Your Best Possible Transitional Moment—With Loving Support

Whatever your journey, wherever you are on your path, it is normal to feel overwhelmed and unprepared. Let’s make it easier together.

With years of hands-on experience, I provide calm, knowledgeable support before, during, and after birth, or at any other transitional moment, so you can focus on being present in the moment and making the decisions that are right for you. From evidence-based guidance to a reassuring hand to hold, I meet you where you are and walk beside you every step of the way.

Two women and a man are sitting on the floor, engaging in a comforting or supportive interaction. One woman with long hair, wearing a striped shirt, is leaning over the other woman, who has her head down, with her hair covering her face, and arm resting on her knee. The third person, a man with a beard, is sitting nearby, resting his arm on his knee.
A woman wearing a black face mask and black cardigan is reaching up to lift a large white cloth bag with a handle, in a room with light-colored walls and a closed door.

Meet Rachel — Your Full-Spectrum Doula

I can't remember a time when I was not passionate about family issues, and particularly family health. I had my first child at a young age, and found the perinatal landscape entirely bewildering. Mostly alone, I had no idea what was happening to me and my baby, or how to provide for him once he was born (and later, when he was quite sick). The experience formed the foundation of my efforts to support others who find themselves similarly lost at the hands of an impersonal medical institution. ​

I am committed to helping families access evidence-based information for informed decision-making, and to helping improve the birth and postpartum experience for all families. I serve families of all types, and I specialize in trauma-informed care, bereavement support, disability advocacy, and neurodivergence, Additionally, I am conversant in Spanish and American Sign Language (ASL), with proficiency in French and German as well.​

The journey into familyhood should be a time of joy, love, and familial and community support. I became a doula almost two decades ago with the intention to help bring such an experience to any individual and family who wants and needs it, and to strengthen the family bond—no matter what shape the family takes. I am honored to have been able to share in the lives of so many beautiful families, if for just this one crucial moment.

Schedule a Call

Education and Experience

    • June 2025 - Certified Full-Spectrum Doula, Birth Arts International (BAI) [lifetime certification]

    • June 2022 - Certified Postpartum Doula, DONA International [expired]

    • July 2021 - Certified Maternal Child Community Health Worker, Commonsense Childbirth Institute [lifetime certification]

    • July 2021 - Certified Lactation Educator, Commonsense Childbirth Institute [lifetime certification]

    • January 2021 - Certified Evidence Based Birth® Instructor, Evidence Based Birth [renewed annually - present]

    • November 2019 - Training: "When Survivors Give Birth: Understanding and Healing the Effects of Trauma and Sexual Abuse on the Childbearing Woman," Penny Simkin

    • November 2018 - End-of-Life Doula Training, International End-of-Life Doula Association (INELDA)

    • April 2016 - Birth/Midwife's Assistant Training

    • March 2014 - Training: "Rebozo Connection," The Gena Kirby Method

    • March 2014 - Certified Birth Doula, DONA International [renewed 2017, 2020, 2023]

    • December 2013 - Certified Bradley® Instructor, American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth [renewed annually until 2025]

    • 2026-present - Independent Doula
      After leaving the corporate environment, I'm back to serving individuals and families independently as a solo doula. Working with families directly allows me to best tailor support to clients' specific needs on individual journeys.

    • 2024-2026 - Pacify Health LLC
      Following Family Ways' acquisition by Pacify, I served as Pacify's VP of Doula Programs, leading a team of 175 doulas across 14 states and supporting development of the organization's app and virtual platform.

    • 2013-2024 - Family Ways Doula Agency
      As the founder of Family Ways, I led our dynamic team, supported families as a birth doula (and occasionally in postpartum), taught childbirth classes, offered lactation support, and performed community outreach and advocacy.

    • 2010-2013 - Independent Doula
      I started as a doula supporting a dear friend and single-mom-by-choice who was planning for her first birth on her own. From there, I served her friends, and their friends, and so on... until I decided to establish the Family Ways team.

Schedule a Call to Get Acquainted

Hear From Others

"There aren't enough words to describe the unforgettable fantastic experience that I had with Rachel!! [...] She was great and was not overwhelming with her presence; she leaves room for your partner and family to enjoy the experience as well."

~ Arné S., Germantown MD

​"While I eventually underwent a caesarean birth, Rachel's support was even more important in this situation... such a deviation from our planned birth needed someone with the experience and compassion of Rachel."

~ Leila B., Arlington VA

​"Choosing Rachel to be our doula was the single best decision my husband and I made in preparation for the birth of our first child…. she brought so much knowledge, support, and, above all, positivity." 

~ Elana M., Washington DC