Dakota H. | Doula in Boulder, CO

Matrescence Doula Services

    Practice overview

    Dakota is a Certified Birth Doula, Full-Spectrum Doula (birth, postpartum, miscarriage, termination and loss), Placenta Encapsulation Specialist and Ceremonialist living in Lyons, Colorado. She is also a student midwife who occasionally assists a home-birth midwife in the Boulder area and provides an assortment of other offerings for the childbearing continuum like Childbirth Education, Belly Binding, Council Circles and Mother/Parent Roasting, etc.

    Avidly studying birth since 2010, Dakota has always known that this was her “calling”. Through her years of doula and midwifery training in Bali, North Carolina, Vermont and Colorado, she deeply understands the importance of families feeling educated and empowered during their birthing experience and the impact that can have on the newborn child’s life, the family unit as a whole and the wider community.

    Dakota fiercely advocates for her clients in all birth settings and holds a larger vision of birth as a transformative Rite of Passage. She is passionate about holding space for clients who are interested in bringing more intention and sacredness to their birthing journey through a variety of ceremonial offerings (mother/parent honoring ceremonies, yoni steaming and sealing ceremonies, to list just a few).

    Dakota is also one of the founding members of The Mother’s Center in Boulder (www.themotherscenter.org). There, she holds donation-based council circles for pregnant and postpartum people in the community, as well as an assortment of other offerings like Kirtan (devotional chanting), meditation, community potlucks and many different types of workshops and ceremonies.

    When she is not at a birth or holding space at The Mother’s Center, you can find Dakota soaking in natural hot springs around the state, dancing the 5-Rhythms, sitting in women’s circles and probably using way too much ghee when cooking!

    Years experience

    10

    Families supported

    200

    Birth Rate

    1799

    Hourly Rate

    $50

    Care philosophy

    "Matrescence" (according to anthropologist Dana Rafael) is the birth of a Mother/Parent. The Rite of Passage. It is with love and presence that I hold your hand during this Sacred Transition. And I honor your personal story. Each transition into parenthood is unique. Whatever the outcome of your pregnancy, I am here with you. I will advocate for and support *your* choice and *your* intuition.

    Services

    • Childbirth education
    • Doula support
    • Birth doula support
    • Postpartum doula support
    • Lactation support
    • Newborn care
    • Other
    • Belly binding
    • Placenta encapsulation

    Specialties and Experience

    • LGBTQ
    • Over 40
    • Previous birth trauma and/or birth injury
    • Previous life trauma
    • Single parents
    • Survivors of sexual abuse
    • Vaginal breech birth
    • VBAC
    • Waterbirth

    Care settings

    • Birthing center
    • Home
    • Hospital

    Languages

    • English

    Credentials

    • Certified Holistic Birth Doula with The Matrona
    • Trained Birth Doula with DONA International
    • Certified Holistic Postpartum Doula with The Matrona
    • Trained Postpartum Doula with INNATE Traditions
    • Trained Full-Spectrum Doula with Colorado Doula Project
    • Trained Holistic Midwife with The Matrona
    • Sacred Pregnancy Instructor with The Sacred Living Movement
    • "Inspired Birth" and "HypnoMama" Childbirth Education teacher
    • Placenta Encapsulation Specialist - various apprenticeships
    • Sacred Fertility Doula with The Sacred Living Movement
    • Birth Doula at Sage Birth and Wellness Collective
    • Midwife Assistant to a CPM (Certified Professional Midwife) in Boulder County

    Connect

    Pricing packages

    Birth Journey
    $ 1799
    -2 prenatal visits -Information, referrals and advocacy -Phone and email support -24/7 on-call time for your due range -Unlimited labor and birth support -2 to 3 hours immediate postpartum integration -2 postpartum visits in your home
    Sliding scale pricing available
    Contact for additional pricing options

    Ceremonial Passage
    $ 2199
    Includes Birth Journey Package PLUS: Three Ceremonial/Family Care Offerings (Blessingway, Belly Casting, Postpartum Sealing Ceremony, Baby Honoring Ceremony, Yoni Steaming, etc etc).
    Sliding scale pricing available
    Contact for additional pricing options

