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The Iowa Baby Ladies

Iowa Doula Services + Professional Doula Trainings

Welcome! Since 2010, The Iowa Baby Ladies has been a trusted name in doula care and doula training education. As Iowa’s longest-running doula agency, we’ve had the privilege of supporting hundreds of families through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum with experienced, compassionate care.

That same real-world experience is at the heart of our doula trainings. We’ve trained hundreds of doulas across the country, helping them build the skills and confidence to support families of their own. Whether you’re here looking for doula support or you’re ready to become a doula, you’re in the right place!

I am looking for doula support
I want to become a doula
Iowa birth doula reviewing a prenatal workbook with a pregnant client

Doula Support in Iowa

The Iowa Baby Ladies offer many services for expecting and new parents. From prenatal care to birth support to postpartum home visits, we are here for you. We provide birth and postpartum doula support throughout Des Moines, Ames, and communities across Central Iowa. Our doulas support families in area hospitals, birth centers, and home births, with additional doula support available in select areas throughout Iowa.

Iowa birth doula supporting a pregnant client using a birth ball

Birth Doula Support

Calm, experienced support through pregnancy, labor, and birth, with hands-on comfort, positioning, information, advocacy, and encouragement centered around your goals.

Mother or doula caring for her newborn baby in a crib with postpartum support at home

Daytime Postpartum Support

An extra set of experienced hands while you recover, rest, feed your baby, build confidence, and settle into your new normal at home.

Happy swaddled newborn baby sleeping peacefully during overnight doula support

Overnight Doula Support

Rest easier knowing your baby is cared for overnight, with support for feeding and newborn needs so you can get the sleep your body needs.

Become a Professional Doula

Hands-on training. Real-world skills. Ongoing Support.

Birth Doula Trainings

Hands-on, practical training that prepares you to confidently support families through pregnancy, labor, and birth and start working with your first clients.

Learn More

Postpartum Doula Trainings

Build the skills and confidence to support families after birth with newborn care, postpartum recovery, feeding support, and practical help during the transition home.

Learn More

Continuing Education

Keep growing your skills with Evidence Based Birth® classes and professional education designed to strengthen your knowledge, confidence, and support of families.

Learn more
  • Become a postpartum doula, postpartum doula trainings, postpartum doula trainings in Iowa, Iowa nursing CEUs
Iowa doula trainer, katie nyberg, teaching with a pelvis model during birth doula training

Meet Katie Nyberg, The Iowa Baby Lady

Before I ever became a doula, I was a 5th grade teacher, and that love of teaching, encouraging, and helping people feel confident has followed me into every part of this work. I’ve been supporting growing families since 2010, and what started with attending births and caring for new families has grown into The Iowa Baby Ladies, one of Iowa’s most established doula agencies. I’m still actively working with families, which keeps me connected to what birth and postpartum support actually looks like today.

In 2016, I brought my two worlds together and began training doulas. Since then, I’ve trained and mentored hundreds of doulas, combining evidence-based education with practical skills and the real-world experience that comes from doing this work every day. Whether I’m supporting a family, mentoring one of our Iowa Baby Ladies, or teaching a room full of brand-new doulas, I want people to leave feeling more knowledgeable, more capable, and more confident in what comes next.

Learn more about Katie

Frequently Asked Questions

A birth doula provides physical, emotional, and informational support throughout pregnancy, labor, and birth. Our Iowa birth doulas offer hands-on comfort measures, labor positioning, partner support, and information about your options while keeping your individual goals and preferences at the center of your care.

Yes. The Iowa Baby Ladies provide birth and postpartum doula support throughout Des Moines, Ames, and surrounding Central Iowa communities. Our doulas support families giving birth in area hospitals as well as families planning home births. We also support families in Iowa City and the Quad Cities.

Becoming a doula starts with professional training that prepares you to confidently support families through birth or postpartum. Nurtured Doula Trainings offers in-person doula training in Iowa and live online options, with practical skills, mentorship, business guidance, and a clear path toward optional professional certification.

A postpartum doula provides practical, knowledgeable support as your family adjusts to life with a new baby. Our Iowa postpartum doulas help with newborn care, feeding support, recovery, rest, and building confidence, with both daytime and overnight support available.

Yes. Most of the families we support give birth in Central Iowa hospitals, and our doulas are experienced with inductions, epidurals, cesarean births, and a wide range of birth preferences. We work alongside your medical team while providing continuous support focused on you, your partner, and your goals.

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Oct 1

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☕Happy International Coffee Day! ☕ Pregnant or breastfeeding and wondering if you have to give up your morning coffee? Good news: you probably don't. PREGNANCY: ACOG recommends keeping caffeine intake below 200 mg per day during pregnancy. That is roughly the amount in one 12-ounce cup of coffee, although caffeine content can vary quite a bit depending on the type and where you buy it. BREASTFEEDING: Caffeine does pass into breast milk in small amounts. The CDC considers about 300 mg or less per day a low-to-moderate amount that usually does not adversely affect a breastfed baby. ACOG offers a more conservative guideline of about 200 mg per day. A few coffee-loving reminders: • Count caffeine from ALL sources, including coffee, tea, soda, chocolate, energy drinks, and some medications. • Coffee isn't standardized. One "cup" from your favorite coffee shop may contain significantly more caffeine than another. • Newborn and premature babies process caffeine more slowly. If your baby seems unusually fussy, jittery, or has trouble sleeping, consider cutting back and talking with your baby's healthcare provider. So yes, for most mothers, coffee can still have a place during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Just keep an eye on that total caffeine for the day. Sources: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ACOG: Caffeine During Pregnancy https://www.acog.org/womens-health/experts-and-stories/ask-acog/how-much-coffee-can-i-drink-while-pregnant CDC: Maternal Diet and Breastfeeding https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding-special-circumstances/hcp/diet-micronutrients/maternal-diet. #InternationalCoffeeDay #PregnancyTips #BreastfeedingSupport #IowaBabyLadies #DoulaSupport

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Sep 30

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With the birth of my first son, it was a weird experience where labor took a really long time, but anytime I had to make a decision, it felt like it had to be made quickly. If you've given birth before, maybe you can relate. Birth can be one of those moments where you know what you want, but suddenly everything is happening at once and it is hard to think clearly. This is why having a doula is so important! With a doula, you are still in charge of your birth. You just do not have to figure everything out in the middle of it alone. Plans can change. Questions can come quickly. Decisions may need to be made while you are tired, uncomfortable, or processing a lot of information. Your doula is there to help you and your partner slow things down, remember the questions you wanted to ask, understand your options, and feel supported while you decide what feels right for you. We do not make decisions for you. We help you feel more prepared and supported while you make them.

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Sep 29

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Imagine meeting your doula during pregnancy, having them by your side for birth, and welcoming that same familiar face into your home during the first weeks with your baby. Our families love having the same doula throughout their journey--and the doulas love it too! Some of our doulas offer both birth and postpartum support. (Four of us are pictured here!) They get to know your hopes and preferences before labor, support you through birth, and then help you settle in at home during your baby's first weeks. ❤There’s comfort in having someone who already knows your story.❤ If continuity of care is important to you, ask us about working with a doula who offers both services. We’ll talk through what support could look like based on your needs and our doulas’ availability.

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Sep 22

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It's Child Passenger Safety Week! We are proud to have three Iowa Baby Ladies CPSTs in our group! Did you know that 3 out of 4 car seats are installed incorrectly? Have a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician ensure your child’s seat is safe and secure at this free event on Saturday, September 26 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Iowa Department of Public Safety building.

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