Meet Leialoha


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I was born and raised in Waimea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The eldest of 3 children, I was a nurturer from a young age. For as long as I can remember I have been drawn towards babies and pregnancy. Luckily, my Mom came from a large family and I was always surrounded with cousins of all ages. As I grew up I remained fascinated by birth and babies and would help my friends and family as their families grew. I remember wishing in high school to find a way to help people birth their babies without having to be a doctor or a nurse. I wasn’t interested in the medical side of things, I wanted to be there in the grey space of labor land with people, holding their hand and rubbing their back and softly reminding them of their strength.

Fast forward to 2013 and I had just moved to Seattle, Washington. I was watching a birth documentary and they mentioned doulas- I researched the term right away and it was as if God was talking directly to me, “Yes, THIS is why I put you on this earth” He said. Goosebumps covered my body and I cried so hard at finally finding my purpose. However, finding a way to live out that purpose in a new city took a couple years. In 2018 I finally took the biggest risk of my life and quit my job and began my doula training. I was blessed to find that the doula community in Seattle was incredibly supportive and welcoming to new doulas. I not only received fantastic training at Bastyr University’s Simkin Center for Allied Birth Professionals, but I also had a wide community of experienced doulas to help guide me, answer my questions, and help me process each new birth experience. One such doula became my dear friend and business partner. Angie Doulas (Yes! That really is her last name lol) and I worked with the same agency and had come to admire each others approach to birth work. We were both looking to build a partnership and the stars aligned for us to create Two Ferns Doula Care in 2019. We supported families through unprecedented times and leaned on each other for support as we poured our hearts into our work. We learned from each other and coached each other through the many forms birth takes, and became better doulas through it.

I knew Hawaii would always be my home and that my time in Seattle was only temporary. I had dreams of building a birth and resource center on the Big Island so that every family would have community, support and education throughout the childbearing year. So here I am, back home hoping to support my community through pregnancy, birth and postpartum. The vision for Hanau Hawaii is to be a birth and family resource center. A place where you go for your birthing classes, your parenting classes, doula care, parent/baby groups, and other workshops to empower and enhance the journey of bringing a new life into this world- to make the whole process kinder and more peaceful. While the birthing center and physical space for a resource center remains firmly in the future, I will be offering classes and parent/baby groups as spaces become available.
Mahalo nui for taking the time to get to know me. If you would like to talk more about the services I provide please go to the contact page and submit your form- I look forward to connecting with you!