Find a Childbirth Educator Near Me in Washington, DC

Hey there! I'm Jenn Carlson, your friendly neighborhood doula! I call Springfield, VA home, where I live with my husband, Eddie—a rock musician who moonlights as a film critic. (Or maybe it’s the other way around? Either way, there's a lot of passionate reviews in my house!). I spent over two decades as an IT pro and a stage manager before diving headfirst into my most exciting production: raising two amazing daughters. Both of their births were high-drama—think less "rom-com" and more "medical thriller." But those experiences sparked a fire in me to help other women feel empowered during labor, and thus began my journey as a doula. Since 2013, I've been lucky enough to attend over 700 births and help nearly 300 new moms recover through the magical art of placenta encapsulation (yes, it’s a thing and it’s awesome). I'm a CBI and DONA Trained, Madriella Certified Birth and Postpartum Doula, a Childbirth Educator, an AHA Infant and Pediatric First Aid and CPR instructor, a certified Reiki practitioner, and a placenta encapsulation specialist. Whew, that’s a mouthful! My goal? To be whatever my clients need. Natural-minded or more into the medical approach, I’m here to make sure you have the birth experience you want—with all the options on the table. My definition of a successful birth? One where the mom feels respected, empowered, and ready to write her own birth story, no matter how her baby arrives. Because education is key, I teach breastfeeding, infant CPR, newborn care, and childbirth classes. I've got experience with Bradley and Hypnobirthing techniques, and I bring along my trusty rebozo and TENS unit to help families through labor. I also have special training to support moms who have experienced trauma or loss, and a big, soft spot for high-risk mothers like me who need to know they have options. So whether you’re looking for a bit of guidance, a lot of support, or just someone to laugh with while you figure it all out—I’m here for you!

Tamika Harris believes in every family's right to make an informed decision about their infant feeding choice. She is a board-certified Lactation Consultant and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. Tamika is a human milk donor and has provided lactation support to families in home, hospital and community settings. As a WIC counselor, she focused on leading peer-to-peer lactation support groups. Tamika is also an instructor for Lactation Education Resources. She was elected to the Executive Committee of the D.C. Breastfeeding Coalition and the Board of Directors for Breastfeeding USA. Tamika has visited congress members on Capitol Hill with the United States Breastfeeding Committee to advocate for policies focused on supporting lactating families and was selected to a special advisory committee for the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners.

I’m Chaya, a DMV native, proud mama of three, Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), student midwife, and birth worker with a deep passion for supporting families through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. My journey into birth work began in 2019 when I earned my CNA license, NRP/CPR certification, and full-spectrum doula certification. I originally entered nursing with the goal of becoming a labor and delivery nurse, but in 2020, I began apprenticing as a student and birth assistant alongside a local home birth midwife. That experience completely shifted the way I viewed birth and helped me develop a deeper appreciation for physiologic, intrinsic birth and the importance of protecting a birthing person’s autonomy. Since then, I’ve continued growing both in nursing and midwifery. I became a Licensed Practical Nurse while continuing my education toward my ultimate goal of becoming a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM). I’ve also spent several years working in a local hospital’s Labor & Delivery unit while running Nova Birth & Wellness, which has allowed me to experience birth from both the clinical and community-based sides of maternity care. As a doula, placenta encapsulation specialist, birth photographer, student midwife, nurse, and perinatal advocate, my heart has always been centered around supporting mothers during one of the most sacred and vulnerable seasons of their lives. Over the years, I’ve had the honor of attending more than 200 births in different roles, and every experience has continued to strengthen my passion for this work. While I have a special love for natural, physiologic birth, I believe there is no single “right” way to give birth. Every person deserves to feel informed, respected, supported, and in control of the decisions surrounding their body and their baby. Whether someone chooses a home birth, hospital birth, epidural, induction, cesarean, or an unmedicated birth, my role is to help them understand their options and feel confident in the path that feels right for them. Advocacy is at the core of everything I do. My goal is to create a relationship built on trust, safety, and genuine connection so my clients know they can confide in me, depend on me, and feel completely supported during such an intimate time in their lives. Many of the relationships I’ve formed with families have grown into lasting friendships, which is one of the things I value most about this work. My dream is to become a CNM and eventually open my own practice where I can provide families with compassionate, evidence-based, autonomous maternity care and offer the option of home birth—the same kind of empowering experience I was blessed to have with my own children.

Bringing more than 13 years of invaluable experience in the healthcare industry, I am deeply devoted to offering comprehensive birth and hypno-doula services, alongside pregnancy and fertility care. My journey in healthcare has honed my understanding of the intricacies of childbirth and fertility, allowing me to provide nuanced and empathetic support to every family I have the privilege to assist. My commitment to excellence drives me to deliver personalized care that embraces the individual needs and preferences of each client, ensuring they feel empowered and supported throughout their journey.

