About Katie
Katie Baxter (she/her) began her professional career studying International Relations and Diplomacy (M.A.) and quickly realized she enjoyed working grassroots, one-on-one with clients and students, transitioning to full time birth doula work in 2017. Katie has a passion for babies, and families, as she worked on and off in childcare as a nanny specializing in infants and young children since 2006.
As the co-founder of The Postpartum Collective, Katie is a skilled facilitator and guide - with experience in conflict resolution and mediation, who uses tools from her ongoing study of nonviolent communication (NVC), and Restorative Justice to work collaboratively with her clients.
When working with Katie, you can expect a grounded, calming, engaged presence, and an educated, well-rounded birth prep and postpartum experience. Katie is experienced at supporting folks with chronic illness, mental health challenges, a variety of family and relationship structures, etc. from a client centered-balanced approach, and birth team support model.
Katie strives to empower clients to work as a team, and advocate for themselves, equipped with knowledge and confidence.
Katie currently resides on occupied Anacostan and Piscataway territory, (Washington, DC), and serves all hospitals, birth centers, and homes in the region.
Janet Mock - Author and Advocate
"I believe that telling our stories first to ourselves, and then to one another, and then to the world, is a revolutionary act"
Beth
My husband and I initially hired Katie as our birth doula; however, my son was born six weeks early while we were out of town. This was a tremendously scary and stressful time, but Katie jumped into action and immediately provided support from afar while we were in the hospital hundreds of miles away.
She texted us every day for updates, asked knowledgeable questions about the medical situation, and gave us expert advice on breastfeeding, c-section experience and recovery, bonding in the NICU, and more.
Once we returned home, Katie provided us with several days of post-partum help, giving us first-timers some much-needed tips on feedling, swaddling, sleeping, burping, and everything in-between. Having her there to watch the baby gave me precious time to shower, pump, or catch up on sleep, and it was a lifesaver in those early days just to have somebody else there to support me. You can't go wrong with choosing Katie as your doula.
Emily G.
I had no idea -- NO IDEA -- how hard it would be to recover from labor and delivery while adjusting to my new life as a parent. Katie inspired confidence in me and helped me transition to my new role. She brought me a freshly changed baby in the middle of the night and helped set us up for breastfeeding success. She prepared delicious meals and kept our baby happy and safe. She involved my partner in the postpartum journey and carved out a unique role for him, empowering him to support me. But most of all, Katie normalied the postpartum experience, helped me feel like I wasn't alone, and simply helped me survive.
If you're reading this, you too may not know what to expect from the weeks and months following the arrival of your new little person. Although everyone's experiences are different, I can personally attest to the fact that the time following the birth of my daughter was the #1 most difficult two month period I have experienced. Without Katie, I would not have made it through. I know this may sound dramatic, but it is true.
My best piece of advice for new parents: remove everything from your baby registry and ask friends and family for the resources needed to hire Katie.
Tim
For me, it was very comforting knowing that I could reach Katie whenever I needed to stay calm or had a question. Katie always had something reassuring to say and kept me steered in the right direction. Our birth went really well and when it got stressful, I just had to look over at the table to get a thumbs up from Katie!
After the baby was born, Katie continued to (and still does) check in on a regular basis. Her strengths are certainly her compassion, experience, and ability to listen! I felt amazingly at ease with Katie as our doula and I would recommend that anyone considering a doula should reach out to her.
Emily Rose
Katie's support and care in the run up to the birth, during the birth, and during the newborn days was essential to our success as new parents, and worth every penny. I am so glad we found her, and that she had room in her schedule for us.
We originally contracted with Katie for postpartum support, and then added birth support on the recommendation of my care team. Her thoughtful childbirth education accommodated the nuances of my tokophobia, and the comfort measures practice helped us feel empowered going into labor.
Katie's support and guidance as I went into labor is the only reason we made it to the hospital in time! Her presence the night we brought our child home was deeply calming.
Education and Relevant Training
M.A. International Relations and Diplomacy
Dubrovnik International University, 2013
B.A. Politics
The Catholic University of America, 2010
Birth Doula
DONA International, September 2017
Postpartum Doula
DONA International, January 2018
Thai Yoga Bodywork
Sunshine Network
2015 90/hour
2016 90/hour
2017 90/hour
100+ hours of unofficial study with various teachers in Thailand
Yoga
Sivananda, Kerala, India
2015 200/hour Yoga Teacher Training
Past Tense Yoga, Washington DC
2018 Prenatal Teacher Training
