About | Bellwether Doulas

Bellwether believes that all families should have safe, respectful, evidence-based, and empowering care regardless of how you choose to meet your baby. We believe strongly that education is key for families to have better pregnancies and births, and that fully informed consent is a right that every person should have. We believe that birth is transformative and challenge all families expectations are for a positive (dare we say fun) experience and not just survival. We believe in science and that our healthcare workers should be our partners, but know that the system has potholes so we use our expertise to help you navigate and advocate for the birth of your dreams.

Bellwether Doulas has grown and changed as partner's doula careers changed over nealrly 10 years. Rachelle is a founding member, and Hailey joined in 2019. As a team they have modeled their care after the Centering Pregnancy model of sharing community learning.They support each other to better support you!

Our Story

Rachelle Friesen

I have been a doula since 2013 and before that a birth photographer with a BFA in Photography. I am a ToLabor trained birth doula and advocate, GentleBirth Certified Childbirth Educator, and a Hypnobabies® Childbirth Hypnosis Doula with additional workshop experience using Spinning Babies. Currently teaching Evidence Based Birth's classes as well. It's most important to me that we help guide you to the providers that regularly offer the kind of birth you are hoping to have in a respectful, emotionally competent and lower risk environment. It is not my birth or baby, so we will support any birth outcomes, whether it's unmedicated or planned c-section.

From my own birth experiences and many others I've attended, I've discovered that partners also need special care and support during their birth experience as well. Birth can be very emotional and physically exhausting for both partners. I help facilitate partner self-care and help partners better support their labor. Our job in no way replaces a partner, unless that is specifically needed, but enhances the family's ability to bond in labor, which facilitates labor hormones. Rachelle and Lauren founded Bellwether in 2018 to allow them to continue to be doulas while balancing a full family home life, and Rachelle is currently working on her RN/BSN at RIC in hopes of going to midwifery school.

I am a RI Certfied Perinatal Doula.

Hailey Paris

I provide home visits to support you and your individual needs. I offer postpartum care during the day to educate the family about newborn care, as well as postpartum support for the parents. Assisting the family with daily needs from meal preparation, shopping, light housekeeping and organizing the home, partner and sibling adjustment, breastfeeding and bottle feeding support. Hailey is passionate about helping families through education, growing community, nurturing rest and starting new routines.

Wherever you are on your parenting journey, the choices you make today help shape what your tomorrow looks like. I'm here to support you on your unique path through conversations, open-heartedness and collaboration. My role is to walk alongside you!

I co-host the Southern RI Parents Circle offering prenatal and postpartum parent support.

I am a RI Certfied Perinatal Doula.