We’re looking forward to introducing you to Ann Morris . Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Ann , we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Most days, I live a pretty low-key, suburban life as a stay at home mom to my 2 youngest children, Maverick (age 3) and Magnolia (9 months.) I wake up and make breakfast and a school lunch for my second grade son and help him get out the door. While my husband drives him to school, I’ll clean up the kitchen and then go for a stroller walk with my daughter while my 3 year old rides his bike. After playing outside for a bit, I’ll make lunch and then put the kids down for a nap. I normally utilize their nap-time to reset the house, spend time reading God’s Word, and working on my doula business. Around 2:30pm, I’ll head to pick up my oldest son from school and then either run errands or come home to start prepping for dinner. We eat dinner as a family around 5:45pm daily and put the kiddos to bed between 7:30-8:00pm.
After the kids go to sleep, I will sometimes schedule prenatal meetings with my clients. We usually begin by catching up about how my client is feeling physically, emotionally, and mentally. Pregnancy is such a layered experience, and this time
On evenings when I don’t have a prenatal meeting with a client, my husband and I spend time investing in our marriage by intentionally reconnecting with one another for about 30 minutes or so. This time has become a non-negotiable for us, as there was a time in our marriage when we were actually separated for 2 years. That season apart was one of the most transformative parts of our journey and helped us rebuild with deeper intention and grace.
When I am on-call for an expecting mama (between 37-42 weeks gestation,) I still go about my days like usual. However, I make plans loosely, knowing at any given point I may have to pivot and head to a birth. My phone stays on loud all hours of the day and normally never leaves my pocket or nearby vicinity. If I get a call from a client in labor, I will initially support them over the phone, knowing that early labor can sometimes take hours, or even days. During this time, I will ask questions like “what comfort measures have you been using?” and “what positions have been most helpful?” I will make suggestions to them based on their answers, as well as help them determine when to head to their birthing location.
In order to determine when I should join a client in-person, I may suggest that the client time their contractions over the course of an hour or two. It’s then their job to communicate back to me the frequency, duration, and intensity of their contractions. Once a client’s labor progresses into active labor, typically when contractions are every 3-5 minutes, lasting for 1 minute or longer, for at least 1 hour, I will make my way to begin supporting them… whether in the hospital, at a birth center, or in their home. Every birth I support is unique, beautiful, and transformative, and I feel so blessed to be able to call this “work!”
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Ann Morris. I am a 32 year old wife, mother of 3, and a certified birth and postpartum doula and childbirth educator. My family and I reside in a suburb outside of Atlanta, Georgia. When I was 8 months pregnant with our first son back in 2018, I took a childbirth class to help me prepare for an unmedicated birth. It was during that course that I first learned about doulas and their role during birth. Immediately, I knew I had to find one to support me and my husband – and I am SO glad I did. After experiencing pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period with my first son, I became personally aware of the importance of having a supportive tribe of women surrounding this vulnerable time in life. I felt so strongly that I was being led to pursue doula work, so in August of 2018 I took a postpartum doula training and in January of 2019 I took a birth doula training, both with DONA International (Doulas of North America.) My first child was not even 1 at the time, but I just knew I could not wait any longer to begin pursuing this calling.
I began supporting families in 2019, both as a birth and postpartum doula. Since then, I have attended more than 100 births, in hospitals, birth centers, and in my client’s homes. Over time, I have found that my niche is supporting first time moms who wish to have unmedicated births.
