Points of Light Birth Doulas have a unique style.  We honor and lean-in to the hardships that come up with birth, and work to infuse a sense of connection, joy and spirit that helps you align with your experience in a meaningful way.  We are grounded in trauma informed care and culturally competent support that is matched with a full range of modalities, weaving in care that supports the whole being.

Doulas support birthing people and their main support person physically and emotionally with evidence based information and advocacy.  The presence of doulas in labor and birth has been shown to substantially reduce the rate of cesarean birth.  Points of Light Birth Doulas are also trauma informed, culturally competent, and honor the unique world views of those who are disproportionately effected by oppression which includes living with stress, anxiety, depression, and trauma and the stigma that comes along with it.

There are many reasons having a doula can complement the work of a Midwife.  One is that Midwives are often busy at work making sure you and baby are healthy.  Doulas can be an earlier support system in labor and offer continual emotional support in active labor and until baby comes.  Points of Light Birth Doulas approach you and your experience based on the information you have provided us about how you hope it will unfold.  No one can ever guarantee how a birth will unfold, but we can work with you to advocate along the way.

Short term or chronic exposure to stress, depression, anxiety and/or trauma can show up in any peak life experience and potentially become exacerbate or inflamed during this time.  If you are navigating or have navigated such experiences in your life (including racism, sexism, transphobia, mental/emotional/physical/sexual trauma, living with mental health variances, etc.) we are qualified and happy to walk with you, center emotional as well as practical support, and will honor your needs, preferences and unique world view in this process.

All Points of Light Doulas have at least one form of certification.  In some cases certification came after a 2.5 year apprenticeship, and in other cases certification came after intensive trainings connecting systems of oppression and trauma with health disparities in birth.

If a Point of Light Birth Doula is not yet certified as a Traditional Healthcare Worker and registered with the Oregon Doula Registry then they are in the process of it.  If you are covered by Medicaid, please inquire about care.

What you bring to this experience will be honored and appreciated.  At every turn, Points of Light will seek to meet you where you are at.  For some, unique needs are centered around appropriate use of gender pronouns and/or seeking minimal pelvic exams, while for others there are sensitivities ranging from needing lights to be kept low and/or having adverse reactions to strong scents.  If you know you have specific requests please let us know as soon as you can so that we can do our best to adjust and advocate.

Points of Light Doula Support is trauma informed and culturally competent.  We also have experience working with folks who live with substance use disorder during pregnancy and in the postpartum time.

A note on cultural competency: if we do not match you culturally and you seek a culturally matched doula, we also want that for you!  At the end of the day, we would much rather you have the care you want from a provider you feel excited to work with than for you to be linked with care that feels a bit or a lot mismatched.  You deserve to have a doula you LOVE!

We also recognize how systemic oppression often effects folks financially.  We promise to work in the ways we can to meet you and your needs with the financial resources you have or you can raise on your behalf.

Great question, and probably the #1 question doulas get asked!  Doulas and Midwives differ greatly but can complement one another within our different professional frameworks across your pregnancy, labor, birth and immediate postpartum time.  In modern days, Midwives are greatly responsible for the medical health of mama and baby, while doulas have filled a role that honors continuity of care, advocacy, and emotional support of the birthing person as well as their main support person.  Points of Light Birth Doulas work closely with you to meet you where you are at, fine tune our understanding of your needs, and offer modalities that keep you grounded and focused on what is most important.  You are the guide, and we are here when you need us.

Points of Light Doula Support takes privacy incredibly seriously.  We will never share information about you without your permission.  We also promise to do our best to use as much security as possible when interfacing with you on the internet as well as when we are charting notes online about our visits.  We are not mandatorily HIPPA compliant but strive to do as much as we can to protect your privacy.

The base of our practice is in the Portland metro area.  However, we are happy to travel out of the Portland metro area for a travel fee, and would doubly consider this if your birth location is in Portland proper.  If location is your only barrier, please inquire and we'll see what we can come up with!