Our Story
Hi, my name is
Neha Surender (she/they)
I am a birthworker, postpartum doula and family-taught chef.
I was born in Chicago and expanded to Brooklyn five years ago. I’m grateful for the land of the Canarsie, Munsee Lenape people for holding this queer, plant-loving, auntie of three.
My approach to supporting you and your family is unique to you. I offer breath, meditation, plant medicine, movement and other relaxation techniques to manage the hills of this journey. I listen to your stories, thoughts and worries with a grounded heart. And as a nerd, I turn to research and a trusted network of birth workers to provide you with the resources to make informed decisions.
I continue to be humbled by the strength and magic of a birthing person and I advocate for your experience to be respected and enveloped in unconditional support.
I uplift and add honey to the family planning dreams and histories of Black, brown, queer and trans birthing people. I am here to accompany you.
As a family-taught chef, my food journey has been grown and seasoned by the matriarchs of my chosen families. In my postpartum sessions I hope to bring you overflowing bowls of colorful ancestral recipes to fortify you on this birth journey.
I was invited into birthwork by my heart-of-a-friend who said that I’ve always been a doula. If I wrote a love letter to birthwork, I would go on about how facing the fears and excitement of birth with my families has helped me transform along with them.
Trainings & Mentorships
Full Spectrum Birth and Postpartum Doula trained by Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings (BADT)
Queer and Trans Reproductive Support and Childbirth Education in training by BADT
Conscious Birth Collective Mentee guided by Emilie Rodriguez (Ashé Birthing Services), Evelyn Alvarez (BronxReBirth), Myla Flores (The Birthing Place), Nicole JeanBaptiste (Sésé Doula Services), and Aida Alfonso (Innatus Birth)
Grandma’s Hands, Ethno-Herbalism Course on Nutrition, Pregnancy & Postpartum Herbs taught by Divine Bailey-Nicholas of Divine Birth Wisdom
Testimonials:
“Working with Neha allowed me to feel calm, prepared and empowered for my first birth. My biggest goal was to go into the delivery room feeling unafraid, with an “I can do this” attitude. Having a doula with Neha’s concrete skills and gentle approach helped make that happen. The birth didn’t occur under the exact circumstances that we had ideally hoped for (whose does?!); but we were able to roll with the punches, advocate for the elements we didn’t want to compromise on, and ultimately had a calm, collected, and downright serene experience with the birth of our first child. As a queer family, we especially felt warmly supported in a way that celebrated our family structu”
“I will always remember the day that I became a mother and Neha will forever be a part of that beautiful, exhausting, and euphoric experience. It was one of the most emotionally, psychically, and physically challenging days of my life and Neha was there every second to support me and my partner. She helped us be better advocates in a system that is set in its ways and steeped with microaggressions and sometimes lack of understanding. At the beginning of our pregnancy journey, I wasn’t sure what to expect when working with a doula, but I found that Neha was empathetic, communicative, and warm. ”
“
Neha was an amazing doula. It felt great to be able to have a doula and for Neha not to treat me like a client. I feel like I gained a life time friend. She was very patient with me especially during the 3rd trimester when I began to get anxious and wanted my baby to come already lol. I also felt comfortable with her as a member of the lgbt she didn’t make me or my partner feel awkward. She was very warming to my entire family. During labor she was very patient and even asked before touching me which I didn’t mind if she did anyways. She respected my birth plan and during my postpartum period she prepared meals and assisted me with the baby which was definitely needed. I recommend her 10/10 to any mom and their family.”