Rodney, Owner and Founder of Chicago Family Doulas Anna has supported families as a doula since 2009 and is committed to providing families with professional, compassionate, and personal support. Anna gives 200% in all she does in life and brings this commitment and passion to every aspect of her work as a doula. Anna has had the reputation of being a kind, calm, and loving person for as long as she can remember. She has always cared deeply for people and strives to support and care for all around her. She has worked with children and families since she was a teen and later on has supported families in the role of a nanny, preschool teacher, Americorps worker, respite worker, special education teacher, and finally as a birth and postpartum doula. Anna was a special educator for ten years prior to becoming a doula and owner of Chicago Family Doulas. Being a life long learner, Anna earned her Master’s degree in Education as well as multiple degrees in Special Education. She is certified as a labor doula through DONA and CAPPA, as a postpartum doula through ProDoula and CAPPA, certified to teach Hypnobirthing, a CAPPA Certified Lactation Educator, a Certified Newborn Care Specialist, and is a certified Happiest Baby on the Block instructor. Anna is committed to sharing her vast knowledge with the families she works with. She is also committed to training doulas as a labor and postpartum doula trainer through CAPPA and also as a certified CAPPA Childbirth Educator Trainer. As an agency owner, Anna is committed to handpicking the most amazing doulas that the Chicagoland area has to offer. The doulas that work with Chicago Family Doulas are kind, caring, informed, non-judgmental, professional, and 100% committed to the families that they have the honor of supporting. Anna and her team will be an incredible addition to your birth team and postpartum team.

Darnicia Holt

Chicago, Illinois 9 years of experience

5.0 (2 reviews)

Darnicia Holt

Hey! I’m Darnicia, a full-spectrum doula, birth mindset educator, and reproductive justice advocate. TL;DR From organizing protests and fighting for social justice to shutting down systemic abuse, violence, and oppression in the medicalized perinatal care system. My passion? Teaching incredible birthing people — like you — how to trust your intuition❤️‍🔥 and advocate for your autonomy,🗣️ so you feel ✨empowered to be the authority of all your reproductive experiences✨ — fertility to postpartum (or not being pregnant at all). 👀 A little more info… To me, birthwork is inherently linked to social justice and activism. Birthwork is advocacy, and advocacy follows you through every aspect of your life. Therefore, advocacy isn’t something you learn; it’s who you are. I’ve taken what I’ve learned in my years as a social justice organizer and have applied it to birthwork. Sometimes, the fight for my clients to have the reproductive outcomes they desire mirrors the intensity I’ve seen when organizing for human rights. When necessary, I use the same energy it takes to shut down streets and apply it to protect my clients’ experience. What does this mean for you? I have the heart and the skills to fight for your dream birth or whatever support you need. But no worries, I’ll only fight to whatever extent you need or are comfortable with. ☺️ The foundation of the doula role is about the person you are. I am an advocate. Fun facts: I’m a wife and Mom of two. I’m a HUGE Marvel/MCU fan. I L😍VE Thai Iced Tea and mushroom coffee 🍄☕.

Recent review

Darnicia helped us with postpartum care for our newborn and we are grateful beyond measure for her support and expertise. She is very kind, calming, and has a high degree of knowledge. She is such a warm person and we felt well cared for alongside our baby. In the matter of a few weeks, we went from frazzled new parents to having a baby who sleeps through the night multiple nights per week. I highly recommend Darnicia for postpartum care for anyone who is looking to establish healthy routines for their baby and wants to feel very supported in the process.

- Katie J.

Noshaba Bhatti

Chicago, Illinois 12 years of experience

Noshaba Bhatti

Accepts insurance

Hi! I am a trauma-informed, healing-centered, and evidence-based fertility, birth, and postpartum doula with over seventeen years of experience providing client-centered, queer and trans affirming care, advocacy, and education in various public health settings. As a Full-Spectrum Birth Worker since 2014, I provide informational, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and physical support during the entire perinatal period. I draw on both evidence-based research and traditional wisdom to support my clients. In addition to labor support, my expertise includes teaching people the Fertility Awareness Method to create and prevent pregnancies, providing education and support for donor insemination (ICI and IUI), helping clients select care providers that align with their values, supporting people struggling with infertility and perinatal loss, providing postpartum care and lactation support, and providing education on newborn and infant care. As a Certified Reiki Practitioner, Intuitive Energy Healer, Yoga Nidra facilitator, and Sexual and Reproductive Health Educator, I bring a holistic lens to my work. I am deeply committed to reproductive justice and birth justice, and I believe in providing clients with all the information they need to make informed choices that are right for them. Doula clients appreciate my extensive knowledge and experience, and my ability to provide comprehensive, holistic, ongoing support, education, and guidance not just during their labor and birth, but throughout the perinatal period. My approach to doula care is to meet people where they are at, centering their needs and goals, and customizing my approach to best meet my clients’ unique needs for their bodies, babies, and family.

