Welcome to Crowning Joy Doula Services

My name is Catherine O’Neal-Petterson and I’m a certified birth and postpartum doula serving the Greater Los Angeles area, with a focus on the San Gabriel Valley, Glendale, and Downtown areas. I have been supporting women as a doula since 2004. I am a member of DONA and Mardriella Doulas. I am also also a Certified Lactation Education Specialist and a Trained Hypnobabies Hypno-Doula.

Having a doula was an important part of my birth and postpartum journey. I have two children of my own and had a doula present at both births. After giving birth to my first child in 2002, I began to talk to other moms at playgroups and classes about their birth experiences. In doing this, I realized that a lot of these women didn't know that they had choices in the birth process, were unhappy with their treatment in the hospital, and ended up having a birth experience very different from the one they desired. Even though my first birth didn't go as planned, I know that having a doula present was very important in processing all the decisions and I really felt that I made informed choices, which helped me to ultimately be satisfied with that birth experience. I am passionate about a woman's right be an active participant in deciding how her child will enter this world and I became a doula so I could provide women/birthing people and their partners with the encouragement, support, and information they need to achieve a satisfying birth.

After birth, I was overwhelmed with all of the new skills I needed to learn while dealing with a fussy baby, recovering from birth, and not getting a lot of sleep. I had an amazing support network of friends, birth workers and my own mom to support me. As I started working with birth clients and doing postpartum visits, I realized how many questions clients still had after the birth and the support they needed with breastfeeding, baby care, and recovery. I found that being with them in their homes enabled me a level of understanding and connection that couldn’t be achieved with phone calls and texts. So much is conveyed through body language and the things people don’t say. I found that I also loved working with families when they came home from the hospital and decided to add postpartum services to my repertoire.

I believe my role is to support you in your goals for your birth and postpartum period not to bring my own agenda. I have experienced my own two births and postpartums which were so very different and have worked with more than 300 clients so I can bring my knowledge of those experiences. I also understand that each birth and postpartum is unique and that we must travel together on this exciting journey not knowing exactly what we will find. I act as a birthing and postpartum companion to you and your partner on this journey - explaining what is happening at each step and encouraging and comforting you along the way.

Please look through the information on this site and call or e-mail me if you have any questions or to set up an appointment to meet.

Happy Birthing and Recovery!

Catherine