About MSP Doulas

Meet the Doulas

We're Jillian & Meredith, and we're so glad you're here! Our deepest desire is to support clients through life's biggest moments -- the most joyful and the most challenging (spoiler: in pregnancy, birth, and parenting, they're often one and the same!)

Jillian Carpenter (she/her)

Hi! I'm Jillian. I am a birthworker and changemaker who is certified in (in)fertility, birth, and postpartum doula support. I’ve been a doula since 2018 and supported over 50 families in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. My greatest desire is to educate and empower families with self-advocacy tools that they’ll use for the rest of their lives.

I am intrinsically motivated to work toward Reproductive Justice. That is “the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities” (SisterSong).

When I’m not working 1:1 with clients, I’m managing campaigns for women and nonbinary folks in Minneapolis and Saint Paul because we need to work at both the individual and structural levels to make lasting change. In birthwork, my strengths are empathy, compassion, non-judgment, and championing you to believe in yourself and your strong, unique, beautiful body. As a mother myself, I know how transformational this time can be for the entire family, and I’m honored to play a small role in my clients’ birth stories.

I love learning and have advanced training in supporting victim/survivors of sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking, trauma-informed support, and body-oriented coaching. I have personal experience with pregnancy loss, infertility, Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders, and fatphobia in the healthcare system. All bodies are good bodies, and I consider it a special honor to serve families facing these challenges.

When I’m not supporting a birth or knocking on doors, you can find me snuggled up with my 3-year old daughter, Lottie, watching Encanto for the 10th time this week, trying to wrangle my spirited German Shepherd/Husky puppy or my feisty feline Phoebe, or cooking nutritious and delicious meals with my spouse, Jack. We all live together in our slightly chaotic, yet very loving home in Southwest Minneapolis.

Jillian Carpenter (she/her)

Birth Doula | Postpartum Doula | (In)fertility Doula | Perinatal Educator | Maternal Mental Health Advocate

Hi! I'm Jillian. I am a birthworker and changemaker who is certified in (in)fertility, birth, and postpartum doula support. I’ve been a doula since 2018 and supported over 50 families in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. My greatest desire is to educate and empower families with self-advocacy tools that they’ll use for the rest of their lives.

I am intrinsically motivated to work toward Reproductive Justice. That is “the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities” (SisterSong).

When I’m not working 1:1 with clients, I’m managing campaigns for women and nonbinary folks in Minneapolis and Saint Paul because we need to work at both the individual and structural levels to make lasting change. In birthwork, my strengths are empathy, compassion, non-judgment, and championing you to believe in yourself and your strong, unique, beautiful body. As a mother myself, I know how transformational this time can be for the entire family, and I’m honored to play a small role in my clients’ birth stories.

I love learning and have advanced training in supporting victim/survivors of sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking, trauma-informed support, and body-oriented coaching. I have personal experience with pregnancy loss, infertility, Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders, and fatphobia in the healthcare system. All bodies are good bodies, and I consider it a special honor to serve families facing these challenges.

When I’m not supporting a birth or knocking on doors, you can find me snuggled up with my 3-year old daughter, Lottie, watching Encanto for the 10th time this week, trying to wrangle my spirited German Shepherd/Husky puppy or my feisty feline Phoebe, or cooking nutritious and delicious meals with my spouse, Jack. We all live together in our slightly chaotic, yet very loving home in Southwest Minneapolis.

Meredith Kramer (she/Her/They)

Birth Doula | Lactation Counselor | Postpartum Doula | Childbirth Educator | Maternal Mental Health Advocate

Hi! I'm Meredith. I am a full spectrum doula, trained and certified in birth, postpartum, and end-of-life support. I’ve been a doula since 2018 and supported over 50 families in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. My greatest desire is to walk alongside individuals and families as they navigate the milestones of life — our biggest joys and challenges as human beings.

I have deep respect for scientific research and evidence-based information; however, I value kindness, compassion, and empathy, above all. I strive to listen to the unique needs of each client and respect cultural differences and family dynamics. I see people from a holistic perspective: mind, body, and spirit.

In order to serve clients as a well-rounded birth worker, I became a Board Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA), Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator (LCCE) and a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC). There is nothing that I love more than helping a family with infant feeding!

My strengths in birthwork are reducing anxiety and overwhelm by listening, affirming clients’ feelings, answering their questions, and clearly explaining what they can expect each step of the way. I do this by filling in any gaps in understanding and framing things in a way that makes medical information easier to understand, particularly in a moment of heightened emotions.

I have personal experience with pregnancy loss, Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders, and physical disability, so I consider it a true honor to hold space for families facing these challenges.

In my spare time, you can find me snuggled up with our two dogs at home in Saint Paul, devouring books on my Kindle. My husband of five years and I are passionate advocates of senior, "special needs"/hospice dog rescue. I love to go for walks and practice yoga at Blooma. In January of 2021, we welcomed our daughter, Nina, and I gained a whole new appreciation for birth and parenthood.

Meredith Kramer (she/Her/They)

Hi! I'm Meredith. I am a full spectrum doula, trained and certified in birth, postpartum, and end-of-life support. I’ve been a doula since 2018 and supported over 50 families in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. My greatest desire is to walk alongside individuals and families as they navigate the milestones of life — our biggest joys and challenges as human beings.

I have deep respect for scientific research and evidence-based information; however, I value kindness, compassion, and empathy, above all. I strive to listen to the unique needs of each client and respect cultural differences and family dynamics. I see people from a holistic perspective: mind, body, and spirit.

In order to serve clients as a well-rounded birth worker, I became a Board Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA), Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator (LCCE) and a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC). There is nothing that I love more than helping a family with infant feeding!

My strengths in birthwork are reducing anxiety and overwhelm by listening, affirming clients’ feelings, answering their questions, and clearly explaining what they can expect each step of the way. I do this by filling in any gaps in understanding and framing things in a way that makes medical information easier to understand, particularly in a moment of heightened emotions.

I have personal experience with pregnancy loss, Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders, and physical disability, so I consider it a true honor to hold space for families facing these challenges.

In my spare time, you can find me snuggled up with our two dogs at home in Saint Paul, devouring books on my Kindle. My husband of five years and I are passionate advocates of senior, "special needs"/hospice dog rescue. I love to go for walks and practice yoga at Blooma. In January of 2021, we welcomed our daughter, Nina, and I gained a whole new appreciation for birth and parenthood.

We both jumped head-first into the professional birth world in 2018 after nearly a decade of professional experience in other fields (higher ed, politics, healthcare, HR, nonprofits... the list goes on...). Yet, we always found ourselves returning to work that centered women and families personally and politically.

In the fall of 2020, the stars aligned and led us together as partners for a birth through Everyday Miracles -- a local nonprofit that works to improve birth outcomes and reduce health disparities. On our first phone call together, something clicked, and we began a conversation about what a doula partnership could look like for us.

After a brief hiatus in early 2021 when Meredith had her daughter, Nina, we started taking concrete steps toward what would soon become MSP Doulas. Throughout hundreds of hours of conversation, we uncovered deep shared values, philosophies, and purpose. We knew that we could provide better client support together than we ever could on our own.

Since then, we've served nearly 50 families together. We align where it's most important and complement each other, so that clients receive well-rounded expertise. We are called to do this work, and we are humbled to support our clients on their own parenthood journeys.