Rachel Bolin

Chicago, Illinois 6 years of experience

5.0 (2 reviews)

Rachel Bolin Popular: among the most-viewed doulas in Illinois, last 60 days

Responds within an hour Accepts insurance

Hi, I’m Rachel! I am a doula, birth photographer, and placenta encapsulation specialist proudly serving the Chicagoland area. I grew up in small town Kentucky and moved to Chicago five years ago. Since then, I’ve been deeply rooted in the birth world, supporting families through every stage of their journey. I’m a full spectrum certified doula through Sokana’s Full Spectrum Birth Justice Training, with extensive education in lactation and over four years of personal breastfeeding experience. I’m also certified in First Aid and CPR. I accept Carrot clients and will soon be accepting Medicaid, because I believe everyone deserves access to compassionate, personalized support. That’s also why I offer sliding scale payment options for those in need. I’m also able to bill insurances with a superbill using my NPI number. My approach blends evidence based care with a holistic touch, holding space for whatever birth looks like for you. Outside of birth work, I’m chasing around my two toddlers, trying new recipes, camping, fishing, and checking out new restaurants! I never say no to a good steakhouse. Let’s schedule a consult and see if I am a great fit for your birth team!

Recent review

Having Rachel on my birth team was the best decision I could have made. She was a rock for me throughout, and was such a source of peace and calm for me. Rachel valued my preferences for my birth plan without judgment and held true to advocating for me at all times. My birth story had many unexpected turns, and Rachel stayed by my side, along with my husband, for the wild ride. I had Rachel with me in the birth center and at the hospital after a transfer was needed. She never missed a beat and took care of me so thoughtfully. From the first interview to prenatal appointments to the actual birth of my first baby, Rachel kept looking out for me and helped me feel empowered throughout my birth journey. She even took pictures and helped transport my placenta for encapsulation, which was so helpful because we remained at the hospital for longer than expected. I felt like Rachel was one of the best parts of my birth story, and I know she would be a wonderful addition to any birth team!

- Harmony Z.

Parul Patel

Chicagoland, Illinois 13 years of experience

5.0 (13 reviews)

Parul Patel Popular: among the most-viewed doulas in Illinois, last 60 days

NPI verified Accepts insurance

Hello everyone! My name is Parul, and I’m a Certified Birth and Postpartum Doula based in Chicago, Illinois. I’m originally from Mississippi and have called Chicago home since 2009. I’m also a proud mom to a 21-year-old son! My journey into doula work grew from my passion for holistic wellness, mental health, and the connection between mind, body, and soul. Before becoming a doula, I worked as a holistic practitioner specializing in mental wellness and food as medicine, and these passions continue to influence the way I support families today. I believe nourishment, education, emotional well-being, and feeling supported all play an important role in the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience. I especially enjoy supporting mothers who desire an unmedicated birth and helping them feel prepared, confident, and empowered through education, comfort measures, and holistic practices. I also love incorporating my knowledge of nutrition, Ayurveda, and mindfulness into my work with families. Outside of doula work, I love traveling, cooking, discovering new foods and cultures, and spending quality time with my friends and family. I’m a big believer in enjoying life’s experiences, continuing to learn, and always finding ways to grow both personally and professionally.

Recent review

I am so relieved and happy that we chose Parul to be our doula. From our first contact, she was extremely responsive, clear, thorough, warm, and supportive in her communication with us. Her knowledge of the birthing process and preparation is unparalleled and i felt so much more confident going into my delivery with her by my side. At the hospital she was an amazing advocate who helped to ensure our birth plan was honored as closely as possible by our doctor. She was also a huge support during the birth when I needed some encouragement to keep pushing. She also spent a lot of time getting to know us personally which helped pass the time in the hospital. Overall I couldn’t recommend Parul more. When we prepare for our next baby I will definitely work with her again!

- Dana C.

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