About Us
The Doula Association of Vermont is a professional organization dedicated to supporting and advocating for doulas and the families they serve throughout the state.
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The association provides a network for doulas to connect, share resources, and continue their education through workshops, training sessions, and peer support.
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By promoting the role of doulas, the association aims to enhance the childbirth experience, offering physical, emotional, and informational support to birthing individuals and their families and advocating for Medicaid coverage for doulas in Vermont.
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Through their efforts, the Doula Association of Vermont seeks to empower families, improve birth outcomes, and foster a community of compassionate care.
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Members will have access to a network for doulas to connect, share resources, and continue their education, as well as events and educational materials organized by the association.
Mission
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The mission of the
Doula Association of Vermont (DAV)
is to offer a unified
voice for doulas serving
families in Vermont,
ensure and protect
the integrity and sustainability
of the doula profession,
and advocate for access
to doula services.
DAV is dedicated to our mission and will attain
these goals by focusing
on the following
strategic areas:
Policy Advocacy
Advocate for systemic change, including both Medicaid coverage for and increased access to doula services, dignified compensation, and equity in maternal health policies.
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Professional Community Building
Foster connection, peer support, and shared resources among doulas to build a strong, sustainable professional network.
Public Education and Awareness
Increase public understanding of doulas, the evidence behind their value, and their role in improving maternal and infant health outcomes.
Training and Workforce Development
Provide high-quality comprehensive and equity-focused doula training, increase the number of well-trained doulas, and support retention in the profession.
Operational Infrastructure
Develop systems and processes to enable Medicaid billing, reimbursement, and other administrative support for doulas.
DAV Code of Ethics
ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY OF DOULAS TO CLIENTS
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Respect for Client Autonomy: Doulas respect the client's right to make informed and consensual decisions about their care. We recognize that every person has the right to full autonomy over their body and their experience.
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Client-Responsive Support: Doulas offer non-judgmental and compassionate support to clients. We provide evidence-based information and support the client’s decisions, regardless of their lifestyle, background, or circumstances, recognizing our own biases and worldview.
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Endeavour to achieve human rights in childbirth: Doulas work alongside their clients to foster self-determination, self-advocacy, and protect the fundamental right to health for our clients, their family and the community.
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Reliability: Clients rely on the support doulas provide and count on the doula to be dependable and honor all professional commitments. There may be situations where a doula can no longer provide support a client needs, and it is the doula’s obligation to refer them to appropriate care.
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Confidentiality: Doulas must maintain confidentiality regarding all client information, sharing details only with the client’s consent or when legally required.
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PROFESSIONALISM
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Integrity and Honesty: Doulas conduct themselves with honesty, integrity, and professionalism at all times. We are truthful about qualifications, competencies, and limitations on services we may provide, and will not misrepresent qualifications or competencies.
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Scope of Practice: Doulas adhere to the defined scope of our practice and avoid the provision of medical advice or services outside of our training.
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Transparent Business Practices: Doulas are transparent about their fees, services including scope of support and limitations, and any business practices. They avoid false or misleading advertising.
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Continuing Education: Doulas commit to ongoing education and professional development to enhance our skills and stay informed about current practices in childbirth and postpartum care.
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INTERPROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION
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Collaboration: Doulas collaborate with other professionals involved in the client’s care, prioritizing the goal of advocacy for the client’s preferences, while maintaining their autonomy as doulas.
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Avoiding Conflicts of Interest: Doulas avoid situations, where personal or financial interests could compromise their professional judgment or client care, and acknowledge the importance of independence from hospitals where possible.
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PROVIDE EQUITABLE CARE
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Cultural Humility: Doulas strive to embody cultural humility and sensitivity, which includes upholding the intersectional needs of birthing people, recognizing power dynamics, and tailoring care to each client.
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Inclusion and Equity: Doulas commit to inclusive practices, ensuring that all clients receive equitable care and support.
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AMPLIFY JUSTICE
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Client Advocacy: Doulas support and promote the client’s rights and preferences. We affirm and uplift clients’ right to express their needs and desires.
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Community Advocacy: Doulas may advocate for broader issues related to maternal and infant health, reproductive and birth justice, access to care, and/or public policy, always prioritizing the welfare of clients and the community.
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Conception of the
Doula Association of Vermont
(DAV)
The Doula Association of Vermont (DAV) was born from the shared vision and tireless efforts of Maria and her long-time collaborator, Sarah Teel. Both have long believed that doula support, as a form of behavioral health, should be accessible to everyone who needs it.
