Doula with Joy

Welcome to all the families that follow me. No matter where you are in your journey, thank you for being here! I currently support birth clients delivering at home and in the hospital. Unfortunately, NYC doesn’t have a birth center option but when I was living in Vermont, I was able to attend births at the birthing center in New Hampshire. I tend to support mostly hospital births these days. One way I love supporting my hospital birth clients is to meet a laboring family at their home and labor there for quite some time before deciding to transfer to the hospital together. One of my favorite ways to support a home birth client is optimizing tools we simply just don’t have access to in a hospital. Such as: -Using water (bath, shower, birthing pool) to help with pain management -Having access to prepare nourishing foods, snacks and drinks for my clients. Often these include super simple options like broths and teas. -Unrestricted movement and position changes. We use the home as a circuit and are often going through the “circuit” so going from the bed to the birth ball to the shower to sitting on the toilet to in to the bathtub and repeat 😅 🔁 (Not to say you can’t do these things in a hospital setting, some situations you definitely can but at home its totally unrestricted and I really enjoy using that in our favor) It’s always a joy to guide a first time family in to all the unknown! Whether it’s a birth, postpartum or sleep consulting client. And this past year I realized how much I enjoy working with families of multiples. As a mom of two (soon to be three) I love helping a family make that transition because going from 1 to 2 was honestly shocking for me! Picture from me arriving to the hospital to support my third birth client that week and running in to another birth client I supported 2 days earlier being discharged. 😊 #doula #nycdoula #nycbirthworker #nyc #doulawithjoy

My Journey in to birth work stemmed from a fascination of pregnancy and birth from a very young age. I remember hearing about home birth for the first time after a family friend had delivered her baby at home and even though I must’ve only been 13 or so, it already began to resonate. In high school, I would read books like Ina Mays Guide to Childbirth and Birthing from Within in the back of my chemistry and geometry classes. I knew I wanted to be a birth worker one day but I didn’t know in what capacity. One day I was watching Tia & Tamera (the Mowry sisters reality tv show lol) and Tamera was pregnant and using a doula. That was the first time I had really started to understand the role of a doula. And although I did not feel ready to dive in to birth work, I got certified that year as a birth and postpartum doula. At the time, I defiantly thought that my “why” was to go in to this work to provide knowledge around and support low intervention birth. And although that is what my support still looks like for some clients, after I had my first son in 2019, my “why” changed. And that was because I had such a positive birth and postpartum experience (a big part of that was defiantly my doulas @shaminarao @littledarlingdoula) when I started making the shift to full time doula work, my inspiration also shifted to now focus on really getting to know each of my clients, helping them figure out what their preferences were prenatally, through labor, birth and postpartum and then provide them with the evidence based information needed to get there. My goal has become to help my clients achieve the most empowering and positive birth and postpartum experience possible. And that looks different for every client. Being able to honor and individualize each of my clients care to help provide them with a positive experience is what keeps me here, continuing to serve families through pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum. 💫 #doula #nycdoula #nycbirthworker #nyc #doulawithjoy

Hi 👋 Since it’s been awhile, allow me to reintroduce myself. •I’m Demi!✨ •Mom of 2 boys aged 4 & 1 and expecting another baby due in May.✨ •I am a birth and postpartum doula as well as a gentle sleep consultant and lactation+feeding specialist.✨ •Currently living and raising my family in Queens, NY (where I was born & raised.)✨ •I serve all of NYC and even parts of Long Island, NJ, Westchester and Connecticut!✨ •When I’m not serving expecting / newly postpartum families, you’ll find me with my little family. My boys are at a really fun age these days and we love getting outside as much as possible and keeping our days filled together. I am curious to see how this dynamic will change when we welcome a third in to the mix.✨ •I have been passionate about birth work and helping new families for as long as I could remember and being able to do this work is a true privilege and joy that I don’t take for granted.✨ •I currently take 2 birth clients a month, which allows me to provide continuous care to my clients through pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum.✨ •I also provide in person postpartum support, lactation+feeding support and virtual gentle sleep consulting.✨ •My goal for 2024 is to become more active on my doula account! I look forward to connecting with more families virtually in addition to all that I have served and will continue to serve in person.✨ ❤️‍🔥 #doula #nycdoula #nycbirthworker #nyc #doulawithjoy (Thank you @theteaguesphoto for these much loved pictures from our mama session)

When I was pregnant with Milo, I knew I wanted to be mindful on the provider and birthing place I chose. The idea of home birth was loosely there but for some reason, it seemed so far out of reach and extreme. I decided on a hospital midwife group (who truly was great) and I was with them for the first 28 weeks of my pregnancy. Right around then, Iain and I attended the hospital tour. I remember just leaving feeling like it wasn’t a right fit. At the time I was a live in nanny and I was using that as an excuse to why home birth was not an option. “Well how could I have a home birth, if I don’t even have a home…” I would tell myself. When I got home from the hospital tour, my boss at the time asked how it was and I replied “ah it is a hospital- not my ideal birthing place. I wish I was having a home birth.” “Then why aren’t you?” She replied. & from there I didn’t have an excuse on why I was unable to have a home birth. When I look back now, I realize that my hesitations didn’t stem from my living situation- they stemmed from a deep rooted fear that friends, family and society placed on home birth. I didn’t have much experience around it. But the thought of telling people that I was gonna give birth at home scared me! What would people say? They are gonna think I am crazy! That I am choosing something dangerous. So… at first I didn’t tell anyone. I told Iain it would be our secret. Then one day he asked me- “Why do you care what people think? It is your decision, you need to feel safe and if you feel safe giving birth at home then no other opinions matter.” CONTINUED IN COMMENTS

Labor in progress. F*CK OFF please! 😄 #doula #nycdoula #nycbirthworker #birthworker #doulawithjoy #postedwithpermission

“Can we get the squat bar?” I asked the nurse as my client was trying to find a comfortable pushing position. The nurse discussed it with the provider and soon after came back with the squat bar. “Do you know how to put this in?” The nurse asked me. “I have worked on L&D for 5 years and this is the first time I am using it.” 💥 #doula #nycdoula #nycbirthworker #birthworker #doulawithjoy #postedwithpermission #badassmotherbirther

Special moment at a recent birth, baby holding on to his daddy’s finger during the newborn exam. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads! 💙 #happyfathersday #doula #nycdoula #nycbirthworker #birthworker #doulawithjoy #postedwithpermission

I’m Demi! 👋 Birth + Postpartum Doula. Mama to two boys. Currently settling back in the NYC area (where I was born and raised) after living in Vermont for the past two years. I’m currently supporting clients through birth + postpartum! If you or someone you know are expecting and are interested in doula services reach out and we can set up a time to connect. 💓 #doula #nycdoula #nycbirthworker #nyc #doulawithjoy

Doula with Joy

Demi Carr