Doula Jillian

Doula Jillian owns MSP Doulas to provide empowering, evidence-based birth doula support for families in the Minneapolis Metro.

We strive to always be inclusive and informed in our approach — No judgment or overwhelm allowed at this birthday party! Doula Jillian's personal mission is to bring a trauma-informed, Reproductive Justice* lens to pregnancy, birth, and postpartum support. She hopes to empower pregnant people with evidence-based education, embodiment practices, frameworks for skill development, and material resour

ces, so that they can advocate for a birth story they love and, in the process, unearth their innate capability to create a more just & loving world for their children to inherit — easy peasy, right?! Locally, Jillian owns MSP Doulas to provide empowering, evidence-based birth doula support for families in Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and the surrounding Metro. MSP Doulas strives to always be inclusive and informed in our approach — No judgment or overwhelm allowed at this birthday party! We affirm and celebrate all bodies, all families, and all birth. Book a free consult now: mspdoulas.com/book

*learn more about Reproductive Justice: https://www.sistersong.net/

04/22/2025

Independent, community based birth education > hospital-based birth education every time.

Why? More often than not, a hospital will teach you how to be a “good patient” within their system, rather than giving you your full spectrum of options.

Think “what to expect within our preferred model of care” rather than “here’s what you should know to make informed and empowered decisions.”

And before you think I’m hating on hospitals, the same is true for freestanding birth centers. If you end up having complications or transferring to a hospital, you need to know about more than unmedicated, physiologic labor.

Being prepared for the unexpected doesn’t need to be fear-inducing, and thinking outside the box can help you advocate for the individualized care you deserve.

We are so lucky to have awesome options for comprehensive birth education in the Twin Cities. Some faves:

with & .hc mn

Did you take a local birthing class you loved? Comment below to let me know or tag someone who could find this useful!

06/03/2020

Post 2/2: In his last moments, George Floyd called out for his Momma...
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It’s only been in the past couple of weeks that Lottie has started calling me “Mama,” and whenever she does, I have a visceral, whole body response to put aside whatever I’m doing, be fully present, attentive, and protective of her. Regardless of whether or not you have children, you know the fierce, unconditional, power of mothering energy. Of that love.
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We need to harness it to burn down systems of oppression. If you’re white, you can use it to center someone else’s needs above your own… to get behind Black women, trans, and nonbinary people who have been doing this work for time immemorial.
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I’ve been grappling with short vs. long term actions I can take that will actually have impact. I’ve done my best to contribute to the immediate needs in Minneapolis, and I also joined SisterSong as an ally-member.
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As someone who works with pregnant, birthing, and postpartum people, I commit to deepening my understanding of Reproductive Justice. I recognize and assert that calling for disinvestment from our current system of policing is just as central to my personal mission as calling for quality healthcare for all pregnant and birthing people. I will continue to do the internal work of confronting and dismantling my own privilege, bias, and racism.
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I don’t say this to show you what a “good ally” I am. There is no praise for doing necessary work. But I think it can be helpful to show a tangible step I’m taking as an example, if you are having trouble identifying what that might look like for you.
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So, white friends and family - what will you do to nurture antiracism in your life? What can you do in your work, your homes, and your own heart and mind? If you need ideas of places to start, there’s a link in my bio.
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“Justice is what love looks like in public” - Dr Cornel West.
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Let’s take that mothering energy… that fierce love… and use it to create the world we want to leave our children.
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06/03/2020

Post 1/2: I talk a lot about how birth is a Reproductive Justice issue, but in reflection this week, I’ve come to realize that by failing to publicly unpack this statement, I’ve caused harm.
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Reproductive Justice is the emotional and intellectual labor of Black Women, and it’s not a vague idea. It’s a framework developed in 1994 in critique of the Clinton healthcare plan. 12 Black women came together, coined the term Reproductive Justice, and published a letter, signed by over 800 individuals, in the Washington Post and Roll Call.
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3 years later, 16 organizations from 4 communities (Native American, African American, Latina, and Asian American) came together to form SisterSong, a leading organization on Reproductive Justice.
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SisterSong defines Reproductive Justice as: the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities.
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RJ centers access, rather than legal rights because it recognizes that the dominant paradigm of being “pro-choice” requires the resources afforded to middle class and wealthy cis-het white women. It’s also about so much more than abortion.
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RJ is intersectional and sees how access to contraception, comprehensive s*x education, STI prevention and care, alternative birth options, adequate prenatal and pregnancy care, domestic violence assistance, adequate wages to support families, safe homes, and so much more are all critical to center the most marginalized among us.
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As SisterSong says, “Our society will not be free until the most vulnerable people are able to access the resources and full human rights to live self-determined lives without fear, discrimination, or retaliation.”
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I saw a tweet earlier this week, and I wish I could find it again to credit the author. But it said something along the lines of “That part of the Reproductive Justice framework calling for the human right to raise children in safe and sustainable communities… it doesn’t have an age limit.”
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In his last moments, George Floyd called out for his Momma... (continued)
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03/27/2020

➡️ Becoming a parent has always been the ultimate crash course for tolerating ambiguity and vulnerability ⬅️

The truth is, no parent ever really knows what they’re doing 🤷‍♀️ ...but we show up for it anyway, knowing that the discomfort we feel is going to exist side by side with previously-unimaginable love for the rest of our lives.

