Sunflower Doula
Sunflower Doula
walking with you, beginning to bloom
you don't have to do this alone

Walking beside you with knowledge, compassion, and confidence.

I'm Neesha, a DONA-certified birth doula empowering families with evidence-based practices before, during, and after your baby arrives. Every birth deserves presence, patience, and someone who believes in you.

Schedule a free consultation Explore services
✿ Medicaid accepted: care should never be out of reach
my belief

"Every birthing person deserves to feel safe, heard, and held, no matter their story, their income, or their plan."

How I support you

from the first kick to the first feeding
🌱

Prenatal

Birth planning, education, comfort techniques, and getting clear on what YOU want for your birth.

🌻

Birth

Continuous physical and emotional support during labor, at home, the hospital, or at a birth center.

🌾

Postpartum

Help with feeding, recovery, processing your birth story, and adjusting to life with baby.

Sunflower moments

families I've had the honor to walk with
A newborn swaddled in a hospital bassinet A family meeting their newborn together A mother cuddling her newborn A mother holding her baby in the NICU A mother holding her baby close

shared with each family's loving permission

Kind words from Sunflower families

real families, real words
Heaven Sent
★★★★★

Neesha was one of the most positive highlights of my pregnancy. She not only provided me with knowledge about baby, pregnancy and delivery but she also checked on me. She knows how important moms are and I was grateful to have her every step of the way. She encouraged healthy activities while pregnant and fed me ice when I was in the delivery room. She really goes above and beyond and I'm grateful to have had her. I would choose her over and over again. Thank you Neesha.

NaShira B.
10/10 Highly Recommend!
★★★★★

My experience with Janeesha as a doula was truly amazing. From the very beginning, she was supportive, knowledgeable, and incredibly compassionate. She made sure I felt informed and confident throughout my pregnancy and birth experience. Janeesha took the time to listen to my concerns, answer my questions, and provide guidance that helped ease my mind during such an important time. During labor and delivery, her presence was calming and reassuring. She advocated for me, encouraged me, and helped create a positive and empowering birth environment. I truly appreciated her patience and dedication to making sure I felt comfortable and supported every step of the way. If you are looking for a doula who is professional, caring, and genuinely passionate about supporting mothers and families, I would highly recommend Janeesha. Her support made a meaningful difference in my birth experience, and I am so grateful for everything she did.

Kaiterra R.
Neesha is very friendly to her clients
★★★★★

I've known Neesha for years and she's very sweet and helpful. Her being my doula is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. You're the best doula, keep it up!

Shantal

Reply from Neesha: It was an honor to be your doula!

Has Sunflower Doula supported your family? I would love for you to add your story to this wall. Testimonials come to me privately and are only posted here after I read and approve them.

hello, friend

Meet Neesha

Neesha Hammond-Bryant, birth doula

Hi, I’m Neesha Hammond-Bryant, founder and lead doula of Sunflower Doula Illinois.

Supporting families during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum isn’t just my profession—it’s my calling. My mission is to provide compassionate, evidence-based care that helps every family feel informed, supported, and empowered throughout one of life’s most meaningful journeys.

I earned my Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and I’ve dedicated my career to serving children and families. My professional experience includes working as an Early Intervention Service Coordinator, Home Visitor supporting families from pregnancy through age three, and Supervisor of a doula and home visiting program, where I mentored doulas while helping strengthen services for families throughout the community.

As a certified doula, I’ve had the privilege of supporting families through pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum. My experience includes working with first-time parents, experienced parents, high-risk pregnancies, inductions, cesarean births, VBACs, NICU families, teenage parents, and families navigating medically complex pregnancies. I believe every family deserves care that is personalized, respectful, and free of judgment.

My passion for birth work is deeply personal. After experiencing the loss of my own baby through stillbirth, I gained an even greater appreciation for the importance of compassionate support during pregnancy and birth. That experience strengthened my commitment to walking alongside families with empathy, helping them feel heard, respected, and never alone.

Outside of birth work, I’m a firm believer that joy can be found in the little things. I love listening to music, shopping, and all things pastel pink. You’ll often find me spending time outdoors enjoying nature, cooking for the people I love, cuddling with my cat, Shadow, or surrounding myself with sunflowers. I genuinely enjoy making people smile and believe that kindness, encouragement, and meaningful connection can make all the difference. Those same values are at the heart of the care I provide to every family I have the privilege of supporting.

When you invite me into your journey, you’re gaining a trusted partner who genuinely cares about your well-being and wants you to feel confident, informed, and supported every step of the way. It would be an honor to walk beside you as you welcome your newest little love into the world.

