Meet the Doula
Jessica's Sentiment
“Speak tenderly to them. Let there be kindness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile, in the warmth of your greeting. Always have a cheerful smile. Don’t only give your care, but give your heart as well.”
– Mother Teresa
Jessica Easter, CD(DONA), Founder & CEO of Abounding Grace Birth Services, LLC believes that childbirth is a spiritual experience. Her interest in reproduction, maternal health, and birth developed at a young age. Her passion in preventing women from having traumatic experiences stems from her own unnerving labor in 2011. As a black doula, she recognizes how imperative it is for women, especially those of color, to have proper maternal support before, during, and after birth.
Her mission is to mitigate maternal health disparities by educating, encouraging, and empowering women to make informed birth decisions while yielding the physical, mental, and emotional support that is necessary to preserve powerful and positive labor experiences.
Jessica received a professional birth doula certification through DONA International, and is a founding member of the National Black Doulas Association. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from a university in southern Arkansas where she was born and raised. She now resides in middle Tennessee with her family.
JESSICA HAS EXPERIENCE WITH:
BIRTHS
Induction Births
Natural Birth & Vaginal Birth
Medicated & Non-Medicated birth
Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC)
Cesarean Birth
Water Labor & Birth
Home, Hospital , and Birth Center Birth
MOMS
Single Moms
First Time Moms
High Risk Moms
Plus Sized Moms
Breastfeeding Moms
VBAC Support for Moms
Advanced Maternal Age
Women and Families of Color
BABIES
IUGR Babies
Preterm Babies
Premature Babies
Newborn ICU Babies
Professional
AFFILIATIONS
DONA International is the world’s first largest & leading doula certifying organization.
DONA International’s primary function is to provide excellent doula education and certification to a diverse population of doulas world-wide.
The NBDA connects black birthing families with black doulas nationwide. Our overall mission at NBDA is to help fight the Black maternal mortality rate in this country and beyond, through educational development and empowerment.
Sista Midwife Productions is a birth advocacy organization based in New Orleans, LA. We provide education, training and consultations for communities, birth workers and organizations that work with child bearing families.
Professional
Partnerships
The PP Doula
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Princess Sams assists families who are bringing home a new baby through birth or adoption.
Her focus is to help moms and dads feel more confident in their roles, share education on family adjustment, and tend to the unique needs of a new mother.
Shanai Jett
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Shanai Jett, owner of Forever Lasting Photography, specializes in maternity, birth, infant, and family portraits for all of your special occasions.
Her exquisite work has been published in Shutter Up Magazine.
Featured Articles
Self.com
“I’ve always had a fascination with birth, even as a young child,” Jessica Easter, a member of the National Black Doulas Association and owner of Abounding Grace Birth Services in Nashville, tells SELF. She began her doula training in February 2018.
“I have definitely had clients hire me because they had learned of birth outcomes for women of color,”
Easter says. “As a doula, one way I support my clients is by providing evidence-based data and information from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists so my clients will feel confident enough to discuss certain topics related to their pregnancy with their care providers.”
When Easter first meets her clients, they talk about various things that can happen during birth and what potential procedures they might encounter in a hospital setting.
Urbaanite & Nashville scene
FOR THE SOUL: A NASHVILLE DOULA’S CALL TO SERVE
For The Soul: a 6-part collaboration series between Urbaanite + Nashville Scene to celebrate diverse stories in Nashville and just make you smile.
The word doula comes from the ancient Greek doulē, “a woman who serves,” and that is exactly what Jessica Easter is doing as a doula for expecting moms across Middle Tennessee. An Arkansas native, Easter made the leap with her husband and daughter to become a Nashvillian after an unassuming trip to the city for a wedding. She would also soon make another significant leap, leaving the psychology field and launching her doula business, Abounding Grace Birth Services.
"Each soul is born with a purpose. It is our obligation to fulfill this purpose and make a positive impact on the world." - Darla Burns
