IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: The content on BirthGuide does not provide medical advice. Always consult a medical provider for diagnosis and treatment. The...

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: The content on BirthGuide does not provide medical advice. Always consult a medical provider for diagnosis and treatment. The listing of an individual or entity in this Birth Settings Directory does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by BirthGuide. Here’s where you can find out where the information comes from and access a Glossary that explains the search terms used. By using this directory you agree to be bound by the BirthGuide Terms & Conditions of Use. If you do not wish to be bound by these terms and conditions, please do not access the directory.

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Holistic Family Doulas - Classes, Workshops & Support Groups

40W100 Old Burlington Road
St. Charles, Illinois 60175
SERVICES IN NUTSHELL
Holistic Family Doulas
We are a close-knit agency owned and run by experienced doulas who are deeply involved in client care. Our focus is on mother-centered, holistic birth and postpartum support that honors the physical, emotional and cultural needs of the family. You develop a close, trusting relationship with your doula, while also having the security of an experienced agency standing behind your care if unexpected needs arise.
MORE ABOUT US

Holistic Family Doulas offers classes and guidance sessions that support families through pregnancy, birth and early postpartum with thoughtful, evidence-informed guidance rooted in holistic care

Support & Guidance Session

A flexible, open-ended session designed to meet you exactly where you are. These calls offer space for guidance, reassurance and practical next steps — whether you’re preparing for birth, navigating postpartum changes or troubleshooting newborn challenges.

Sessions are held by phone with HFD co-owner, Errin, and include a brief follow-up email summarizing key points and sharing resources or referrals.
Common reasons families schedule a consultation include:

– Local area resources and recommendations; midwife, OB and birthplace information
– Preparing and planning for birth (including VBAC and multiples birth)
– Planning and preparing for an induction or a Cesarean birth
– Questions to ask your provider during pregnancy or postpartum
– Postpartum recovery, healing and nutritional support
– Processing your birth experience and emotional shifts
– Breastfeeding or bottle-feeding troubleshooting and IBCLC referrals
– Newborn sleep environments, routines and fragmented rest
– Soothing challenges, bonding and early development
– Managing anxious thoughts and finding grounding practices

This is our most accessible option for families seeking expert guidance without committing to a full class or package.

Holistic Childbirth Education Workshop

A 4.5-hour, in-person childbirth education workshop led by experienced doula and educator Errin Bald, whose background in Anthropology brings a wider perspective on birth as something humans have always done and supported one another through. This class is designed to help you and your support person feel informed, capable and supported as you prepare for birth in any setting — hospital, birth center or home.

Through discussion and hands-on practice, you’ll learn how labor unfolds, how to support your body through each stage and how partners can play an active, steady role, helping them feel more confident and prepared to support you well. Each couple receives thoughtfully curated resources to support both birth and early postpartum recovery.

Space is limited to keep the learning environment relaxed and supportive. Homebirth-focused classes are also available.

 

Private Newborn Care Class

A personalized consultation offering practical, reassuring guidance as you prepare for or adjust to life with a newborn. Available in your home when location and schedule allow, in an alternate meeting space if preferred, or virtually, this session is tailored to your family’s needs, values and parenting style.

Ideal for prenatal preparation or early postpartum support, this offering helps parents feel more informed, grounded and confident as they navigate feeding, sleep, soothing and daily newborn care. Includes lifetime access to our comprehensive Newborn Care Guide,

Private, Customized Classes

Private, fully customized education for families who want flexibility, depth and education tailored to their specific needs. These classes are scheduled at your convenience and designed around the topics most relevant to you.

Classes are available in your home, virtually or in an alternate meeting space if preferred. Each session includes time for questions, a take-home packet with key information and a follow-up email with resources and referrals.

Topics may include childbirth preparation, hospital or homebirth planning, cesarean preparation, holistic postpartum recovery, newborn care, newborn sleep and more. Custom offering available.

Most families choose to complete classes during pregnancy, though newborn care classes may also be scheduled in the early postpartum period.

People
Errin Bald

Errin Bald

Co-Owner, Birth & Postpartum Doula

Libby Deutsch

Libby Deutsch

Co-Owner, Birth & Postpartum Doula

TRAINING & CERTIFICATIONS
Errin Bald, Co-Owner

Errin Bald is a birth and postpartum doula, educator and consultant with over a decade immersed in the study of birth and professional experience supporting families since 2019. Based in the western suburbs of Chicago, she is the co-owner of Holistic Family Doulas, a collective rooted in nurturing care and mother-led wisdom. Her experience spans hospital, home and birth center births, with a particular focus on the postpartum window.

