Experienced, compassionate, and inclusive support for pregnancy, birth, and beyond
Everyone deserves support on the life-changing journeys of pregnancy, birth, and new parenthood!
Whether you’re looking for labor support, wishing you could turn to someone experienced and kind with questions about your baby in those early newborn weeks, or searching for an inclusive and compassionate birth preparation class, we’re here to help!
“If you’re looking for a doula, look no more! Hire Marlee and Megan! You couldn’t have a more caring team by your side!”
- Kara
How we can support you:
Compassionate preparation for all things birth and postpartum. Private virtual classes tailored to your needs.
Add us to your Pittsburgh birth team for advocacy, emotional support, evidence-informed care, and more.
Skilled support for feeding your baby. Whether you’re nursing, pumping, and/or bottle feeding, we’re here to help.
A gentle approach to supporting your baby or toddler’s sleep needs, and personalized strategies to get you more rest.
The postpartum and newborn time can be so overwhelming. Skilled support can make all the difference.
While this is definitely not for everyone, we offer placenta services for people who want to try this natural remedy postpartum.
“Working with you has simply been the best thing we could have done for ourselves and our baby. We will forever be grateful.”
– Elizabeth & Juan
Vaccinated & Boosted
For detailed information about community health precautions in our practice, please visit our COVID-19 safety page.
Are you...
looking for a knowledgeable, experienced companion to support you through pregnancy and birth?
in need of practical and emotional support during the first few months with your newborn?
searching for a meaningful child birth preparation class that’s balanced and open to all choices for birth?
looking for help with feeding your little one?
in desperate need of a better sleeping routine with your newborn or toddler?
“Megan and Marlee were our wonderful doulas for the birth of our son. We could not recommend them more! My husband in particular was grateful to have them with us as it truly helped him being there for me in the most effective way. One of the things I truly appreciated is that they were always responsive via text, email or phone calls. They truly care about the families they work with!”
- Viviana
We’re here for you.
We are a wife-and-wife team and have been offering childbirth education, labor support, and help for families of all shapes and sizes since 2014. We practiced for 6 years in Orange County, California before moving to Pittsburgh in 2020. And since the pandemic began, we’ve been fortunate to work virtually with parents all over the US and even internationally!
We believe that pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum and newborn time are unique journeys for each person and each family. Our approach is flexible and nuanced, never rigid or black-and-white.
We offer nonjudgmental support to each person we work with, offering a safe space to experience and express the full range of emotions that this time of life can bring. Having stable, skilled support during a time of so many unknowns and transitions can set you up for the most positive experience possible.
We honor your transition into parenthood as a rite of passage, not just as a series of medical events.
If you’re seeking experienced, compassionate, trauma-informed support along your way, we’d love to work with you.
Take a look at our recent blog posts:
Printable Birth Affirmations
Many of our clients are interested in using affirmations during birth, but don’t know where to start.
We created a set of 20 affirmations in 2 beautiful color schemes, perfect to print and put up in your labor space.
Whether you’re giving birth in a hospital, birth center, or at home, and whatever kind of birth you’re hoping for, these affirmations will be a beautiful addition to your birth experience!
“We felt so much more confident in deciding many of our preferences for birth and parenting, as Marlee and Megan helped us recognize what was really important to us. I would recommend them to anyone and everyone having a baby! They are amazing and hiring them was truly one of the best decisions we ever made.”
- Renae
Get our free guide:
Pack the Perfect Hospital Bag
Benefits of working with us as your Pittsburgh doulas:
Feel surrounded with support when you need it most before, during, and after birth
Have a touchstone for all things birth and babies. Reach out to us anytime you have questions for help finding the resources you need
Prepare in advance for the intensity of birth and the postpartum and newborn time
Birth doula support comes with a toolbox full of comfort measures, coping techniques, encouragement, and guidance during labor
Support for rest, recovery, and bonding with your baby in the weeks following birth
Learn what is normal and identify possible areas of concern in pregnancy, labor, postpartum healing, and with any questions about your baby’s health and care
We’ll partner with you to find creative solutions to challenges you may face
Our support doesn’t end after birth! We’re here to help you navigate the transitions and decisions that can arise in the weeks and months following birth.
Evidence shows that doulas can help improve birth outcomes for parents and babies (especially where racial inequities are concerned)
Peace of mind knowing you have people on your team who have walked this path many times and have experience and guidance to share
... and many more benefits!
“Marlee answered all my questions and validated my breastfeeding journey. I cannot express the sense of relief I felt after her visit, not to mention all the practical tools and resources she gave me. I can’t more highly recommend this amazing person!”
- Kristin
FAQs
What’s the difference between a doula and a midwife?
A midwife has (ideally) years of training to ensure the safety of parents and babies during pregnancy, birth, and the first few weeks postpartum. They care for pregnant people, attend births, and continue care in the postpartum and newborn time. Many midwives also provide routine reproductive healthcare and well visits.
The role of a midwife is similar to that of an obstetrician (OBGYN), with the main differences that midwives specialize in low-risk births and do not perform cesarean surgeries. Many midwives also follow the midwifery model of care which places the pregnant person at the center of all interactions.
In contrast to midwives, doulas are not medical professionals. A birth doula provides emotional, physical, educational, and advocacy support to pregnant people and their loved ones. Also known as labor doulas, birth doulas focus on the physical comfort and emotional experience of the birthing person and their partner or other support people present. Birth doulas can support you during labor at home, at a birth center, or in a hospital. You don’t have to be planning a home birth or a “natural birth” to have a doula!
Postpartum doulas support families after birth, generally until about the 12th week postpartum (although we don’t have a time limit for postpartum support in our practice). Sometimes this period is called “the fourth trimester” since parents really require the same level of support during this time as they do during the three trimesters of pregnancy. Postpartum doulas are familiar with healthy physiology of postpartum parents and newborns, and can often teach new parents tips and tricks for caring for their baby. They can also help parents get more sleep, stay hydrated and well-nourished, and usually answer many, many questions to set parents’ minds at ease.
Birth and postpartum doulas act as comforting, encouraging, and skillful professionals to help new parents during this sensitive time. Doulas can provide evidence-informed care and will support your right to informed decision-making. We will support, respect, and advocate for you in whatever choices you make regarding your care and care for your baby.
As you can imagine, doulas and midwives can both make wonderful additions to your birth team depending on your personal situation and goals.
I don’t know anything about babies. Do you have a class that can help me get ready to take care of my newborn?
Yes! Our Bringing Baby Home class will be a fantastic option for you. We will explore what life is like with a newborn, and what you can expect in terms of daily routines, sleep, recovery from birth, soothing your little one, and so much more.
Do you offer overnight care?
We only offer daytime postpartum doula support. If you need this kind of help, we would be happy to pass along some referrals.
I’m a single parent by choice. Do you have experience supporting people like me?
Yes we do! We’ve supported solo parents in many ways over the years. From our private personalized childbirth classes where you won’t feel like the odd one out, to support and advocacy during your birth experience, to extra help and strategies for your new parenting journey, we’re here for you.
Do you have experience supporting people welcoming their baby via surrogacy?
Yes! We love supporting families who are working with a surrogate. Whether working directly with the pregnant person or with the intended parents, we’ve supported people on both sides of this kind of experience. Our flexible approach to birth work makes us a wonderful fit for this kind of birth and early postpartum/newborn experience.
In addition to birth doula support for births involving surrogacy, we can also offer personalized birthing classes appropriate to your situation, lactation support for gestational carriers who wish to suppress milk or pump milk, lactation and feeding support for intended parents who wish to nurse their baby, and sleep support for growing families trying to get more rest.