About
A few years ago, a good friend of mine was pregnant, and I was so excited to share with her what I had learned on my journey with my own two children. At one point in our
conversation, she suddenly asked, “Have you ever considered becoming a postpartum doula?” I hadn’t, but her question stuck with me, and after some research and contemplation, I realized it could be a perfect fit for me. In 2024, I trained with DONA International; two days after my training ended, my friend gave birth. Helping her family was my first experience in bringing calm loving-kindness into a home with a newborn. I knew I had found my calling.
I come without judgment, ready to help you with your priorities as they shift from day to day throughout the postpartum period. As a mother, I bring lots of experience caring for babies, though I take my cues from you as you develop your own parenting style. I enjoy making a difference for people, whether it’s leaving them more rested than when I came, or seeing the relief on their face when they find clean laundry and a tidy house after they finish nursing a cluster-feeding baby.
I’ve been fortunate in having the opportunity to do many different kinds of work, which shape who I am and what I bring to my work as a doula. In college I studied American Sign Language (ASL) and later worked as an educational interpreter, an employment services specialist for people who are Deaf, and a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya, where I learned Kenyan Sign Language. Babies can sign and communicate with us before they can speak—sometimes as early as six months!—and I love teaching families essential signs they can use with their baby. My time in Kenya helped cultivate a curiosity for diverse cultures, and I enjoy working with and learning from families about their postpartum traditions. I also worked as a teaching assistant at the Perkins School for the Blind in the Deafblind program and gained skills there working with children with a variety of special needs, which has come in handy with some families I have worked with, especially big siblings.
When I am not working, you can find me with my children at a playground or library,
hiking in Frick Park, or doing yoga. I look forward to working with you and your family!
Testimonials
Calm, kind, supportive, knowledgeable, engaged, proactive, and genuine are the characteristics that immediately come to my mind when describing Elissa. After interviewing several candidates, my husband and I were so relieved to meet Elissa. We knew right away that she was the person we wanted to invite into our home to support our postpartum journey. As first-time parents, you experience a steep learning curve. Elissa was there to meet us where we were at, help us in all the ways we didn’t know we needed, and be a steady, caring presence to our family and our baby. Elissa is a wonderful communicator and is expertly graceful at learning your rhythms and routines. On the tactical side, Elissa has helped us with meal preparation (breakfast, dinners, baking), light housework (laundry, dishes, vacuuming, dusting, cleaning surfaces, sorting mail), pet care (walks, brushing, giving love & attention), baby care (soothing, diapers, bathing, playtime, age-appropriate developmental activities), parent care (encouraging us to nap, shower, eat, drink water, get fresh air), and graciously providing information to us on parenting tips & tricks in a supportive, caring manner – Elissa has taught us so many things (babywearing, baby sign language, tips & tricks for doctor visits, sleep, nursing, general baby comfort)! Beyond the tactical, Elissa has celebrated our milestones, shown true compassion and interest in our family, doted on our baby, and been such an invaluable resource. We are endlessly grateful for Elissa’s support, and we resoundingly recommend her – she truly enhanced our postpartum experience by allowing us to focus on healing, learning, and growing as a new family. It has been truly wonderful to receive Elissa’s care!- Chelsea
Elissa was so great to have as our postpartum doula! She would talk to our baby in a very soothing and gentle way, she proactively checked in if there were additional things she could help with around the house (light housekeeping/tidying up, making sure I was fed when I was breastfeeding), and she was always always on time – in fact, early! She was also knowledgeable about various parenting things and also pointed us to helpful resources with babywearing/baby’s sleep. I’m also grateful that she was happy and willing to learn how to use cloth diapers. I also wanted to add that she was *immediately* trustworthy enough to take care of our little baby while we slept, she gave my neglected cats good pets and care, and she would mask up in our home since we hadn’t gotten baby’s vaccines yet. We really appreciated having her help us with our baby and ourselves until he was ready to transition to daycare. Thank you!!- Megan
Elissa supported us reliably and with joy and love after our baby was born. Although we delivered in a birth center, we unexpectedly had to go to the hospital afterward. Elissa came to the hospital and held our baby while we attempted to get some shut eye and brought with her a sense of calm and helped us to navigate this new environment with a small baby. Once we came home, Elissa made frequent visits to help with the overwhelming tasks of daily living (such as warming up food, loading the dishwasher and doing the laundry) while also helping us to learn about techniques for holding and feeding our new baby and for taking care of ourselves. Elissa’s heart is so committed to supporting families to welcome in a new baby and she does so with deep kindness, respect, and love. We can’t recommend Elissa’s post partum doula services enough!- Brittany & Hanna