Create an Account

All Fields are required

At least 8 characters

At least 1 uppercase letter

At least 1 lowercase letter

At least 1 number

At least 1 special character (~ ! @ # $ % ^ * – _ = + [ { ] } / ; : ,?)

Your password is great

We are asking so at we can get a better understanding of each person using Okkanti and show respect to all Care Seekers

Why we are asking?

I have read and agree to Okkanti’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and

Already have an Account?

Forgot Password?

Enter your email address which you used for register We’ll send you instuctions to change your password to that email.

I remember my password

Got It

Email Verification

Please enter the code, which was sent on email

Phone Verification

Please enter the code, which was sent on phone

Specialty: Labor Support

Okkanti’s access framework helps pregnant people find their support systems while ensuring fair compensation for doulas.  The fees you will pay for labor support packages range from $300- $2900, depending on access to insurance, employer plans, and subsidies.  You’ll be informed of your options during your initial consultation.

Sarah Munoz

Sarah is a certified birth doula with over 3 years of experience providing emotional, physical, and informational support to families during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum.

As a calm and nurturing presence, Sarah empowers mothers through evidence-based education and continuous compassionate care. Her strengths lie in creating a safe, comfortable birth environment and facilitating open communication between families and medical staff. She has attended over 50 births and is highly skilled in pain management techniques like breathing exercises, massage, and labor positioning. 

Clients benefit from Sarah’s background in yoga and movement as well as mindfulness and meditation. She brings a wealth of knowledge of chronic pain and pregnancy, pelvic floor physical therapies, symphysis pubis dysfunction, and postpartum pelvic floor rehabilitation. 

Sarah is truly passionate about advocating for her clients’ birthing wishes while providing reassurance every step of the way. With a depth of knowledge and a warm, patient demeanor, she helps new parents embrace the birthing journey with confidence, support families through infertility treatments, and hold space for those suffering from pregnancy and childbirth trauma.

Natasha Jewell

Natasha is a certified Full-Spectrum Doula, serving the Milwaukee area with various offerings: Prenatal, Labor and Birth, Postpartum, End of Life, Critical Care, Abortion, Religious Freedom, Alternate Lifestyle, Mental Health, and Lactation support. She attended her first birth 35 years ago with her sister, and has since became a go to person for labor support among friends and family.

Natasha learned how to make her own labor easier through self hypnosis, calming techniques, pain mindfulness, and birthing methods, which she now utilizes to help others, and train fellow doulas. With her expertise, various certifications, and a degree in Psychology, Natasha is equipped to help you along your journey to parenthood.

Inquire about Natasha’s one on one sessions for Breathwork, Potential Birth Outcomes, Q&A on What is a Doula, Golden Hour and Latching, Birthing Positions, Stress Relief methods, and Placenta Encapsulation!

Emylee Shultz

Emylee is a Labor Support and Postpartum Doula at Birthways, Inc., serving the greater Chicago area. Her passion for doula work was truly awoken from her own pregnancy and postpartum experience. She believes the new normal for postpartum families includes support, resources, and rest, and she is honored to be part of that reality.

Emylee supports families during this transitional phase in their lives, helping to lay the postpartum foundation that leads to better outcomes for the entire family unit. In pursuit of obtaining her BSN, Emylee continues supporting local families during the postpartum period with a holistic approach to care.

Joy Yama

Joy is a Labor Support and Postpartum Doula at Birthways, Inc., serving the greater Chicago area. Joy has extensive experience with infants and children, as well as supporting mothers through labor and the postpartum period. Joy is passionate about coaching women through labor and supporting mothers learn to breastfeed, care for their body after birth, and build confidence in caring for their newborn.

In addition to doula work, Joy owns a licensed home daycare business. Joy is honored to be a listening ear, wealth of knowledge for new parents, and an overall support during the labor and postpartum period. Doula work brings Joy peace and happiness, as she understands the love and help needed through the journey of early parenthood.

–

It is my passion to help mothers feel safe, loved, and most of all to get through that tough time before and after labor. It is my passion to be there for families that need my help and to respect their home culture, doing what they need to feel safe, confident, and rested to get their body and mind back.

Maia Díaz

Maia is a certified Birth Doula and Breastfeeding counselor at Birthways, serving the Chicago area. Maia has a love of infant care and passion for child rearing. She has witnessed first hand the profound physical, mental and emotional changes that take place for the mother and family during the postpartum period.

Her experience giving birth to her own daughter in late 2022 only intensified her passion, and she feels a profound connection to, respect for, and obligation to support all birthing people every step of their journey.

–

My passion for labor support comes from a place of absolute wonderment and awe at what our bodies are capable of, and my belief that pregnancy and childbirth can and should be an incredibly empowering experience. Whether via c-section, induction, medicated, unmedicated, no two birthing experiences will be exactly the same, and at the end of the day, to help bring babies into the world and empower birthing people to do so confidently is both a privilege and an honor.

Akiwele Burayidi

Aki serves the Chicago area as a certified labor support and postpartum doula at Birthways, while also being a certified childbirth educator and yoga instructor. Aki is passionate about maternal health, and has a unique ability to keep people calm and make people feel cared for, even in stressful situations.

