Meet Our Team
Our dedicated birth doulas, childbirth educators, and support staff work with one purpose in mind: to help new and growing families have the best start possible. Come to one of our free monthly Meet the Doulas Informationals to learn more!
Sarah Paksima
Owner and Executive Senior Doula
Sarah (she/her) has been supporting families for 21 years in the United States, Kuwait, Oman, India, and Jordan as a doula, childbirth educator, and maternal health advocate. Sarah and her husband work hard to keep up with their five kids. She maintains her sanity by raising their children in a town with no stoplights, eating copious amounts of dark chocolate, and stocking their pantry with food kids will eat. When she’s not attending births, she enjoys reading, gardening, watching movies while folding endless piles of laundry, and letting kids bury her in the sand at the beach.
MPH, MBA, CD (DONA), LCCE
Senior Team
Amy Battjer
Central Doula
Amy (she/her) made the transition to birth work after her own experiences becoming a mother to her two sons.
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Carrie Tyson
Senior Doula
Carrie (she/her) is a proud mother of 3 children (2 earthside angels, 1 heavenly angel). She was born at the famous…
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Jen Finnegan
Senior Doula
Jen (she/her) has been lucky enough to be on a life journey that has led her to truly appreciate and understand…
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Kelsey Ogenia
Senior Doula
Kelsey (she/her) has always felt called to birth work and reproductive health issues. While studying at the University of…
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Lindsay Wolff
Senior Doula
Lindsay (she/her) has always been interested in the “whys” and the “hows” of different systems. The same inquisitive pieces of herself that led…
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Rena Geibel
Senior Doula
Rena’s (she/her) birth of two girls in Kenya in 2004 and 2005 influenced her to shift her professional focus …
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Central Team
Antwanette Summers
Central Doula
Antwanette (she/her) …
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Melishe Ivey
Central Doula
Whats the difference?
All of our doulas are empathetic, loving, and nurturing. What sets apart advanced Senior doulas are the skills, insight, and perspective gained through years of sleepless nights, long hours, and hard work. It is in this spectrum of birthing experiences that senior doulas learn to walk the unique path alongside families who experience loss, work hard to conceive, or need extra medical support during their birth. Sometimes you just feel more comfortable having the doula who has seen everything by your side. Senior doulas also offer two additional phone consultations during pregnancy and postpartum.
Molly Shephard
Central Doula
Maggie Albano
Central Doula
Maggie (she/her)…
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Passion & Professionalism
Something all of our team members share is the belief that growing humans is sacred and difficult work – the kind of work that deserves the attention of a professionally trained and dedicated team.
As a socially-conscious small business, we would not be able to do our work without the additional support of volunteers who donate money and time to support the work of birth equity. If you are passionate about reproductive justice and you are looking for an opportunity to give back to the community, send us an email!
Childbirth Educators
Amber Wright
Childbirth Educator
Amber (she/her) is a mother of 2 young daughters who felt drawn to become a doula after the birth of her children…
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Kelsey Ogenia
Childbirth Educator
Kelsey (she/her) has always felt called to birth work and reproductive health issues. While studying at the University of…
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Rebecca Gitter
Childbirth Educator
Rebecca (she/her) has been working as a certified prenatal yoga teacher in the DC area for more than a dozen years…
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Carrie Tyson
Childbirth Educator
Carrie (she/her) is a proud mother of 3 children (2 earthside angels, 1 heavenly angel). She was born at the famous…
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Marcela Bastos
Childbirth Educator
Marcela (she/her) first came to appreciate the work of doulas by watching them during the many births she followed as a pediatrician in her home country of Brazil.
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Rena Geibel
Director of Childbirth Education
Rena’s (she/her) birth of two girls in Kenya in 2004 and 2005 influenced her to shift her professional focus …
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Lindsay Wolff
Childbirth Educator
Lindsay (she/her) has always been interested in the “whys” and the “hows” of different systems. The same inquisitive pieces of herself that led…
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Melishe Ivey
Central Doula
Staff
Elizabeth Parish
Executive Administrative Director
Elizabeth (she/her) felt the first tugs in the direction of childbirth when she was in college and spent time with a midwife…
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Priyanka Banerjee-Guenette
Content Strategist & Infant Development Advisor
Priyanka (she/her) built her interest in perinatal, infant and child health during her Physical Therapy education in Canada.
Rebecca Justus
Policy, Research and Advocacy
Rebecca (she/her)
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Shaleen Ford
Payroll & Wellness Resource Advisor
Shaleen enjoys being part of a group that is dedicated to improving birth and honoring each individual.
What brings us together?
The collective sum of the individual differences of our doulas are what makes DC Birth Doulas great! We know it is the different life experiences, knowledge, self-expression, unique capabilities and talents that our doulas bring to their work that sets us apart.
We embrace our doulas and clients differences in size, age, ability, ethnicity, family, marital or parental status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, race, religion, and sexual orientation. These differences bring us together as a team and infuse the dynamic support we provide the families we serve.
