Best Doulas in Hartford

Ailish Lewis Coaching Services is a doula and birth support company that serves in Hartford. The company provides self-paced education on relaxing and planning pregnancies. This includes breathing and mindfulness sessions held over phone calls or virtually for the mother-to-be.​ Ailish offers to meet with clients and check their compatibility for a stress-free experience. She also answers any questions and gives counsel for concerns about the birth. She also provides virtual support during the delivery and postpartum checkups.

Birth Tribe is a community of independent doulas that assists families near Hartford before, during, and after birth. The group interviews clients to gather their personal information and profile and determine which doulas can match their unique needs. Birth Tribe has a wide network of doulas, such as those who have a license in massage therapy, are equipped to support clients with depression or anxiety disorders, specialize in reiki or crystal work, and more. The doula collaborative also offers childbirth education classes for expectant parents and birth workers.

Birthing Baby Gently is a professional doula providing birth and postpartum support in Terryville. The practice was founded by a DONA-trained birth doula. Birthing Baby Gently provides a variety of services, including birth plan creation, sharing emotional and coping techniques, providing information, on-call support, and labor support. Postpartum support is also available, including companionship, education, newborn care support, assistance with cooking and housework, and breastfeeding support. The practice service clients within one-hour of Terryville, including St. Mary’s, Hospital of Central Connecticut, UConn Medical Center, Hartford Hospital, MidState Medical, and Bristol.

Connecticut Doula Collective is a professional doula service promoting maternity care, childbirth preparation, and birth doula support in the state of Connecticut. The practice was founded by six Connecticut-based doulas who have a combined 20 years of experience. In addition to assistance during childbirth, the practice also offers childbirth education classes taught by instructors trained through Birthing from Within, International Childbirth Education Association, and Childbirth International. In-home newborn classes are also provided. Postpartum doula support, birth photography, lactation counseling, and placenta encapsulation services are available upon request. The practice’s doulas also welcome opportunities to educate the public by appearing at public speaking engagements and participating in media interviews. The practice’s doulas have experience in a variety of birthing scenarios, including unmedicated birth, c-sections, high-risk mothers and babies, NICU, multiples, adoption, surrogacy, IVF, stillbirth, waterbirths, and inductions.

Douhridini Doula Services and Integrative Wellness is a professional doula service in Hartford. The practice provides doula, reiki, and ayurvedic services and was founded by Elizabeth Radl. In addition to her bachelor’s degree from Connecticut State University, she has reiki level 1 certification and doula training from Birthwise Midwifery School. The practice offers a birth doula package, which includes three to four in-home prenatal visits, on-call support after 28 weeks, birth planning, and one to two postpartum visits to discuss breastfeeding and baby care. A free consultation is available to new clients.

Footprints Doula Services offers doula assistance and companionship to couples and pregnant women in Hartford. The company was founded by Stefanie Trudeau, a certified birth doula who specializes in helping families and individuals through the pregnancy and birth process. Her birth doula services include two prenatal visits, unlimited phone and email support, online breastfeeding classes, and a post-partum visit. She also offers childbirth classes, virtual postpartum support, and in-person postpartum doula services. A three-hour birth crash course for people who cannot commit to a full childbirth program is available as well.

Grounded Birth Doula CT is a birth doula providing childbirth education and care to eastern and central Connecticut, Rhode Island, and southern Massachusetts. The practice was founded by Jordana Frost, a DONA-certified childbirth doula and Birthing From Within Mentor. She also has training in lactation consulting, in addition to a master’s degree in maternal and child health and is working toward a doctorate in women’s reproductive health and perinatal health disparities. Doula services offered at Grounded Birth Doula include two prenatal visits, unlimited phone and email support, on-call availability starting at the 38th week of pregnancy, continuous labor support, immediate postpartum support, and one visit within the first six weeks of postpartum. Back-up doula assistance is guaranteed in the event Frost is unavailable due to emergency or illness. The practice also offers a free consultation to new clients. A sliding fee scale and payment plans are available. Any amount paid above $900 is deposited into a scholarship fund used to support families who can not afford the practice’s services.

Harmony Births is an agency providing doulas services for residents in the Hartford metro. The agency provides packages that include planned video or phone meetings to discuss its customers' prenatal progress, postpartum visits, online assistance, and ongoing emotional, physical, and informational support. Harmony Births strives to provide its customers with relaxation and support throughout the pregnancy and delivery processes, resulting in shorter labor times, greater patient satisfaction, higher APGAR ratings, fewer c-section rates, and better sentiments about birth.

Mama Warrior Doula is a company of pregnancy support professionals operating in the Hartford metro. It comprises professional doulas, lactation counselors, and instructors that offer birth support, guidance, and counseling to expectant mothers. It uses various approaches in birth support such as HypnoBirthing and offers packages ranging from basic doula services to planned belly birth support. Founder Melissa Duenas is a certified birth doula and the founder of Birth Tribe, LLC.

NuBeing Doula Services assists clients in Hartford and surrounding areas. It is owned and operated by Whitley Mingo who is a doula and a social worker. She has seven years of experience with providing first-time mothers emotional and physical support through their transition from pregnancy to parenthood. She is involved with in-home support and education, parent support groups, and community workshops. NuBeing Doula Services offers personalized prenatal care, birthing, and postnatal support.

Rushes Childbirth Education and Doula Service is dedicated to providing support and education for expecting parents in Hartford. The team of doulas at this firm possesses more than two decade's worth of combined experience in guiding clients throughout the challenges of each unique pregnancy. They offer "Rushes Birth Prep" in-home classes designed to teach expecting folks about Ayurvedic infant massages and oil washing. The company can also conduct preliminary evaluations for postpartum mood disorders and grief support.

Shannon Kent CD is a professional doula in Ellington, providing birth and postpartum services. The practice was started by Shannon Kent, who hold several certifications, such as DONA, Childbirth Professionals International, Empty Arms Bereavement, and Spinning Babies. She is also a member of the CT Perinatal Association and was named “best doula” in the CT Now Best of Hartford readers’ poll. Kent has more than 10 years of experience as a doula and has attended more than 262 births. She began a childbirth educator in 2010 and teaches childbirth classes at a local hospital. Kent specializes in vaginal birth after cesarean and holds 90 percent success rate in those types of births. Services offered include unlimited phone, email, and text support, two prenatal in-home visits, one flex visit, in-home labor preparation service, an in-home acupressure session, assistance with a birth plan, uninterrupted labor support, birth photos, postpartum care, in-home postpartum visits, breastfeeding support, and emergency backup doula coverage.