I am currently a private practice doula, certified lactation counselor and a co-Founder & Board Member of the RI Birth Worker Cooperative. I am a co-founder of Bellwether Doulas and co-creator of a model of group doula practice and prenatal support groups inspired by the centering for pregnancy care model. I stepped away in 2020 and now take on a small caseload of solo clients.
I have supported hundreds of families in these rolls. They are my greatest teachers.
Work, Advocacy and Activism
Member - Neighborhood Health Plan Maternal Health Provider Advisory Group (2024)
Member - Rhode Island Maternal Health Task Force (2024)
Committee Member - Perinatal Neonatal Quality Collaborative of Rhode Island (PNQCRI) (2022 - current)
Co-Founder & Board Member of RI Birth Worker Co-op, Inc. (2021-current)
Founder and Operator: www.RIDoulabill.com This community website has been the primary source of information and advocacy during the transformative period when Rhode Island worked to pass doula reimbursement legislation. (2019 - current)
Co-organizer and strategist of RI Doula Bill (2019-2021)
Guide: taking care of families virtually from conception through birth and parenting to age 12, as well as contributing to the creation of the Best Birth Initiative at Cleo - (2019-2022)
Co-President of Doulas of Rhode Island, a professional organization for trained doulas in the state of RI (2018-2021)
Organizing and activism with a team creating legislation requiring equitable insurance coverage for full spectrum doula care for all Rhode Island families (2019 - current)
Professional member of ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network). ICAN is a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve maternal-child health by reducing preventable cesareans through education, supporting cesarean recovery, and advocating for vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC).
Peer to peer mentoring Families First RI (2016-2017)
Continuing Education
Perinatal Mood Disorders: Components of Care - Postpartum Support International (2023)
Lactation and Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) Webinar - Institute for the Advancement of Breastfeeding & Lactation Education (2022)
Maternal Infant Assessment - Healthy Children Project, Inc (2021)
Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) - Healthy Children Project, Inc (2020)
Racism & Privilege in Birthwork Part I & 2 - Birthing Advocacy (2020, 2021)
Supporting Bereaved Parents - Ada Johnson, Hawthorne Grief Care (2019)
Rebozo 101 Workshop - Gena Kirby (2019)
**I enjoyed this training very much. I have since learned more about the sacred rebozo & have chosen not to incorporate this textile into my work.Supporting Families Through Perinatal Loss - Open Circle RI (2018)
SMC Full Circle Doula Training – Shafia Monroe Consulting (2018)
Maternal Child Health Specialist Training - Commonsense Childbirth Inc. (2018)
Spinning Babies® Workshop - Lorenza Holt, BACE (2017)
Placenta Encapsulation Specialist - PBiU (2016)
DONA Birth Doula Training - DONA International (2014)