WELCOME

I’m Ellie, founder of Joyful Birthing & Beyond

After the births of my first two children, in 2014 I left my career as a high school teacher to pursue my passion for birth work and have since earned certifications as a HypnoBirthing Practitioner, birth doula, lactation counselor, and pediatric sleep consultant. I am passionate about all things birth and baby but especially empowering women and their partners to make informed decisions about their birthing, to approach birth with a sense of trust and calm, and to ultimately have a safe, joyful birthing experience and a successful transition into the new demands of parenthood.

Our mission at Joyful Birthing & Beyond is to help parents understand the many choices available to them so they can make informed, autonomous decisions for themselves and their children. We respect that this is your birth and baby, and we know that only you can determine what is best. With compassion, respect, and without judgment, we will support all of your choices and help you seek a positive birthing and early parenting experience.

SERVICES

We offer a variety of services to support families through pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood, including online classes, HypnoBirthing® childbirth education, birth doula support, infant feeding education & support, and sleep support & coaching. For our in-person services, we serve the greater Boston area, southern New Hampshire, and surrounding areas

Joyful Birthing & Beyond was established in 2014 with the goal of educating, inspiring, and empowering women and their partners on their journey through pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood so they can have an optimal experience, as *they* define it.

TESTIMONIALS

“Ellie is an absolute gem. My husband and I first worked with her as a sleep consultant during a brutal 18 month sleep regression for our daughter. Both empathetic and whip-smart, Ellie helped identify specific actions we could take to get sleep back on track. It was so reassuring to… “Alice Woodman-Russell”

I felt comfortable with Ellie the moment I met her and it was obvious that she would be an asset. Ellie has such a wealth of knowledge about so many aspects of birthing. She’s truly done her research and is an arsenal of advice and experience. At 35 weeks, I… “Megan Berger”

We cannot express enough how helpful Ellie was to us after the birth of our child. She is experienced, supportive and detail-oriented, just what we needed to sleep train our 3-month-old son. From our first call with her, we knew we had made the right choice in hiring her. Ellie… “Cordelia Mueller”

My husband and I were blessed to have Ellie as our Hypnobirthing instructor and Doula for the birth of our first child. Our birth ended up being the all natural water birth we had dreamed of and we credit this greatly to our studying and practicing of Hypnobirthing under Ellie’s… “Sklyar McAlplin”

Ellie is a truly amazing doula that I highly recommend! She is a kind, nurturing soul who has a wealth of knowledge and experience surrounding natural childbirth. I am so grateful she played such an integral role in bringing my son into this world. Ellie was by our side from… “Becky Simon”

We decided to work with Jenny after a great interview- we could tell right away that she was exactly what we were looking for. We were really looking for someone to support us and make us a stronger team, and at the same time be ready and available to address… “Conor & Robin”

Ellie gave me and my family the greatest gift: the umedicated birth of our second child. Ellie’s knowledge and passion guided us to the most perfect birthing day. Our child received the gift of entering this world peacefully and without medication and I received the gift of restored confidence in… “Abigail Patel”

Joanne helped me have the strength to bring my son into the world via VBAC. She calmly gave me support, especially at moments when I wasn’t sure if I could do it. She worked great with both my husband and sister who were there to support me as well. Giving… “Jenny T.”

​After my initial doula went MIA, Ellie saved the day and took me on as a client just a few weeks before my due date. She graciously worked around our schedule and needs, and went out of her way to make my partner and I feel comfortable, ready for labor,… “Amanda Waddell”

My husband and I are first-time parents and decided to have a doula be part of the birth because we wanted to have the guidance of someone experienced with the process. I was initially a little nervous about having a stranger be such a big part of what is a… “Sarah J.”

I am writing this as my baby sleeps happily in his crib! Ellie was enormously helpful when my partner and I were absolutely DESPERATE for sleep — she gave us practical suggestions to move our baby into healthy sleeping patterns — both at night and for naps. Her advice led… “Jessie S.”

We used Ellie as a birth doula for the birth of our daughter in January 2018 and then also followed up with a lactation visit. Her presence throughout the process provided us with a huge piece of mind, comfort, calm and reassurance. This was our first child. While I work… “Johanna Lam”

“The Mary Poppins of Doulas”- Choosing a doula is a very personal and important decision. I had a tough time choosing a doula for the birth of my second child as I wanted someone to truly support my birth and choices. I am evidence-based and need hard facts for my… “Anuja S.”

As a first-time parent, I had a goal of a medication-free birth. Although my husband was on board, we felt that hiring a doula would help us navigate this new experience. We found Ellie on google and scheduled an online childbirth class with her as we could not attend our… “Kimberly Murray”

I was lucky to work with Ellie in two capacities. She was my hypnobirth instructor and I also hired her to be my Doula. She is amazing. Before meeting her I didn’t really understand what a Doula was and now I can’t imagine not having one! To say I was… “Jillian Archer”

We took Ellie’s Hypnobirthing class and worked with her as our doula. As a result, I felt educated, empowered, and in control leading up to, during, and after the birth of my son. I knew early on that I wanted to do Hypnobirthing and to work with a doula –… “Caitlin Haire”

Ellie is amazing, and I can’t recommend her more highly! Our daughter surprised us by coming a bit early, and I had only met Ellie for the first time 5 days before I delivered. We hadn’t even had time to have our pre-birth plan meeting, but when I called her… “Rebekah Stafford​”

Ellie is not only an amazing Doula and HypnoBirth coach but an amazing person. I first came into the Hypnobirthing course thinking this was a way for my wife to be prepared to deliver our daughter the way she wanted. Within the first 5 minutes of meeting Ellie and talking… “Seth Dovev”

Ellie helped us implement a great sleep plan for our toddler. With a new sibling on the way, we knew we needed to help our toddler overcome early morning wake-ups. Ellie gave us amazing age-appropriate tools to incorporate into our routine. She is knowledgeable about all aspects of baby and… “Christina Kennedy”

For me and my husband, having our first child during the pandemic was a daunting prospect, especially since the rest of our family lives on the west coast.  So we decided to hire a doula to assist us since we couldn’t have either of our mothers support us in the… “Alexandra T.”

It has always been very important to me to have a natural childbirth. Upon learning that we were pregnant with our first child, my husband and I sought the support of a doula to help us move through the hospital / medical world while keeping our natural choices a priority.… “Sarah LoVasco”

My husband Tim and I recently had the pleasure of working with Ellie throughout my pregnancy and during the birth of our first baby. A close friend recommended Ellie to us and we were immediately struck by her passion and knowledge regarding pregnancy and the birthing experience. We also had… “Sarah Raboin”

After a less-than-positive first birth, I knew I wanted to have a doula by my side at the birth of my second child. I’d first heard Ellie’s name in the early weeks with my first daughter — some local moms were talking about her breastfeeding class as an absolute lifesaver.… “Elizabeth Hines”

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