VBAC Doulas in Chicago, IL

Planning a vaginal birth after cesarean? These providers list VBAC support as a specialty, from preparing for labor to helping you talk through your options with your care team.

23 VBAC Doulas near Chicago, IL

Elly Hernandez

Chicago, Illinois

5.0 (5 reviews)

Elly Hernandez

4 years of experience
Responds within an hour

I am a Birth Doula and Lactation Specialist serving the Chicagoland area. I have three kiddos ages 3, 6, and 7, and I have been married to my wonderful husband Eli for 8 years. I am a native Chicagoan and call the Northwest side of the city my home. I have a Bachelor’s in Health Science, hold two Birth Doula certifications from accredited certifying organizations, and have received specialized training in Lactation, Spinning Babies, and High-risk Pregnancy Support. Additionally, I am CPR certified and an Evidence-Based Birth® Professional. With hundreds of hours of prenatal, birth, and postpartum support I have walked alongside over 100 families throughout the Chicagoland area preparing them for their birth and postpartum experience. My experience spans a wide variety of birth settings and situations. This includes unmedicated home births, medicated hospital births, elective inductions, medically necessary inductions (for preE, choleostasis, GDM, IUGR, etc.), planned cesareans, VBACs, and high-risk pregnancy births. I frequently attends births at Prentice, Evanston, Rush, Hinsdale, Masonic, and many other Chicago hospitals. My heart is to meet each family exactly where they are, offering personalized resources, thoughtful guidance, and steady support through every ebb and flow of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. I bring warmth, compassion, and evidence-based care to every family I serve. When I’m not at a birth or meeting families for a prenatal visit, you can find me outdoors bopping around at the nearest forest preserve with my troops, visiting local farmers market on a Sunday morning, rollerskating not-so-gracefully around my neighborhood, or cozying up with a good read

Recent review

First time pregnancy and I will NEVER deliver without her! 💟 The support, encouragement and knowledge that is given by Elly is beyond reassuring! Her assistance with exercises and stretches to alleviate pelvic pain and/or hip pain was such a relief! She not only told/demonstrated which ones would help best, but she also involved my partner and assisted teaching him on how to help me when I was in pain. Most importantly, in the delivery room she was SUCH a help in advocating what I wanted my birth to look like. Which took a huge weight off of mine & my partner’s shoulders and allowed us to really be present in that beautiful moment. I am forever grateful to her. She has checked up on me multiple times during my postpartum and offered resources for any further assistance I felt I needed (lactation consulting, etc.).

- Topanga Z.

Mari Rangel

Romeoville, Illinois

5.0 (7 reviews)

Mari Rangel

3 years of experience
Accepts insurance
Responds within a few hours

Certified Birth & Postpartum Doula | Childbirth Educator | Lactation Specialist As a Certified Birth and Postpartum Doula, I provide calm, nurturing, and evidence-based support for families through pregnancy, birth, and the newborn stage. My goal is to help parents feel informed, confident, and cared for every step of the way. Grant + Leah 2/20/2026 "Mari was assigned to us as a replacement doula when our original doula had a conflicting delivery. Mari immediately reached out and was flexible to our needs in early labor. My wife was laboring hard in triage for 7 hours (there was a major rush at the hospital, we couldn't get a room or her planned epidural for that long) and doesn't know how she would have coped without Mari. She immediately brought a calm presence to our situation while also helping us get the situation under control and manage contractions with various techniques. Mari also helped us execute on our birth plan and encouraged us to get rest whenever possible. We would recommend Mari to anybody seeking a doula." Safe With Me Doula Services – Loving, professional care for growing families. 🌐 www.safewithmelovingcare.org 📧 safewithmedoulaservices@outlook.com | 📞 (331) 328-1459 Instagram: @birth_doula | Facebook: Safe with Me Doula Services

Recent review

I truly cannot recommend my doula enough. She was by my side throughout my entire pregnancy journey, always there whenever I needed her—and often before I even realized I did. No question, concern, or doubt was ever too small. She patiently answered everything, reassured me, and helped prepare me both physically and mentally for a natural birth. She even provided monthly massages and other techniques that helped me feel more comfortable throughout my pregnancy. But my greatest gratitude is for everything she did during my labor. When my contractions started in the middle of the night, she came to my home at 2 a.m. without hesitation. She stayed with me through every single contraction, helping me cope with hip squeezes, lower back pressure, massage, acupuncture, labor combs, and a TENS machine. She continuously adjusted her techniques to help ease my pain and keep me focused. Around 9 a.m., we went to the hospital together, and she remained by my side for the entire labor until my baby was born. She stayed with me until 11 p.m., never leaving me alone. She advocated for me, made sure my birth preferences were respected, and did everything she could to make the experience as calm, positive, and empowering as possible. What makes her truly exceptional is her compassion. She doesn’t treat this as just a job—you can genuinely feel how deeply she cares about the mothers she supports. She gives her whole heart to making your pregnancy, labor, and birth experience as beautiful and comfortable as possible. Hiring her was one of the best decisions I made during my pregnancy, and I honestly can’t imagine going through labor without her. If you’re looking for a knowledgeable, dedicated, and incredibly caring doula, I recommend her with all my heart.

