Leila Mottley
Leila Mottley
Leila Mottley
About me
I'm a queer, Black birth worker offering sliding scale doula care in the East Bay. I was born and raised in Oakland and I'm a full-time author writing about black girlhood, pregnancy, and motherhood. I only take on a handful of clients at a time so that I can give you as much individualized attention as possible. I trained as a full-spectrum doula in 2021 with Sumi's All-Black cohort Touch and have been actively supporting clients in the transformative process of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum for about a year. Before that, I worked as an infant-toddler teacher for years and I incorporate education on newborn care in my work as a doula. I believe that education and information is critical to you being able to make choices that work best for you and go into birth with confidence and grounding in your abilities and understanding of your own body and baby. The goal of every birth is to create an environment and process that is uniquely comfortable and grounding for the person giving birth and so I provide a number of prenatal sessions to prepare parents with the knowledge and tools to make their own informed decisions while also being ready to step in and advocate on behalf of the parents' needs at any point. I am particularly interested in mindful birthing and finding the methods of pain reduction that work for each person, building a birth environment that feels as familiar and homey as possible (music, lighting, calming scents, etc), and being anything and everything you may need from home to the hospital, whether that be a coach, cook, massage therapist, fierce advocate, or photographer. I also have an affinity for postpartum care that encompasses lactation support, postpartum healing, herbal remedies, baby care, or just doing your dishes so you don’t have to worry about that too.
Certification and training
Full-Spectrum Doula Training (2021)
Specialties
Languages
English
Service introduction
I offer prenatal, labor, and postpartum support. Typically I work on a sliding scale ranging from $800 to $1500 for labor and postpartum support. I also offer a package for low-income and black folks that typically ranges from about $100-500 for 10-20 hours of care. I believe that everyone deserves access to birth support and I'm fortunate enough to be in the position to have another job that sustains my life so I can provide support to folks who might not have thought it was attainable.
Ratings and reviews
I was in labor for three days, and I can’t imagine how I would’ve managed without Leila. She is the support every person deserves during this process. She listened to my needs and helped me create a birth plan that reflected my personality. At the hospital, she advocated for me fiercely, pushing for alternatives that aligned with my wishes, even when the medical team repeatedly fear-mongered. Postpartum, she offered invaluable advice that helped me process my labor experience and navigate lactation. I am incredibly grateful that I had her by my side.
- Hafeezah A.
Leila was an absolute joy and pleasure to work with. I'm so grateful that she was available to serve as a backup and help me provide birth and postpartum support to my client. She was especially helpful with advocating during labor, providing education and support with breastfeeding and newborn care, holding space during the birth debrief and even helped with a Closing of the Bones ceremony! Myself and my client were very pleased with the care and support she provided. She was communicative, informed, and very supportive and respectful of the client's birth preferences. I highly recommend Leila for anyone looking for a birth worker. You won't be disappointed.
- Jaontra H.
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