A doula is a trained companion who is not a healthcare professional and who supports another individual through a significant health-related experience, such as childbirth, miscarriage, induced abortion or stillbirth, and even non-reproductive experiences such as dying. An experienced doula can make the mother much more comfortable during labor and other life-altering events. They often share a similar worldview with their clients and through consultation will do everything they can to provide the support their clients have requested.
Over the past several years the popularity of doulas has increased exponentially. You might be wondering: what’s the difference between a doula and a midwife? A doula and a midwife offer different types of services, even though both support the childbirth experience. Midwives have had extensive medical training and during the birth process, focus on delivering a healthy baby. Doulas, however, focus on the needs of the mother, offering mental, physical, and emotional support. Where nurses are trained healthcare professionals, doulas are more like coaches or spiritual companions. Doulas offer strength and empowerment and many take to Instagram to document their experiences and share their expertise. Here are several doulas you should follow on Instagram who will inspire and amaze you.
Kirrah Stewart – Doula and Educator
Kirrah Stewart is a Doula and the owner of Doula Wisdom, a website and service that offers birthing courses, resources, and comprehensive birth planning. According to her bio, Stewart has over ten years of experience in education and being a practicing doula. “I have witnessed the trauma that can unfold when people are unprepared for birth and/or postpartum,” she writes. “I can teach you the wisdom to enjoying a positive birth and peaceful postpartum.”
Her Instagram account is a companion to the website with many educational resources including diagrams and videos shared there. Stewart also discusses her own experiences as a doula along with pictures of births she’s assisted with.
Lindsey Bliss – Doula and Educator
Lindsey Bliss is a co-founder of Carriage House Birth that offers a variety of doula services as well as training for people who are interested in becoming doulas themselves. Carriage House was started in Brooklyn, but it has expanded to serve Los Angeles as well. Bliss shows up often on the Carriage House Instagram account as well to announce classes and resources they offer all over the country.
Bliss is the mother of seven children and has two sets of twins. In addition to founding Carriage House, she has also authored a book entitled The Doula’s Guide to Empowering Your Birth.
Jazz-Ylaine Baptiste – Doula, Educator, Mentor, Program Director, and Business Developer
Jazz-Ylaine Baptiste AKA The Dancing Doula is a doula and businesswoman who is the Program Director for Cornerstone Doula Training. In addition to training, mentoring, and helping build Cornerstone, Baptiste also created Dance Baby Down. Dance Baby Down is “a pregnancy dance movement workshop and class series integrating: meditation, gentle movement, upbeat dancing through labor positions, affirmations and community building.”
Her Instagram contains personal accomplishments and updates on her life in the birth business. She also frequently shares tips and resources for expecting parents.
Moran Liviani – Doula, Educator
Moran Liviani is an Australian-based doula who specializes in Hypnobirthing and Lamaze Childbirth. She founded 2LifeDoula a full-service birthing support business that offers classes, resources, and of course, doula services. She became a doula after working with one during the birth of her second child which was an eyeopening experience for Liviani. She felt compelled to become a doula herself and now offers many different services to her clients. She ended up creating a Hypnobirth program with courses about viewing birth as a natural experience and not a medical emergency. “In the absence of fear and tension, a woman’s body is uniquely and perfectly designed to birth comfortably, serenely, and safely,” she explains on her website.
No matter where you’re from, her Instagram account is incredible to follow. She shares her own experiences as a mother and doula and many resources for expecting parents.
Meredith Westin, Emily Roembach-Clark, Brooke Burns, and Gina Dolski (A Mix of Doulas, Photographers, Filmmakers, and Educators)
Meredith Westin, Emily Roembach-Clark, Brooke Burns, and Gina Dolski are all cofounders and partners at Gather Birth Cooperative. This is a different sort of doula service than expecting parents can get from many other birth businesses. The entire team specializes in “providing doula support, photography, videography, and more in your prenatal, birthing, and postpartum time in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the surrounding areas.” In addition to yoga classes, birth training, and doula services, this team has talented photographers and filmmakers on staff so that parents can have a complete documented experience.
As you might expect, having professional documentarians who also happen to be doulas leads to some excellent photography, videos, and other content that you won’t see anywhere else on Instagram. Their Instagram account is a must-follow.
RELATED: 10 Birth Photographers to Follow on Instagram Who Will Give You Life
Maggie Cuprisin – Doula, Photographer
Maggie Cuprisin is a trained doula and also a photographer who owns Maggie Cuprisin Chicago Birth and Baby Photos. Cuprisin first fell in love with photography, then after having children herself realized her passion for the birthing process. She later trained as a doula and now offers the services simultaneously. The photos she shares on Instagram are breathtaking. She captures everything from documenting pregnancies to the final moments of birth to homelife.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 7 Midwives to Follow on Instagram Who Deliver Little Miracles On the Daily
Stephanie Entin – Doula, Photographer
Again, we find another talented birth doula and photographer in Stephanie Entin. She was a doula for nine years prior to incorporating her love of photography into her practice. Entin has nearly two decades of experience in birth services and documenting births. She started her own business, Little Plum Photography which is based in Los Angeles. The photos and experiences she shares on her Instagram page will give you chills. Her skill as a photographer is truly remarkable and having experience in birth as both a doula and a mother clearly comes in handy.
From doulas with cameras to truly educational and resource-rich accounts, these 7 doula Instagram accounts are all worth a follow. Each for their own reasons, but if you’re interested in the doulas and what they do, you will get to see the spectrum of the work going into the doula space.
Contents
- 1 Kirrah Stewart – Doula and Educator
- 2 Lindsey Bliss – Doula and Educator
- 3 Jazz-Ylaine Baptiste – Doula, Educator, Mentor, Program Director, and Business Developer
- 4 Moran Liviani – Doula, Educator
- 5 Meredith Westin, Emily Roembach-Clark, Brooke Burns, and Gina Dolski (A Mix of Doulas, Photographers, Filmmakers, and Educators)
- 6 Maggie Cuprisin – Doula, Photographer
- 7 Stephanie Entin – Doula, Photographer
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