Sydney Gelb

Chicago, Illinois

Sydney Gelb

5 years of experience

Hi! My name is Sydney, and I am That Doula! I am DONA certified and have my bachelor’s degree in child development and education. I am also infant CPR, AED, and child CPR certified. Prior to being a postpartum doula, I was a nanny for more than 3 years. It was a transition from being an infant teacher at a child development center. When I worked as an infant teacher, I had a class of 8 infants, ranging in age from 6 weeks to 15 months old. I took care of the infants basic care needs, while also teaching them sign language, performing baby yoga, and creating developmentally appropriate activities to help them meet milestones. All students were on eating and sleeping schedules as it is impossible to feed 8 infants at once!! I was also a major support system for my students' families and often babysat when I wasn’t at the school. The parents of my students could always count on me for ideas to help their littles ones sleep better, eat better and be on a good schedule. As a nanny, I had all the responsibilities of my teaching days and more. Helping a family raise children involves so many moving parts and I have tackled them all. I became a doula because I love helping people. More importantly, my previous experience makes me ideally suited to assist with older siblings as they adjust to their growing family.

Antonia Speranza

Chicago, Illinois

Antonia Speranza

5 years of experience

Antonia brings a calm and caring presence to family’s homes and is passionate about providing evidence-based, empathetic, and non-judgmental support to growing families in the Chicago area. With her extensive background in child development (MS Child Development, Infancy), she leaves each family feeling confident in not only caring for their new baby, but in supporting their development as they continue grow!

Nia Ellis

Chicago, Illinois

Nia Ellis

9 years of experience

I am a Full Spectrum Doula and yoga instructor who specializes in supporting whole family units through the transition of a new baby in the home. I have extensive experience with working in private homes and with all ages. I recognize the enormous transition that a family experiences when welcoming a new baby and am here to provide care and support in whatever way a family needs.

Damiana Andonova

Chicago, Illinois

Damiana Andonova

14 years of experience
Accepts insurances

J’adore Mon Bébé was founded by a first-generation female immigrant and proud second-generation doula with one very simple mission, to give every baby an equal welcome. Our mother-daughter founders bring a combined 45 years of experience, and provide 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.

Elly Hernandez

Chicago, Illinois

5.0 (4 reviews)

Elly Hernandez

4 years of experience
Accepts insurances

Hey there! My name is Elly and I am a certified full spectrum doula and a mama to three littles. I offer fertility, birth and postpartum support. I'm located in Jefferson Park and I'm a born and raised Chicagoan. I am a nursing student with a Bachelors in Health Science, and I bring my background knowledge in maternal health disparities into this work by working on a sliding fee scale for families with a tight budget. I am passionate about serving moms and dads in whatever way they need. I strive to provide high quality, compassionate and personalized care to families. No two families needs are the same and through great communication and a never-ending willingness to learn, I do my best to provide a fully curated experience. When I'm not busy at a birth or educating families at a prenatal, I am chasing after my three little gremlins be it at a forest preserve or around the toy section at target, haha. I love being active and cooking. Don't be surprised if I show up with a tin of cookies or a pot full of soup at your prenatal or postpartum visit. I love feeding my families! Thanks for taking the time to read a little about me, and I can't wait to serve you and your family in your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!

Recent review

Elly was an absolutely integral part of my successful natural VBAC labor and delivery. Through active labor, she suggested movement patterns and positions that were not only helpful for pain management but also helped improve the baby’s position and descent. She explained everything and always offered it in a helpful way rather than being pushy or demanding. I felt like she anticipated many of my needs and wants during labor before I even needed to ask. I also really appreciated the amount of involvement she encouraged from my partner. He really wanted to be supportive and the tactics that Elly provided allowed him to be so much more purposeful and helpful. Overall, Elly was truly supportive of my birth plan and did everything she could to ensure it became a reality. I would recommend her to absolutely anyone looking for a positive, empowered birthing experience, but in particular I would highly recommend her to mamas who want to go natural!

