Mari-Elena Leckel
Owner/Birth/Postpartum & Infant Care/Certified Labor & Postpartum Doula Trainer/Infant Feeding Specialist/CBE/CLC
Mari-Elena Leckel is extremely passionate about supporting, educating, and empowering families during pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond. She was born in New York and is the oldest of three children. Mari became a mother at a young age and met her husband when her daughter was seven years old. With the love and support of her husband and family, and her determination to succeed, she decided to go back to school and went on to graduate from Tufts University with a degree in Sociology. Upon receiving her degree, she began working in law enforcement.
Mari and her husband decided in 2009 to expand their family but were challenged by infertility issues. The next few years were filled with a multitude of doctor visits, moments of excitement and also heartbreak. In 2012, she gave birth to her second daughter and because of the tremendous amount of love and support throughout her journey, she wanted to “somehow, give that back.” She completed trainings as a Childbirth Educator, Labor and Postpartum Doula through CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association), Dancing For Birth™ Instructor, Belly Binding Artist and Child Passenger Safety Technician. She received her Certification in Lactation Counseling and is certified by the Academy of Lactation Policy and Procedure. Mari is also a Certified Labor and Postpartum & Infant Care Doula, Certified Labor & Postpartum Doula Trainer and Infant Feeding Specialist through ProDoula. She has been featured in Pregnancy and Newborn Magazine’s “Ask the Experts”, written a blog for Motherly “A Pep Talk to Mamas during Coronavirus” and facilitated a workshop on running a successful doula agency at the 2017 annual ProDoula Conference. In 2018 Mari was invited by a Massachusetts hospital to provide a training to their labor and delivery staff on comfort measures in labor. Mari received her 200 hour Yoga Teacher certification in May 2019 and helped to create the “Doc & Doula” Podcast. She was the Director of Doula Services and built a successful doula agency for Acelleron Maternal Health & Wellness until the company decided to close their doors in October 2017. Mari and her team had a passion and commitment to continue to support families and Boston Birth Associates was born.
The journey to motherhood is different for everyone but Mari believes every mother and family deserve to be loved, encouraged, educated, and empowered with non-judgmental and unconditional support. Mari considers it an honor and privilege to work with families during such intimate and special moments.
Megan O’Neill
Social Media Manager
Megan O’Neill, CLC, has always held a strong passion for women’s health – especially during pregnancy, childbirth and lactation. Megan received her Certification in Lactation Counseling and is certified by the Academy of Lactation Policy and Procedure. She is also a CAPPA-trained Childbirth Educator. Megan has worked in parenting support and education for the last thirteen years, and is very excited to help guide and encourage new families during this exciting time. She is a graduate of Merrimack College.
Megan is the mom of two little boys, Declan and Brian, and daughter Kieran. She has eight-plus years of breastfeeding experience. Megan understands the intricacies of breastfeeding, bottle feeding, and everything in between. She offers an understanding, non-judgmental view on parenting – striving to make all families feel accepted and supported.
Nicolette McCoy
Birth/Postpartum & Infant Care/Infant Feeding Specialist/Childbirth Educator/Sleep Specialist
Nicolette McCoy has always felt a strong connection with babies and children in all lines of her work. When she realized the impact she had on helping parents, she found her true passion. Nicolette attended Regis College and later SNHU for Psychology, focusing on Mental Health & Substance Abuse. She went on to be a career childcare provider, as well as answering crisis calls for mental health and substance abuse patients. When Nicolette came across the profession of “all things doula”, she knew it was a perfect marriage between empowering parents to confidently bring babies into this world, and being able to provide care for them once they bring their babies home! Through ProDoula, Nicolette is a certified Labor and Postpartum Doula, Infant Feeding Specialist, and Childbirth Educator. Through certification in Pediatric Sleep at SleepSavvy, she is inspired to work as a Sleep Specialist. With this, she will support families in balancing the parents’ need for sleep and mental wellness with the baby’s needs. Nicolette cannot wait to provide all of these non-judgmental services to families as well as ensure they will feel comfortable and supported in such a special time of their lives.
Amanda Rollins
Birth/Postpartum & Infant Care/PPS
Being the oldest of 5 children, Amanda has been in the position of caregiver since childhood & has found supporting new mothers and babies to be second nature to her. After having her own traumatic birth and a NICU stay for her daughter, Amanda knew it was important to take the wisdom from her own birth experience and bring a new level of support and encouragement to her birth and postpartum clients. As a postpartum doula she strives to support new parents with comfort, education, and a lot of TLC. Amanda also has a bachelors in music and enjoys incorporating music therapy into her routines with both birth and postpartum clients. One of Amanda’s favorite things about being a doula is seeing the transformation of new parents into their roles and watching the new normal of families find its place, like it was always there!