Fun fact: My favorite color is pastel pink, but sunflowers will always have my heart. 🌻

The original Sunflower Doula watercolor logo
the logo that started it all

Training & Certifications

  • DONA certified birth doula
  • CPR certified through the American Red Cross
  • High-risk pregnancy & multiples training for doulas (MAGI Health)
  • Lactation trainings through Michigan's WIC program: latch, positioning, pumping, and navigating feeding concerns
  • 32 births attended

Specialties

  • Trauma-informed care
  • Medically complex and high-risk pregnancies
  • Teenage pregnancies
  • Non-traditional family structures
  • Breastfeeding support
  • Newborn care and child development (0 to 3)
  • Perinatal mental health considerations
  • Navigating community resources
what we stand on

Our Mission

At Sunflower Doula, our mission is to make compassionate, evidence-based doula care accessible to all birthing people and their families so they feel supported, informed, and empowered throughout their journey.

Our Vision

Our vision is to strengthen families from the very beginning by ensuring every family has the support, education, and resources needed to raise healthy, resilient children and create lasting generational change.

Core Values

✿ Compassion
We provide every family with empathy, kindness, and nonjudgmental support throughout their journey.
✿ Empowerment
We equip families with the knowledge, confidence, and encouragement to make informed decisions that align with their values and goals.
✿ Accessibility
We believe every family deserves access to quality doula care, regardless of financial circumstances or background, and we work to reduce barriers to support.
✿ Evidence-Based Care
We provide accurate, up-to-date information so families can make informed choices while honoring their right to decide what is best for them.
✿ Respect
We honor each family's unique beliefs, traditions, experiences, and birth preferences with dignity and without judgment.
✿ Collaboration
We work respectfully alongside healthcare providers and community partners to promote coordinated, family-centered care.
✿ Cultural Competence
We are committed to providing culturally responsive care by honoring each family's cultural traditions, identities, values, and lived experiences. We continually learn and grow to better serve the diverse communities in our care.
✿ Confidentiality
We protect our clients' privacy by maintaining confidentiality and handling personal information with professionalism, integrity, and respect.

Our promise: every family will receive compassionate, nonjudgmental, evidence-based support tailored to their unique needs.

choose what feels right

Services & Packages

Every family is different. We'll talk through what you actually need at our complimentary consultation, and support is always tailored to your family's unique needs.

Birth Packages

personalized support, start to finish

🌻 Sunflower Seed Birth Package

$1,800
  • Complimentary consultation
  • Continuous labor and birth support
  • On-call support beginning at 38 weeks (or as agreed upon)
  • Birth planning assistance
  • Evidence-based education
  • Comfort measures during labor
  • Emotional support and advocacy
  • Partner support throughout labor and birth
  • Immediate postpartum support following birth
  • 24 hours of prenatal and postpartum support (up to 16 visits of up to 90 minutes each)
  • Attendance at medical appointments for support, education, and advocacy (as requested)
  • Lactation education and infant feeding support within my scope of practice
  • Unlimited phone, text, and email support
  • Referrals to community resources and healthcare professionals
our most comprehensive package

🌻 Bloom Birth Package

$2,500
  • Complimentary consultation
  • Continuous labor and birth support
  • On-call support beginning at 38 weeks (or as agreed upon)
  • Birth planning assistance
  • Evidence-based education
  • Comfort measures during labor
  • Emotional support and advocacy
  • Partner support throughout labor and birth
  • Immediate postpartum support following birth
  • 48 hours of prenatal and postpartum support (up to 32 visits of up to 90 minutes each)
  • Attendance at medical appointments for support, education, and advocacy (as requested)
  • Lactation education and infant feeding support within my scope of practice
  • Unlimited phone, text, and email support
  • Referrals to community resources and healthcare professionals

Flexible scheduling

Your support hours are designed to meet your family's unique needs. Most prenatal and postpartum visits run up to 90 minutes, but you may combine your hours into longer visits. For example, instead of four 90-minute visits, you might choose one 6-hour visit. Hours may be used for prenatal education, birth preparation, postpartum recovery, newborn care education, lactation and infant feeding support, attendance at medical appointments, or other non-labor doula services within my scope of practice.

Postpartum Support

rest, recover, and enjoy your growing family

The postpartum period is a time of healing, adjustment, and learning. My goal is to provide personalized support that allows you to rest, recover, build confidence, and enjoy your growing family.