Hi, I’m Lynnese 🤍 A full-spectrum doula devoted to supporting women through every stage of their journey pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and beyond. I believe this journey is sacred, vulnerable, and transformative. My goal is to create a calm, nurturing space where you feel safe, empowered, and deeply cared for. My work is rooted in my own lived experiences as a mother, and a woman who understands both the beauty and the hardships of motherhood including loss. In my free time, I love being with my children, creating meaningful memories, and trying new places to eat. I’m a true foodie at heart.

My name is Kemba. I’m a compassionate, hard working Birth Doula My skill is listening to mothers and working with them for satisfaction in birth outcomes. I can meet with mothers, we will design our work proposal and birth plan. Together we will use many therapeutic modes for your birth and immediate postpartum. My specialty is bringing the safety and beauty of natural birth to your setting. Myself I gave birth without epidural in a hospital undergoing a medical induction. With the right support you can have a healthy satisfyingly birth. I serve all areas of the DMV and parts of Southern Maryland and greater Baltimore.I’m looking forward to meeting your family.

Welcome! I’m Hadassah Bellot, a licensed midwife and the founder of Myrtle Tree Midwifery, proudly serving families throughout Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia. Originally from the Bronx, my journey into birth work was born from a passion to reclaim safe, sacred, and supported birth experiences for all families . I provide holistic, personalized care that begins well before labor and birth. My specialties include home birth, water birth, and preconception counseling, with a strong focus on Black maternal health, fertility support, and person-centered care. I am trained in supporting VBACs (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean), twins, triplets, breech births, and I integrate Spinning Babies® techniques to promote optimal fetal positioning.

While photographing my first home birth in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2014, I naturally found myself playing the role of doula between shots. I signed up for official training the next day and never looked back. Soon after doula training, I earned a Certification in Lactation Counseling (CLC) and began helping mothers struggling with feeding issues. I have had the opportunity to work with hundreds of babies in various settings, with varying feeding challenges, and a wide range of feeding goals. Phelicia welcomes families of all dynamics, ethnicities, and backgrounds, supporting births at home, in-hospital, medicated or unmedicated, planned, and unplanned cesareans.

Hi, I'm Vee. I am a Perinatal Health Care specialist (Doula) Birth Activist, and Cultural Anthropologist. My work is in: Birth, Holistic Postpartum Care, Traditional Holistic Postpartum Care, and Belly Binding Practice. I specialize in the wholeness and wellness of an expectant mother. I believe when a Mother is put first -loved on, cared for and nurtured well...then her whole home and family then is okay as well!

As a doula, I am committed to empowering families whether you are a couple, doing it on your own or a same sex couple. My mission is to give support, kindness, patience, education and confidence in this amazing birthing journey you are experiencing. I pass no judgment but love and positive affirmations. I provide prenatal, labor, birth and postpartum care for you and your baby. Regardless of race, ethnicity or religious background, I am here to help you.

Hi mom to be’s!! I’m Danielle and I am a State Certified Birth Doula and Community Health Worker in the NOVA (Northern Virginia) area. I have been in the healthcare field since I completed my Bachelor of Science at Marymount University where I studied Health Promotion and minored in Public Health. I was concerned during the pandemic about the alarming rates at which black women and women of color were passing away at a time that is supposed to be joyous. With not having kids of my own yet, I would like to put out the good I’d like to receive when my time comes. Educating moms and their partners with welcoming their children and feeling confident to not feel pressured to do anything other than what’s on the birth plan. Knowledge is power and I would love to support you in feeling even stronger before, during, and after your birth.

Hi, I’m Brianna — a birth and postpartum doula completing my certification with DONA International. I’ve had the honor of supporting families through empowering and transformative birth experiences, both in and out of hospitals. I’m also a certified HypnoBirthing educator (Mongan Method) and the founder of The Birth Empowerment Group, where I specialize in serving Black and Brown families with inclusive, evidence-based care. With a background in special education and two natural water births of my own, I bring knowledge, empathy, and calm to every birth space I enter.