In addition to her birth work, Aki is a certified yoga instructor who teaches classes weekly. Her personal yoga practice has taught her so much about mindfulness and somatic awareness. These give her a unique perspective on coaching people through their births and helping birthing people and their partners to deepen connection to their own bodies and needs during pregnancy, labor and the postpartum time.

–

My intention is to support people through the perinatal period as they grieve, celebrate, endure, and love. I hope to be one part of a community that uplifts each other to be the best version of ourselves possible, especially in the turbulence of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

Erika Maldonado

Erika is certified birth and postpartum doula in Chicago, IL. As a birth doula, Erika provides different comfort measures. She has experience in vaginal, C-section, VBACS, and unmediated births in birth centers as well as hospitals. Welcoming a new baby to your family can be overwhelming in so many different ways.

As a postpartum doula, Erika can provide support in many different areas. She is knowledgeable about breastfeeding, healing, self care and caring for a new baby. She has experience in daytime care, night care and multiples.

–

Having Erika as my doula was like have a personal nurse assistant there all the time. It was very comforting to have Erika there postpartum – she had so much knowledge around when and how to comfort a baby, take initiative to support wherever she could in our home and provided support with our toddler, as I recovered. it was like having two moms at once. -Jenny R.

Daisy Johnson

Daisy is a holistic birth and postpartum doula, trained in Advanced Labor Support, Peer Lactation Support and Childbirth Education. She is currently pursuing her Associate’s Degree in Midwifery from the Midwest Maternal Health Institute and expects to complete the program in March 2025.She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago. It was the experience of giving birth to her first child in 2018 that the fire for birth work was ignited in her, when she was told that day by her delivering midwife that one day she would call herself a midwife as well. Daisy has since supported over 45 births in the Chicagoland community and earned numerous advanced trainings and certifications in a myriad of areas: belly binding, herbalism, baby wearing, Mother Blessing facilitation, birth emergency skills, birth assistant training, and so much more. Her mission is to help families have safe and peaceful birth and postpartum experiences that will positively effect them for generations to come.

Daisy is a farm girl at heart, raising backyard chickens and growing food and herbs in my garden. Herbalism and creating products that heal is a practice that feeds her soul. She has coached track and field and has a passion for personal training. Daisy is an avid traveler and engages in various community education projects.

–

For me, being a Doula is answering an undeniable call. The current state of infant and maternal care in America across the board motivated me to be the change we needed to see. When I began it was clear that evidence showed that having a doula produces better outcomes and experiences for birthing people. Now that i have experienced almost 5 years in this field I have seen and felt with my own eyes and heart the impact that has been made. Cycles of trauma have been broken for so many and for me that has made my entire journey more than worth it. There is still work to be done and so my fire for supporting birthing people and their families continues to burn brightly.

Carly Ann Braun

Carly Ann has been a doula for five years, attending over 50 births. Before she was a doula she worked in social justice education with teenagers. She began feeling dissatisfied with just talking shop about injustice, and found that doula work was a way to impact people directly while practicing her values of feminism, empowerment, anti-racism, holistic healing, and community.

She worked as a peer support doula for families with Substance Abuse Disorder at PCC Wellness/West Suburban Hospital. She learned trauma informed care, harm reduction, advocacy and some serious doula skills. Over 2021 she took a year-long training for perinatal education. In 2022 she did a year of midwifery school to become a Certified Professional Midwife. She’s taking a break now but plans to return to school in 2024 and hopes to be a practicing midwife eventually!

Carly Ann lives in Albany Park and loves gardening, riding her bike, playing guitar and cooking. She grows more and more fascinated with the healing power of herbs every day. Her current project is planting herbs for the child- bearing year and making postpartum support infusions. Her biggest hobby is playing roller derby for the Windy City Rollers. She loves the community and that derby keeps her grounded and ready for births. Carly Ann identifies as bi-sexual and many of her derby friends are queer and/or have gone through fertility treatments, so families with those experiences are close to her heart.

Carly Ann’s intention with this work is to empower people to achieve their goals and have a fulfilling, powerful birth experience. She wants people to feel deeply supported and validated no matter how they birth.

–

Carly Ann was wonderful and helped make our first birth a positive and empowering experience. Her calm, clear-headed manner and dedicated, tireless spirit make her an ideal guide for birth.- Carla H

Chanel Washington

Chanel is a Labor Support and Postpartum Doula at Birthways, Inc., serving the greater Chicago area. Chanel has supported over 400 births in the past 5 years, and is currently a student midwife. Chanel loves meeting families from different backgrounds, and enjoys learning from each one.

As she deepens her calling in this work, Chanel strives to advocate for all her clients, and works to strengthen BIPOC communities in their bodies and births. Chanel understands the importance of unconditional support and encouragement during what can be an emotional and scary time. She recognizes that teaming with the right energies and professionals makes all the difference for you and your baby.

–

The mental and emotional support I received during, before, and after birth were more than she guaranteed and truly made my time with her unforgettable. –R Nails

1