- Nina N.

Evelyn Bello-Schrag

Libertyville, Illinois

5.0 (1 review)

Evelyn Bello-Schrag

3 years of experience
Responds within a few hours

Hi, I'm Evelyn – a mama to two beautiful kids, a nature lover, and an advocate for women. While I didn’t plan to become a doula or childbirth educator, I now know that it’s my true calling. Growing up in a close-knit Mexican household, I was always drawn to community and mentorship, especially for girls. After earning my degrees in psychology and Spanish, I worked with survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual abuse. Becoming a mom ignited my deep curiosity about pregnancy and birth. I became fascinated by the process, eager to learn everything about labor and advocate for my own birth experience. After having profoundly empowering births, I realized that every woman deserves a birth that is powerful and free from trauma. This curiosity soon grew into a passion for supporting other women in my community. In my journey as a home visitor, working with Spanish-speaking moms, I saw firsthand the lack of resources and perinatal education available to them. It fueled my desire to help these women advocate for themselves, find their voice, and feel empowered in their birth experiences. After the birth of my daughter, I took a step back to reflect on my passions, and that’s when I discovered the amazing combination of doula and childbirth educator. And so, La Vid was born – a community for mothers to feel rooted and empowered, from pregnancy through motherhood. I believe in the strength and connection of women, and my mission is to empower you through your entire journey, so you never have to walk alone.

Recent review

One of the things that I loved the most was that Evelyn offered online birthing classes on Saturdays. This was my 3rd pregnancy and I had never attended any birthing class. Knowing what to expect for birth, I was amazed at how much she goes over in her classes that the content is real and raw. Before my birth she set time to get to know my birth stories, know me, and discuss her role as my doula. I really appreciated that she listened without any judgement. Evelyn always listened to my concerns and actually validated them. In the last weeks of pregnancy, she would check on me and give me tips to be ready for when it was time to head to the hospital. Her words and knowledge would always calm my nerves and anxiety. During my birth, she was ready to help me voice out my needs and was not afraid to roll up her sleeves to help. She provides so many words of affirmation and was part of my successful birth. I would definitely recommend Evelyn to any mom looking for a doula. She is also so kind, humble, and really knows what it takes for a mama to birth.

- Melissa C.

Damiana Andonova

Chicago, Illinois

5.0 (18 reviews)

Damiana Andonova

14 years of experience
Accepts insurance

Damiana Andonova, MHA, CD(DONA), PAIL Advocate, Healthy Materials Advocate is an experienced, second-generation doula with over a dozen years of experience. Damiana is experienced with high-risk and medically complex births and is the the co-curriculum developer of the international Megi High Risk Doula Certification Program. She is also the founder of J’adore Mon Bébé, a mother-daughter doula practice bringing a combined 45 years of experience. J'adore provides services across the care continuum, including preconception care, fertility doula services, childbirth education, high-risk birth doula care for medically and socially complex birthing people, perinatal loss doula services, and a full suite of postpartum care such as daytime and overnight care, lactation support, and healthy sleep rituals training. Our care approach is highly collaborative, and we empower our patients to develop deep, strong, honest relationships with their medical care providers (OBs and midwives) . We believe that we all need to work together in aid of birthing people and their families to make births safer, more respectful, and empowerful. We are also proud to provide a selection of concierge care services including healthy materials nursery design, baby event planning, travel doula services, healthy home consults, and babymoon planning. Many of our families have leveraged these services and found our proprietary GOTS-certified organic cotton swaddles, sustainable wallpaper, nursery art, and baby carriers to be very helpful as well. Our team have supported clients in three cities and have worked in a variety of birth settings. We hold certifications from Birthing from Within, DONA International, PAILAdvocate, Healthy Material Lab, and many others. Some of us have master’s degrees, are CNAs, IBCLCs, and more. We invite you to explore your wellness in our care at www.jadoremonbebe.com.

Recent review

We interviewed a few doulas before choosing Damiana, and she immediately stood out as someone who really understood us and made us feel comfortable. She was warm, thoughtful, and even offered a reference, which was really helpful in making our decision. We started working with her about 2.5months before the birth, and she was incredibly supportive throughout. She met with us weekly, helped us put together a solid birth plan, and really took the time to make sure we felt emotionally ready (not just prepared for labor, but ready for the whole experience). Also, she met us at the hospital shortly after we arrived at the hospital when I went into labor and was incredibly supportive. It was our 1st birth, and having her there to guide both me and my husband through everything made a huge difference. She was so reassuring and helpful. I honestly can’t imagine doing it without her. So grateful to have had Damiana as part of our birth team. Highly recommend her to anyone looking for a thoughtful and truly supportive birth doula.