🖋️It’s the contract we signed.

But, for all the twists and turns pregnancy and birth normally bring, I don’t think anyone signed up to bring a baby into the world in the middle of a global health crisis that’s causing us to separate from friends and family, worry about our job security, and wonder if we have to prepare for a last-minute home birth? (we don't...)

This is unprecedented... 😕

As a birth doula and life coach, one thing I’ve realized over the years is that when so much is out of our control, there are three things that need to happen...

✔️Get the facts: Let’s cut through the overwhelm and look at what we actually know to be true right now. Could it change tomorrow? Yep. But it will at least give us a baseline for making informed decisions.

✔️Get control of what you can: Here’s a spoiler. The only thing you ever really have control of is yourself. Your thoughts, your feelings, and your actions. When everything else is spinning, you’ve got to take responsibility for how you show up for yourself.

✔️ Get your people: At the end of the day, humans are meant to connect with other humans. It’s how we’re wired neurobiologically. We’re not meant to do life alone, and it’s crucial to connect with other people who understand where we're coming from...

While I would love to physically gather in a room together with you, that’s not in the cards right now. But, we can do the next best thing…

✨Join me for a FREE online workshop on Thursday, April 2nd. We’ll cover all this in detail, and I’ll show you some of the most powerful exercises I know for getting through these turbulent times while pregnant✨

Link to register in the comments⬇️⬇️⬇️

We’ll make it through this together 💖

01/22/2020

So happy. So tired.
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This morning we had come over to take new brand photos, and let me tell you:
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Taking photographs with a baby is no joke. I feel like I just ran a marathon and need to introvert for the rest of the day, but I’m also so excited to see how they turn out!
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I’ve been tuned in to the business side of things this month, setting up the rest of the year for you.
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It’s been fun, but I’m also really looking forward to seeing more clients, creating content, and immersing myself back into all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum rather than SEO, branding, and social media. I love it all, but I miss you 😘
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For now: nap time on my office couch 😴
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😴

01/15/2020

𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲!

This is my husband Jack, and this picture was taken last weekend when we saw Ben Folds with the Minnesota Orchestra.

It's become a semi-annual tradition for us, and since "the luckiest" was one of the songs at our wedding, it always gives me the feels.

This first year of parenthood was one of the toughest years we've gone through together, and I'll be honest - we don't have time to connect with each other as much as I would like.

But, that makes dates like this extra special, and I truly value how he sees himself as a partner in all things parenting (it's one of the reasons I married him in the first place).

He's been to every single doctor visit prenatally and in Lottie's first 12 months, cleans probably more than I do, changes all the diapers, and gets up in the middle of the night.

He even caught Lottie when she was born, under the supervision of our midwife 💞

While I would love to live in a world where dads don't need to be praised for taking on equal work, I know the reality is that even the best intentions can fall flat based on our social conditioning.

So, cheers to Jack and all the partners who put in the work 🥂

👇𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆, 𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀!

01/14/2020

Amen Amen Amen!! 🙌🙌🙌

I was pregnant when I first saw this print by (formerly ), and I felt SEEN.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱?!?

My hunch 👉 when you make decisions during pregnancy about whether or not to get genetic testing, what to eat for lunch, what make-up to wear, how to set up the nursery, where you plan to birth.... you're becoming a parent.

It's the first time you're making decisions, not just for yourself, but for the tiny human you're growing...and who doesn't want the absolute best of everything for their baby? (hint: literally everyone wants that)

The additional challenge you feel making decisions when pregnant is practice for the 500,000 daily decisions you'll need to make once your baby arrives.

𝙇𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣: 𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱.

But you know what? As much as I 💛research and evidence for decision-making, some days (most days) all you can do is use your own intuition about what's best for you and your family, based on your current capacity.

It's not always possible to get all the information before making a choice, and that's okay.

So much of becoming a parent is learning to trust your intuition and your judgment.

So....

You're doing enough. You are enough.

𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹.

I promise.

01/10/2020

Let's jump right into it. Birth is a reproductive justice issue.

Did you know that 30% of birthing people describe their experience as "traumatic" and somewhere between 𝟱-𝟭𝟳% 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗺 𝗣𝗧𝗦𝗗?

I love working with women and pregnant people to help them plan for, navigate, and process their pregnancy stories.

But the deep-down-fire-in-my-soul 🔥motivation is that we change the conversation around birth to view it as a feminist issue.

The 1:1 work fills me up, but deep down I know that empowered moms are going to change the world. They're going to change our systems.

They're going to run for office?

𝟭𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗕𝗼𝗹𝗱 & 𝗠𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘆 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗼 @𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼-𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 so that our systems can change. Accessible and affordable healthcare. childcare. education. nutritious foods... the list goes on.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘆, 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗺 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲.

If you're in Minneapolis, check out the events in the comments for fun and accessible ways to get involved in 2020!

