Hi! I’m Tess (she/her), a queer doula based in Berkeley, California, on unceded Ohlone land. I am dedicated to supporting individuals and families through all reproductive life events with compassion and inclusivity.

As a certified doula through Cornerstone Birthwork Training, I provide nonjudgmental care that honors each person’s unique needs and experiences. My values of anti-capitalism, mutual aid, and community care shape my approach, and I prioritize building trusting, collaborative relationships with my clients.

Since beginning my professional doula journey in 2022, I’ve had the honor of attending over 50 births and supporting nearly 30 families through the postpartum period. I am truly grateful to engage in work that speaks to my soul.

Tess wears a mask and holds a newborn swaddled in a hospital blanket.

I provide my clients with the latest evidence and science-backed explanations while holding space for our bodies to work their innate magic. I have deep reverence for nature’s design, but also understand that medical support can be life-saving, trauma-mitigating, or simply someone’s desire.

My professional background is in childcare, public health, and obstetrics quality improvement research. I always knew I wanted to do something that “mattered” in the world, and I believe that reproductive health is the crux of personal autonomy, liberation, and transformation. Family building (or not building) is a process that asks you to really look at your values, your beliefs, your deepest self-knowing… and you shouldn’t have to do it alone!

I love my work because, at its core, it’s human-to-human connection. I support people preparing for home births and planned C-sections, breastfeeding and formula feeding, fertility struggles and abortions. I know that everyone walks their own path and I’m here to uplift your journey, however it may look. My doula practice is firmly queer- and trans-inclusive, anti-racist, pro-autonomy, and pro-choice. I am constantly growing and welcome opportunities to further educate myself.

In my free time, I enjoy spending quiet evenings at home with my cats, connecting with friends, taking ballet classes, hiking (within cell service :)), and swimming. One day, I hope to be a home birth midwife with a large garden and a few children of my own!

EDUCATION

Certified Birth Doula, Cornerstone Birthwork Training, 2020
Certified Postpartum Doula, Cornerstone Birthwork Training, 2020
Certified Full Spectrum Doula, Cornerstone Birthwork Training, 2020
Know Your Rights, Birth Monopoly, 2020
Comforting Touch for Doulas, 2023
Adult, Child, and Baby First Aid/CPR/AED, most recently renewed in 2023
Certified Lactation Counselor, Center for Breastfeeding (in progress)
BA Public Health & Health Equity, Mills College
BS Biology, Mills College

Photo of two white children in front of a Christmas tree. The younger child has brown hair and smiles at the camera. The older child (Tess) has a baby doll in a front pack, a baby doll in a back pack, and is pushing a baby doll in a toy stroller.

Pictured: Me, age 4, caregiver to three baby dolls and destined for doula-hood.