Best Birth Doulas in Greater Portland, Maine (Plus Sliding Scale Options!) | Sunny Side Postpartum Care

Looking for a birth doula in southern Maine? Here are the doulas I personally recommend, where they serve, and how to find sliding scale doula support through Community Doulas.

One of the questions I get asked most often is "do you do birth support too?" I don't (because I have a 3-year old and can't wrangle being on-call!) My focus is postpartum, newborn care, and infant sleep. But I get asked this so often that I wanted to put together a real answer, not just "I don't do that," but "here is exactly who you should call instead."

These are doulas I know personally, trust completely, and would call myself if I were expecting again. I am including where each of them serves in Maine and who they tend to be the best fit for, so you can find the right match faster.

Jessica Ruscetta, Rooted In Birth

Jessica provides doula support, childbirth education, and placenta encapsulation to families in Southern and Midcoast Maine. Jessica is based in Poland, Maine, but will travel far and wide in her Prius! She has over ten years of experience as a certified doula, lactation counselor, placenta specialist, and childbirth educator.

On top of birth work, Jessica also teaches Childbirth Education at Birth Roots in Portland, and is the Program Director for Community Doulas, so she is deeply plugged into Maine's birth worker community and knows exactly how to point families toward extra support when they need it!

Best fit for: families who want one person to cover birth prep, labor support, and lactation help all in one relationship. If you already know breastfeeding or chestfeeding is going to be a priority for you, Jessica's lactation counselor training makes her an especially strong choice.

Laurie Woods, Life's Work Doula

Laurie lives in Otisfield and serves families anywhere in Oxford, Cumberland, and Androscoggin counties, as well as the Augusta area for families delivering at MaineGeneral Medical Center. Before becoming a doula, she spent thirty years as a public school educator working closely with children and families.

Laurie is trained as a full spectrum doula, meaning she supports the entire range of reproductive experiences, not just pregnancy and birth. This includes fertility journeys, birth, postpartum, adoption or surrogacy, abortion care, and pregnancy loss. The cherry on top? Laurie is also a dog trainer, so she can prepare everyone in your home for the arrival of new baby!

Best fit for: families in Oxford, Cumberland, or Androscoggin county who want a doula with a calm, steady, "teacher energy" presence in the room. She is also a strong choice for anyone navigating a more complicated or nontraditional path to parenthood, since her full spectrum training means she is comfortable supporting a much wider range of outcomes than a typical birth doula. Laurie also offers a sliding fee scale directly, so if cost is a concern, ask her about it up front.

Ashley Robinson, Due Season Doula

(ashley@dueseasondoula.com)

Ashley is a MidCoast based birth and postpartum doula and a collaborator with the Maine Doula Coalition and Community Doulas Board Member. In her own words, "I'm on a mission to truly embrace life's beauty in every possible way. I'm inspired by the belief that women have the right to birth on their own terms and I'm dedicated to providing genuine support during this beautiful and transformative experience."

Ashley is currently accepting new clients and accepts. She is also a student herbalist, adding another layer to the kind of holistic support she brings into a birth space.

Best fit for: families seeking diversity and genuine "me too" connection with their doula, as well as anyone hoping to use MassHealth or insurance reimbursement to help cover the cost of care.

Worried You Can't Afford a Doula? Hello Community Doulas!

If cost is the only thing standing between you and doula support, please do not let that stop you from reaching out. Community Doulas is a Maine nonprofit built specifically to connect families with sliding scale doula care, and I sit on their board as Treasurer and Volunteer Coordinator, so I can tell you firsthand how seriously we take this mission. No family should go through birth or postpartum alone because of what is in their bank account.

If you are due date shopping for a doula in southern Maine, start with the names above. Looking for something specific? Drop me a note- I am ALWAYS happy to help.

And if postpartum, newborn care, or infant sleep is what you need once baby arrives, that is where I come in. :)