The Full Story
We have come together to offer the best care in our area, dedicated to supporting you through every step of your journey. While we are not medical professionals, we provide valuable education and holistic support for your mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. From pregnancy and labor to birth and postpartum, we'll be by your side, helping you understand what to expect and how to navigate each stage with confidence and grace.
You might be wondering, what does it mean to be a birth keeper? To us, it means being guardians of your birthing experience and respecting your space and wishes. We ensure you feel nurtured, well-informed, and encouraged throughout your journey. Every woman’s path is unique, and we honor your choices, working alongside any medical providers to respect your birth plan.
We strive to create a loving, supportive environment where your wishes are prioritized, and you feel empowered to care for yourself and your baby in the best way possible.
About Our Team
Welcome to Stateline Birth Keepers
At Stateline Birth Keepers, we are dedicated to providing the most compassionate, professional, and personalized care for you throughout your pregnancy and beyond. Your journey with us begins the moment you choose one of our exceptional birth keepers (doulas).
From the start, your birth keeper (doula) will be on call to address all your questions and concerns, ensuring you feel supported and informed at every stage. You’ll have direct access to your doula via email or phone, allowing you to reach out whenever you need.
Your doula will be your trusted ally and confidant, offering expert guidance with compassion, wisdom, and empathy. They are there to help you feel truly prepared for your birthing experience, providing real-time answers and reassurance.
Our services include:
Exceptional On-Call Support: Consistent availability and impeccable communication to address your needs promptly.
Hands-On In-Person Support: Comprehensive care throughout your pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum period.
Home Visits: Personalized prenatal and postpartum visits to ensure your comfort and well-being.
By bringing one of our birth keepers into your support team, you gain an invaluable resource for education, physical assistance, emotional nurturing, and spiritual guidance. Together, we will navigate your pregnancy, embrace the waves of labor, and celebrate your strength and power throughout the beautiful journey of motherhood.
We look forward to supporting you and being a part of your incredible journey.
Our Team
Mikala
Founder
Meet Mikala: Your Dedicated Birth Worker
With five years of experience as a certified birth worker, Mikala has supported over 100 clients, guiding them through their unique birthing journeys. Her passion for this work shines through in every interaction, ensuring that you feel supported and heard every step of the way.
Mikala believes in the importance of inclusivity and makes it a priority to involve everyone you wish to have as part of your birthing experience. She respects and advocates for your desires, helping to create a personalized and empowering birth environment.
Mikala is well-versed in attending all types of births, bringing a wealth of knowledge and a calm presence to each situation. She understands the significance of listening to moms and honoring their individual needs and preferences.
A Little About Mikala:
Mikala is a mother of four, with children ranging in age from 4 to 13. Her personal birthing experiences include two medical hospital births and two free births, giving her a well-rounded perspective on different birthing options. This diverse background fuels her mission to ensure every mother feels validated in her choices and confident in their body’s capabilities.
She has breastfed all of her children for a combined total of 9.5 years, an impressive milestone that speaks to her commitment and expertise. Mikala has navigated various parenting approaches, from using disposable and cloth diapers to using premade canned baby food to practicing baby-led weaning.
When she's not supporting families, Mikala enjoys homeschooling her children and managing her homestead, embodying a holistic and nurturing lifestyle.
Mikala’s Expertise Includes:
Thriving in all birth settings
Baby-Wearing
Cloth Diapering
Breastfeeding PLC
Childbirth Education
Postpartum Care
Placenta Specialist
Rebozo Techniques
Bereavement PAILAdvocate
LGBT+ Friendly
Some Spanish Speaking
Blessingway / MotherBlessing
Neurodivergent Support
Mikala is dedicated to providing comprehensive care and support, ensuring that every family she works with feels empowered and understood throughout their birthing and parenting journeys.
Jennifer
Founder
Jennifer’s birth-keeping journey began in 2010 when she acquired her birth doula certification through DONA International after realizing that she wanted to provide the kind of support that she needed during her first two pregnancies and births as a young mother, but was not able to obtain the south side of Chicago back then.
