Our Mission
We are professional doula provide birth and postpartum doula services to low income families, women in the foster care system, mothers in homeless shelters, pregnant teenagers, survivors of sexual trafficking and expecting women in the criminal justice system. We collaborate with agencies with maternal-child health programs and social service providers to improve the quality of birth, breastfeeding, and baby care. We strive to empower women to get the care they desire, to educate and accompany families before, during and after the birth of their child, providing doula care free of charge for those families who are in need. In the United states 3 women die each day from from pregnancy related complications. The majority are low income women of color. With the help of a doula we can improve these outcomes.
Benefits of Doula Support
According to studies by Kennell and Klaus et al., doula support (professional labor companion support) is associated with fewer cesarean sections, decreased rates of induction and pain medication use, shorter labors, and decreased postpartum depression and improved maternal-infant interaction and breastfeeding initiation.
Benefits of Doula Support
According to studies by Kennell and Klaus et al., doula support (professional labor companion support) is associated with fewer cesarean sections, decreased rates of induction and pain medication use, shorter labors, and decreased postpartum depression and improved maternal-infant interaction and breastfeeding initiation.
A Bit of History
In 2011, Giuditta Tornetta of Joy In Birthing, and April Fissel of the Partnerships for Families Program at the Saint John's Child & Family Development Center - a subsidiary of the St.John Hospital in Santa Monica California- came together and created a collaboration to provide birth and postpartum doulas free of charge for the program's patients. On April 2014 the Joy In Birthing Foundation received their non-profit status and began to collaborate with many public organizations. Please read about them here
Our Founders
Co-founder Giuditta Tornetta
CEO of joyinbirthing.com
Ms. Tornetta is a certified birth and postpartum doula, lactation educator, a certified clinical hypnotherapist, a NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) practitioner. Giuditta was born and raised in Italy and emigrated in the USA in 1976, with no money in her pockets nor the knowledge of the English language. She began her journey by cleaning people's homes, all the way to becoming a collage graduate and entering the workforce as a marketing specialist. Giuditta received her certification as a hypnotherapist in 1994, and became a doula in 2002. In 2008 she published her first book Painless Childbirth recounting her own birthing experience and how she achieved the seemingly impossible - a painless birth of her second daughter.
Her love for women and the birthing and parenting experience has enabled her to help hundreds of women in her practice and thousands with her book and lectures, to obtain the birthing experience they deserve and desire. In 2012 she felt compelled to give back to the community and has created this foundation to offer doula services to low income families. She is reaching out to organizations that care for low income families creating partnerships offering childbirth, lactation and baby care education for those in need. Her mission is to offer a doula to any woman who wants one regardless of income.
Ms. Tornetta is also dedicated to creating opportunities for new doulas on their certification path, to get the experience they need while helping families in need.
Her love for women and the birthing and parenting experience has enabled her to help hundreds of women in her practice and thousands with her book and lectures, to obtain the birthing experience they deserve and desire. In 2012 she felt compelled to give back to the community and has created this foundation to offer doula services to low income families. She is reaching out to organizations that care for low income families creating partnerships offering childbirth, lactation and baby care education for those in need. Her mission is to offer a doula to any woman who wants one regardless of income.
Ms. Tornetta is also dedicated to creating opportunities for new doulas on their certification path, to get the experience they need while helping families in need.
Co-founder April Fissel, MFT
April Fissell is a clinical therapist at Providence-Saint John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, CA and a clinical therapist and family consultant at Real Connections Child Development Institute in Monrovia, CA. Ms. Fissell holds a masters in clinical psychology as well as a certificate in D.I.R., is a certified practitioner of Child Parent Psychotherapy, as well as a certified reflective parenting group leader. She is an early intervention specialist with subspecialties in child development, Autisitic Spectrum disorder, trauma, and perinatal depression. She a recording artist on the Spirit Voyage label and leads classes and retreats where she uses her music and mantra along with her training in psychology and neurology to help people go deeper into their meditation practice. Together with Giuditta Tornetta, Ms. Fissel co-founded the Joy in Birthing Foundation, originally serving clients for Providence - St.Johns Hospital Partnerships For Families.
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