THE DOULAS

This is your Journey. And we believe in you.

Birth and postpartum can often be filled with uncertainty. There are so many opinions and endless streams of conflicting information. One thing is certain: You deserve support! Radiant Joy Doulas are passionate about coming alongside of your in your journey, offering informational, hands-on and emotional guidance, encouragement and support so you can enter motherhood with confidence and joy!

LABOR SUPPORT

Providing support throughout your pregnancy and delivery, helping you feel confident and empowered!

POSTPARTUM SUPPORT

Providing support in your new role as a parent, helping you feel joy and fulfillment in the early days!

To Schedule a No-Cost Consultation:

LABOR SUPPORT

We believe all women, no matter when, where or with whom they choose to birth, deserve support during pregnancy and labor. A Labor Doula provides informational, emotional and physical support for families. With a Radiant Joy Doula, you will be supported and encouraged throughout the entire process! The presence of a Doula at birth has many benefits, including: 

  • Decreased need for pain medication 

  • Decreased cesarean rates

  • Decreased length of labor

  • More satisfaction with their experience of birth

INFORMATIONAL SUPPORT

Your doula knows and understands pregnancy and birth. She can help you understand your options so you are empowered to make the choices that are best for you.

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT

Your doula is here for you during all of the ups and downs and emotions you may encounter during pregnancy, labor and birth.

PHYSICAL SUPPORT

Your doula is trained to provide comfort measures - techniques that she can provide (or guide your partner to provide): counter pressure, breathing, position changes, and more!

  • • 2 Prenatal Visits (including the creation of a birth plan)

    • Labor Support (Including immediate postpartum support)

    • 1 Postpartum Visit

    • Access to Radiant Joy Community Groups

    1• 0% discount on Childbirth Education Classes

    • 10% discount on Childbirth Education Class

    • $15 discount on Nutrition for Two Class

    • 10% discount on in-office Lactation Consultation Intake Appointment with Milk and Honey Lactation Services

BIRTH DOULA FAQS

  • A Doula is a trained professional who provides continuous, hands-on, informational, emotional and physical support before, during and immediately after childbirth. Doulas are not medical providers, but they can provide comforting touch, counter pressure, help with breathing techniques, and position suggestions to help a woman manage discomforts of labor.

    Doulas help families by offering non-judgmental support and encouragement. Their presence helps not only the mother, but the support team (partner and/or family members) in their involvement in the birthing process. Doulas are also trained to connect families with evidence-based research and resources so they can exercise true informed consent and advocate for themselves and their needs. (1)

  • Many scientific studies have demonstrated that the presence of a doula has an amazing physical and psychological impact on outcomes for birthing families. The use of a Doula has been shown to decrease labor length, the need for labor augmentation, and requests for epidurals. Overall, they decrease the amount of stress and anxiety experienced during labor and delivery. (2)

  • No matter how great your partner is, it can be very difficult to know how to support a woman in labor. A Doula is not only a great support to the laboring woman, but she is also an encouragement to the birth partner as well. This can look like offering suggestions and guiding the birth partner on how to best provide support to their laboring loved one.

  • No matter your birthing choice, a Doula can provide the support and comfort needed during the experience. The role of a Doula allows a mother to have a safe and pleasant birth, but Doulas don’t make choices for birthing mothers.

    If you are planning an epidural or a cesarean section, Doulas can still help with comfort measures, informational support regarding the process, or side effects of medication, and can be a voice of encouragement and support through the whole process.

  • Before deciding to hire a Radiant Joy Doula, we offer complimentary consultations in our office. Consultations are scheduled for 60 minutes and offer an opportunity to ask all of your questions and see if you have a connection with the Doula.

  • The beauty of hiring a Radiant Joy Doula is that there will always be a trained and compassionate Doula available as backup if your Doula happens to be at another birth. Some Radiant Joy Doulas work in teams of two; so you get to know both of them, with the understanding that one of them will be available to come to you in labor.

To Schedule a No-Cost Consultation:

POSTPARTUM SUPPORT

Bringing home a new baby is a mix of pure joy and unconditional love. But throw in exhaustion, a little bit of overwhelm and some uncertainty, and most families find they could use extra support during this transitional time in their family’s journey. A Radiant Joy postpartum doula provides time and space for you to meet your own needs by tailoring support to meet your unique situation and challenges. 