Her path into birthwork began with her first pregnancy in 2014, when she committed deeply to studying birth and postpartum while being supported by a midwife and doula. Despite extensive preparation, her first birth ended in an unexpected and unnecessary cesarean. In 2017, she prepared intentionally for a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) and welcomed her first son in a hospital setting. In 2024, she experienced a deeply healing homebirth after cesarean (HBAC) under the care of midwife Shelli Mullins. These distinctly different births continue to shape the empathetic, evidence-informed care she offers families.

Errin specializes in holistic postpartum care that centers on nourishing and restoring the mother. Her offerings include traditional Malay bellybinding (trained by The Birth Matron), herbal support, Reiki, yoni steaming, sitz and herbal baths, floral footbaths and healing meal preparation. She weaves together ancestral practices and modern understanding to support physical, emotional and spiritual healing.

A natural teacher and consultant, Errin equips families with knowledge and confidence through private and group classes offered both in person and virtually. Topics include childbirth education, induction preparation, cesarean birth preparation, postpartum planning, newborn and twin care. Her consultations are collaborative, warm and tailored to each family’s needs.

Since beginning her professional doula work, Errin has supported more than 100 families and completed extensive training in birth and postpartum care, including study with holistic midwives Whapio Diane Bartlett and Mayar Moondragon. She holds a BA in Anthropology and an MA in Writing, Rhetoric and Discourse.

Outside of work, Errin is raising her children alongside her supportive partner while running a growing business and doing her best to keep everyone fed. She finds joy where she can—slow mornings, good music, cooking from scratch—and accepts that most days are held together by coffee, deep breaths and a sense of humor.

Libby Deutsch, Co-Owner

Libby Deutsch is the co-owner of Holistic Family Doulas, a certified birth and postpartum doula and private childbirth educator.

Libby is known for her grounded, steady presence and her ability to fully surrender to the person giving birth. Her care is deeply mother-led, rooted in listening, attunement and meeting each client exactly where they are. She is steady without being passive and encouraging without overpowering the moment. A core part of Libby’s work is empowering mothers through education—helping them understand what is happening in their body and brain during labor so they can trust the process and feel more confident in their decisions. Mothers often share that they feel calmer, more grounded and more trusting of themselves after time together.

Her foundation in physiologic birth is informed by both training and lived experience, including birthing her own children at home. She supports all types of birth with equal respect and works seamlessly across home, birth center and hospital settings. She is especially skilled at supporting mothers navigating complex emotions, previous trauma or a desire to reclaim and rewrite their birth experience—gently reminding them of their inherent strength.

Libby’s postpartum care is intentional and nurturing, centered on restoration, nourishment and emotional steadiness. Drawing from global postpartum traditions, including Malay bellybinding (trained by The Birth Matron), vaginal steaming and Ayurvedic principles, she offers slow, thoughtful care that prioritizes the mother’s recovery. Through her training in yoga and Reiki, she brings a calming presence that supports mothers as they reconnect with their bodies and trust themselves in this new season.

Libby’s role is not to lead your experience, but to walk beside you—offering steadiness, encouragement and trust as you move through birth and into motherhood, reminding you of your strength every step of the way.

 

Testimonials

My husband and I just attended Errin’s Birthing Class as we prepare to birth our first child in our nearby hospital as holistic/natural minded soon-to-be-parents and we ARE BEYOND GRATEFUL we were apart of her class. We learned so much about birthing, ways to naturally manage labor in a hospital setting, different ways to think about various aspects of labor, and she provided an abundant amount of resources for us following too! I am fueled with so much joy and excitement following her class and appreciate having more knowledge going into birthing our first child. Thank you Errin!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!

– Shelby

My husband and I attended the Homebirth Class hosted by Errin and Libby on 10/18/25 in preparation for our home birth in early 2026. I cannot say how much this class made us feel prepared for anything. The amount of resources provided in class and afterwards were exactly what we needed.. not overwhelming- but effective and helpful. I feel more connected to my husband, as well as confident in him (&myself) during the all of the stages of labor. I feel beautifully prepared. What a way to honor our homebirth. Thanks Libby & Errin.

– Olivia

My husband and I just attended Errin’s Birthing Class as we prepare to birth our first child in our nearby hospital as holistic/natural minded soon-to-be-parents and we ARE BEYOND GRATEFUL we were apart of her class. We learned so much about birthing, ways to naturally manage labor in a hospital setting, different ways to think about various aspects of labor, and she provided an abundant amount of resources for us following too! I am fueled with so much joy and excitement following her class and appreciate having more knowledge going into birthing our first child. Thank you Errin!

-Shelby