👶

Newborn Care

  • Feeding support: breast, bottle, expressed milk, or formula
  • Burping, diaper changes, swaddling, and soothing
  • Bedtime and overnight routines
  • Safe sleep education and support
  • Bathing assistance and cord care guidance
  • Recognizing and responding to newborn cues
🤍

Parent Support

  • Emotional support and encouragement
  • Birth story processing
  • Postpartum recovery education
  • Breast pump setup and support
  • Rest, hydration, and self-care encouragement
  • Support for partners and siblings
🍼

Lactation & Infant Feeding

  • Lactation education within my scope of practice
  • Latch and positioning support
  • Pump setup and cleaning
  • Bottle preparation and milk storage guidance
  • Formula preparation
  • Feeding logs, if requested
🏡

Light Household Support

  • Baby laundry: wash, fold, put away
  • Wash bottles and pump parts
  • Simple meals and snacks
  • Light kitchen cleanup and dishwasher
  • Nursery organization and restocking supplies
  • Tidy areas used during my visit
📚

Education & Resources

  • Newborn care and safe sleep education
  • Infant soothing techniques
  • Developmental milestone education
  • Tummy time guidance
  • Referrals to community resources
  • Lactation, parenting, and postpartum resources

Postpartum Pricing

daytime $40/hr  ✿  overnight $45/hr
extra support for the early weeks

🌻 Sunflower Seed Postpartum

20 hours  ·  $800
  • Daytime or overnight support
  • All package hours redeem at $40/hour
  • 4-hour or 8-hour shifts
ongoing support while you adjust

🌻 Bloom Postpartum

40 hours  ·  $1,600
  • Daytime or overnight support
  • All package hours redeem at $40/hour
  • 4-hour or 8-hour shifts
consistent, flexible care

🌻 Full Sun Postpartum

60 hours  ·  $2,400
  • Daytime or overnight support
  • All package hours redeem at $40/hour
  • 4-hour or 8-hour shifts

Additional hours after your package is used are billed at standard rates: $40/hour daytime, $45/hour overnight.

Travel

A one-time travel fee of $125 applies to families not using Medicaid located more than 25 driving miles from Rockford, Illinois. It is always discussed before booking, and no additional travel fees are charged during your contracted package.

Payment plans

For families who don't qualify for Medicaid but still need flexibility, payment plans are available for eligible families. If cost is a concern, please don't hesitate to reach out. Together, we can discuss payment options that best fit your family's needs.

Not sure which is right for you?

Let's chat. No pressure, no fee, just a real conversation.

Book a free consultation
care that meets you where you are

Medicaid & Pricing

🌻

Yes, I accept Medicaid.

Eligible Medicaid clients may receive doula services covered through their Medicaid managed care plan. Coverage is subject to plan participation, authorization requirements, and member eligibility. I'll help you check what your specific plan covers, so there are no surprises.

Plans I can accept: Illinois Medicaid, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna Better Health, Meridian, and Molina managed care plans.

Covered benefits

🌱

Prenatal Support

  • Up to 16 prenatal visits
  • Up to 2 hours per visit
🌻

Labor & Birth

  • Continuous labor and birth support
🌾

Postpartum Support

  • Unlimited visits, supported through your baby's first 12 months

Covered services are billed directly to your Medicaid plan, not to you. Services are provided in accordance with Medicaid authorization requirements and covered benefits.

How it works

  1. Reach out: email me or fill out the contact form. Tell me you'd like to use Medicaid.
  2. Free consultation: we meet (in person or virtually) to talk about your needs and see if we're a good fit.
  3. Verify your coverage: I'll help you check what your specific plan covers. No surprises.
  4. Sign up & start: once we're set, support begins. You focus on you and baby.

Payment plans

For families who don't qualify for Medicaid but still need flexibility, payment plans are available for eligible families. If cost is a concern, please don't hesitate to reach out. Together, we can discuss payment options that best fit your family's needs.

Money should never be the reason someone gives birth alone.

Reach out today
let's talk

Get in touch

Free consultations, always. Tell me a little about you and I'll reach out within 24 hours.

Other ways to reach me

Email: sunflowerdoulaillinois@gmail.com

Service area: Rockford, Illinois & surrounding areas

a quick note

Current clients always have my direct line. For everyone else, this form or email is the fastest way to reach me, and I reply within 24 hours.

helping every family bloom

Community Care Fund

At Sunflower Doula, I believe every family deserves compassionate, evidence-based birth and postpartum support—regardless of their financial circumstances.

Contributions to the Community Care Fund help:

  • 🌻 Reduce the cost of doula services for families experiencing financial hardship.
  • 🌻 Provide essential infant supplies such as diapers, wipes, clothing, bottles, and safe sleep items.
  • 🌻 Allow Sunflower Doula to continue offering discounted services to families who need support but may not qualify for other assistance.
  • 🌻 Expand access to education and resources that help families feel informed, empowered, and supported throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

Every contribution, no matter the amount, helps make compassionate care more accessible for families in our community.

Thank you for helping every family bloom.

Contribute

Our secure card portal is nearly ready. Until then, reach out and we'll arrange your contribution together.