- Hannah V.

Tabresha Posey

Chicago, Illinois

Tabresha Posey

5 years of experience

My name is Tabresha “Breezy” Posey. I am a Certified Birth and Postpartum Doula living in the Chicagoland area. As your doula, it is my practice to create opportunities for birthing people and their family to be informed, emotional and physically supported throughout this intimate experience. My goal is to ensure the birthing person feels safe, empowered, respected, and heard throughout the pregnancy, labor and delivery experience. My background consists of an A.A.S in Early Child Development, B.A Humans Services along with Certified Labor and Delivery certification. I am a student of life and learning; and have a Life Coach certification and I am working on my 200 hr.Wellness, SELA and Yoga certification. In my free time I love to travel, walk in nature and spend as much time as I can with my grandchildren. I also love solitude, reading and daydreaming.

Joy Thomas

Chicago, Illinois

Joy Thomas

5 years of experience

Hello Beautiful Mama, My name is Joy Thomas and I am your Birth & Postpartum Doula servicing Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana. I believe that the Freedom to Choose is your Maternal Birthright! My goal is to ensure you have a safe, peaceful, confident and well supported pregnancy, birth and postpartum period. Ready to Birth with Joy? #ChooseJoy

Jennifer Allen

Chicago, Illinois

Jennifer Allen

8 years of experience

Hello! I am a scrunchy mom of two, and I have lived in birth world for the last 5 years serving dozens of families. I support all birth, postpartum, and feeding journeys. I have my bachelors of science from DePaul University with research focus in infant gut development, and I am certified for birth work through DONA. I am happy to support you and your family throughout your story!

Niki Flood

Chicago, Illinois

Niki Flood

15 years of experience

Life is made of moments. Some of these moments will be easy, while others will be harder to navigate. No matter the ease or difficulty within that moment, it is still YOUR moment. As your Doula, I want to be there to help navigate the moments that may be a bit difficult, very difficult, or even the easy ones. Communication is very important, and I feel it is one of the main components to making sure that you, as a whole, are being seen, heard, supported, and appreciated in each and every moment. I am currently working on my certification through Doula Trainings International (DTI).

Michelle Humbert

Chicago, Illinois

Michelle Humbert

3 years of experience

Heyy Yall, I'm Michelle social worker by day and certified birth doula by passion located in Chicago. My main focus as a doula is make sure I'm supporting your goals and interests. Within my business mental and nutritional health are pillars in the structure and embedded in all that I do since it impacts all part of your life especially in birth. My goal as a doula is reinforce your desires and educate you with warmth and compassion. There's so many things in life that are hard childbirth shouldn't be one of them. In my free time I'm a proud auntie, reader, sometimes chef/baker, I love watching Golden Girls every night and picking a new hobby every season to try out!

Yhwdith Yhadath Dinah Yasharahla

Chicago, Illinois

5.0 (1 review)

Yhwdith Yhadath Dinah Yasharahla

7 years of experience

Hello my name is Yhwdith-Yhadath! I am a certified doula and have been for about three years. I am also a medical professional with NURSE AIDE CERTIFICATION in 10 states and counting and 3 classes down for my LPN LICENSE.

Recent review

Yhadath was amazing !!! Handled everything in a very professional manner I couldn't be more happy with her service. I would recommend her to family and friends!! All needs where met thank you soooo much

- Shmahyah I.

Mia Willis, CMA

Chicago, Illinois

Mia Willis, CMA

5 years of experience

It’s great to have you here. Let me introduce myself. My name is Mia Willis, CMA and I have served as a Prenatal and Postnatal Doula and Childbirth and Infancy Care Educator. I am a Chicago native and Northside College Preparatory High School Alumna. Like most, I stumbled into my role. Enduring the gestational hardships of my pregnancy led to my passion for wanting to empower and educate others during this delicate transition into parenthood. This passion led me to pursue a comprehensive education in the field of maternal support. I hold a certification in Medical Assisting with a background in Obstetrics and Gynecology. In 2021, I became a Certified Doula through the Black Womban Doula Course, ensuring that all of my sprouts receive the highest level of care and expertise. I am dedicated to continually expanding my knowledge and staying current with the latest evidence-based practices in maternal health and care.

