A Local’s Guide to Birth Doulas in Anne Arundel County
If you’re expecting a baby in Annapolis or Anne Arundel County, you’ve likely come across the term birth doula during your pregnancy.
Many families are curious about what doulas do and how they can support the birth experience. The Annapolis area is home to several experienced doulas who offer a wide range of services, including childbirth education, labor support, postpartum care, and breastfeeding guidance.
To help you explore your options, I connected with several local doulas serving families throughout Anne Arundel County and asked them to share more about their work and what makes their approach unique.
Below, you’ll find a closer look at some wonderful local doulas and the services they offer.
What Does a Birth Doula Do?
A birth doula is a trained professional who provides emotional, physical, and informational support during pregnancy and labor.
While doctors and midwives focus on medical care, a doula focuses entirely on supporting the birthing person and their partner throughout the experience.
Doulas often help families prepare for birth by:
Answering questions
Discussing birth preferences
Helping parents understand their options
During labor, they provide hands-on support like:
Breathing guidance
Positioning suggestions
Massage and comfort techniques
Continuous encouragement
Many doulas also offer postpartum support, helping with newborn care, feeding, and the emotional transition into parenthood.
For many families in Anne Arundel County, having a doula brings a sense of reassurance and steady support during one of life’s most meaningful moments.
As a newborn and maternity photographer serving this area, I often hear how much the right support team can shape the entire birth experience. Doulas play an incredible role in helping families feel informed, confident, and cared for.
Shannon MacAdams | Shannon’s Doula Care
Location: Edgewater, Maryland
Website: https://shannonsdoulacare.com/
Shannon MacAdams of Shannon’s Doula Care offers full-spectrum birth doula support for families throughout Edgewater, Annapolis, Severna Park, Crofton, Arnold, and the greater Anne Arundel County area.
Her services include prenatal visits where she helps you build your birth plan, continuous hands-on support throughout labor and delivery, and postpartum follow-up to ensure both parent and baby are settling in well. Shannon has an established relationship with Anne Arundel Medical Center, where many of her clients deliver, allowing her to work seamlessly alongside hospital staff and your care team.
What sets Shannon apart is her highly personal approach. As an independent doula, (not part of an agency), she is the same person supporting you from your first conversation through your baby’s arrival. She limits her availability to just four births per month, so each family receives her full attention and care.
Shannon also offers flexible payment options, including interest-free installments, because she believes doula support should be accessible to more families.
With over five years of experience, she brings a calm, steady presence to each birth and finds deep meaning in supporting families during such an intense and life-changing moment. She offers a free, no-pressure consultation and encourages parents to explore insurance coverage for doula services. Shannon works collaboratively with OBs, midwives, and other members of your birth team to create a cohesive and supportive experience.
Specialties: Full-spectrum birth support, personalized one-on-one care, and hospital-based births at AAMC.
The Vibe: Calm, steady, and deeply personal—like having a trusted guide by your side every step of the way.
Sarah Austin | Safe & Sound Births
Location: Pasadena, Maryland
Website: http://www.safeandsoundbirths.com
Sarah Austin of Safe & Sound Births is an independent birth doula serving families throughout Anne Arundel County. With 10 years of experience attending births, she intentionally limits her schedule to just three births per month so she can provide attentive, personalized care to every client.
Sarah brings a trauma-informed approach to her work and also offers bereavement doula support, creating a safe and compassionate space for families navigating complex emotions around birth. She is a certified HypnoBirthing instructor and offers HypnoBirthing classes, mindfulness-based doula support, and childbirth education designed to help parents understand all of their options.
She has supported a wide range of birth experiences, including VBACs, IVF pregnancies, surrogate births, and births after loss, and she believes there is no single “right” way to give birth. Her goal is always to support the birthing person’s wishes and advocate when needed.
Most of Sarah’s hospital births take place at Anne Arundel Medical Center, where she has built strong relationships with nurses and providers. She also works regularly with Baltimore Washington Medical Center and serves on BWMC’s PEARL (Perinatal Empowerment Advocacy with Respect and Learning) committee.
True to her business name, Sarah’s goal is simple: every family deserves to feel safe, heard, and supported during birth.
Specialties: HypnoBirthing® instruction, trauma-informed support, and VBAC preparation.
The Vibe: Safe, heard, and empowered—bridging the gap between mystical birth and medical systems.
Heather Whitten | Doula & Birth Photographer
Location: Columbia, Maryland Website:http://www.heatherwhitten.com
Heather Whitten is a full-spectrum doula and documentary film photographer serving families in Howard County and the surrounding area. Her work is deeply shaped by her own personal experiences growing her family through infertility, pregnancy loss, IVF, and adoption, which gives her a unique perspective when supporting parents through complex journeys.
Heather works with families who are seeking a calm, compassionate guide through pregnancy and birth, no matter what path their experience takes. She emphasizes open minds and open hearts, meeting each family where they are with empathy and respect.
In addition to doula support, Heather is passionate about documenting births on film. Each of her clients receives a gallery of film photographs that preserve the powerful and emotional moments of birth so families can revisit and reflect on them for years to come.
Heather lives with her family of four children and her spouse, a retired airman, as well as a lively household of pets, bringing both warmth and real-life parenting experience to the families she supports.
Specialties: Full-spectrum doula care and documentary film photography.
The Vibe: Calm, open-hearted, and artistic.
Emily Mariner | Empowered Doula
Location: Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Website: http://www.empowereddoula.com
Emily Mariner, founder of Empowered Doula, provides birth and postpartum doula support for families throughout Anne Arundel County. She is also a certified lactation educator and counselor, allowing her to offer guidance with breastfeeding and newborn care alongside her perinatal support.
Emily works with families in a variety of birth settings and situations, including home births, hospital births, VBACs, cesarean births, and twins. Her goal is to provide well-rounded care that supports mothers and babies throughout the entire perinatal journey.
As a mother of three young boys who were born in a birthing center and at home, Emily draws inspiration from her own experiences in motherhood. She believes every woman deserves to feel strong, supported, and confident during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum transition.
Through Empowered Doula, Emily focuses on “mothering the mother,” helping women feel empowered and cared for as they navigate one of the most transformative seasons of their lives.
Specialties: Birth & Postpartum support, Lactation Counseling, Newborn Care, and high-support births (VBAC, Twins, Cesarean).
The Vibe: Strong, nurturing, and deeply encouraging.
Carly Glover | Annapolis Area Doulas
Location: Annapolis, Maryland
Website:http://www.annapolisareadoulas.com
Carly Glover leads Annapolis Area Doulas, a local team dedicated to supporting families throughout pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum season. The practice offers labor doula support, postpartum and overnight newborn care, placenta encapsulation, childbirth education, and virtual support options for families who need flexibility.
What sets Annapolis Area Doulas apart is their relationship-centered and community-focused approach. Carly has built a trusted team of doulas and a strong referral network of local providers, ensuring that families have support and guidance at every stage of the journey.
The organization has been supporting families in the Annapolis area for more than a decade, helping parents navigate pregnancy and early parenthood with calm, practical support. Their philosophy focuses on meeting families where they are and offering real-life help rather than striving for perfection.
Annapolis Area Doulas prides itself on being inclusive, judgment-free, and deeply rooted in the local community, supporting both first-time parents and growing families during one of life’s most transformative seasons.
Specialties: Labor support, overnight newborn care, placenta encapsulation, and childbirth education.
The Vibe: Inclusive, judgment-free, and community-focused.
Finding the Right Birth Support
Every pregnancy and birth experience is different, and finding the right support can make a meaningful difference during this season of life.
If you’re considering working with a doula, reaching out early in pregnancy is often helpful so you can learn about their approach, ask questions, and find someone who feels like the right fit for your family.
Anne Arundel County has a wonderful community of professionals dedicated to supporting parents through pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum transition.
Planning for Baby’s Arrival
Pregnancy and birth are such meaningful transitions, and having the right support along the way can make a huge difference.
As a photographer serving families in Annapolis and throughout Anne Arundel County, I have the privilege of working with parents during this same season. Documenting this time—from pregnancy to those early newborn days—is something I care deeply about.
Many families choose to schedule maternity and newborn photography during pregnancy so everything is in place before baby arrives.
Maternity sessions celebrate this season of anticipation
Newborn sessions preserve the quiet, fleeting details of those first days
If you’d like to learn more, you can explore:
More Resources for Expecting Parents
If you're expecting a baby in Annapolis or Anne Arundel County, you may also find these helpful: