For child development nerds, her view of early childhood, starting with birth, is strongly influenced by Erik Erikson; Urie Bronfenbrenner; John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth; Emi Pikler and Magda Gerber; Tina Payne Bryson and Dan Siegel; and Gordon Neufeld and Deborah MacNamara.
Amy is the proud parent of three nearly-grown (!) children, all of whom are in college (Mt. Holyoke, Boston College, and Carleton). In addition to babies, she loves traveling, eating, and napping or reading on a grassy lawn. Amy lived in Italy in the 1990s and speaks Italian (fluently), as well as English (her mothertongue). Amy is a 7th generation Texan, happily transplanted to the Bay Area since 1999.
As a postpartum doula, Amy offers physical support (cooking, light housekeeping, babycare, preparing sitz baths, etc.); informational support (feeding, babycare skills, context and perspective, information about products and local resources); and emotional support/encouragement for anyone in the family (including non-medical assessment of adults’ postpartum moods and experience, and care for older siblings).
Amy views herself as a professional partner who helps you learn what YOUR child and YOUR family need you to know. She is someone who can help you discover, find, and learn what you need, and she’ll do her best to smooth the edges of everyday life with a newborn so that you can get some sleep here and there and enjoy this special time.
- CPR/First-Aid Certified
- Current on all vaccines (including Covid-19)
- Clear background check, CA Trustline
- Professionally Insured
- Fluent in English and Italian
- Assorted newborn care and postpartum doula training through Golden Gate Doula Associates
- Trained Postpartum Doula: Childbirth Professionals International
Certifications & Specialities
Postpartum Doula, New Parent Coach
Amy Baker
Book a free consultation
doula.amyb.sf@gmail.com
(415) 335-8658
- Monthly Educational Workshops
- Online Breastfeeding support (up to three a month)
- Online Pelvic Floor clinic (up to twice a month)
- Access to GGDA's library of resources
- Access to the Village People, providers, and affiliate discounts
ggda membership package includes:
- Nursery Prep (prior to baby's arrival)
- Professional advice and group messaging for parent
- Expert referrals for lactation, pediatricians, pelvic floor
- Helping establish healthy feeding and sleeping routines
- Sibling Doula Support (separate package)
Rates: $62/hr
amy's Postpartum Package
- marina
"Amy is a godsend. I would not be who I am as a mother without her gentle guidance, abundant knowledge and warm, loving presence. My husband and I took all the parenting classes we could, read all the books, listened to all the podcasts but we wanted someone to join our family who could provide support as we found our footing as new parents. Even though my mom was nearby and helpful, it really was Amy who saw me through the hardest parts of my postpartum and new motherhood journey. Amy was there the day we came home from the hospital, and she calmly and deftly took over, unpacking our hospital bags, organizing baby’s things, helping us adjust to our new settings with new challenges, making sure I was hydrated and fed, and holding baby so that I got a solid nap. It was incredible and I was actually able to relax! She lovingly cared for both me and my son. She reassured me through all my fears, helped me through my frustrations latching, would make sure my water bottles were full, that I ate something, and then would usher me off to rest. Meanwhile she’d talk to my son as she picked up around the house, did dishes, folded laundry, refilled supplies and generally just made life easier. She encouraged me during painful, long breastfeeding sessions and gave very practical advice to help us figure things out. We had had conversations about my needs, but when baby came a few days early, she intuited from our 2 conversations how to provide support specific to me, answered all my baby questions, and if neither of us knew the answer to a question, she went and found a research backed, evidence based answer for me. But she almost always had the answer and always provided a solid explanation for all my “but why” questions. She also helped me to hold up boundaries with family. This is not a skill or expectation I had when it came to postpartum help, but she knew how important it was for me to rest, so she would gently explain to visitors that I needed rest and help me make a graceful exit. Even with my parents! Just another example of Amy’s beautiful ability to read the room and intuit needs. It’s incredible. I’ve said this so many times to my friends, but every new mom needs an “Amy” (but there is only one!). I’m so thankful for her and she will always be a central part of my motherhood story."