01/08/2020

Last weekend we took down all our Christmas and Birthday decorations. It's the first time since we moved in September that I feel like our house is "done."⁣
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Let's be honest, it's never totally done, but we have furniture and things on the walls! ⁣
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While I loved the festive decorations, it started to feel cluttered and claustrophobic, and in this post-solstice post-New Year energy I'm ready for there to be some spaciousness in my life to let the light shine in!⁣
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I know winter is just getting started here in Minnesota, but it makes a huge difference to my mood when the physical space around me feels spacious, open, and uncluttered. ⁣
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Will it stay this way?⁣
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Hell no. I have a toddler now, and tbh, as much as I want to be one of those people who finds cleaning peaceful, I hate it. So this is short lived, but for now I'm basking in it!⁣
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Have you taken down your holiday decorations yet? Let me know 👇👇👇⁣
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#2020 @ Minneapolis, Minnesota

01/08/2020

Last weekend we took down all our Christmas and Birthday decorations. It's the first time since we moved in September that I feel like our house is "done."

Let's be honest, it's never totally done, but we have furniture and things on the walls!

While I loved the festive decorations, it started to feel cluttered and claustrophobic, and in this post-solstice post-New Year energy I'm ready for there to be some spaciousness in my life to let the light shine in!

I know winter is just getting started here in Minnesota, but it makes a huge difference to my mood when the physical space around me feels spacious, open, and uncluttered.

Will it stay this way?

Hell no. I have a toddler now, and tbh, as much as I want to be one of those people who finds cleaning peaceful, I hate it. So this is short lived, but for now I'm basking in it!

Have you taken down your holiday decorations yet? Let me know 👇👇👇

11/27/2019

My job is to ✨inspire you to own your birth story✨
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Cool. Sounds nice. What does it actually mean?
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I can help you take ownership of your pregnancy, labor, and postpartum experience by providing services that fall into 3 different buckets:
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📖Education: when you know what’s happening in your body, confidence goes up. Learn about pregnancy, labor, and postpartum - including infant feeding basics.
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⚡️Advocacy (Doula services): understand your options and advocate for yourself. I’ll be by your side the entire way through.
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💚Coaching: give yourself space to reflect on how you want to show up in your life during a time of major transition.
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The best part? When you own your birth story, you contribute to a world of gender equity and reproductive justice. Double tap if that’s something you can get behind.

Graphic:
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11/26/2019

I love being a mom. Nobody can bring a smile to my face like my baby can, and I’ve learned more from her in 11 months than I could have ever imagined before she landed on this earth.
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If I could, I would move mountains for her, but I have a confession: I’m really, really over society’s current narrative of a mother’s love. The one that says moms have an inner force of power that allows them to overcome any and all obstacles for their children. That they can sacrifice and sacrifice and sacrifice - all so that their kids don’t have to feel any pain. That their love is so powerful that it gives them the strength to do ~all~ the things (and that might even bring them joy?)
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Stick with me here.
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I’m not saying that pieces of that story aren’t true (moms are hella strong and amazing!)
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But what does it do to our expectations of parents in our lives when that’s what we hear over and over again? How do we absolve ourselves from providing necessary systems of support in the form of affordable childcare, healthcare, mental health resources, or for the men out there - from stepping up to do the dishes even when you’re tired?
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If you’re anxious about how you’ll balance all the demands in your life, please take a deep breath and know: You are enough. You’re doing enough. You are allowed to have needs and desires that are just for you. You don’t have to sacrifice everything because you’re becoming a parent.
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Will you sacrifice some things? Of course.
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But you are allowed to have needs and wants and desires and dreams and space because you — who you are as an individual person on this planet — matter.
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Identifying what you need is the first step in reaching out to ask for help. Comment below with one thing you need from
others to feel supported today.
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https://www.mspdoulas.com/

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About Jillian

Hi there! I’m Jillian. Birthworker, Changemaker, Ice Cream Connoisseur, and Founder of Bold & Mighty Birth. I believe that you have the right to make choices about your body and that empowering birth is an extension of reproductive justice.

I inspire changemakers (anyone who believes they have the power to make the world a better place) to write their own empowering birth stories through lived experience and meaning-making. I’m a pregnancy coach, birth doula, educator, and advocate for gender equity. When I’m not working 1:1 with clients, I’m helping to elect pro-choice women in Minneapolis and Saint Paul because we need to work at both the individual and structural levels to make lasting change.

I’m an INFJ who makes decisions for myself by balancing science and practicality with intuition and heart. In birthwork, my strengths are empathy, compassion, and championing you to believe in yourself and your strong, unique, beautiful body. As a mother myself, I know how transformative this time is for your entire family, and I would be honored to be a small part of your birth story.

I live in downtown Minneapolis with my husband Jack, daughter Lottie, and cat Phoebe. When I’m not supporting a birth or knocking on doors you can find me dancing to Lizzo in my living room, visiting family in Duluth (hot take: Lake Superior is Minnesota's best lake, by far), and trying way too hard to make my baby giggle.

Doula Jillian

04/22/2025

06/03/2020

06/03/2020

03/27/2020

01/22/2020

01/15/2020

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01/10/2020

01/08/2020

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11/27/2019

11/26/2019

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