In addition to supporting families in-person, I have a number of virtual offerings as well. I work as a virtual doula for those families who want to have the expertise and guidance of a doula available to them, but wish to limit the number of people present in the delivery room. I teach childbirth education using a full-spectrum curriculum rooted in personal autonomy and empowerment, both virtually and in-person. And, I recently launched my first digital product, an ebook entitled, “My Empowered Pregnancy.” My goal in writing this ebook is to help equip families with the knowledge and tools they need in order to make informed decisions, advocate for their choices, and create the birth experience they have always envisioned.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
This may sound a bit cliché, but my relationship with Jesus is what has shaped how I see myself the most. I started taking my faith in God more seriously when I was a senior in high school. I was around 17 years old at the time and was looking for my self-worth in my peers and relationships, my possessions, my talents, and my appearance. These things, although not inherently bad, did not provide me with the purpose and fulfillment I was ultimately longing for. During that time, I began attending a local youth group, reading the Bible, and learning more about Jesus. Through that process, I came to understand that my identity and value come from being loved and created by God, not from anything I could achieve or gain on my own. My relationship with Jesus has taught me that I am enough as I am, that I am forgiven, and that I have a purpose beyond what the world can offer. This realization continues to shape how I view myself and how I strive to live each day—with gratitude, confidence, and a desire to reflect His love to others.
Do you remember a time someone truly listened to you?
Yes, it was during one of the most intense and vulnerable moments of my life, the birth of my third child (our first daughter!) My labor progressed very quickly, and we had to pivot from our original birth plan. By the time we got into the car, I could feel my body starting to involuntarily push. Instead of going to the hospital we had initially selected, we had to head to a closer one because there simply wasn’t enough time. When we arrived, I was wheeled down the hallway and whisked into an available labor and delivery room. Everything felt chaotic, but then I met Daneille, the midwife on call. She was incredibly kind and grounded. Even though she had just met me in the middle of this whirlwind, she took the time to truly listen to me and my birth preferences.
Despite the rushed circumstances, Daneille listened to my preferences without hesitation and encouraged me. It would have been so easy for someone to just take over in a moment like that, but she didn’t. She respected me, my voice, and the intentions that I had for this birth even though everything was unfolding so differently than what I had planned. When our baby was born only 18 minutes after we arrived, my husband looked and exclaimed “it’s a boy!” (Spoiler alert: he had seen the umbilical cord!) Without missing a beat, Daneille exclaimed, “that doesn’t look like a boy to me!” We all laughed! Thanks to Daneille, what could have been a traumatic experience became deeply empowering and even beautiful. I will always remember Daneille and the way she helped me feel seen, strong, and held in one of the most powerful moments of my life.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version of me is real, but it’s only one part of who I am. As a wife, a mom of three kiddos, and a birth and postpartum doula, I often find myself showing up in ways that others need me to – calm, capable, nurturing, and put-together. In public, and especially in my work, I present a version of myself that is strong and grounded, even when I may be feeling tired, overwhelmed, or unsure inside. On social media, that version is even more curated, as people may see the beautiful moments with my family or uplifting stories from birthwork, but not always the emotional or messy parts of daily life. That doesn’t mean it’s not authentic, it’s just a selective glimpse. The private version of me, with all of my thoughts, emotions, and personal growth, is just as real, even if it’s not as visible. All of these different layers together make up the full picture of who I, Ann Morris, really am.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
If you can’t tell by now, I truly believe I am doing what I was born to do. Every time I support a family during pregnancy, childbirth, and the immediate postpartum period, I am reminded of truly what an honor and gift that it is to be invited into such a sacred and transformational time in a family’s life. I may have gone to college to learn to become an elementary school teacher, but this calling of being a birth and postpartum doula truly found me when I least expected it to. My journey to becoming a doula was not the result of a long-held career plan, but rather an intuitive one, sparked by a deep-seated desire to serve and support expecting mothers and their families. And, although birth work can sometimes be demanding, chaotic, and emotionally taxing – my intrinsic motivation of helping families during a deeply intimate life event makes any challenges I encounter worthwhile.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.annmorris-doula.com
- Instagram: @annmorrisatldoula
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annmorrisatldoula
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/FFOwHMpVcu
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@annmorrisdoula?si=AwHb4JAQWST3Y_PR
Image Credits
Ari Upham
Valerie Majella
Beckah Lee