Jennifer is very passionate about patient advocacy and empowering births and believes that there should be a doula for every mother who wants one. She always tries her best to make sure every mom's needs are heard and met to the best of her ability and will try to make sure that your partner, if available, feels included in the birthing process if you desire.
Jennifer comes from a very diverse multicultural background and is very open-minded to all types of people's personal beliefs and will respect and honor your birth wishes. Jennifer is a mother of 4 with 2 older teens and 2 little under 5. Every single birth experience was different, helping her grow more confident and educated with each delivery. Her first child was born in the typical hospital room setting, the second in an alternative birthing center with midwives, the third a water birth at home with the assistance of a midwife, and her fourth and final birth was an unassisted free/water birth at home in a tub on her homestead. She breastfed all of her children for a minimum of two years each and has learned many tips and tricks along the way, especially after battling mastitis multiple times with her first child.
On her days off Jennifer is a Volunteer Fire Fighter and EMT, does photography, LOVES to travel, geocache, pen-pal, be outdoors (especially in her garden), likes going on road trips, camping, spending time with her kids of course, and doing adventurous things.
Jennifer's Expertise Includes:
• Placenta Encapsulation
• Rebozo Techniques
• Birth Photography
• Belly Casting
• Dancing For Birth
• Costa Rican Closing of Bones
• Blessingway/Motherblessing
• Speaks some Spanish & Urdu
Jenna
Founder
Hello! I’m Jenna, and I’m thrilled about the opportunity to support you on this incredible journey. My goal is to provide nurturing and personalized care tailored to your unique needs.
My journey into birth work began in 2015 when I was supported by an woman during the birth of my son. Inspired, I pursued certification and attended my first birth shortly after. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of working with diverse families in various birthing settings and stages across four states. My passion for this work, combined with my background in diversity and equity, informs my approach to birth support and care.
I’m a biological mom of two amazing earthside kids and one precious angel baby, along with a bonus daughter who adds sparkle to our family. As a naturally minded mom, I’ve breastfed, cloth diapered, and babywore all my littles. I embraced baby-led weaning and skipped the baby food altogether!
My son made his entrance in a hospital setting with a failed epidural (yikes!). My daughter had a dramatic arrival at home. I planned a serene waterbirth with my midwife, but she had other ideas and arrived after just three contractions, right on my living room floor, unassisted!
With my varied birth experiences and a passion for supporting birth persons, I’m here to help you feel confident and informed, no matter what type of birth you choose. My journey has also led me to work in bereavement, supporting families through pregnancy losses, terminal diagnoses, stillbirths, and chosen losses.
As an adoptee, I have had the privilege of also supporting adoption processes, which is amazing.
When I’m not busy with Stateline Birth Keepers, you’ll find me working with local youth as a child advocate, coaching youth sports, or diving into the educational system. I’m an outdoors enthusiast, always up for camping, hiking, or paddle boarding. And when the weather gets chilly, I love crafting – you might catch me crocheting, sewing, or hunting for treasures while thrifting.
Life’s an adventure, and I’m here to embrace every moment with a big smile and an open heart! I look forward to connecting with you and being a part of your beautiful journey.
Jenna's Expertise Includes:
Diverse & Non-Traditional Families
Adoption
Professional Newborn Care
Pregnancy/Birth Support
Bereavement
Postpartum Care
Bengkung Belly Binding
Belly Casting Art
Sleep Training
Trauma Response & Healing
Ameshia
Doula
Hi, my name is Ameshia Carpenter. I am a mother of five, a certified nurse's assistant, and the author of the book Surviving Autism.
I am also a certified birth and postpartum doula. I enjoy birth work above all, but serving postpartum is especially dear to my heart.
Many people are not informed about postpartum depression and don’t realize it’s a real issue. My heart is with postpartum care—being with my clients, helping them get rest, and understanding what is happening with their bodies. I reassure them that they are not crazy. I am there to support the household with whatever they need from me, whether it's cooking, running errands, caring for multiple children, or doing laundry. Whatever my client and their household need, I am there and available to serve.
I am willing to cook, clean, do laundry, and watch the baby while the mom sleeps, takes a shower, or needs a break. I’m also available for overnight care.
