Meet Shantel
Shantel is a full spectrum doula on our team who completed her training through Doula Training International. Prior to becoming a doula, she has worked with children in a daycare/camp setting for over 9 years, as well as supporting families as a nanny.
As a postpartum doula, Shantel has experience supporting families with both daytime and overnights. She has supported families with singletons, twins, and triplets. She enjoys helping with cooking, cleaning, running errands, and breastfeeding support. Shantel truly loves working with newborns, infants, children and helping families to thrive during this incredible time. She is proactive, helpful, professional and a calming presence for families as they embark on this new journey or add to an already busy houseold.
Shantel began her doula journey after learning about birth workers and the crisis amongst pregnant people in hospitals. While studying abroad in England she learned how common doulas were, specifically in Europe. Upon returning home she began her focus on birth work. Shantel is on a mission to help the birthing person feel safe and have full autonomy over their body as they give birth. She allows for the family to be heard and will always put the birthing person’s and the baby’s needs first to ensure the birthing and postpartum plans are met.
Families love Shantel’s kind, understanding, and patient nature. She believes in providing the best possible care to ensure she is doing her part to help families feel supported during their birthing and postpartum experience.
Rachel
8/2023 via Yelp
“I used Chicago Family Doulas for sibling care as I had no one local to care for my toddler while delivering my second baby. Shantel was so welcoming and kind and we really appreciated her easy going nature. Our 2.5 year old son was very comfortable with her and is still talking about her 3 days later 🙂 This is such a wonderful service they offer in addition to traditional birth and post-partum doulas and having genuinely caring and professional support people like Shantel in your plan as you grow your family can make all the difference in the world. Both the owner Anna and Shantel were very communicative throughout the whole process, checking in as needed and making sure all questions were answered. We don’t have family or close friends here in Chicago and outside of this service they offer, would have had to host family in our home to watch our toddler while we welcomed our new son. While this can be a lovely experience at the right time, it can also make for a rocky start with breastfeeding and baby bonding for mom and dad if they are also hosting household guests. For that reason, we decided to welcome visitors only after 4 weeks post partum. I firmly believe that is a huge part of why we are off to such a great start breastfeeding. While I know we are early in our journey, I’m so happy and proud of the breastfeeding progress we’ve made so far and I want to thank Chicago Family Doulas and Shantel for being a part of that!”