Ashley Meissner Photo

Ashley Meissner

Flowering Doula Services

Portland, OR Service range 30 miles

https://www.floweringdoula.com

//instagram.com/floweringdoula

Birth Fee

$1200 to $1500

Birth Fee

$1200 to $1500


Medicaid and Third Party Insurers

Currently approved to receive payments from the following programs:


Birth Doula Experience

2 years and 41 births attended


Doula Training

  • DONA International-Approved Workshop, June 2021

Type of practice: Solo practice

Clients per month: 2 to 3

Attends hospital births? All Hospitals
I am open to supporting families who chose to birth at any of the Portland and Vancouver metro area hospitals. I have Legacy and Providence badges which means I'm not counted as a support person and they've verified me as a Doula.

Attends birth center births? All Birth Centers
I am open to supporting families who chose birth at a birth center.

Attends home births? Some Home Births
I am open to supporting families who chose to birth at home. However, at this time, I am not available to provide doula services for planned unassisted home births.


College Education

BA/BS


Special Services Offered

  • ASL (American Sign Language)
  • Baby sign language education
  • LGBTQIA+ Support
  • Reduced rates for women considering adoption
  • Sibling support (for your older children at the birth)
  • Surrogates and intended parents
  • Virtual and remote doula support

Training Documentation

credential


Languages Spoken

  • American Sign Language
  • English

Fee Details

Support includes: unlimited phone/text/email support from time of hire to 6 weeks postpartum, 2 prenatal meetings (1 in person and 1 virtual), 24/7 on call period for 2 weeks before your due date until baby is born, unlimited support during labor and birth, and 1 postpartum visit.

Service Area

Portland, OR Service range 30 miles

Client Testimonials for Ashley Meissner

Post a testimonial for Ashley Meissner

Gabby Aslett

2/10/2024

We are so happy we chose to include Ashley in our journey! Being new to the area, she helped us understand our hospital and providers to make sure we had the right team in place for us. Working with her was a confidence building & empowering experience- she created space for us to make decisions, rest, receive constructive feedback during delivery, and sincerely cared for our needs throughout labor. She has so much knowledge and a strong network of pre/post natal care resources. Thank you Ashley!

Mackie Phillips

1/11/2024

Where do I even begin?! Choosing Ashley to support me through my pregnancy and birth experience was by far one of the best decisions I've ever made. Not only did she provide support during labor, but she also provided support and was just a phone call or text away whenever I needed her throughout my pregnancy and postpartum. Her support was gentle, loving, and professional. I felt like I knew Ashley my whole life, she was the perfect fit for my husband and I during our first pregnancy. I had a beautiful and positive birth experience and I provide a tremendous amount of thanks to Ashley for that! She's amazing in so many different ways. Would use her support over and over again and would recommend to anyone looking for a doula! 

Olivia

9/26/2023

I don't even know where to begin with my praise for Ashley, she is truly incredible. I had been so anxious about my second pregnancy following a Cesarean, but the second I made the decision to hire Ashley, I felt a rush of relief and newfound confidence. She provided me with helpful evidence-based information and words of encouragement so that I could advocate for the prenatal care and birth plan that I had hoped for. I honestly believe I would not have been able to give birth to my (giant) baby without her guidance, support, and knowledge.

During my labor and delivery, Ashley knew exactly what positions I needed to be in and the words of encouragement that were necessary for my situation. Not only did she support me, but she made my husband feel confident and empowered as a birth partner. Her presence during my birth felt like it was meant to be! I feel so lucky to have had her be a part of such a special time in my life, I don't think I have ever recommended anyone as highly as I do for Ashley.

Emily S

5/13/2023

Hiring Ashley as our doula was the best decision we made during my pregnancy with our first baby. Having her emotional and educational support through pregnancy was so helpful as everything was new and scary, she was able to help us plan and know what to expect. She also helped us prepare for postpartum and visited us twice after our birth and was so helpful and comforting during a really hard and emotional time!

Having Ashley’s support during our son’s birth was incredible and I can’t imagine what it would have been like without her. I was able to have the natural, unmedicated birth I had hoped for even though I was induced and my baby was over 10lbs - because she advocated for what I needed, encouraged me and reminded me of my own strength, and helped my husband know how to support me as well.

To anyone expecting a baby - I can’t recommend hiring a doula enough and Ashley is absolutely amazing!

Cassie Stoltz

4/26/2023

My husband and I were completely surprised when we found out we were having twins!! We felt overwhelmed, excited, and shocked. We didn’t know what to expect, but one thing we knew for sure was that we wanted to work with Ashley again. She was such an important part of our birth story with our daughter that I couldn’t imagine going through another pregnancy and birth without her. Ashley provided us with compassionate and informative support throughout the whole process; including when we found out one of the twins had IUGR, and when my birth plan had to change to a scheduled cesarean. Ashley truly made me feel empowered, strong, and relaxed. Her amazing support postpartum was also critical for me. When my feeding plan changed she helped me through everything and made me feel at peace with the new plan. Hiring Ashley was the best choice we made for our pregnancy/birth journey and we are so grateful to have had her be part of our birth stories.

KayLynne R

4/18/2023

The best decision we made as we approached the birth of our first child was hiring Ashley as our doula. Ashley provided us with compassion, respect, and experience that helped inform our decision-making before, during, and after our son's birth.

