I believe childbirth is a miraculous experience and children are a blessing. It is a joy for me to walk alongside families, providing education, confidence, and support throughout this stage of life.
LET'S CONNECT
I am a DONA International trained Doula, completing my training in 2021. I am also a trained Birth Assistant and am CPR and NRP certified.
My interest in childbirth was ignited when I was 8 years old and witnessed my younger brother enter the world and take his first breaths. I was fascinated and loved the experience and wanted to be “a doctor who delivers babies” when I grew up. Though that is not the road I took, I think being a Doula is more fulfilling! Going through pregnancies, loss, and welcoming two of my own daughters into this world have been some of the most challenging yet empowering experiences. I am so thankful to have had such great support along the way. Being a Doula is truly an honor and a blessing, and it is a joy to walk with others and support them on their own birth journeys.
As a follower of Jesus I believe that God designed our bodies for childbirth. He knits our babies together inside the womb and has equipped us with intuition and instincts that we can trust during childbirth. I also believe He has equipped us with a thirst for knowledge and helping one another, which is another reason why I am a Doula. I am passionate about education and advocating for my client’s preferences. I believe my calm and encouraging presence is an asset in any birth experience and I am happy to support births at home, birth centers and hospitals.
In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my husband and two amazing daughters. I enjoy traveling, volunteering at my church, leading and participating in various Bible studies, mentoring, and going on overseas mission trips.
Jessica was such a calm and confident energy in our birthing journey. Leading up to delivery day she stayed connected, offered information and encouragement as I navigated induction and even flipping baby techniques. During delivery, she stayed by my side, offering comfort and support through labor as Riley’s delivery stalled at one point. His heart rate kept dropping to alarm levels during contractions and she was there to support me as I processed the information and emotions around that experience. After baby, she touched based to help me process my birth experience and see how we were doing postpartum. I am so glad I decided to add a doula to our experience and was very pleased with Jessica’s work ethic and presence. It allowed my partner to rest as well as have additional support through labor and delivery.
Michelle Whitaker
Amazing experience with Expecting Joy- specifically Jessica! Honestly, I was originally torn on whether or not I needed to get a doula. But wow, I am so happy that we had Jessica with us for labor and delivery!
Jessica was supportive of my goals for a natural, unmedicated birth. My labor was long and Jessica really helped me with what positions to do and was very encouraging throughout. She also sought to understand my husband’s goals for birth and empowered him to coach me throughout labor. It was great to meet with her before birth and then again after I delivered to debrief about the experience.
I delivered at a hospital but beforehand I was nervous on whether they would push for unnecessary medical intervention. Because I had such a great team (Jessica and my husband) coaching me, I feel like the nurses and hospital staff trusted us to go through labor without getting too involved. When decisions about my care came up, Jessica talked with my husband and I to ensure we understood the options and reminded us of our goals. Again, labor was very tough and exhausting. I honestly feel like I would not have been able to meet my goals if it wasn’t for Jessica. I really appreciated her calm and reassuring demeanor during labor.
I truly was thanking God for Jessica after delivering my first daughter and I am eternally grateful to her for her support. I will remember her forever as a beautiful part of the birth story. Hire her! You will not regret it!
Karesa Espinosa
Having Jessica at my delivery was an unexpected blessing! My baby came 4 weeks early & my mom couldn't attend as planned, so Jessica volunteered to help me instead. She showed up for me with no qualms or delays. She came with a blanket of calmness and support that did not compromise her efficiency in the slightest. It being my first delivery, I needed someone to let me know that it was alright to do things differently than what the nurses were saying, or to help me understand the pros and cons of certain choices I was being asked to make (epidural, for instance). Jessica's clear and unbiased answers are much appreciated in a time when making decisions is already fraught. She helped me turn as needed, massaged me to help ease my pains, held my hand through it all and even cut the cord! She was even waiting to help me after an emergency surgery to remove my retained placenta. She only left once she was satisfied that my LO & i were settled in with no issues and comfortable.As I said at the beginning, Jessica's presence was an unexpected but much appreciated blessing at my delivery!
Brynell D'Souza
