Nan

    • 3hr visits over the first few months postpartum

    • $45/hr with min booking of 18hrs

    • Cooking visits: $135/visit (min of 3 visits)

    • $135/visit (3 visits min)

    • Birth and Postpartum Doula

    • High risk families

    • People with mood disorders

    • Twins

    • LGBTQ+ families

Nan (she/her) is a DONA International trained Birth and Postpartum Doula. She believes her purpose in life is to heal and mend. Her doula support is built on the tenets of compassion, advocacy, and equity. Nan believes that all birthing people have the right to birth in whatever way they see fit. With experience supporting friends and loves ones navigate the trauma of sexual violence, and from personal first hand experience, Nan understands how corrosive that trauma is the connection between mind, body, and spirit.

By working as a doula and yoga instructor, and by tailoring her work to the needs of survivors, Nan works to ensure her clients feel safe and trusting at such a vulnerable and beautiful moment of their lives. Nan’s postpartum support focuses on nourishing the body and mind so that clients may better focus their energies on healing and getting to know the new little human in their life. Nan has been greatly influenced by the postpartum traditions of Cuarentena and Zuo Yue Zi, as studies have shown lower rates of postpartum mood disorders in communities that follow these or similar practices.

Nan lives in Harlem with her piles of books and tiny herb garden.

  • "For our second baby we invited Nan to be a part of our journey and she completely transformed the postpartum experience for me. We knew we were in good hands when she made sure to understand our (and our toddler’s) daily needs, meal preferences and love languages through in-depth, thoughtful conversations. We had a scary beginning with our daughter because of an unexpected stay in the NICU, and Nan made sure we were fed with homemade meals. She dropped meals at the hospital, cooked us dinner and breakfast when we could be home, sent us with late night NICU snacks, and we came home to a clean, calm home every night. Everything was delicious! Particularly the mushroom miso soup and lactation cookies :) She made extras so we had a full freezer when she left. She was also a huge help for our toddler. We don’t have family nearby, so knowing Nan was on call and available to come stay with our son helped my body relax and go into labor naturally. We knew he was in good hands when we were in the NICU and couldn’t be present for him. She kept him on his routine while we were away and helped him to better understand the transition for our family. She then stayed present for all of us once we brought our daughter home from the hospital. Nan made the hardest week of our lives so much less difficult. Being a doula is clearly her calling, and we are so grateful to have had Nan by our side.”

    Alexa and Elijah

  • “I don’t know where to start when reflecting on our time with Nan, she was such a calming grace for our family during our time of adjustment as we grew our family from 3 to 5. From the moment we met Nan she clicked with my husband and I and our toddler son. It was no surprise that she seamlessly clicked with our twin babies. We (and they) trusted her nearly immediately; it’s quite a skill to be able to comfort two newborns! She took care of our whole family (cooking, playing with our toddler, making sure mama got a shower, sleep and some TLC, teaching mama to tandem breastfeed, giving dada some adult conversation, etc.). Truly cannot say enough good things - we love her and are sad to have ‘outgrown’ her visits.”

    Colleen

  • As first-time parents, we were grateful to have someone as capable and thoughtful as Nan as our postpartum doula. She seamlessly integrated herself into the rhythm of our family life and sent tremendously useful resources and follow up information after each visit. She listened carefully in our initial session and provided frequent check-ins on any anxieties or concerns we raised throughout her time with us. Nan is meticulous about providing sustaining care in a way that is non-intrusive and wholly supportive. Her calm competence made things that initially overwhelmed us seem not just possible but straightforward and simple. I will always remember learning how to use our Sollywrap while baby-wearing a bag of cheddar puffs with Nan instructing us on how to adjust the fabric and tighten the wrap so that we were ready once our daughter was born. Nan’s support evolved alongside us as we grew as parents. From her first week with us baking lactation cookies and providing massages to teaching us swaddling and soothing techniques, she always met us exactly where we were at. Nan was responsive to the entire family’s needs, acting as a supportive caregiver to all of us (even our cat!) and tending to everyone’s emotional, mental, and physical health. We are so glad she was a part of the first month of our daughter’s life.

    Julie and Andy