About Shala
Shala is a wonderful doula with a passion for birth work! She loves helping people navigate this beautiful time with warmth and compassion. She loves all birth, but has a special place in her heart for home birthing families.
As a Miami native, I faced many challenges when I moved to Brooklyn years ago to pursue an acting career. Struggling to adjust to the fast-paced lifestyle, I hit rock bottom – losing my job, self-love, and feeling lonely and hopeless. I realized that without the proper tools to shift my perspective, I could not find happiness.
This realization led me to enroll in a certified 200-hour yoga teacher training program. Through this work, I began to trust my intuition and discovered my passion for supporting expecting parents through the birth process. I became a certified Breastfeeding Counselor and DONA-trained Doula, helping many parents create the birth experience they desired.
In January 2019, my husband and I suffered a devastating miscarriage, which fundamentally changed me and my approach to birth work. This experience fueled my passion and understanding for individuals who face challenges when trying to conceive. Although the pain of our loss will never completely go away, I worked on healing my mind, body, and soul and gave birth to my beautiful daughter Brave Konomi at home in February 2020.
Since 2017, I've had the privilege of supporting over 200 families through pregnancy, birth, and beyond. I bring extensive experience with high-risk births, C-section support, twins, home births, and more. The families I've worked with often comment on how my comforting touch and grounding presence helped them navigate every contraction and overcome mental obstacles.
I truly enjoy supporting families from all walks of life, and I believe my greatest strength as a birth doula is my ability to connect with people on a deeper level. Many of the families I've supported have become cherished friends.
Currently, I reside in Atlanta, GA, with my husband and two daughters. When I'm not working, I enjoy drinking matcha and spending quality time with my loved ones.
Client testimonial:
“My husband and I cannot say enough kind things about our doula , Shala. She was a calming force and a pillar of strength for us during our very long/stressful labor and delivery. We feel like Shala is now a part of our family and look forward to her being a part of our daughter’s life.
Prenatally, Shala was informative and extremely accessible to any questions we had. She sent us so many useful resources and backed up any advice for us. She helped us develop our birth plan and helped to guide us with questions for our healthcare provider. She gave us hands on tips to help relieve pain while laboring at home. Most importantly, after 37 weeks, she was constantly checking in with me and never made me feel I was bothering her but encouraged communication. I felt so supported - especially during my long nights of prodromal labor.
When it was time for the hospital, Shala was amazing. When it became clear that our birth plan would be augmented - she made us feel so supported and confident in our choices. She stayed with us every step of the way with various pain relief options, a calming voice or a needed laugh. My mom, who is a career nurse practitioner, was especially struck by her calming presence and her support.
Her postnatal visit was amazing as we were able to talk through the whole labor and I could start to process everything. She observed us breastfeeding and offered tips and introduced more resources to help us appropriately introduce bottles when the time comes.
My husband and I can not recommend Shala highly enough- if you have her as your doula please consider yourself lucky and look forward to gaining a friend !”
— ROSEY