LILA AGUILAR Birth & Postpartum Doula,
Perinatal Mental Health Advocate
Bringing home your newborn doesn't come with an instruction manual and there's no feeling like it in this world. I remember how becoming a new parent felt both magical and frightening. The days were long and messy. I was sleep deprived. I struggled with breastfeeding. Our baby had rashes and tummy troubles and we cried a lot together. I was sad, anxious and happy. I remember thinking, "This isn't what I thought it would be like, I can't do this!"
Originally from Oakland, CA, I am the youngest of seven (!) children. In 1971, my parents were among the first hippies to caravan from San Francisco, CA to The Farm in Summertown, TN. Shortly after arriving there, my mother joined the Farm Midwives, a group of women committed to reviving safe homebirths in the U.S.. The midwives were well-known for their mainly instinctual and holistic approach to birth work.
My family left the Farm in 1979 and I was raised in a far more "traditional" urban setting than some of my siblings who grew up on the Farm. And though my mother retired from midwifery years ago, my current work as a doula incorporates the best of both worlds. I believe that every family should be met where they are and honoring each unique set of circumstances is invaluable in this work.
Being a mother of two, I understand wholeheartedly that parenting is the most rewarding and challenging experience in the world. But I don't believe anyone should have to muddle their way through the newborn trenches alone. In 2015, and with the foggy-headed newborn days behind me, I became certified as a Postpartum Doula. I have since been providing practical and emotional support to dozens of expectant and newly postpartum families across the Bay Area. Recently, I expanded my role in birth work and become a birth doula as well. Adding labor and birth support has really rounded out my career and made it all the more fulfilling. I love my work and strive to be a supportive resource for as many new families as possible!
Training and Education:
Postpartum Support International: Perinatal Mood Disorders: Components of Care Course Completion, San Francisco, CA, 2022
Moonstone: Labor and Birth Doula Training, Rights Informed Birth Advocate, Cornerstone Doula Trainings, San Francisco, CA, 2022
Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED Certified, American Red Cross, San Francisco, CA, 2018 , Renewed February 2023
Postpartum Doula Certification, Cornerstone Doula Trainings, San Francisco, CA, 2015
Bachelor of Arts Degree, Hunter College, CUNY, New York, NY, 2004
Volunteer Work:
Postpartum Support International: Support Group Facilitator, TFMR Peer-to-Peer Support Group, July 2023 - Present
Memberships/Affiliated Resource Listings:
Postpartum Support International
UCSF- Becca Hess Amirault, WHNP, CNM