My name is Maryssa (she/her) and I'm a Full-Spectrum Doula, Certified Childbirth Educator & Lactation Education Counselor based in Monterey County, California.

I've always felt such joy from spending time with families and little ones. I have a degree in Education and spent my early career working in after-school programs, family homes, and international ESL classrooms. Eventually, I realized I wanted to provide more specialized support. After becoming a Lactation Education Counselor in 2020, I started working as a Family Support Guide for Cleo, a virtual care network. I had the chance to work alongside doulas, midwives, educators, social workers, and mental health specialists providing support to working families. As I worked with parents, I started to see the gaps in care and the difficulties many faced when seeking specialized support in their local communities. I also had the privilege of seeing how so many parents navigated these injustices with strength and reclaimed their power despite the challenges. I knew this was a world I needed to be a part of.

 

I started my doula training through Doula Trainings International in 2021 and became a Certified Full-Spectrum Doula at the beginning of 2023. Around that time, I became one of the first doulas in Monterey County to join the Medi-Cal network through CCAH, because I wanted families with Medi-Cal coverage to actually have options. That experience is part of what brought me to The Parenting Connection of Monterey County, where I joined as the founding Program Coordinator of their Doula Hub. I helped build the program from the ground up, including training doulas and supporting them through the process of becoming in-network with Medi-Cal, so that CCAH families had access to more than just one doula. I now serve as their Operations Manager. From 2024 to 2025, I also served on the Board of Directors at The Birth Network of Monterey County as the Membership Director.

After having the privilege of supporting close to 50 births, I've found myself drawn more and more toward education. These days, my biggest passion within birth work is childbirth education: individualized prenatal classes, postpartum planning, and helping families actually feel ready for what's coming. Every family is different, and the classes should be too. I currently have limited availability for private doula clients, but I would love to connect with families interested in childbirth education.

Above all else, I believe every person deserves care that is aware and inclusive of their values, lifestyle, abilities, and environment. I fully trust that you already know what's best. As a doula, I'm here to provide individualized support, evidence-based resources, and the tools to make navigating all of this a little easier. My goal is to help you advocate for yourself and have the experience you want. I'm here to meet you wherever you are.

I tend to work really well with families who are grounded, a little anxious, and not totally used to asking for help. If that sounds like you, you're in the right place. As someone with lived experience as a biracial individual, first-generation Mexican-American, raised in a multicultural and blended family, I'm also especially passionate about providing support to those who identify as members of historically resilient communities.

I understand that receiving care from someone we feel connected to can be invaluable. I offer a free consultation to talk through your unique hopes, fears, and needs so that you feel good about moving forward with me as part of your support crew. If it doesn't feel like the perfect match, I will do my best to refer you to other available doulas in the area.

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