A.Swift Doula Support

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  • Ariel is an experienced labor doula offering skilled birth support for families in hospitals and birth centers. With over 14 years of experience attending births, Ariel helps families feel confident, informed, and supported—regardless of where they choose to give birth.

    From your first conversation, you’ll quickly know whether this partnership is the right fit. Ariel understands when families want guided questions to help them find their own answers, and when they’re seeking clear direction and steady support during labor.

    Labor doula services begin at $2,000 for first-time parents. Experienced parents are encouraged to reach out to discuss customized options and non-traditional support structures.

  • Ariel is an experienced overnight postpartum doula, offering compassionate newborn and parent support during nighttime hours. From twilight to first light, overnight care lays the foundation for infants to thrive and for parents to rest, recover, and feel supported throughout the day.

    Daytime postpartum doula services are available on a case-by-case basis. Families are encouraged to ask for what they need so we can create a custom postpartum care plan that supports everyone involved.

    Ariel’s rate is $45 per hour for non-birth postpartum doula clients. Families who worked with Ariel during birth receive reduced postpartum rates. Please reach out for current options and availability.

  • Ariel has been providing doula mentorship, training, and professional support for birth workers since 2015. With firsthand experience of how transformative strong mentorship can be, Ariel is committed to supporting doulas through every stage of their work—from starting a doula business to sustaining a long-term, values-aligned practice.

    Her work centers on doula burnout prevention, ongoing education, and reducing horizontal violence in birth work through collaboration, transparency, and care.

    Services for doulas include business planning for new doulas, monthly mentorship and support calls, birth processing, doula website UX consultation, SEO and content strategy, brand and design identity, curriculum development, blogging, and custom support for birth workers.

    If you are a doula seeking mentorship, business guidance, or ongoing professional support, please use the contact form to connect.

Connect for Doula Inquiry
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About Your Doula

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Ariel Swift is a Chicago-based birth doula and childbirth educator with over 14 years of professional experience supporting birthing people and their families. Her connection to birth work began long before certification—on July 13, 1998, when she witnessed her first birth at age 15. That moment shaped a lifelong commitment to compassionate, informed, and family-centered care.

Since then, Ariel has earned multiple doula and childbirth education certifications, helped open Chicago’s first freestanding birth center, and worked to advance Illinois legislation supporting equitable access to maternity care. She has also developed leadership teams nationwide to expand access to midwifery care and strengthen community-based birth support systems.

At the heart of Ariel’s work is a deep belief that well-supported births create ripple effects of healing that extend far beyond the birth room. She is known for offering grounded, practical, and creative support by meeting families where they are and helping them feel confident, informed, and respected throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

Originally from Washington State, Ariel has called Illinois home since 2005. She brings a common-sense, hands-on approach to both her professional and personal life, valuing clear communication, healthy boundaries, and calm, intentional spaces.

Ariel is the parent of two midwife-attended births, is partnered with a supportive spouse, and shares her home with a small herd of cats. She is honored to support Chicago-area families through pregnancy, birth, and early parenting with care that is rooted in experience, advocacy, and heart.

What Other Doulas Say

  • Ariel is a doula's doula. She offered the support we all need to feel successful in this work, which involves so much giving of ourselves. With patience and without judgement, Ariel is present for whatever questions come up. She helps pull out the wisdom you already have inside of yourself, cheerleading you on every step of the way. I wish for all doulas to have a mentor like Ariel.

    Sarah P.

  • I felt incredibly seen and heard. Ariel is a curious and effective facilitator. She is responsive and attentive to the needs in the space.

    Nyehla I., community doula

  • Ariel, I cannot thank you enough! I talk about what I learned all the time to anyone who will listen.

    Melissa H., doula and childbirth educator

  • The Doula Guide Post is a time of collective idea generation, support, encouragement, and guidance from incredible peers and the brilliant Ariel, who provided so much insight from her years of experience. The Guide Post was and is a launching point for me to take the steps I needed to do doula work well in my community. It helped me understand my values, 'why's', and goals. I felt seen, heard, pushed, and challenged in this group, which brought about real growth. I know that I have not only left this experience with new knowledge but with long-term relationships that will be vital to my growth as a doula.

    Ama M., Doula and Photographer

  • Ariel's expertise is VAST and I'm blown away by how generous she was in sharing her knowledge. She did such a great job encouraging us to consider our own values for our doula practices, while emulating how to bring a collaborative, compassionate and nonjudgmental practice to our clients. Her grasp on birth equity and what antiracism looks like was really helpful to see, and gave me a lot to think about how I can raise my own bar for how I approach this within my work.

    Michelle E., doula

  • A real must for building community with new doulas and learning from a pro!

    Darnicia H., doula

  • You’ve been the human version of Google—except with better judgment, less ads, and way more compassion. Your wisdom has been a well that so many of us have drawn from, and somehow, you never ran dry. You’ve been the light at the end of some very questionable tunnels, always ready with your signature line: “So let’s figure this out so it works for you.” Translation: “I’m about to fix your life, but you’re gonna think it was your idea.”

    Tanesha G., Doula, LC, Educator