Hi! I’m Kathleen (she/her), the founder and owner of Boston Area Doulas. I am a certified birth and postpartum doula, certified infant feeding specialist, prenatal educator, and Body Ready Method pro.

I had childhood aspirations of becoming an astronaut or comedian. After college, I became a teacher (5th/7th/10th grade). I later earned a Masters in Teaching and had a rewarding 15-year education career— dedicating myself to teaching students, coaching teachers, and helping others recognize their own strengths. After the birth of my second child, it became crystal clear that supporting and educating families as they birthed their babies and found their way as new parents was ultimately what I was put here to do.

My own postpartum experience with my first child was filled with exhaustion, self-doubt, and conflicting advice from well-meaning family and friends. I knew there must be a better way. During my second pregnancy, I hired a postpartum doula to provide me with the nonjudgmental, hands-on support I knew I would need. The immeasurable value, and the juxtaposition between my first and second experiences, prompted me to become a doula.

Today, I love working with clients to help them find the best doula for their family. I approach this important job with the utmost care and consideration. I also do infant feeding consults, postpartum planning sessions, childbirth and newborn care classes. As a former NCAA college rower and longtime athlete, I love helping clients prepare for the unique physical and emotional demands of pregnancy and birth. In my 90-minute Body Ready Method® consults--a combination of discussion and observations of how clients sit/stand/walk/work/play/sleep-- I assess alignment and identifies compensation patterns in the core, upper body, pelvis, and pelvic floor. I get to know your goals and works with you to create a personalized plan to prepare your body for birth and minimize pregnancy-related injuries and issues.

My best advice for expecting families is, “Reach out for help before you think you need it. You're not supposed to be able to do this by yourself.”

In my down time, I love to spend time with my family, to garden and move my body. When time allows, you can find me beachside, listening to a podcast, as I soak in the tranquility of the water. I am looking forward to learning about where you’re at in your reproductive journey, and is excited to share about how a doula can support you!

Podcast episodes:

-The Self Within, “Unveiling the Postpartum Experience: Emotions, Stigmas and What to Look Out For,”discussing stigmas around asking for help with a new baby, and how to identify and manage perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

-Radio Entrepreneurs podcast, "The Thoroughly Modern Doula” episode, discussing how the ancient practice of being a doula has transitioned into the 21st century

Kind words from families I’ve supported:

“What I most appreciated about working with Kathleen is her approach - she's both thorough and thoughtful, balancing sharing all of the information, data and analysis we asked for, alongside empathy, emotional support and consciousness of who we are and what we need. I didn't realize how much I needed that kind of support until we started doing our sessions with Kathleen. I feel like she provided incredible balance for us, and opened up the way my husband and I were thinking about the rest of our pregnancy, our birth and the 4th trimester too.” —Childbirth Class, Postpartum Planning Consult and Birthing Planning Consult Client

"Kathleen empowered me to feel more confident about caring for my baby. Kathleen helped me to trust my instincts, and as a result, I spend less time worrying and more time enjoying being a mother. The most valuable part of having Kathleen's doula support was her wealth of knowledge about newborn care and the comforting, supportive way in which she shared that knowledge with me. I wasn't very confident about breastfeeding and how best to help my baby sleep better, but she was so reassuring as well as informative, and she helped me to feel better about both. Kathleen has the perfect combination of being supportive and kind in conjunction with being extremely practical and knowledgeable, and with such a calming presence.” -Postpartum Client

“In the anxious first weeks as new parents to a tiny baby, Kathleen was indispensable and helped us become a happier and more confident little threesome. After being present at his birth (and supporting us through pregnancy), she was a much needed calm presence in our home with a wealth of baby knowledge, postpartum and mental health care for the birth and non birthing partner. As two recent arrivals in Boston with no family to help us, it was like having a kind and non-judgmental friend visit you. She did everything from teach us how to soothe and bathe him, to scooping up a crying baby and sending two exhausted and starving people for naps or a walk whilst she looked after him, cooked us delicious meals and did the washing up. She was a kind ear for all our panicked, sleep-deprived questions, and a vital resource, helping us trouble-shoot breast-feeding issues and providing referrals to therapists, as well as being a genuine pleasure to have around. Kathleen is the closest Boston has to a professional mother for new parents!” - Birth and postpartum clients