Meet Shemsa

Shemsa is a CAPPA trained labor and postpartum doula on our team. She has over 10 years of childcare background, and speaks a variety of languages (French, English, Swahili, Kirundi, and Kinyarwanda) which has helped her in working and serving international families.

Shemsa immigrated to the U.S. 10 years ago from her native country of Burundi. Where she comes from, “It takes a village” is lived out in a very literal sense. Child bearing, and child-rearing are communal activities, and she simply grew up with the view that being pregnant, having children, and raising children was never meant to be a lonely journey. She has helped so many of her own family members and friends transition as their families grow, and continued to provide this care in the various communities she has lived in across the U.S.

The realization that labor and postpartum care was not a common practice in families and communities across the U.S. sent her on a quest to train and become a certified doula so that she could extend this care to families outside of her own circle.

As a postpartum and birth doula she leverages her expertise in childcare using techniques to cater to infant’s needs, and helps families be better equipped for bonding and comfort in those first few months. She strives to equip mothers with evidence-based information, as well as emotional support so that they can confidently make decisions about their well being.

Families gravitate towards Shemsa’s calm and kind presence and feel safe knowing that she is a well-trained professional who also has had these values ingrained in her since childhood.