Meet The Collective
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Sydney Pepper
FOUNDER/ CERTIFIED DOULA
Sydney is a certified full-spectrum doula, lactation educator, and the founder of The Village Doula Collective. With nearly a decade of experience supporting families through birth, postpartum, and beyond, she is passionate about providing care that is rooted in compassion, cultural humility, and community. Sydney holds a BA in Sociology and brings a rich background in working with at-risk youth and professional grant writing, all of which inform her client-centered, advocacy-based approach to doula work.
Based in Northern California, she proudly serves families in Butte and surounding Counties and accepts Medi-Cal and Partnership HealthPlan of California. Sydney is committed to creating safe, supported, and empowering experiences for every family she walks alongside. You can learn more about her journey and browse her service offerings in the “About” tab at the top of this site or by clicking the “Learn More” button below.
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Caroline Patterson
CERTIFIED DOULA
Caroline is passionate about caring for mothers and families during the transformational journey of pregnancy and childbirth. She is a certified DONA International Birth Doula and has also received training in the energetic capacity as a Guardian of Birth from her teacher, Maria Maldonado. Caroline believes in creating a safe and supportive space for her clients, ensuring that they feel seen, heard, and empowered to make informed and intuitive decisions throughout pregnancy and childbirth. She is happy to be part of The Village Doula Collective offering virtual pregnancy and postpartum services by providing educational and emotional support, birth planning, and resources. She can accept Medi-Cal and Partnerhship HealthPlan of CA.
In addition to doula services, Caroline also makes organic body products and tea blends to support women's health, pregnancy, and postpartum. She is currently in midwifery school to continue on her path and broaden her knowledge in the birth setting, and hopes to learn from midwives and doulas from different cultures around the world.
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Ebonie Megibow
CERTIFIED DOULA
Ebonie is a maternal health researcher with a Master of Public Health in Maternal and Child Health from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology from the University of Tampa. Her work has focused on examining the impact of structural racism on Black maternal health, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the maternal health crisis, and equitable access to contraceptives. Time spent working in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area provided firsthand insight into how income inequality jeopardizes birthing outcomes—insights that ultimately inspired her path to becoming a doula. Rooted in the wisdom of African-American ancestors and the legacy of community midwives, Ebonie now offers compassionate, culturally attuned support to Black women and birthing people, viewing this work as a vital step toward collective liberation.
She is currently in the application and credentialing phase to become an approved provider with California’s Medi-Cal and Partnership HealthPlan programs.
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Resources
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Canopie.app uses evidence based therapeutic techniques and practical tips proven to help new and expecting parents manage stress, anxious thoughts, and low mood.
Infant Risk Center undergoes research, and provides education and public service through a hotline and publications pertaining to over-the-counter and prescription medication safety for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.
Pregnancy for Every Body and Plus-Size Birth provide information, support and encouragement about healthy experiences for pregnant people of all sizes.
Spinning Babies is an approach to optimize the physical relationship between the bodies of the mother and the baby to ease the discomforts of pregnancy and enhance the birth experience. The Doula Experience offers Spinning Babies parent classes.
Webster Chiropractic Technique – find information about, and a chiropractor certified in, the Webster Technique at ICPA, which proactively assists in optimal fetal positioning and can help to resolve a breech. The Doula Experience can also give personal referrals.
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Childbirth Connection is a trustworthy resource for up-to-date evidence-based information on planning for pregnancy, labor and birth, and the postpartum period. Read the Hormonal Physiology of Childbearing report.
Evidence Based Birth has a mission to improve birth outcomes worldwide by promoting evidence based birth practices among consumers and clinicians. Highest-quality research is written as short practice bulletins, which can be used by consumers, childbirth educators and doulas. The Doula Experience offers workshops for parents and professionals.
Lamaze for Parents provides a wealth of information and resources for parents during pregnancy, as they are preparing for birth, and for after baby arrives. Sign up for their Giving Birth with Confidence blog, access their video library and take advantage of multiple other resources.
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International Cesarean Awareness Network provides monthly meetings, information and support to families healing from cesarean surgery, planning a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) or preparing for their first or subsequent birth experience.
VBAC.com provides childbearing people and maternity care professionals access to evidence-based resources, educational materials, and support for VBAC and cesarean prevention.
VBACfacts.com provides education on VBAC.
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American College of Nurse Midwives is a professional organization for certified nurse midwives and certified midwives. Their companion website, Our Moment of Truth provides information and resources about midwifery care to consumers.
Midwives Alliance of North America has the goal to unify and strengthen the profession of midwifery, thereby improving the quality of health care for women, babies, and communities. Find information and resources about midwifery and homebirth.
CA Association of Licensed Midwives helps you locate midwives in your RE.
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Black Mothers Breastfeeding Association has the goal to have a national impact on the reduction of racial disparities in breastfeeding success for black families.
CDC Proper Storage and Preparation of Breastmilk — Centers for Disease Control recommendations on storing, preparing, and feeding breastmilk.
Droplet provides information, advice and encouragement for the best start initiating breastfeeding in the first hour and days after birth. Informative videos in English and Spanish.