Doulas play a unique and essential role, providing deeply personal, empowering, and compassionate care that ensures individuals feel heard, supported, and understood throughout the birthing journey.​
Over the past decade, Maria and Sarah worked together to bring this vision to life, with Maria finding support at Washington County Mental Health to establish "The Doula Project," expanding doula services in the community.
Sarah complemented this work through extensive research, advocacy, and direct work as a doula, cultivating a network of support throughout Vermont.
Together, they championed the importance of doula care not only for clients but also for the doulas themselves, believing that a strong and supported doula community is essential for sustainable and effective care.​In 2023,
Maria presented findings on "The Doula Project" at the World Infant Mental Health Conference in Dublin, Ireland, showcasing Vermont’s innovative approach to an international audience.
Meanwhile, Sarah was instrumental in building relationships with stakeholders at the Vermont Department of Health and across the state, exploring creative ways to establish community doula programs to serve Vermont’s most marginalized pregnant people.​
The work also extended to the legislative arena. In 2017, Maria co-authored Vermont’s first legislative bill advocating for Medicaid coverage for doula care, and the efforts have since gained substantial statewide support. ​There is a clear need for a unified voice among doulas to achieve long-term, statewide success, which led to the formation of the DAV, as a response to this need.
With their combined experience and dedication, Maria and Sarah co-founded DAV to serve as a cohesive advocate for doulas and a resource for advancing doula services as a recognized, accessible part of Vermont’s healthcare system, and have brought several other doulas and stakeholders into the DAV, creating a strong team to steward this mission forward.
​Together, Maria and Sarah continue to work to secure doula support as an integral component of reproductive and behavioral health care. Their combined vision is to ensure that DAV elevates the doula profession, improves birth outcomes, and promotes a compassionate, inclusive, and equitable approach to reproductive health across Vermont.
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Maria Rossi (MSW) began her journey into childbirth and reproductive rights in 2000, during her undergraduate years at the University of Vermont, where she was introduced to the captivating history of childbirth in the United States, the interconnectedness with reproductive rights, and the profound influence doulas and midwives can have on individuals' birth experiences through a course titled: "Sociology of Reproduction".
After giving birth to her first child in 2009, Maria's passion for supporting families and individuals during this vulnerable and transformative time grew stronger, leading her to become a doula and childbirth educator, driven by a mission to provide support to those who were often marginalized in the realm of maternal health.
In 2023, Maria completed her graduate degree in social work to deepen her skills and knowledge of perinatal mental health and looks forward to using those skills to both support individuals and to inform the future offerings within DAV.
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Jaimie Martin brings a deeply personal passion and commitment to her role as Co-Director of the Doula Association of Vermont (DAV). Having lived her entire life in poverty and currently accessing Medicaid herself, she understands firsthand the barriers many families face in accessing quality maternal care.
Her journey into advocacy was profoundly shaped by her experiences of four traumatic births without doula support; ranging from an emergency cesarean at 17 years old in which doctors and nurses ignored her attempts at self-advocacy, to enduring abuse from nurses and a severe lack of support, a shoulder dystocia, and a harrowing experience of being forcibly removed from a labor tub and held down during crowning—resulting in her daughter’s arm being forcibly broken by the attending physician who had taken charge away from her OBGYN quoting “hospital policy” during her fourth delivery at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
These experiences starkly contrasted with her final birth, supported by a doula, which was her first empowering and compassionate birthing experience. Jaimie knows personally the effect of accessing doula care and how this can safeguard the birthing person in one of the most vulnerable positions that a human being can find themselves in. Point blank, she knows that this matters.
These personal challenges, combined with her years of both advocacy and leadership, fuel her dedication to ensuring equitable access to doula care for all Vermont families. In her role at DAV, she focuses on creating frameworks that uplift doulas, promote Medicaid coverage, and address systemic inequalities - all with the primary goal of ensuring that poor birthing people remain centered in accessing equitable, compassionate doula care to improve maternal and family health outcomes across the state.
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Mary Kate Shanahan (she/her) is the Executive Director and co-owner of Vermont Doula Company, where she leads a dedicated team to provide compassionate and comprehensive birth and postpartum support across Vermont.
With a background in nurturing both clients and team development, Mary Kate brings a balance of warmth and professionalism to her role.
She’s passionate about guiding families through the transformative stages of pregnancy and postpartum with an emphasis on personalized care and community support.
Mary Kate is committed to empowering families and doulas alike, enriching the Vermont birth community with knowledge and compassion.