Nkay is a Traditional Apprentice Midwife serving families throughout the Baltimore–Washington region with a deep commitment to culturally centered, respectful, and holistic maternity care. Widely recognized for her dedication to Black and minority families, Nikita has spent over a decade supporting women through fertility, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum with compassion, clinical rigor, and ancestral reverence. Born and raised in Baltimore City, Nikita later relocated to suburban Maryland at age 19, where her personal journey into motherhood profoundly shaped her professional calling. Becoming a mother at 16 with the steadfast support of her married parents, she developed an early passion for maternal health and a determination to serve women during some of life’s most transformative moments. This experience inspired her pursuit of a career in labor and delivery and ultimately midwifery. In 2013, Nikita began her formal clinical training by earning her Nursing Assistant Certification at the Gandhi School in Pikesville, Maryland. She then advanced her medical training at Brown’s Career Institute, where she became both a Patient Care Technician and Certified Phlebotomist. That same year, she entered the field of obstetrics as an OB Surgical Technician at Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C., completing the hospital’s in-house Surgical Technology Program and receiving extensive on-the-job training in high-acuity maternity care. Over the next five years, Nikita worked across multiple labor and delivery units throughout the DMV, including Sibley Memorial Hospital, The George Washington University Hospital, St. Agnes Hospital, Providence Hospital, StoneSprings Hospital Center, Upper Chesapeake Medical Center, and MedStar Montgomery Medical Center. During this time, she gained firsthand experience in operative births, maternal emergencies, and interdisciplinary obstetric care—knowledge that continues to inform her midwifery practice today. In 2019, recognizing the limitations of hospital-based care for families seeking autonomy and holistic support, Nikita transitioned from surgical technology to birthwork as a doula and student midwife. That same year, she founded DMV Birth Doulas, LLC, a full-spectrum doula practice dedicated to empowering families through personalized, evidence-informed, and culturally affirming support. In 2020, Nikita launched The Black Doula Training, LLC, an accessible, low-cost educational program designed to increase diversity in the birthwork profession and prepare aspiring doulas for professional practice. Many graduates of the program have gone on to serve families in community settings and within DMV Birth Doulas’ professional network. In December 2024, Nikita successfully fulfilled the hands-on training and skills checklist requirements ine PEP process as an Apprentice Midwife including observing 10 births as a doula, assisting in 20 births as an assistant under licensed midwives, and attending 30 births as a primary student under direct supervision.  Throughout her training, she worked under the mentorship and clinical supervision of respected midwives across the Mid-Atlantic region, including: Bayla Berkowitz, CNM (Pikesville, MD) Monika Karaosman, CPM (Berlin, MD) Elder Midwife Maureen McIver, CPM (Pennsylvania) Ryann Bernard, CPM, JD (Alexandria, VA) These mentors evaluated her clinical skills, birth outcomes, and professional competencies, affirming her readiness to practice midwifery in community and out-of-hospital settings. Today, Nikita is the owner of The House of Gloria Fertility & Birth, a sacred, boutique midwifery and fertility practice in Ellicott City, Maryland. Her work blends traditional midwifery principles with modern clinical standards, offering families holistic fertility care, homebirth midwifery, and comprehensive postpartum support. She is particularly known for her dedication to informed consent, physiologic birth, and culturally grounded care that honors Black maternal health and ancestral birth traditions. Nikita remains deeply invested in education, mentorship, and advocacy for maternal health equity. Through her clinical practice, training programs, and community outreach, she continues to expand access to respectful, culturally aligned birth care for families across Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

I am a Certified Birth Photographer and Certified Full Spectrum Doula serving Denver, Colorado and surrounding areas. My love for birth started at a young age, but it wasn't until I birthed my daughter that I found my passion. I believe that everyone's pregnancy journey and birth story matters. You will carry your experience with you for the rest of your life. As your doula and birth photographer, it is my responsibility to support you, advocate for you when necessary, and document the beautiful moments of your birth. ​ I believe that birth is natural and all about trusting yourself, your body, and the process. I also believe that it is your right to determine what the best birth is for your family. I offer support for all types of families. I am also bilingual (Spanish/English). It does not matter if you are having a home birth or a scheduled cesarean. My main goal is to ensure that you have all of the information you need in order to make an informed decision. No matter what decision you make, I will always have your back. ​ As a parent who has just recently gone through my own pregnancy and birth journey, I understand how lonely it can feel. Know that you are never alone. I will be there to listen whenever you need to talk to someone about how you feel or you just need to release your emotions. I will believe in you even when you don't. You are strong, capable, and powerful. And I'll be there to remind you every time you doubt yourself.

Hi there, I am a wife and mother to 3 children. I spend my days staying current on evidence based information about prenatal, peri and postnatal care. I enjoy playing soccer with my kids, cooking, decorating my home for each season and holiday as well as baking and arts and crafts with my kids after school. I have always been enamored with Labor and Delivery! My most favorite thing is to hear others that talk about their birthing experience. Whether it was positive or not, this most intimate time in their lives will always be memorable. As a birth and post partum doula with several other certifications, I make it my mission to help soon to be and returning parents have a positive birth outcome even during unpredictable situations.

