Meet Danielle
Postpartum Doula
Danielle became a doula when many 20 somethings were thinking about traveling or corporate paths, before she became a mom to 3 and a gestational carrier. Taking a few years to focus on raising some tiny humans of her own, she now brings her experience of motherhood to her attentive doula care, helping babies sleep peacefully while making sure parents are well cared for too. Danielle loves to help newborns develop a sleep routine that can result in more rest for parents even after she is done supporting their postpartum recovery.
More About Danielle
We met Danielle 15 years ago and hired her as the youngest doula on our team, enjoying her natural talents with babies and soothing the tender time for parents after babies arrived. Danielle loved working with several sets of multiples and families adding a newborn, and we wished her well when she married her first love and began her own family. Now 15 years later, Danielle’s 3 kiddos are in school, and her love of babies has returned her to the doula world after serving friends and family—keeping her baby skills updated and applied with love.
Danielle’s favorite time with babies is late at night, when parents are resting and the house is quiet and calm. She works to build a routine that blends with family’s goals and an infant’s capabilities to help sleep be the most beneficial. Danielle describes her support as starting with positive sleep habits from the start: low light, reduced eye contact, and simple and calm interactions to reinforce that nights are for sleeping.
Danielle shares her approach to overnight support:
I pay attention to the baby’s cues and use gentle soothing to help them settle back to sleep after feeds or diaper changes. The goal is to keep things calm and predictable so they can drift back to sleep more easily. I also try to support routines that parents can realistically keep up during the day, so it helps the whole family get into a good rhythm.
As a mom, Danielle knows everyone thrives when mama thrives so she loves baking lactation cookies, or a fresh loaf of bread to go with a crock pot meal, or just a simple overnight oat breakfast to set parents up for the day of caring for their infant or twins.
Danielle trained with Kimberly at Birthingway Midwifery College back in to 2010, and recently updated her skills with a DONA training and is currently pursuing certification and approval for working with Carrot Fertility. She has also completed a Sleep Specialist training to build on her infant sleep skills.
Danielle lives in SW Portland with husband and 3 kids, and shares about her busy and active family life:
Our family has a huge love for the outdoors and staying active, enjoying anything that gets us moving and into nature. We spend a lot of time camping, off-roading, and finding ways to get the adrenaline pumping in a safe, exciting way. My 13-year-old son takes flight lessons, my 5-yearold daughter does vaulting gymnastics on a horse, and my 11-year-old daughter is fearless on a quad or really anything with wheels. Life with this crew is energetic, adventurous, and full of movement, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
How motherhood has changed her as a doula:
Motherhood has kept me humble. Kids have a funny way of teaching you patience whether you think you need the lesson or not. There have been plenty of exhausting and chaotic moments along the way, but also so many that are joyful and funny. Overall, it’s helped me grow, see things from different perspectives, and not take life quite so seriously all the time.
Danielle is mainly focused on overnight care currently, as that meets the needs of her family in the most sustainable way. She only has a couple nights a week available and fills her schedule quickly, so reach out with scheduling requests early.