Snuggle your little one while your doula folds laundry. Take a relaxing bath while your doula tends to the baby’s needs. Maximize sleep while your doula changes diapers and helps with nighttime feeds.

POSTPARTUM DOULA FAQS

  • The main job of the postpartum doula is to “mother the mother and nurture the family. They provide non-medical support that is emotional, physical and informational in nature. They help with infant feeding, soothing and care. They also tend to mom as she recovers, helps facilitate bonding and makes the adjustment to life with baby easier.

  • Radiant Joy doulas help with light housekeeping only. They may fold baby laundry, sanitize bottles or pump parts, wiping down counters or emptying the dishwasher, etc.

  • No. Doulas don’t stay home alone with your baby. Rather, postpartum doulas are there to provide you with time you need to bond with your baby, have self care or offer guidance through informational, emotional or hands-on support.. So, feel free to leave baby with the doula while you nap, take a bath/shower or read a book to your toddler.

  • While a la carte support is available, we suggest booking packages in advance so that we can meet your scheduling preferences. Packages come in increments of 50 hours.

  • Yes. We ask for a deposit to hold your spot on our calendar.

  • Daytime shifts are a minimum of 4 hours. Overnights a minimum of 8 hours. Most families utilize this service for the fourth trimester, or first 3 months of the baby’s life. Some families find the help so valuable that they keep their doula for longer.

  • In order to ensure availability that works for your family, it is best to interview and hire your postpartum doula during your pregnancy, usually in the third trimester. Some families don’t realize that they need a postpartum doula until after the birth of their baby. We encourage you to reach out as soon as you know you would like to hire a postpartum doula.

To Schedule a No-Cost Consultation:

MEET OUR DOULA TEAM

NICHOLE WRIGHT

Doula Agency Director

Nicole is a wife, midwife assistant, birth doula and a certified clinical medical assistant. Since she was young, she has been interested in natural living. Her birth work journey began with her own struggles with reproductive health and healing. In early 2021, a close friend recommended she take a doula class with a local midwife. Completing that training was taking a leap of faith that led her to be passionate about empowering women as they give birth.  Nichole believes that every birth is beautiful and unique. She is truly blessed to serve, support, and educate families throughout the birth process while running the Radiant Joy doula agency and setting up families with great doula support that meets all of their needs. In her free time, she loves to travel, spend time with friends and family and read.

FAITH L.

Birth Doula

Faith considers herself incredibly blessed to be a doula. She came to doula work from the healthcare field and doula work was the first and only job that didn't feel like "work" to her. Faith believes that "if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life" and she LOVES being a birth doula.

She began serving families as a doula in 2015 and hasn't looked back. It is her passion to help and support women as they become mothers, no matter if it is their first birth or tenth! Faith believes every birth is uniquely special and deserves to be celebrated and supported. She works with families to make sure they are confidently prepared in both mind and body to achieve the most positive birth experience possible. Her goal as a doula is that when you retell your birth story in years to come, you will do so with a satisfied smile.

Faith's passions in life revolve around her faith in Jesus, her kids, and her Jiu Jitsu. When she isn't homeschooling her 2 kids, you can usually find her at the gym where she trains with her husband and kids. Faith also enjoys being out in nature and especially loves spending time near the water. Faith is a self proclaimed introvert but she can talk about childbirth, homeschooling or Jiu jitsu with anyone.

Em b.

Birth Doula

Em is a Birth Arts trained and certified doula and has been working for 10 years. Her passion for birth began at age 5 when she decided she wanted to be a labor and delivery nurse. The Lord had other plans, however, and she was first introduced to a doula in 2012. After attending her first birth, she was hooked and knew she had found her calling. She has been attending births ever since in hospitals, birth centers and at home. 

 When she is not attending births, Em is full time wife, mother and runner. She lives in Akron with her husband and son and enjoys reading, the beach, running half marathons and going out with friends. Em’s biggest passion, though, is her relationship with the Lord and she desires nothing more than to continuously grow close to Him and allow Him to be seen and made known through her work, both in the birth field and outside of it. 

alyssa h.

Birth Doula

Bio coming soon!

ANGIE A.

Postpartum Doula

Bio coming soon!

To Schedule a No-Cost Consultation: