Birthmark Doula Collective

What Birthmark Doula Collective does

Birthmark Doula Collective is a New Orleans-based for-profit birth-justice cooperative founded in 2011 (with the Black Birth Matters initiative launched in October 2016 by Jamilla Webb and Ashley Hill Hamilton) that delivers perinatal support services to pregnant and parenting families across Louisiana. Core offerings include birth and postpartum doula packages (prenatal visits, continuous labor support, postpartum visits with lactation), the New Orleans Breastfeeding Center partnership providing in-home, in-clinic, and virtual lactation services plus breastfeeding circles (Café au Lait across five Louisiana cities and Café con Lecha in Spanish), and a childbirth education curriculum delivered both in person (Belly Talks, Comfort Measures, After Birth workshops at $125 each or $325 bundled) and online via a self-paced Thinkific course at $200.

Revenue is generated through a portfolio of small-ticket, pay-as-you-go professional service fees, workshop registrations, one-time digital product purchases ($15 Grand Rounds recordings, $3-$30 merchandise), and paid training programs (Infant Ready webinar at $25, live training at $90/person with a 10-person minimum, $35 refresher). Pricing is offered on a sliding scale with financial assistance. Distribution is community-led: breastfeeding circles, an annual Black Birth Matters Summit (since 2016, rotating Louisiana locations), quarterly Grand Rounds for providers, a Google Forms-based provider referral program, and earned media coverage including a 60 Minutes feature. Operations run on mainstream SaaS (Squarespace storefront and website, IntakeQ booking, Thinkific course hosting, Eventbrite ticketing, Google Forms); there is no proprietary software, no AI/ML capabilities, and no disclosed funding rounds beyond philanthropic support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, ViiV Healthcare sponsorship, and a $0 Humana relationship logged in April 2024. The cooperative actively advocates on maternal health policy and is a plaintiff challenging Louisiana Act 246.

Name

Birthmark Doula Collective

Legal name

Birthmark Doula Collective

Website

https://birthmarkdoulas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Birthmark Doula Collective is a New Orleans-based birth-justice cooperative providing doula support, lactation consulting (via the New Orleans Breastfeeding Center), childbirth education, and the Infant Ready emergency-feeding program to pregnant and parenting families across Louisiana.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Doula and Perinatal Support Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Lactation, Postpartum & Perinatal Support Services (HLAFAJAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Postpartum Newborn Care & Parent Education (NCS) (HSAAACAA), Overnight Newborn Care & Sleep Support (NCS) (HSAAACAB)

Keywords

• Birth doula services
• Lactation consulting
• Childbirth education
• Postpartum support
• Birth equity programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Doula Services: Comprehensive birth and postpartum doula package including prenatal visits, labor support, and postpartum visits with lactation support. Booked via online intake system.
2. Childbirth Education: In-person workshops (Belly Talks, Comfort Measures, After Birth) at $125 each or $325 bundle; private instruction at $175/family; online self-paced course at $200. Partners attend free.
3. Lactation Services: In-home, in-clinic, and virtual lactation consultations. Includes prenatal lactation support and breastfeeding circles.
4. Merchandise Sales: Black Birth Matters merchandise including t-shirts, totes, posters, stickers, bandanas, and educational digital recordings ($3-$30 range). Digital poster proceeds fund One-to-One doula access program.
5. Emergency Preparedness Training: Infant Ready training programs: $25 for 1.5-hour pre-recorded webinar, $90/person for 3-hour live training (min 10), $35 for 30-minute refresher course. Emergency feeding kits sold via email inquiry.
6. Grand Rounds Recordings: Digital recordings of community lactation education sessions on topics including tongue-tie, exclusive pumping, perinatal mental health, insufficient glandular tissue, and medical complexity ($15 each).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Birthmark Doula Collective provides birth and postpartum doula services, in-home/in-clinic/virtual lactation consulting through the New Orleans Breastfeeding Center, in-person and online childbirth education, provider Grand Rounds, community lactation workshops, breastfeeding support circles (Café au Lait/Café con Lecha), the Infant Ready emergency infant feeding preparedness program, and the Black Birth Matters Summit — all oriented toward culturally responsive care for pregnant and parenting families in Louisiana.

Product overview

Birthmark Doula Collective is a New Orleans-based birth justice cooperative offering a comprehensive suite of perinatal services centered on doula support, lactation consulting, and childbirth education. The core offerings include Birthmark Doulas (birth and postpartum doula services with 2-3 prenatal visits, continuous labor support, and postpartum visits), the New Orleans Breastfeeding Center (in-home, in-clinic, and virtual lactation support plus breastfeeding circles like Cafe au Lait and Cafe con Lecha), and childbirth education through in-person workshops (Belly Talks, Comfort Measures, After Birth) and the Thinkific-hosted Empower Your Birth Experience online course. Additional programs include Grand Rounds (quarterly lactation case study education for providers), Community Lactation Workshops, the Black Birth Matters annual summit (founded 2016), and the Infant Ready emergency preparedness program with training and emergency feeding kits. The organization also operates a merchandise shop selling Black Birth Matters-branded products and digital educational recordings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Black Birth Matters: A summital convening initiative founded in October 2016 addressing critical issues faced by Black birthing families including medical trauma, maternal/infant mortality, inadequate breastfeeding support, and criminalization of birthing practices. Features workshops, panel discussions, open dialogue, art, and healing on issues at the intersections of birth and social justice.
• New Orleans Breastfeeding Center
• Infant Ready
• Grand Rounds