    Matrescence Embodied
    $ 2599
    Includes Birth Journey/Ceremonial Passage Package PLUS: -Three 3-hour postpartum care shifts to be scheduled within six weeks of the birth -Inner Wellness Care Basket for you and your baby (a beautiful, nourishing collection of items and services to support your postpartum transition)
    Sliding scale pricing available
    Contact for additional pricing options

    Location

    Areas served

    • Boulder, Lyons, Longmont, Loveland and Denver

    Collections

    • Jesi
      December 9, 2020 at 1:44 pm | Client review

      Words will never be able to express my gratitude for finding and working with Dakota. While she brings a very professional and organized platform to her business she is very deeply connected to the sacred ways of pregnancy and offers her clients some of the most incredible physical, emotional, and spiritual support I’ve ever wished for. Her knowledge and beautiful offerings inspired us to hire her on as a post partum doula as well, a tradition fairly lost in our culture but none the less imperative to the journey. She is a true gift and I pray everyone is so blessed to have her guidance and support on the magical trek of the maternity rites of passage.

      • Dakota
        December 16, 2020 at 8:05 pm

        Thank you so much, Jesi! It is an honor to support you through this journey! <3

    • Rachel
      December 10, 2020 at 4:47 am | Client review

      I’d recommend Dakota to anyone. She was our obvious first choice and was so supportive and empowering during the whole process. She put my and my partner’s connection first which was so important to us and empowered me to follow my intuition. We got to talk about our hopes and fears with her before the birth. She heard all of them and never told us what we but guided us to find what felt right for us. We started at a birth center, but after 30 hours of labor, I needed an epidural. Dakota helped the midwives understand what was going on for me, as well as navigating the transition to a hospital. I felt incredibly safe, loved and supported and know Dakota will be in my life for a long time. She helped make my birth so beautiful and sacred and helped me heal fears.

      • Dakota
        December 16, 2020 at 8:05 pm

        Thank you so much, Rachel! Appreciate you <3

    • Lexy
      December 14, 2020 at 5:36 pm | Client review

      Dakota was such an amazing presence before and during the birth of my first child. She took the time to connect with us and answer our (many) questions while we tried to understand our journey ahead of us. She walked us through the decisions that needed to be made as we developed our birth preferences. During my rather long labor, she was steady and loving, giving me strength and assurance to listen in to intuition. With just a look she had the ability to cut through the fear and overwhelm that arose when things didn’t go as planned. Being a first time mom, she helped me feel through my options and reminded me to surrender to the mystery of birth. She continually held sacred space for us as we (finally!) welcomed our beautiful baby boy into the world.

      • Dakota
        December 16, 2020 at 8:06 pm

        Wow, thank you for this glowing review, Lexy! Grateful for you <3

    • Angela
      December 16, 2020 at 12:53 pm | Client review

      I cannot express my gratitude for Dakota enough. She is an amazing human and a gifted practitioner. Her commitment and professionalism is stellar, and we are blessed to consider her a member of our family.

      • Dakota
        December 16, 2020 at 8:06 pm

        Thank you, Angela. Love you <3

    • Madison
      March 13, 2021 at 8:26 am | Peer review

      Dakota provides outstanding support to the families she serves. Her commitment and skills as well as compassion and advocacy are above and beyond. I have personally witnessed Dakota elevate the pregnancy, birthing and postpartum experiences of many families. Dakota is warm as well as professional. She advocates while honoring birthing folks empowerment and ability to advocate for themselves. She guides while encouraging her clients to be self-directed. Dakota is amazing in hospital, birth center, and home settings (a rare skill for most doulas!). I cannot recommend Dakota more strongly to anyone seeking skilled and compassionate, ceremonial and self-directed doula care. She is unequivocally amazing!

    • Ali
      March 19, 2021 at 7:22 pm | Peer review

      Dakota is absolutely phenomenal and I recommend her services to anyone bringing a new life onto this Earth. She is passionate, kind, educated, and brings all sorts of yummy ceremonial aspects into her work as a Doula. What I really love about her is that she is humble and down to earth- which resonates out to others in the community and the people she works with.

    • Sean
      March 25, 2021 at 9:07 am | Client review

      Dakota’s intuitive guidance and nurturing energy was a boon of healing for me! My experience in working with her was empowering in a way I hadn’t experienced before. I recommend her wholeheartedly and have witnessed her attain mastery in her gifts over the years as an acquaintance.

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