Welcome. My name is Joann, but call me jo.

In 2019, I founded my doula practice, Bluebirds Maternity, in Boston, Massachusetts to serve families in the area who desired culturally-sensitive birth support. After several months, I realized that I could offer even more services to my clients who often sought care models that would extend beyond childbirth.

My passion is birth work, but it has now converged with a genuine desire to ensure each family I support has the best start. I feel strongly about cultivating empowered and healthy mothers and families through compassionate care as well as education.

Thus, Aila Birth Village was born.

As a doula, I not only bear witness to the birth of babies, but to the birth of parents. I watch in the background as parents harness their strength to unspeakable levels, welcoming the newest, littlest members of the family with emotions that swell and carry the room. As you draw from your inner core strength, physically and spiritually, I am in awe. And I recognize that you deserve continuous support services throughout the first year of your child’s life to ensure optimal outcomes for your beautiful family. Learn more about the principles that dictate Aila Birth Village by clicking here.

Aila, pronounced I-la, means “from the strong place”. As such, I am committed to providing you with the support and resources you need to effectively build up your family. My expanded services now include antepartum support, birth support, postpartum support, childbirth education, breastfeeding education, infant sleep consultations, and even a special Back to Work planning program.

I believe that you have a fundamental right to experience a beautiful birth as you define it. I recognize that this is a sacred, transformative time for you and your family, and I will treat it with authentic reverence. This means your feelings should be heard, your preferences should be honored, your reproductive rights respected, your heart protected, and your body enveloped with the love and support of your birth team. To this end, I provide you with evidence-based tools and resources that places you and your baby’s needs at the center. No matter the setting of birth - hospital, birthing center, or home birth – and no matter the type of birth – vaginal, c-section, or via surrogate - your birth can be empowering. My hope is that my support is virtuous and exemplary and this is reflected in how you feel during our time together.

Though I am located in Boston, Massachusetts, I am also open to supporting births in surrounding suburbs within a 25 mile radius. Curious about whether I service your city? Let’s talk! Contact me via my contact form or email me at hello@ailabirthvillage.com.

I feel it is as a calling to fully and comprehensively serve diverse families in the Greater Boston community.

With the Aila Birth Village, you can expect:

Knowledge.

Ongoing trauma-informed and culturally sensitive education is vital to ensuring the most accurate, evidence-based information. I have received birth, postpartum, and childbirth education training from BeBo Mia, Inc. I have received additional training in bereavement (pregnancy loss) support, baby planning, breastfeeding education, newborn care education (including baby wearing and cloth diapering), and infant sleep education. My goal is to ultimately serve as a one-stop shop for my clients who seek culturally-sensitive support with their needs at the center. Further, I value the opportunities to learn from other birth workers and birth photographers, near and far. I am multilingual and speak English (fluent), Haitian Creole (fluent), and French (moderate). Finally, I have a Bachelor of Science in Health Science and will soon earn my Bachelor of Science in Nursing as I am an aspiring certified nurse midwife.

Trustfulness.

I recognize that when you choose Aila Birth Village, you are trusting that my care will meet your needs and that I will honor your family with a great deal of transparency. Thus, I will always be honest in our communications and I offer you the best possible value. Your health and well-being are important to me and I will always treat you with grace.

Respect.

Our relationship will be one that is very unique. When you welcome me in your sacred birth space, I cannot guarantee a particular outcome to your birth. But I can and will celebrate you, respect you, honor you, encourage you, hold you, and laugh with you. Additionally, I will respectfully communicate any benefits or risks to the birth options you are considering. For example, if you are considering a vaginal birth at a hospital with a high c-section rate, we will talk about what that means and what your options look like.

Philanthropy.

I feel strongly about giving back to my community. As such, a percentage of my earnings is donated to causes that are near and dear to my heart, like Midwives for Haiti. It is very important to me that the families in Boston and beyond thrive to the highest heights. To learn more about my commitment to maternal and infant health outcomes, please contact me.

Anything else?

I am also the owner of Here We Grow, Co., a fertility doula practice that supported families as they explore their options for starting a family. When I am not supporting the beautiful families of Massachusetts, I am tending to my online children’s bookstore, Literature in Couleur (launching in 2021). An avid bookworm, I love sharing my passion for literature with the next generation. When not working, I enjoy practicing yoga and baking desserts (I’m convinced that the way to my heart is cheesecake). I enjoy participating in local community initiatives related to women’s health and am an Advisory Board Member for Partners In Contraceptive Change and Knowledge (PICCK).

Trainings

Maternal Support Practitioner/Doula Certification Training, Bebo Mia, Inc., 2018

Childbirth Educator Certification Training, Bebo Mia, Inc., 2019

Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Certification Training, R.O.S.E, 2020

Bereavement Doula Certification Training, StillBirthday, 2021

Hypno-Doula Certification Training, Hypnobabies, 2021

Birth Photographer Certification Training, Birth Becomes You, 2021

Newborn Care Expert Certification Training, Boston Baby Nurse and Nanny, 2021

Birth and Postpartum Doula Certification Training, Cornerstone Doula Training, 2022