A Reproductive Justice Framework

My mission is to support people as they navigate the complexities of reproduction in our modern world. I envision a world where all choices are sacred and all people are treated with compassionate, patient-centered care.

 

With my services, I hope to fill support gaps to combat loneliness during reproductive events and make the transition to parenting a little easier. I became a doula to fight against a status quo that feels set-up for our failure in so many ways.

 

I specialize in navigating high-worry pregnancies.
I've had one surgical abortion and two empowered Cesareans. A survivor of Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) and postpartum mood disorder, I know how challenging and stressful pregnancy, childbirth, & parenting can be.

​

My areas of expertise include:

• ​ Complex medical history or fetal diagnosis

• Managing anxiety during pregnancy

• Planned Cesareans & VBAC

• Extreme nausea or vomiting during pregnancy

• Birthing people with C-PTSD/PTSD or medical trauma

• IVF

• "Advanced maternal age"

• TFMR

• Self managed abortion

I try to teach my clients how to be gentle with themselves, nourish their wholeness, and fire the boss in their brain to find fulfillment in the often challenging ebbs and flows of a purposeful life. 

I strive to be a culturally sensitive trauma-informed reproductive justice advocate. My origin in reproductive health was clinical, and I have held the hands of many as an abortion doula at Blue Mountain Clinic in Missoula, MT. I embraced birthwork and postpartum support care after having two babies of my own and training with Childbirth International.

 

Once I fully stepped into my role as a community-based Doula, I realized many life experiences and personality traits make me a good fit for this job. I hate to say it is "a calling" because I simply see doula work as the best work I personally can do towards a more just future. It's also a very joyful way to make a living! 

 

I strive to keep my prices fair to myself and to the families I serve, and am always willing to discuss discounts and payment plans or other creative, anarchist solutions. As an anti-capitalist I am building a business that puts people before profits. My focus is on uplifting the entire community, not #girlbossing myself to a different planet. I strive for transformation in lieu of a transaction, and feel permanently impacted by each client who chooses me to witness their journey.

As an abolitionist, I believe in the power of harm reduction as a modality for collective liberation. As your doula, I am not a mandatory reporter, a health care provider, or a licensed mental health care professional. I am a medical advocate, a companion, and an empathetic ear. Doulas are unregulated by the State, and I am not beholden to any "rules" by my certification program and I am not employed by your provider. I am hired by you, and work only for you.

 

I can help you have more collaborative and productive conversations with your healthcare provider. I can help you find a provider that honors your values. I can support your efforts to prioritize your own wellbeing and find your confidence to have agency in your healthcare.

 

Together, we'll explore therapists, care providers, social safety net resources, and community organizations that can help you create a robust support network. I help you navigate boundaries with your kinship-based support system. I speak up for you when you cannot speak up for yourself. I remind you that you can do hard things while offering you sips of water. I train your partner to show up for you in the ways that matter most. I hope to inspire you to imagine yourself as radical, confident, and brave.

 

I educate you about all of your options and help you think them through in nuanced and sometimes unexpected ways. I'll be by your side, but  I am nobody's savior and I cannot promise to heal anyone. I am simply one humble member of your village. Also, I make you soup.

 

These important moments of vulnerability deserve fearless advocacy, extra-special care, and non-judgmental support. 

 

I support all pregnancy experiences and outcomes.​

• I attend births in your home, at hospitals, and at the birth center and I support all choices in childbirth.

• I provide abortion companionship in clinic or in your home. inquire for more information.

• Virtual doula support available.

 

 

 

Emily lives three-doors-down from their childhood home in Will County, Illinois. In their small farming community, Emily & their partner Adam work to embody the values of respectful parenting as they rear creative & hilarious children: Leo & Valorie. Together, the Likins-Ehlers love to go camping, swim, bake, make art, and do anything that gives them an excuse to be be silly or loud. Emily is an amateur herbalist with a robust garden and studied literature in college - Emily loves a good story, saunas, and hugs that last a little-bit too long.

​