Jessica Smith

Childbirth can have a lasting impact on how you see yourself, and you deserve to feel valued, respected, and supported throughout the experience. It is an honor each time I am invited to serve a birthing person and their partner during such a meaningful moment in their lives.

I have always been fascinated by babies and birth. As the oldest of seven children, I like to take partial credit for my mother having six more children after me—I was always asking for another baby! As a little girl, I pretended to nurse my dolls, learned how to rock babies to sleep, and secretly read my mother’s Bradley Method childbirth book because I was certain I would need that knowledge someday.

I may not have known exactly what career I wanted when I grew up, but I always knew I wanted to become a mother. That desire was deeply rooted in my heart.

My path to motherhood, however, was far more difficult than I imagined. My journey included six years of infertility, four pregnancy losses, and IVF before we welcomed our miracle son in December 2018.

During those years, I experienced depression, grief, and a painful sense that my body had failed me. I changed careers several times, searching for a sense of purpose while carrying the deep ache of wanting to become a mother.

My path toward birth work began when my best friend from high school invited me to attend the birth of her first son. I immediately said yes, even though I was unsure how it would feel to witness someone else’s dream of motherhood while I was still waiting for my own.

The birth was long, intense, raw, and beautiful. I focused on anticipating her needs, helping her find comfort, and keeping her encouraged. The moment her son was born, I knew: this was what I was meant to do.

I never expected to find such fulfillment in birth work during the heartache of infertility. It took another year and a half for me to trust that calling and pursue it fully, but supporting families through birth gave purpose to a part of my life that had once felt uncertain.

When I later gave birth to my own son, I had an incredible Balanced Birth Support doula beside me. My birth included several unexpected twists and turns, as many births do. Through every change, my doula remained a safe, familiar, and reassuring presence. Her support made an enormous difference in how I experienced and ultimately remembered my son’s birth.

That is the presence I strive to offer every family I support. My goal is to help you feel safe, seen, heard, respected, and empowered, even when birth unfolds differently than expected.

My personal experiences with infertility, pregnancy loss, IVF, and birth have shaped the compassion I bring to this work. I understand that pregnancy and birth can hold joy, fear, grief, hope, and uncertainty—sometimes all at once. I meet each family with sensitivity, without judgment, and with deep respect for the journey that brought them to this moment.

Every birth is unique and sacred. As your doula, I have the honor of supporting you, believing in your strength when you experience moments of doubt, and holding space for the extraordinary moment when you meet your baby.