Let us hold your hand through the process of giving birth. We can make a hard thing feel a lot easier.

Expecting a child can come with many and mixed emotions. You could be feeling fear, joy, grief, excitement, wonder, apprehension, disbelief, curiosity, and much more.

Here at Portland Doula Collective, we make space for aaaaaallllllll of the feelings and can help pregnant people and their partners through anything that the birth process might throw at us.

  • Prudence and Scarlett each have nearly 15 years of experience as birth doulas
  • We provide excellent preparation for birth.
  • We can help you decide if a birth doula is right for you.
  • You get your own, dedicated doula, but you also get built-in back-up support with the same level of experience as your primary doula
  • We’ve got you!

    Birth Doula Services

    Our certified birth doula team goes above and beyond to make you feel supported during your birth. We love what we do!

    Childbirth Education

    Childbirth preparation classes help you (and your partner) get ready for birth and new parenthood. Click here to find out more. One of our doulas teaches the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

    Live Zoom Support Groups

    Prudence & Scarlett have weekly Zoom meetups on Thursdays, so that you can get questions answered and talk to other pregnant and parenting people. 

    Serving the Greater Portland, OR Metro Area

    Why have a doula?

    Doulas provide continuous care and support throughout labor and birth.  We normalize and humanize this deeply personal process.

    We are available prenatally to help you (and any partners or other support people) prepare for the type of birth you desire.  We also help prepare you to expect the unexpected and can help you keep the spirit of your birth plans, if not the letter of them. After the birth, we can assist with initial transitions and help you access any needed support.

    Research has shown that having doula support can reduce the need for interventions during labor and increase feelings of satisfaction with your birth experience.
    Specifically, having doula labor support has been shown to*:

    • Decrease the risk for a cesarean birth by 50%
    • Decrease duration of the labor by 25%
    • Decrease requests for interventions such as epidurals (by 60%) and pain medications (by 30%)
    • Decrease need for other interventions such as Pitocin (synthetic oxytocin) by 40% and the need to use forceps by 40%
    • Increase the birthing person’s sense of self-esteem and decrease the rate of postpartum depression six weeks after the birth
    • Increase continuation of breastfeeding six weeks after the birth

    Our doulas will help you gather information in preparation for your ideal birth and will support you throughout the birthing process and immediate postpartum period.

    *from Klaus, Kennell and Klaus (1993) referenced in the article Doula Care: An Age-Old Process Meets the 20th Century by Naomi Bromberg Bar-Yam (IJCE 18(4) p.18-20

    Who we serve

    We proudly support families of all types, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and cultural and religious backgrounds.

    We have Supported:

    • first time birthing parents
    • experienced birthing people
    • LGBTQ parents
    • single parents
    • teen parents
    • women and birthing people with histories of trauma
    • surrogacy
    • adoption
    • vaginal births
    • VBACs (vaginal births after cesarean)
    • cesarean births (planned and unplanned)
    • unmedicated labor
    • medicated labor
    • twins/multiples
    • hospital, birth centers and home births
    • Obstetricians supported births
    • Midwife supported births
    • Our clients have used a variety of birthing techniques including, Evidence Based Birth®, Bradley, Birthing from Within, Mindful birthing, Hypnobirthing, and Rebozo support.

    Training and experience

    The Portland doulas have been trained and certified through Birthingway College of Midwifery, or DONA International.

    Scarlett & Prudence each have 14+ years of doula experience.

    We have additional trainings in acupressure for labor, SpinningBabies, lactation and more. And we take pride in keeping up-to-date with the latest research in the areas of pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and feeding. We strongly believe in consent and autonomy and it comes through in the way that we get to know you so that we can help advocate for the things that you want.

    We proudly support families of all types, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and cultural and religious backgrounds.

    Core Beliefs

    • We understand that there is wonder and joy in bringing a child into the world.
    • We believe that the process of birth can be transformative for all parents.
    • We understand that birth has both physical and emotional aspects.
    • We work to share our knowledge base with our clients so that they can make choices that are right for their family.
    • We support and advocate for choice, consent, bodily autonomy and believe when those things are supported there is a higher satisfaction with the birth.
    • We believe birth can be wonderful in whatever setting feels safest and most comfortable for the birthing person.
    • We are respectful of the individual needs of our families.
    • We are passionate about what we do!
    Man supporting woman during labor and birth

    Testimonials

    When I met Scarlett I was instantly struck by her easy-going nature and how it made me feel calm just to be around her. What more would you want during childbirth? Additionally, upon our first meeting Scarlett demonstrated her depth of knowledge and her ability to communicate with different personalities. My husband and I have very different approaches to stressful situations, and Scarlett was able to relate to and help us both process and prepare for the events ahead. My labor was fast and furious. Scarlett had prepared my husband and he was able to help me get through the initial stages. When she arrived, Scarlett took action immediately. Alongside my husband, she coached me through one of the most difficult processes I’d ever been through. After my little girl came into the world, Scarlett stood by us and helped us with our very first feeding. Later, her postpartum visits were always positive, reassuring and supportive times. I would recommend Scarlett to any future mom planning any type of birth experience.  I’m so grateful I had her there during mine.