- Sherry Yang

Noshaba Bhatti

Chicago, Illinois

Noshaba Bhatti

12 years of experience
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.

Parul Patel

Oak Park, Illinois

5.0 (13 reviews)

Parul Patel

13 years of experience
Accepts insurance

•Illinois Medicaid Accepted -BCBS Community -Meridian -Molina -County Care -Aetna •Cash / Self Pay My name is Parul Patel, and I am an Illinois Medicaid–approved Birth and Postpartum Doula, nurse, and holistic practitioner devoted to transformative, whole-person care. My work is grounded in the belief that healing occurs when the mind, body, and spirit are supported together, especially during life’s most pivotal transitions. Drawing from my professional background in nursing, mental health, and naturopathic alternative medicine, I bring a balanced and integrative approach to doula care—one that honors both evidence-based practice and ancestral, intuitive wisdom. My lived experience and years of hands-on support allow me to meet clients where they are, offering care that is compassionate, informed, and deeply respectful. Birth Doula Support As a Birth Doula, I support individuals and families throughout pregnancy and labor by providing continuous physical, emotional, and informational support. My care is rooted in non-judgment, advocacy, and presence. I utilize a holistic toolkit that may include:     •    Comfort measures and therapeutic touch     •    Labor positioning and movement     •    Breathwork, meditation, and mindfulness     •    Non-pharmacological pain management techniques     •    Informed decision-making support My goal is to help clients feel safe, empowered, and heard, while honoring the body’s natural birthing process and the family’s unique vision for birth. Postpartum Doula Support In the postpartum period, I provide nurturing, practical, and emotionally attuned support as families adjust to life with a newborn. My postpartum services include:     •    Newborn care education and support     •    Emotional and mental health check-ins     •    Support with postpartum mood disorders     •    Guidance through identity shifts and family dynamics     •    Gentle nutritional and holistic wellness support I understand that postpartum healing is not linear, and I hold space for families with patience, compassion, and care. Life Doula & Transitional Support As a Life Doula, I support individuals through major life transitions beyond birth. I serve as a grounded, neutral space holder, offering presence without judgment and support without agenda. Whether navigating singlehood, relationships, career changes, grief, or personal transformation, I walk alongside clients as they move through change with clarity and resilience. My Commitment I am deeply committed to serving underserved and marginalized communities and addressing disparities in maternal and mental health. Through Divine Wellness, my mission is to create safe, supportive spaces where individuals feel empowered, informed, and connected to their inner wisdom. Why I Accept Medicaid I believe access to compassionate, high-quality doula care should not be limited by income or circumstance. Accepting Illinois Medicaid allows me to serve families who are often overlooked while helping reduce disparities in maternal outcomes. My Philosophy of Care Birth, healing, and life transitions are sacred experiences. My role is not to direct, but to support—offering knowledge, presence, and advocacy so clients can move forward feeling confident and supported. Who I Serve I support first-time parents, experienced parents, single parents, blended families, and individuals seeking holistic and culturally responsive care. Certified in High Risk Pregnancy

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.

Darnicia Holt

Chicago, Illinois

5.0 (2 reviews)

Darnicia Holt

9 years of experience

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.

Lynn Morley

North Chicago, Illinois

5.0 (1 review)

Lynn Morley

9 years of experience
Accepts insurance

Lynn began her indie doula and photography practice in 2018. Her background is in reproductive health and non profits as an educator, direct care professional, and in state policy and project management. She has a BA in Gender Studies, is a certified birth, postpartum, and full spectrum doula, a childbirth educator, and a member of the Queer Doula Network. She hangs her fanny pack in Andersonville where she lives with her wife Mercedes -- a deep-hearted middle school teacher she's spellbound by, and with whom she shares the creative practice called home. Weaving together modern and traditional approaches, her support with families focuses on body literacy and agency, trauma and healing, educating and preparing for birth and postpartum, collective care, caretaking and parenting, honoring transitions, and nurturing relationships (including sex and intimacy). Knowledge building is a collaborative mixture of education, experience, and intuition. At the heart of it: you belong to yourself and are the expert of your own experience. She is committed to trauma-informed practices and co-creating safer spaces by being body- and sex-positive, anti-racist, pro-choice, queer and gender affirming, and welcoming to solo, poly, blended, or communal families. Your care should be designed for your comfort, needs, and wants. It should see you in your full context – your stage of life, unique body, lived experience, culture, community, ability, desires, and dreams.

Recent review

Liam is an extremely caring, intelligent and respectful doula. She sat with me in a lot of grief and anxiety in my fifth pregnancy, (my last one, following three miscarriages.) She rode through the dark moments with me and really helped me mentally prepare for giving birth to a living baby, which I had struggled to mentally accept as possibility. She made sure that I was comfortable enough to take my last birthing experience into my own hands. I truly couldn’t have done it without her experience, care and dedication.

- Amy R.

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