I’ve found purpose in creating the conditions where doulas can thrive because when they’re supported, they’re better able to show up for families in deeply impactful ways. That ripple effect is what makes this work so meaningful to me.

– Nakeisha Robinson, AAIMM Doula Programs Manager

About Nakiesha: 

Nakeisha Robinson is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and maternal health leader focused on advancing equitable perinatal care. With over 15 years of experience, her work centers on perinatal mental health, community-based doula care, and lactation support to improve outcomes for families at highest risk of preterm birth and low birth weight. She currently serves as Doula Programs Manager for the LA County Department of Public Health, where she leads program strategy and provides reflective supervision to doulas, strengthening trauma-informed and culturally responsive care. Nakeisha is deeply committed to workforce development, coalition building, and expanding access to services that support healthy, empowered births and postpartum experiences.

What does it mean to you to support doulas?

Supporting doulas means creating environments where they can do their work with integrity, sustainability, and care for their clients and for themselves. It’s about more than training; it’s about investing in their growth, protecting their wellbeing, and recognizing the depth of what doula’s hold as they walk alongside families that are experiencing the most vulnerable moments of their lives.

Supporting doulas is how we strengthen the entire perinatal ecosystem. When doulas are supported, families are better supported—and that’s where real change begins.

One reason a family should consider having a doula?

A family should consider having a doula because doulas provide continuous, personalized support during one of the most vulnerable and transformative experiences in life. Unlike clinical providers who may come in and out, a doula stays present offering emotional grounding, physical comfort, and clear, compassionate guidance so that  families can feel informed and empowered in their decisions. That consistent support can make a meaningful difference in how safe, respected, and cared for a family feels throughout pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period.

What’s one game-changing way a doula can support a family during birth and beyond?

One game-changing way a doula can support a family, especially beyond birth, is by serving as a trusted bridge between the family and the care they need during the postpartum period, particularly around perinatal mental health.

Doulas are uniquely positioned because of the relationship they build. There’s trust, consistency, and a level of emotional safety that often allows families to share what they might not disclose in clinical settings. In that space, doulas can gently screen for signs of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, offer education that normalizes what families may be feeling, and most importantly, connect them to the right mental health and lactation support when needed.

It’s not about replacing clinical care, it’s about extending it. Doulas help translate, reinforce, and humanize care in real time. They notice the subtle shifts, they hold space without judgment, and they can act early. That kind of presence can change the trajectory of a family’s postpartum experience, ensuring they’re not navigating it alone, and that support doesn’t come too late.

As someone who has both practiced as a doula and now supports the field from a leadership role, what moment from your time attending births has stayed with you the most?

While I haven’t practiced as a doula, one moment that has stayed with me comes from my time as an In-Home Outreach Counselor working with pregnant and parenting teens. I supported a young mother in the early postpartum period who was overwhelmed, isolated, and felt her voice and experience were dismissed by other providers. She didn’t feel heard or taken seriously, and that compounded her distress.

What stood out wasn’t just her need, it was how much earlier support, consistent presence, and trusted guidance could have changed her experience 

That moment became a turning point. It pushed me to dig deeper into what was missing and led me to community-based doula care. From there, I helped build a program grounded in a team approach, pairing doulas with a mental health clinician and case manager to provide holistic, culturally responsive support so families feel seen, heard, and supported.

What has been the most powerful or meaningful part of your journey from practicing doula to supporting the work at a broader level?

While I’ve completed doula training, I haven’t practiced as a doula, so my journey has looked a little different. What’s been most meaningful for me is how that training, combined with my direct service experience, shifted how I see what families truly need, and what systems often miss.

The most powerful part has been translating that insight into action at a broader level. Building programs that center community-based doulas, integrate perinatal mental health and lactation support, and invest in reflective supervision has allowed me to support not just one family at a time, but entire teams of birthworkers and the communities they serve.

I’ve found purpose in creating the conditions where doulas can thrive because when they’re supported, they’re better able to show up for families in deeply impactful ways. That ripple effect is what makes this work so meaningful to me.