Infant Risk Center undergoes research, and provides education and public service through a hotline and publications pertaining to over-the-counter and prescription medication safety for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.
United States Lactation Consultant Association – Find a Lactation Consultant Directory can help you find a board certified lactation consultant near you.
Kellymom.com provides expert support, tips and evidence-based information on breastfeeding, sleep and parenting.
La Leche League of California/Hawaii/Northern Nevada provides peer support for breastfeeding at meetings, by phone, by email, on Facebook and through publications. Find a leader and a meeting near you.
LactMed Drugs and Lactation Database is a fully-referenced and peer-reviewed database of drugs and other chemicals to which breastfeeding mothers may be exposed. It includes information on the levels of such substances in breast milk and infant blood, and the possible adverse effects in the nursing infant, along with suggested alternatives.
LGBTQIA+ Equity is a website published by the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition with resources (webinars, articles, books, etc.) related to human milk feeding support.
Natural Breastfeeding for an Easier Start provides expert information, tips, videos and resources for breastfeeding.
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BASIS - Baby Sleep Information Source offers informed choices about infant sleep and night-time care.
Canopie.app uses evidence based therapeutic techniques and practical tips proven to help new and expecting parents manage stress, anxious thoughts, and low mood.
Postpartum Support International provides direct peer-to-peer support, resources and referrals for the emotional changes and challenges that families experience during pregnancy and postpartum.
Project NICU provides support and resources to parents of children in the neonatal intensive care unit.
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Many of these titles are available from my lending library.
Natural Childbirth / Prepared Childbirth / Informed Consumerism
Babies Are Not Pizzas: They’re Born, Not Delivered! (Dekker)
Battling Over Birth: Black Women and the Maternal Health Care Crisis (Opara, et al.)
Birth Book (Sears)
The Birth Partner: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Partners, Doulas and Other Labor Companions (Simkin)
Birth Your Way (Kitzinger)
Birthing From Within (England)
Born in the Bed You Were Made: One Family’s Journey from Cesarean to Home Birth (James)
Born in the USA (Wagner)
Changing Birth on Earth: The Midwife and Nurse’s Guide to Using Physiology to Avoid Another Unnecessary Cesarean (Tully)
Creating a Joyful Birth Experience (Cappachione & Bardsley)
Creating Your Birth Plan (Wagner)
The Doula Book (Klaus, et al.)
Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom is Wrong—And What You Really Need to Know, updated 2019 (Oster)
Gentle Birth Choices (Harper) (also DVD)
Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering (Buckley)
Having a Baby Naturally (O'Mara)
Homebirth (Kitzinger)
HypnoBirthing: The Mongan Method (Mongan)
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth (Gaskin)
Journey Into Motherhood (Menelli)
Labor Pain: What’s Your Best Strategy? (Goer)
Natural Hospital Birth (Gabriel)
The New Pregnancy & Childbirth: Choices and Challenges (Kitzinger)
The Official Lamaze Guide (Lothian & DeVries)
Optimal Care in Childbirth (Goer & Romano)
Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn: The Complete Guide (Simkin, et al.)
Pushed (Block)
Why Induction Matters (Reed)
VBAC / Cesarean Prevention
Born in the Bed You Were Made: One Family’s Journey from Cesarean to Home Birth (James)
Cut, Stapled, & Mended (Rosewood)
Open Season (Cohen)
Silent Knife (Cohen & Estner)
The Caesarean (Odent)
The VBAC Companion (Korte)
Understanding the Dangers of Cesarean Birth (Jukelevics)
Balancing Breast & Bottle: Feeding Your Baby, 2nd ed. (Peterson & Harmer)
Bestfeeding (Renfrew, et al.)
Breastfeeding Made Simple (Kendall-Tackett & Mohrbacher)
Mixed Up: Combination Feeding by Choice or Necessity (Ruddle)
The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk (West & Marasco)
The Nursing Mother's Companion (Huggins)
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (West & Pitman)
Working and Breastfeeding Made Simple (Mohrbacher)
Baby:
Bonding (Kennell & Klaus)
Happiest Baby on the Block (Karp) (also DVD)
The Baby Book (Sears)
The Wonder Weeks: A Stress-Free Guide to Your Baby’s Behavior (deRijt & Plooij)
Your Amazing Newborn (Klaus & Klaus)
Postpartum:
Down Came the Rain (My Journey Through Postpartum Depression) (Shields)
How to Heal a Bad Birth (Bruijn & Gould)
Myself Again: The Parents Postpartum Survival Guide (Mauren & Wiersqalla)
Overcoming Postpartum Depression and Anxiety (Sebastian)
Rebounding from Childbirth (Madsen)
The Hidden Feelings of Motherhood (Kendall-Tackett)
How to Heal a Bad Birth: Making Sense, Making Peace & Moving On (Bruijn & Gould)
Nobody Told Me About That: The First Six Weeks (Breedlove)
The Year After Childbirth (Kitzinger)
This Isn't What I Expected: Overcoming Postpartum Depression (Kleiman & Davis Raskin)
Transformed by Postpartum Depression (Karraa)
Traumatic Childbirth (Tatano Beck, Watson Driscoll & Watson)