our doulas:
Jacqueline Hope Medford
Doula, Postpartum doula, Certified Professional Midwife, Massage therapist, Artist, Community organizer

"Women have the innate ability to give birth with confidence and dignity."

Hope loves her work of supporting women and families through their birth process and has assisted almost 400 babies being born! She knows it is an honor to support families as they grow and an inspiration to witness new life emerging into this world. She believes every family deserves the birth support they need and is glad to be a part of it as both midwife and doula.

Hope is also trained in massage, infant cranial sacral therapy, and yoga, thus offering a holistic health perspective to her care. With a background in hospice work, in-home health care, and support work for women and children suffering from domestic violence, it was natural for her to continue to serve families at the precious time of birth.

Hope trained at the Northern New Mexico Women's Health & Birth Center in Taos, New Mexico. Hope graduated from the National College of Midwifery and became a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM). She moved to Portland to work at the Andaluz Waterbirth Center and aquired her Oregon State Midwifery License.

Hope graduated from the National College of Midwifery in 1999 and became a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) in 2000. After having a small private home birth practice, she moved to Portland to work at the Andaluz Waterbirth Center and aquired her Oregon State Midwifery License in 2001. Working at Andaluz, the first Waterbirth Center in the United States, she earned confidence and a great deal of experience in waterbirth.

Becoming a part of the Mother Tree community has been a wonderful opportunity for her to bring her experience as midwife to doula work, which has been a valuable asset. She is able to share with her clients her knowledge and understanding of natural birth as well as communicate directly from her experience with medical staff, enabling her to be a very effective advocate in a hospital setting.

Hope believes an effective way to bring about the positive changes we want to see in the world is through education. She worked with the African Birth Collective, attending births alongside African Midwives and teaching students in a birth center in Senegal, West Africa. She has also travelled and exchanged knowledge with midwives, nurses, and birth assistants in Peru, Brazil, and South Africa to learn about their countries birth practices. Hope is consistently seeking knowledge in natural birth, often looking to blend the wisdom of modern medicine and world traditions.

Hope facilitated The Artemis Institute of Women's Healing Arts workshop seires: Healing Arts for the Childbearing Year. This was an integration of her skills as artist, midwife, drummer, and education coordinator- reintegrating the creative arts with the healing arts. The creative spirit is the heart of birth. As an artist, Hope's paintings often express aspects of women and pregnancy. As a musician, she has co-facilitated drum circles for many families and youth, encouraging communication, confidence and community building through rhythm. As community education organizer, she was a co-founder of the local non-profit, Tryon Life Community Farm, a sustainability education center.

"Hope's gentle encouragement, firm support and grounded education gave me the confidence to have the birth I truly longed for. My baby, my partner and I are forever grateful to have found her" - Jen

Please contact us:
Portland ~ 503-343-9911
Vancouver ~ 360-635-5666
...or contact us online!