Seyi Akinwale

Chicago, Illinois

Seyi Akinwale

3 years of experience

I’m Seyi. I have over 15 years of childcare experience in a variety of settings such as a babysitter, nanny, teacher, and now birth and postpartum doula. I am passionate about the field of birth work. After witnessing and hearing about many of the difficulties and abuse of power in hospital settings, my passion for helping people navigate these settings was ignited. It is impossible to guarantee a “perfect birth” but I believe that you should have the opportunity to be prepared for whatever may or may not happen. This includes being aware of medical interventions, having the best people for you in your birthing space, establishing and enforcing necessary boundaries, and ultimately doing the best for you! Childbirth is a beautiful process that is both natural and spiritual.

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.

Kristen Walles

Riverside, Illinois

Kristen Walles

12 years of experience

Hi! I'm Kristen. I am a graduate of Chamberlain University, where I obtained my Bachelor of Science in Nursing. My nursing degree has taken me down a path I was destined to be on. I always knew I wanted to work with mothers and babies, and after graduation, I began working as a private nurse for postpartum families. I would be their support system during their personal postpartum journey while educating their entire family on how to navigate the new territory of bringing their baby (or babies!) home. It was during this time I learned how motherhood is such a beautiful experience, yet also one of the most difficult without the proper support system. I began to specialize in infant sleep and obtained my Pediatric Sleep Consultant certification through the Family Sleep Institute. I have worked with countless families in Chicago, as well as virtually, to help them find the rest their whole family needs in a way that works for them. I had a baby of my own last year, and being a mother myself has brought even more empathy and compassion into my work.

Becca Tilton

New Lenox, Illinois

Becca Tilton

3 years of experience

Hi there! I'm Becca, your new postpartum sister wishing to support all moms in their blooming season of motherhood. I am a proud girl momma x3 with over ten years of community health experience. A postpartum doula in training who 's primary focus is on: resiliency strategies, nourishment, movement, and finding your village. Let's bloom together!🌸

Angie Runyan

Brookfield, Illinois

Angie Runyan

22 years of experience

As a mother myself, I know first hand the value of kind and informed assistant in the days following the birth of a baby. I was blessed to have experienced support following the births of my now grown three children and know how valuable it is. I have provided support as a lactation consultant, doula and postpartum doula to many families. It is an honor to provide new parents with the help they need while adjusting to parenting a new born.

Kate Brooks

Chicago, Illinois

Kate Brooks

Trained postpartum doula with experience in supporting and caring for newborns. Previously nannied for five years and worked at an early childhood center in the enfant room for four years. Love to support and care for parents postpartum and find best ways to create systems of support for parents postpartum.

Elle Mercado

Oak Park, Illinois

Elle Mercado

5 years of experience

hello birthing persons, i’m elle, a DONA certified birth doula, yoga instructor and social worker based in oak park, IL. I became a doula after four years of working in childhood education and fully understanding the impact birth has on everything—my pedagogies are rooted in epigenetics.

Brittany Hourston

Broadview, Illinois

Brittany Hourston

2 years of experience

Hello Friend, my name is Brittany Hourston. I am a Postpartum Doula located in the Chicagoland area. The facets of encouraging, educating, and caring for newborns and their moms. I'm always curious to learn more about how I can be a great asset to the pair. Coming from an educational and nonprofit background, I believe the growth of a child starts at the beginning stages of early childhood, and establishing a positive atmosphere with great strategies will help to get there. My agency works to establish a judgment-free zone for all parents seeking informational and emotional support.