Hi, I’m Rachael! I am a mom of three not-so-little kids (ages 21, 16, and 13), and a military spouse of 17 years, so I know a little about having to build your own village. I am a certified labor doula, postpartum and bereavement doula, to be a part of that village in your life. After walking alongside three families as a gestational carrier, I found my calling in nurturing others through the many paths of parenthood. I have always been passionate about pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and all things baby, so I knew I wanted to find my place in the birth world. I am certified through Birth & Baby University and currently training with StillBirthday to offer a well-rounded education along with my personal experiences with pregnancy, birth, and parenting. I offer gentle, hands-on support during birth, the postpartum period, and in times of pregnancy or infant loss. Whether you're preparing for a joyful delivery, adjusting to life with a newborn, or grieving a loss, I want to be the one to walk beside you, hold space for your experience, and offer the support you deserve. When I’m not supporting families, you’ll usually find me at home hanging out with my husband, our kids, and three dogs. In my spare time, I love being in the garden, on my yoga mat, or curled up with my knitting and a good movie.

I wear many titles with pride — Wife, Mother, Lactation Specialist, Licensed Massage therapist (LIC#R03337), Student Midwife, and Author. But at the heart of it all, I’m simply someone who is devoted to women’s health, healing, and empowerment. My passion for nurturing others comes from a long line of generous souls — my mother, my grandparents, whose kindness and selflessness shaped who I am today. My grandfather devoted his life to serving his community, and my grandmother has always been the quiet backbone of our family, giving from the heart without hesitation. Their example taught me that true generosity is showing up for others with love and presence, and that principle runs through every part of my work. I’m a proud graduate of the Holistic Massage Training Institute, where I began my journey into bodywork and holistic healing. Over the years, I’ve specialized in prenatal, fertility, infant, and postpartum massage, helping women release physical tension and rediscover balance in their bodies. I also help many clients find relief from chronic neck and lower back pain, drawing on more than four years of therapeutic experience. In 2020, I founded a private practice specializing in pregnancy and postpartum manual therapy. Over the years of practice, I have helped over 300+ women relieve pain, improve mobility, and prepare for birth. My educational journey has included studies at Anne Arundel Community College and Western Governors University, and midwifery studies through the National College of Midwifery while apprenticing under several licensed midwives. I have attended over 50+ births in a mix of hospitals, home births, and birthing centers. My calling toward birth work was born of my own motherhood journey. My first childbirth experience showed me the power of a supportive birth team, but my second reminded me how deeply a lack of support can impact a woman. That moment became the turning point that led me to dedicate my life to women’s wellness — ensuring that every woman feels seen, supported, and cared for during one of life’s most transformative experiences. In 2022, I was honored to receive the Good Heart Award from The Shades of Blue Project during Black Maternal Health Week, recognizing my commitment to uplifting and caring for families in the birthing community. My work has also been featured in publications such as Motherly, Beauty Boost Baltimore, and Voyage Baltimore. Every client I serve, every birth I attend, and every family I serve is an extension of that same legacy of care that was passed down from my family. I’m here to create spaces where women feel safe, nurtured, and empowered to trust their bodies — because generosity, to me, is the act of helping others remember their own strength.

Highly organized, detail-oriented, and compassionate Maternal Health Expert and Senior Doula, as well as retired Career Firefighter/Paramedic, with 20+ years of professional experience throughout the medical industry. Well-versed in the delivery of culturally appropriate programming for the maternal health population. Successful in the planning and executing of a variety of programs and services geared to promote wellness and healthy lifestyles for birthing persons before, during, and after childbirth. Adept at overseeing the development of strategy and policy recommendations for clients. Demonstrated ability to deliver unparalleled client service, offer high-level communications, and facilitate training and management of teams. Highly skilled at identifying problems and developing effective solutions, monitoring performance metrics, and utilizing skilled analysis to optimize processes. Looking for ways to bridge Maternal Health and Technology.

I am a mom, daughter, a sister, an aunt, a cat mom, taco chaser, lover of travel, and a proud doula. My family and I live in the DC area, though I will always and forever remain a Georgia girl at heart. My passion has always been in healthcare and championing people to make the best decisions for themselves based on unbiased support and evidenced based information. My goal is that each and every family I support feels confident and empowered walking into and away from their birth experience.

Greetings families, I am Alisha a certified birth and postpartum doula through DONA International in prenatal, birth, and postnatal care. I provide emotional, physical, and informational support to individuals and families throughout their pregnancy, childbirth, and early postpartum journey. I offer a wide range of services, including education, advocacy, comfort, and guidance to help ensure a positive birth experience and smooth transition into parenthood. I am also CPR, First Aid and AED certified. I have over 20 years of experience in the human service field. I have been a servant to my community by providing resources to the most vulnerable populations such as disabled, homeless and abused. Strengthening new and growing families as a doula has been profoundly significant and valuable during the start of my career. I enjoy empowering families, promoting health, and fostering resilience for birth moms.