emphasis - doula & birthwork

10/13/2026

Officially trained in supporting ND Birth! 🧠💛

This September, I completed a training with ND Birth®️, and I'm so glad I did. It's built around four pillars of neurodivergent perinatal support: sensory processing, communication, executive functioning, and mental health.

What I gained:
- A deeper understanding of a variety of neurotypes
- Insight into the spectrum of neurodivergent experiences of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum
- Practical ways to support neurodivergent clients
- Tools to help advocate in the birth space and beyond

Every session left me with something new to sit with. Learning alongside birthworkers from around the globe, all working toward the same goal, was a gift, and it gave me space to reflect on my own neurodivergent experiences of pregnancy and birth.

What this means for my clients: I'm better equipped to support you in the way you actually need, whether that's low-sensory spaces, clear communication, help with planning and decisions, or someone in your corner advocating for you. 🫶

If you're neurodivergent (diagnosed, self-identified, or still wondering), you're welcome here. DM me to chat about doula support!

08/29/2026

✨ Wondering what a doula actually does? ✨
Short answer: I show up for YOU. Not to replace your partner or provider, but to add continuous, judgment-free support before, during, and after birth — physical comfort measures, emotional grounding, and help navigating decisions so you feel informed and in control.

Here's why it matters:
📊 Research shows continuous labor support from a doula is linked to:
• Shorter labors
• Lower rates of C-section
• Less need for pain medication
• Higher satisfaction with the birth experience overall

(Shoutout to the Cochrane Reviews on continuous labor support — the data has been consistent for decades.)

I currently have a few spots open for fall due dates and more open availability in the new year — head over to my website or DM me to chat!

💛 Repeat clients: always reach out, even if I look full. I will always make room for you.

Also taking inquiries for postpartum support and placenta encapsulation. Always happy to chat about what that looks like!

08/24/2026

08/18/2026

These two navigated birth with so much patience and perseverance. They adjusted and pivoted from Plan A to Plan B to Plan C with thought, love, and grace, demonstrating so clearly that the most important part of the birthing experience is FEELING SUPPORTED AND SEEN. I will always champion and advocate for your preferences and wishes, and also listen to you when your intuition tells you it's time to shift, slow things down, remind you of your options, help you ask questions, and provide deep, attuned support no matter what. The joy was contagious when these new parents met their baby, and I'm incredibly grateful to have been invited into this profound time in their lives. ❤️

08/14/2026

My 6 year old wrote me this letter before bed last night, on their second night without me. I read it around midnight, after 32 hours of upright micro-naps, steady hands, and staying fully present through every wave of intensity, so the family I was supporting never had to wonder if I was still with them.

This is what showing up for you looks like: unpredictable schedules, missed events, lost sleep — and I do it anyway, every time, because your birth deserves nothing less. Birth doesn't run on a calendar, so neither do I.

That's the commitment you're hiring when you hire a doula. Not just knowledge and technique, but stamina, presence, and love that doesn't clock out. I show up on caffeine, adrenaline, and total dedication, for as long as it takes, because you and your baby are worth it.

To every family who's trusted me with something this big — thank you.

Reread this letter over coffee this morning, hugged my babies, and got ready to do it all again.

07/31/2026

This is birthwork. It ripples into the future, long after the birth itself. It is building confidence, undoing years of conditioning, challenging power dynamics, emphasizing that you deserve respectful, trauma-informed care, always.

07/30/2026

I don't do sponsored-feeling recommendations. Like, ever. But when something is actually this good, I have to shout about it from the rooftops (or, well, my little feeble attempt at social media) and make it a little more accessible to people looking for better baby wearing!

Hope & Plum has completely changed the way I think about babywearing. Woman-owned, ethically and locally made, homemade with so much care — this is a small business doing it right. Every carrier is built from natural fibers that breathe, move with your body, and actually stay comfortable hour after hour. No stiff straps digging in, no sweaty back by 10am, just genuinely supportive designs that were clearly made by parents who've been there.

Because here's the thing — babywearing shouldn't be something you tolerate. You deserve to be comfortable while you keep your little one close. Skin-to-skin, heartbeat-to-heartbeat, hands free to actually live your life. That's the whole point, and Hope & Plum gets it. They offer a complimentary fit check after you receive your carrier, too - so rest assured that you'll have support to figure it out!

If you've been on the fence about a carrier, this is your sign. 👶🏼♥️

This month only, my code gets you 15% off (usually 10%!):
🔗 hopeandplum.co/RACHEL35895

07/17/2026

🙌🏼

Health care in the United States is increasingly team-based, and doulas—who often provide emotional, physical, and educational support for patients during birth, the postpartum period, and beyond—are valuable members of many care teams.

ACOG’s new clinical guidance encourages ob-gyn collaboration with doulas and gives ob-gyns the tools they need to better understand a doula’s role. It also highlights the importance of stronger partnerships between clinicians and doulas, which can provide vital support across the lifespan—including during and after pregnancy—and can lead to better patient outcomes.

Read the press release: https://bit.ly/4flN1Eq

07/15/2026

My youngest daughter wore her favorite Bluey pajamas last night. This week, in Biddeford, Maine, a little girl not much older than mine stood in the street in hers — pink backpack still on — while her father lay dead a few feet away. His name was Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero. He was 26. He was driving to work.

I can't put my own baby in these pajamas right now without thinking of her.

As a doula, my whole work is welcoming families into the world and holding them together through the most vulnerable moments of their lives. I cannot stay silent while ICE tears families apart — sometimes permanently, sometimes violently, always cruelly. No child should watch a parent die. No family should live in fear of being separated by force.

I stand against these tactics. I stand with every family, regardless of documentation status. Families belong together. Always.

06/01/2026

Happy Pride Month! 🌈

As a q***r doula, I believe that every family deserves to feel safe, seen, and celebrated — especially in the sacred space of birth and new parenthood.

Whether you're two moms, two dads, nonbinary parents, a single parent, a chosen family, or anything in between — I am here for you. Fully and without reservation.

Your story matters. Your family matters. And you deserve support that truly sees you.