    -Kathryn F.

    Testimonials

    I don’t have the words to describe how invaluable and amazing both Scarlett and Prudence were at my son’s birth. I had a very difficult birth and they advocated for me every step of the way and were such a calm, reassuring presence. I literally do not know what I would have done without them. My son’s hospital birth was attended by midwives, I’m an ICU nurse, and my husband and mother in law were all present – despite what seems like a lot of support, Scarlett and Prudence filled a role I didn’t know I needed. Scarlett and Prudence are worth their weight in gold and I recommend doulas to every pregnant person I know. They are simply amazing.

    -Jessica S

    Testimonials

    Scarlett was a guiding light for us during our pregnancy, birth and directly afterwards. Before our birth, Scarlett met with us a few times discussing our feelings on what we wanted, the process of birth, positions and coping techniques and working within the hospital system. We were extraordinarily grateful to have her support and guidance when I had to be induced for a health concern 3 weeks before our due date. For every intervention, Scarlett was there to talk us through what was happening and gave us comfort when things didn’t go as expected. She was a wonderful support for my husband who found that Scarlett was there for him just as much as she was there for me. We couldn’t imagine our birth without her and highly recommend Scarlett as a doula, confidant and teacher.

    -Kat M

    Testimonials

    We worked with Prudence for our pregnancy and delivery of our second son and can’t recommend her more highly. We had moved from out of state and were anxious about not having the same providers we had had for our first son – and Prudence did a phenomenal job of listening to our needs and concerns and providing her input and suggestions. The line between listening and advising can be very tough to navigate and she does it wonderfully. With her guidance we completely changed our birth team with the result being an incredible birth experience I wouldn’t change for the world. My husband and I give Prudence our heartfelt thanks.

    -Merritt S

    Testimonials

    We had a wonderful experience with Scarlett as our doula.  She is warm, caring and matter-of-fact at the same time.  Prior to our due date, she made several visits to our home to help us prepare for the birth, including positions, massage techniques, visualizations, using a rebozo, and emotional support.  I went into labor a few weeks early, and Scarlett made herself available immediately by phone and arrived at the hospital soon after we did.  Scarlett provided invaluable help with positions, breathing, and emotional support during labor.  We wanted a natural birth and one of our main concerns was minimizing interventions and ensuring that we made informed decisions about all medical issues.  Throughout my labor, Scarlett made sure that we understood the options being presented to us by the doctors and nurses, that we had enough time to discuss and consider our options, and that we felt empowered to make decisions.  My labor did not go as planned, and I ended up having a C-section.  Scarlett was extremely helpful in helping us process everything, both at the time it was happening and afterward during her postpartum visits.  She came to visit us and our new baby at home twice in those first few weeks, and provided emotional support, tips on breastfeeding and newborn care, and even marriage counseling!  Scarlett is a knowledgeable and caring doula and a lovely person, and I wholeheartedly recommend her to any expecting mama.

    -Esther W.

    Testimonials

    We had Prudence as our doula at the birth of our second baby and the experience was awesome! My labor was quite long, but Prudence stayed with us the whole time and really helped us feel confident in just sticking with it. Having our 4 year old daughter see her baby sibling’s birth was very important to us, so Prudence helped my husband with keeping her happy during the labor and making sure she got there in time, and my daughter loved her. Overall, we had a great experience and I strongly recommend PDC!
    -Erinne C

    Testimonials

    Scarlett was amazing.

    We had a little different scenario with an amazing surrogate carrying our baby boy. We wanted to make sure Alicia, our surro, was well taken care of during and right after birth so that we could focus on baby (but also knowing Alicia would need someone there during that time)…Scarlett was amazing- she came over to our house and met us all, she showed us some techniques to help Alicia with labor, she answered any questions, she made sure we had plans B,C, D and went over our birth plan. Her presence was perfect- she was there but did not interfere with the flow of what was happening (since that was what we wanted). She could magically change the direction of labor and helped Alicia as well throughout and after labor. She was a great support system and our biggest advocate. She was amazing and our birth story was smooth and wonderful because of our great team!

    She visited, texted and called Alicia afterwards and came over to our house. She was a great tool in the postpartum period as well, helping all of us navigate hormones and feelings and new life with baby 🙂 We can’t thank her enough!! She was everything and then more!

    -Julie B

    Testimonials

    I can’t say enough good things about having Prudence at my side for the birth of our daughter at Adventist Family Birthplace. I had to be induced due to several factors and as soon as I had my husband call (very early on a Saturday morning), Prudence joined us at the hospital. She stayed with us through my 30-plus hours of labor over the Easter weekend, and supported all my decisions. I found her to be calm and knowledgeable during our pre- and post-birth visits as well as during my birth experience.
    -Helena B

    Sign up for the next Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class March 10-April 21 here!