One thing that was really important for us was to hire a doula who was not judgmental and had a great sense of humor. Ashley's understanding of our wishes helped her easily provide guidance that my husband and I both understood (with a smile or a laugh!). She helped us navigate a stressful pre-induction period including our decision to leave the hospital against medical advice. Whatever path to delivery you choose, Ashley will be there to support you and provide perspectives and research to inform your decision making.

Perhaps one of the most important aspects Ashley provided was postpartum support. Ashley met with my husband and I twice, making sure we were finding our footing as parents and had the resources to thrive with parenting. She also helped me start to work through my birth trauma following my emergency C-section. Ashley connected us with postpartum groups, recommended breastfeeding resources, and answered questions. Having provided guidance through one of the most intimate moments of our life, we can honestly say that Ashley is now part of our tribe and an auntie to our son. 

Lana ferris

1/25/2023

Ashley was a great addition to our birth team. She did a thorough job getting to know us and our birth wishes. She helped us advocate and was excellent support during labor. She was also in touch frequently postpartum and helped us with any questions we had.

Kat Williams

1/17/2023

I am so glad I chose to use a doula for this birth, and Ashley could not have been a better fit! She is confident and knowledgeable, which is so helpful when talking through options and making decisions. She has such a strong, yet very calming, presence. She was able to advocate for me with hospital staff while also being right in my ear with encouragement and care. She was helpful with positioning during my very fast and intense labor, and she held my leg (while also taking photos/videos and talking me down from my panicked state) while I pushed. She helped direct my partner a bit, and took a more active support role, allowing him to observe. Her flexibility was invaluable in such a fast-paced situation, and then she was able to comfort and encourage me immediately afterward, while laughing with the nurses. Our postpartum processing visit was exactly what I needed, and her check-ins were so timely and helpful. She exudes comfort, caring, and strength! I'm so thankful that she was part of my experience!

Katie

12/22/2022

If you're looking for a doula who is kind, confident, positive and supportive: Hire Ashley! We worked with her to support us during the birth of our second child in hopes of achieving an unmedicated and empowering birth experience. Throughout my pregnancy she took the time to help me process some of the trauma from my first birth and discuss my goals for the second. During my labor Ashley fostered a calming environment by keeping the room quiet and the lights low with twinkle lights for ambiance. She had me change positions frequently, did hip squeezes/counter pressure and helped me labor in the bath. My nurse was not very kind/supportive and Ashley dealt with her and advocated for me when I wasn't able to. She's simply the best and we cannot say enough about our experience with Ashley!

Anya Slinde

9/22/2022

I can't recommend Ashley enough. This was our second child and second doula. My first birth was wonderful and I loved my first doula but I knew exactly what I needed if I invested in one again. A doula can feel like an investment when you're facing baby prep and hospital prep financially but I'm so glad we made the last minute decision to hire one and that I was connected with Ashley. She's kind, relatable, direct and such a strong advocate. She worked to support my partner to ensure he felt empowered to assist me.

She made my intervention free birth happen and even made sure I got my water birth. Her knowledge and support are unparalleled and her responsiveness is so supportive. 

12 out of 10 stars. 

Michelle

7/27/2022

I hired Ashely for the birth of my 3rd child (my first hospital birth) and I am so grateful I made that decision. The short review is: having a doula for the hospital system was essential for me - I highly recommend Ashley!

She helped me with:

1.knowing what to expect at the hospital and being prepared for the ways it would be different from a birth center

2.helping create the atmosphere that I wanted for birth

3.providing me with the research on going past my due date at my ‘advanced age’ (I was 37)

4. when I decided to induce, she talked me through the options and gave me straightforward information. 

I had ‘my chart’ to get in touch with my hospital midwifes but it felt very impersonal and I never knew who was going to repsond. I really liked a few of the midwives but none of them were assigned to me so I didn’t have a consistent person throughout the pregnancy. Ashley was that consistent person.

At the end, I was overdue and went as long as I felt healthy and safe. I decided to induce because the baby just wasn’t coming and I knew it was time. But we’re in a nursing shortage and the hospitals did not have room for me. I spent the last 2 days of pregnancy receiving a barrage of information from the hospital - I was talking to whoever was on staff and they had to keep their liability insurance in mind. I called Ashley every time I spoke with the hospital and she talked me through each decision. We could talk about my body and make decisions based on all the NSTs that came back showing my body was not in distress. On our own, my husband and I would not have been equipped to navigate the hospital system. Ashley’s support meant we could enjoy the day together instead of being completely overwhelmed by the situation. During the birth, she supported my husband so that he could be present with me which is exactly what I wanted her to do. 

Whitney H

3/1/2022

Ashley was everything we needed her to be to prepare for our first birthing experience. She was willing to learn the methods we wanted to use and was also flexible in using other techniques. She was right there when our birth did not go as planned and helped us each step of the way. She helped me feel calm, she helped my partner know how to support me, and was always quick to step in when needed. Ashley was also able to process the experience afterwards which was extremely helpful. Thank you Ashley for all your love and support during our most special (and stressful) time!

Cassie

1/29/2022

My husband and I absolutely loved working with Ashley during our pregnancy and birth experience. She is incredibly kind, compassionate, and offered so much useful information. As a survivor of rape I was looking for someone to help me advocate for certain things during my pregnancy/birth and Ashley was the perfect person to do that. She helped me feel strong, empowered and informed on every decision I made. I can't say enough how much of a pleasure it was working with her! 

Birth Availability for Ashley Meissner

= Available. Calendar last updated: 04-25-2024