Products and services

• Birth and Postpartum Doula Services Comprehensive birth and postpartum doula package including prenatal visits, continuous labor support during birth, and postpartum visits with lactation support, booked via IntakeQ for pregnant and parenting families in the Greater New Orleans area.
• New Orleans Breastfeeding Center (Lactation Consulting) Lactation support program offering in-home, in-clinic, and virtual visits by Lactation Consultants and Lactation Counselors for families on latch, supply, pumping, and infant sleep concerns; shared clinic space at 6100 Canal Blvd, Lakeview.
• In-Person Childbirth Education Workshops In-person childbirth education workshops including Belly Talks (Labor 101 anatomy/physiology, informed consent, medical interventions), Comfort Measures (positions and coping skills), and After Birth (postpartum recovery and newborn care including breastfeeding); $125 per workshop or $325 full series; private instruction at $175/family; sliding scale offered.
• Empower Your Birth Experience Online Course Self-paced online childbirth education course with 4 chapters and 40 lessons covering pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum topics including anatomy, interventions, comfort measures, breastfeeding, and newborn care; priced at $200 with lifetime access on Thinkific.
• Grand Rounds Provider Education Quarterly medical education sessions reviewing real-life lactation case studies; free for OBs, CNMs, pediatricians, IBCLCs, CLCs, WIC counselors, peer counselors, and home visitors, with $15 digital recordings of past sessions available.
• Community Lactation Workshop Series Free quarterly workshops on lactation counseling skills for community providers such as peer counselors, support group facilitators, and home visitors, presented in partnership with W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
• Infant Ready Emergency Preparedness Program Trademarked emergency infant feeding preparedness program providing training, educational materials, and emergency feeding kits for families with infants 0-2 years during disasters; includes pre-recorded $25 webinar, $90/person live training (10-person minimum), $35 refresher course, and emergency feeding kits available via email inquiry.
• Black Birth Matters Summit Annual flagship convening featuring workshops, panels, open dialogue, art, and healing on issues at intersections of birth and social justice centered on Black experience; 75+ attendees at inaugural 2016 conference and grows annually, with funds raised providing free doula services to low-income families of color.
• Café au Lait / Café con Lecha Breastfeeding Support Groups Free breastfeeding circles for families of color meeting across Louisiana — New Orleans, Opelousas, Lake Charles, Shreveport/Bossier, and Baton Rouge — with a Spanish-language variant (Café con Lecha) meeting first Tuesday monthly via WhatsApp; text-based group coordination for peer support.
• Birthmark Shop (Merchandise and Digital Products) Squarespace-based online store selling Black Birth Matters merchandise (t-shirts from $20, totes $20, posters from $15, stickers from $3, bucket hats $30, bandanas $15) and digital products (Grand Rounds recordings $15 each, Positions for Labor digital poster $20); proceeds from the digital poster fund the One-to-One free doula access program.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 75 attendees at inaugural Black Birth Matters 2016 conference
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• New Orleans Breastfeeding CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partnership bringing together Birthmark's doula services and NOBC's lactation expertise. Combined services include virtual, in-clinic, and in-home lactation support. NOBC shares clinic space with Birthmark at 6100 Canal Blvd, Lakeview.
• Lactation Education ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of Grand Rounds education sessions and partnership in Infant Ready emergency preparedness program. Provides continuing education content and training platform access.
• Partners for Family Health LouisianacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of Grand Rounds quarterly education sessions for breastfeeding supporters in Louisiana.
• Saul's LightminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Orleans-based nonprofit providing support and community to families with babies in NICU. Offers NICU support, bereavement support, yoga, and community events. Part of Birthmark's community partner network.
• Sista Midwife ProductionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Nicole Deggins, provides education and training through teleconferences, webinars, keynotes, and workshops. Works with pregnant women, doulas, families, birth workers, communities, and advocates.
• Women With A VisionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization improving lives of marginalized women through advocacy, health education, supportive services, and community-based participatory research. Part of community partner network.
• Nurse Nikki (Nikki Lawrence, NP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard Certified Family Nurse Practitioner, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Certified Perinatal Mental Health advocate. Community partner focused on maternal health disparities for Black birthing people.
• The Amandla GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial justice consulting firm dismantling structural barriers by focusing on social and political determinants of health through policy, research, and advocacy.
• ViiV HealthcareminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPharmaceutical company sponsor for Black Birth Matters events. Supports maternal health initiatives through Risk to Reasons program focusing on HIV prevention for Black women.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sista Midwife Productions: Doula education and training organization providing teleconferences, webinars, and workshops for pregnant women, doulas, and birth workers. Listed as a Birthmark community partner, with comparable Black maternal health mission.
• Ancient Song Doula Services: New Jersey-based doula collective serving BIPOC families with full-spectrum perinatal support, childbirth education, and lactation services. Mirrors Birthmark's community-rooted, birth-justice model and Black-maternal-health focus.
• Mamatoto Village: Washington, D.C.-based perinatal support collective offering doula care, lactation consulting, and childbirth education with an explicit focus on Black families. Operates a comparable multi-service perinatal model.
• Uzazi Village: Kansas City-based perinatal support organization serving Black families through doula services, lactation support, and birth equity advocacy. Closely comparable mission and service mix to Birthmark.
• Mama Sana Vibrant Woman: Austin-based collective providing doula care, lactation, and childbirth education to communities of color. Closely comparable to Birthmark in mission, scale, and service mix.
• Commonsense Childbirth Inc. Orlando-based midwifery, doula, and lactation practice serving women of color, including The Birth Place birthing center. Overlaps directly on doula/lactation/education for underserved families.

Broad incumbents

• National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC): National organization driving birth equity through research, advocacy, and provider training. Wider scope than Birthmark but aligned on Black maternal health outcomes and policy.
• Black Mamas Matter Alliance: National coalition advancing Black maternal health policy and research. Operates as a convening/advocacy force analogous to Birthmark's Black Birth Matters Summit at national scale.

Emerging players

• New Orleans Breastfeeding Center: Birthmark's subsidiary and shared clinic partner at 6100 Canal Blvd. Offers overlapping lactation services and uses shared clinical space, making it both an extension of and potentially a comparable standalone lactation brand.

Others

• Lactation Education Resources: Co-sponsor of Birthmark's Grand Rounds and Infant Ready training. A national lactation training and education provider with adjacent content and credentialing functions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/birthmarkdoulas
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/birthmark-doula-collective

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Birthmark Doula Collective