Since childhood Leah possessed a passion and fascination for Newborn, Child, and Women’s health. During college she worked by educating and supporting multiple families with newborn care and lactation support and continues to provide this same support today. She pursued her dream of helping mothers, infants, and children by obtaining a degree as a Registered Nurse specializing in maternal/child health as well as a certification in Lactation Counseling. She previously worked at Ochsner Medical Center on their Mother/Baby Unit, at St. David’s Medical Center in the Newborn Nursery and at OBGYN North – Natural Beginning Birth Center. Leah has been trained by DONA international as a labor doula to further her knowledge and experience to support expectant and new mothers with compassion and trust.
Throughout her professional career Leah found a strong need for additional support, assistance, and evidence based education from patients and friends regarding pregnancy, labor, breastfeeding support and care of the newborn. She desired to spend more time with her patients by providing in-home support through professional consulting. Leah also has two wonderful children of her own, Amelia and Ellis.
Throughout her professional career Leah found a strong need for additional support, assistance, and evidence based education from patients and friends regarding pregnancy, labor, breastfeeding support and care of the newborn. She desired to spend more time with her patients by providing in-home support through professional consulting. Leah also has two wonderful children of her own, Amelia and Ellis.
Leah keeps up-to-date on current research and prepares new and expectant mothers and fathers for their journey into parenthood through her warmth and genuine nature. She provides families just what they need to feel at ease with the changes a new baby brings. She has built an amazing team to help support, guide, educate, and empower families during pregnancy and beyond.
Katie is a lactation consultant with nearly 10 years of experience supporting and educating in the field of women’s health and infant feeding. She previously worked for the Texas WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Program, serving a variety of roles over the years as a nutritionist, breastfeeding trainer, and state breastfeeding coordinator. She spent years traveling across the great state of Texas providing breastfeeding training to hospital staff and community workers. She began her career in the field of nutrition, but quickly realized helping moms and babies was her calling. Which then started her path toward becoming an IBCLC.
Katie has a Bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Sciences and a Master’s degree in Health Studies. She is also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), teaching prenatal breastfeeding classes and providing one-on-one support for new moms. But she really just loves helping parents-to-be navigate the overwhelming, but sweet, world of babies — and making sure they have the support they need to meet their goals. Katie has one sweet daughter, Claire, in heaven and another here on earth!
Katie has a Bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Sciences and a Master’s degree in Health Studies. She is also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), teaching prenatal breastfeeding classes and providing one-on-one support for new moms. But she really just loves helping parents-to-be navigate the overwhelming, but sweet, world of babies — and making sure they have the support they need to meet their goals. Katie has one sweet daughter, Claire, in heaven and another here on earth!
Labor and Postpartum Doulas
Taylor’s passion for women’s health began early on in her nursing career and quickly expanded to newborn care and education. After completing her RN in 2016 she immediately began working as a postpartum nurse. By interacting with women and families from all walks of life, she realizes that each postpartum period will have its own set of unique challenges. Through encouragement, empowerment and support, her goal is to provide personalized care to help women navigate the 4th trimester. Getting to love on her families and babies is truly a gift and she is so honored to be a part of some of the most challenging yet beautiful parts of families lives. Taylor currently resides in Round Rock, TX and when she is not working she enjoys spending her time with her husband and son.
Alison has been a labor doula serving families in the Austin area since 2015. She became interested in doula work after the birth of her first child when she realized what a life-altering experience birth can be, and what a difference the right support team can make. Alison received her training through Tiny Love Doulas and is passionate about supporting and empowering women throughout their pregnancy and birth. She loves working with women and their partners to help them achieve their goals and believes that a knowledgeable and loving support system is vital to creating happy and healthy families. Alison has experience in hospital, birthing center, home birth settings, and is experienced in the Hypnobirthing method. She lives in Cedar Park with her husband and three children.
