The ABC Doula Story

How it all began

Curious about how we began? Doula work is such a unique job, and there are so many paths to it. I am happy to share mine/ours!  The ABC story started in 2000 while I was still pregnant with my first child. I was nannying for 2 small children, and I happened to meet another doula at a park with her child. She shared with me about her doula work, and left me saying, “You should be a doula.”

I was amazed. Getting paid to work with infants and their mothers – who knew such a dreamy job existed? Nanny work was wonderful, but babies had always been my favorite, and I rarely could get enough of them!

After the birth of my son in a new city with no family nearby, I learned the value of postpartum support, and creating your mommy village. My mom was a great ‘doula’ to me, but she only stayed 5 days after my c-section, and then we were on our own, with my husband back to work and me struggling through breastfeeding alone at home with this baby. I formed a moms group that met for 3 years in our tiny home. And when my son was 6 months old, I took my first doula training…and fell in love with doula work.

After working part time for the next year, I was hungry for more. My husband agreed to take on the childcare duties for a short trial to see if this work could support our family (he was a bit skeptical). Surprisingly, it did! Our few months trial turned into years, as my heart grew even larger through my doula work and our unconventional family style was born.

We added a team approach to doula care when I couldn’t handle all the jobs coming my way, and grew from 3 doulas that first year to a solid team of 10-12 doulas for the past few years. I also added a child to our family 5 years ago, and had a great team of doulas to support our clients during my early months at home.

I have since added teaching at 2 area hospitals, facilitating moms groups twice a week, teaching doula trainings for 2 different organizations locally in Portland, and become a IBCLE certified Lactation Consultant. This work is addictive, and the mom and baby field is ever growing and changing; a fascinating one to study and serve in.

ABC Doula Service grew out of my heart to serve mothers and their babies, and the women who join us are hand picked and remarkable both personally and professionally. Some have served our clients for 5 or 6 years; I am proud that they choose to share their time with ABC.

Thanks for checking out our story, and if you are curious about starting one of your own, check out our doula trainings page for the next available training.