"I’m so thankful for her and she will always be a central part of my motherhood story."
- aly
"Being a first time parent is hard. It was scary for me and beyond stressful for my wife. So much new responsibility literally over night! That’s where Amy comes in. We interviewed Amy and immediately felt a connection: Not only was she sweet, thoughtful and sincere, she was incredibly qualified. To find someone that had solid credentials around early childhood development, then spent her entire life caring for children as a nanny, then in preschools, all the while successfully raising children of her own - it felt like a miracle combination. Even knowing all that, Amy far exceeded our expectations. Amy doesn’t just know what needs to be done. She knows how you’re feeling every moment along the way. She’s intuitive and an amazing listener. She’s a supporter and a coach. She knows when to do, and when to have your back while you do. The best advice I can give about Amy: If you’ve spent just a few minutes with her and it feels right, I can promise you it’s even more right than you can imagine."
"She knows when to do, and when to have your back while you do."
- Anna L.
"I couldn't recommend Amy Baker more -- I wish we had hired her sooner. Intuitive, personable, conscientious , she made me feel supported and increased my confidence. Amy was incredible and went above and beyond.
"Amy was incredible and went above and beyond."
- morgan
"Amy played such a helpful role in my daughter’s first few months. We felt assured that she was with our baby each night. Our daughter benefited from us being able to have nights of high quality sleep. I am so glad I found her."
"i'm so glad I found her!"
- priya
"When I reached out for doula support, our lives were upside down. We knew we were late looking for someone. Our twins had been in the NICU for a couple of months and we had just lost one of them. Were heartbroken and exhausted. Amy, who had a pretty tight schedule already, immediately got on board and worked out a plan for us with a colleague and gave us the respite we so badly needed. Her calming soothing presence put our anxious minds at ease, and we were able to get much needed rest once our baby boy came home. I will never forget those early weeks and the care and attention she gave to our family and the connections she made for us once her schedule no longer allowed her to continue with us. We were extremely well looked after and I miss her presence in my home dearly."
"We were extremely well looked after and I miss her presence in my home dearly."
- sean
"Amy helped my husband and I with overnight and daytime care for our newborn son, from 1 month to 3 months old. We were lucky to catch her with some last-minute availability in her schedule, as we hadn’t planned ahead for finding a night doula, and we were really feeling the sleep deprivation and needing some extra help. Amy took excellent care of Aiden, and during our daytime sessions she also provided us with expert advice and guidance on caring for and feeding Aiden. While we weren’t breastfeeding, and thus didn’t have some of the more complex issues that some families face, we still really appreciated Amy’s help. Our son is doing great and continues to thrive, thanks in part to Amy’s help!"
"Amy took excellent care of Aiden."
- stephanie h.
"Amy worked with our first born starting May 2022. I was highly selective in the interview process, and Amy was an absolute stand-out given her child development background, willingness to teach/support, and positive attitude. I 100% give her credit for setting me up for success in the first week. Thanks to her persistence and guidance, we surpassed birth weight by my daughter's first prenatal visit, received numerous compliments from Kaiser's lactation check-up, and have optimized operations at home to make the division of labor not just bearable, but well-greased, between my husband and I. She's also very experienced working with families of various ethnic backgrounds (and challenging family dynamics). Beyond her practical advice, her background as an early child educator is FASCINATING and I can see her magic at work as she applies what she knows to personalizing the interactions she has w/ my newborn. Also did I mention that she really cares? The first night she came over, it felt like I was welcoming an old friend to sleep over."
"it felt like I was welcoming an old friend to sleep over."
- stephanie l.
"Amy is a wonderful resource. She is always willing to help, and we truly appreciate her. She was very resourceful during a difficult time, and we can’t thank her enough. If you are looking for a wonderful postpartum doula, look no further because Amy is a sweetheart!"