Lyndsay has been supporting mothers along their postpartum journey for 10 years. Her intention is to guide a seamless and confident transition into motherhood and parenthood with a heart abundant in kindness, understanding, and encouragement. She is well-educated in birth and infant care and is able to support families on a deeper level to welcome new life. With an education in Holistic Nutrition and Yoga Therapy, she enjoys integrating her wellness learnings with her doula work. Lyndsay completed her birth and postpartum doula training with Doula Trainings International. In addition to her practice, she serves Austin’s community through Giving Austin Labor Support and Central Texas Doula Association.
Growing up with a midwife for a mother shaped Summer’s love of babies and birth from a young age, but it wasn’t until she had her own successful home birth that she realized she wanted to put the time and passion into helping other women on their journey to becoming mothers. Summer has been a career nanny for many years and before that was a teacher. Summer has a degree in early education and has two children of her own. Her experience in motherhood showed her the ups and downs that so many women face on a daily basis. She strives to make sure that mothers feel confident in their abilities and the choices that they make, and supports them to realize their full potential. Summer has a gentle and loving approach with new moms and infants and looks forward to helping you along your journey!
Katy’s passion for birth and breastfeeding began when she found herself an unexpected teen mother and realized just how helpful prenatal education, birth support, and postpartum care can be. In 2014 she trained as a labor doula with DONA. She is an accredited volunteer La Leche League leader and hosts postpartum breastfeeding support groups where she works one-on-one with mothers and infants as they navigate the peaks and valleys of nursing. A strong pro-life advocate, Katy has worked with teen and crisis pregnancies and has a special place in her heart for supporting young women not only in pregnancy, but in becoming strong, capable, and caring mothers. Katy is a home educator and is huge proponent of parental rights and home education freedom.
Prior to becoming a doula, Carley worked as a member of the Child Life team at Dell Children’s Medical Center where she provided normalization of the hospital environment to her young patients and their families. Carley’s passion for serving others began long before she immersed herself in the hospital environment. During her time as an undergraduate at The University of Texas, Carley assisted a family with a child with special needs for over three years. But it wasn’t until she witnessed a family member experience a difficult postpartum recovery in the fall of 2015 that she began to explore alternative ways of supporting mothers and their loved ones through the birth experience.
Carley embarked on the process of becoming a certified Doula and recently completed a graduate certificate in Maternal and Child Health from the University of Texas Health Science Center. She practices the “Slow Doula Method” by bringing intention and education to your birth experience and supporting you in your decisions. In addition to believing all interactions should be free from judgment, Carley strives to help all women feel empowered through motherhood and is your wholehearted cheerleader.
Carley completed her doula training through DONA International, is a member of the Central Texas Doula Association (CTDA), a volunteer with Giving Austin Labor Support (GALS), and CPR/First Aide certified.
Educators
Tanja’s aim is to help parents through all the steep learning curves of parenthood starting with prenatal breastfeeding classes, couples classes called Keeping the Spark Alive, lactation consults, new moms’ groups, and parenting workshops called How To Talk So Kids Will Listen. Since 2001, she has volunteered with La Leche League International, a breastfeeding support group that helped her overcome her own breastfeeding challenges with her first child. She is also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, (IBCLC) working in private practice in the Austin area. She is trained in Communication Skills Development, Human Relations Enrichment, and had the privilege of being trained specifically for the How To Talk parenting program by psychologist Roseline Roy, who worked directly with Faber & Mazlish, the best-selling authors of this world-renowned program.
Linda has over 30 years of experience working with childbearing families, teaching prenatal classes, providing care during the hospital stay, and after hospital discharge. She has worked as a nurse in medical-surgical, labor/ delivery, and postpartum units. Early in her career, she realized her passion was in helping with breastfeeding and that passion continues today. She also has worked with the state WIC program, creating and presenting educational programs for health care professionals across Texas. Linda is a mother and grandmother. She loves spending time with family, volunteering, taking ballet class, and training for triathlons.
Amanda believes that parents deserve to have accurate information regarding pregnancy and childbirth so that they may make confident and wise decisions for themselves and their baby. She encourages mothers to trust their bodies, their own instincts, and the birth process itself. Giving birth in a calm and nurturing environment allows the mother to labor confidently. If a birth partner is present she is always aware of the emotional connection he or she has with the mother and she honors that connection, and she supports the partner so that he or she can participate at their own comfort level. Amanda received her doula certification through DONA International and certification as a breastfeeding educator with the Texas Department of Health. She is an active member of Central Texas Doula Association, Central Texas Birth Network, and the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services.
Danielle’s passion to become a midwife was led by her desire to provide gentle, compassionate care while empowering women and their families to take charge of their health care decisions. She is proud to offer her clients personalized care and education. Danielle has worked in labor and delivery for over 11 years in various capacities. She entered this field as a doula, followed by 5 years of work as a labor and delivery nurse. Her professional experiences range from the most acute, high-risk deliveries, to birth center and low-risk home births. Danielle graduated with her Bachelor of Science in nursing from Mercy College of Health Sciences in 2011 and graduated from Frontier Nursing University as a Certified Nurse Midwife in 2016. Danielle lives here in Austin with her husband of 16 years and their 6 children. Life for them is full of family activities and just enjoying the Austin life.
Shelley has been supporting families during the perinatal period since 1995. She is a certified doula and childbirth educator through ICEA (International Childbirth Education Association) and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Behavioral Health Science, with an emphasis in Women’s Studies in 1989. She’s been passionate about supporting women’s journeys into motherhood since the birth of her two children. Shelley has additional training specific to postpartum issues that includes breastfeeding troubleshooting and support, identifying and supporting new mothers with postpartum mood disorders, coping with challenging babies, processing negative birth experiences and assisting couples adjust to their new roles as parents. She is a founding member of the Central Texas Doula Association, member of the Postpartum Health Alliance of Texas, and the Central Texas Breastfeeding Coalition.
Lactation Consultants
Jessi has been supporting families in reaching their nutrition and breastfeeding goals since 2004. She is a Lactation Consultant for Stork and the Infant Feeding Strategist for the Texas Department of State Health Services WIC Program. She leads a team of dietitians and lactation consultants that train and support medical staff, community partners, and parents across the state on all aspects of infant feeding. She earned her degree in Nutrition from Baylor University and went on to become a Registered Dietitian through Texas Woman’s University. She consulted with clients and taught classes on weight management, sports nutrition and nutrition in pregnancy /postpartum. Breastfeeding is such a beautiful and rewarding experience, and as Jessi learned through her own struggles, it can also come with unique challenges.
Karin began working with babies and their families in 2005. She loves living in Austin, and also truly loves working as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and Postpartum Doula. When supporting parents and families, she draws on her many experiences as a mother of three children (including twins), her education and knowledge, and her hands-on experience in order to provide personalized, sensitive, and informed care. She is also a La Leche League Leader, which along with her other work, has enhanced her ability to provide compassionate one-on-one support.
In addition to her lactation and postpartum work, Karin has a Master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Secondary Education. Within La Leche League, Karin works internationally as an administrator, accrediting new Leaders around the world, including in the U.S., China, India, Europe, the Middle East, and Japan. She feels strongly about respecting families’ diversity, cultures, and beliefs, and continuing to learn as much as she can to help families, both in the present and in the future. She is a member of both the Central Texas Breastfeeding Coalition and the Central Texas Doula Association.
Spa Professionals
Rita has a special passion for Prenatal and Postpartum massage. She understands that a woman’s body undergoes rapid transformations during pregnancy. With a strong foundation in Anatomy and Kinesiology she provides a targeted approach to relieve leg cramps, swollen feet, low back and hip pain, sciatic nerve pain, neck and shoulder pain, headaches, and other tension patterns. Prenatal massage can also reduce blood pressure, stress, anxiety, and depression. She graduated from The Lauterstein-Conway School of Massage in Austin in 2012 but her interest in massage therapy began when she was only 13. Having a mom that practices massage therapy gave her a unique insight to the power of bodywork that fueled her passion at a young age.