Amanda has had extensive experience with multiples, babies with reflux, colic, breastfeeding issues, sleep training, etc.
Amanda lives in New Hampshire with her husband, 2 daughters, and 2 fur kids.
Anna Griffin
Birth/Postpartum & Infant Care/CLC/LMT
Anna Griffin grew up in Chelmsford, MA with her parents and two siblings. She is the fourth oldest of 25 grandchildren and has always enjoyed being part of a large family, especially caring for her younger cousins. Anna began working as a nanny for a family of 3 in Bedford at 16 years old while completing a dual enrollment program through Nashoba Valley Technical High School and taking classes at Middlesex Community College in Bedford. She graduated with a certificate in medical occupations, an Associate’s Degree in liberal studies, and became a Certified Nursing Assistant. Anna went on to work for the Hanscom Air Force Base Child Development Center and became a lead teacher in an infant classroom.
With a passion to care for others, in 2011 Anna went back to school to become a massage therapist. She graduated and continued her education by receiving multiple certifications including pre/postnatal massage, labor support, advanced and Master Reiki training. While going through massage school, Anna knew she wanted to incorporate Doula work into her skill set and after giving birth to her daughter in 2015, she completed her birth and postpartum doula training through ProDoula. Anna has two beautiful daughters and has a passion for supporting women and families during this important life transition.
Martha Bishop
Birth/Postpartum & Infant Care/Certified Lactation Counselor
Lexi Crafts
Postpartum & Infant Care
Katie Breard
Pre/Postnatal Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach
Katie is a pre and postnatal personal trainer and nutrition coach. In her work she helps moms move away from feeling lost, frazzled, and dissatisfied in their bodies to stepping into their light while getting in the best shape of their lives.
Before starting her brand, Katie worked for 11 years as a creative leader in advertising. While she was always a self proclaimed fitness addict her perspective on health, wellness, nutrition and mental health was completely changed when her water broke 3 months early with her second pregnancy and she lived on bedrest for 2 months. Her recovery to health and fitness inspired her to change careers and help women today.
Katie is an American Academy of Personal Training graduate with a specialization in pre and postnatal fitness. She trains pregnant women and new moms through 1:1 training and group coaching program. Katie lives in Brookline Massachusetts with her husband Kent, daughter Bailey (3), and son Beau (1).
Surey Rodriguez-Cortes
Birth/Postpartum & Infant Care/CLC/PPS
Surey’s fascination with all things pregnancy and birth began from a very early age. In fact, one of the first jobs she ever aspired to as a small child was that of “baby doctor.” At any family or community event, she could always be found wherever the babies were, helping to care for them and give their moms a well-deserved break.
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, she eventually obtained a Bachelors in Anthropology and a Masters in Archaeology & Heritage Management. During much of her studies she focused on cultural norms and practices surrounding gender identity, sexuality, and the construction of womanhood and motherhood. However, academia was not where her passion lay, and her fascination with childbirth and supporting growing families kept beckoning.
When she had the opportunity to support her baby sister in having her own baby, Surey knew she had found what she was meant to be doing. Since then, her commitment to help families transition into life with a new baby (or babies) has not waivered. She is constantly pursuing further education and training to better serve the families she is honored to work with. At present, Surey is a Certified Labor Doula, Postpartum & Infant Care Doula, Postpartum Placenta Specialist, Belly Bind Wrap Artist, Certified Lactation Counselor, Child Passenger Safety Technician, Childbirth Educator, and Sleep Coach.
Surey lives in southern MA with her husband, daughter and their mischievous kitty.
Olivia Wojcik
BSN/Lactation Support
Kit Norman
Birth Doula/Postpartum & Infant Care/CLC
Kit Normand is a mom of two boys, 5 and 2, and lives with her family on the North Shore. She has always had a love of children and after becoming pregnant with her first son, developed a strong passion for all things pregnancy and birth related. Kit has a Bachelors in Psychology and a Masters in Early Education. Her knowledge of both fields, along with her own personal experiences, makes her a valuable resource for birthing and postpartum families.
Kit is a Certified ProDoula Labor and Postpartum & Infant Care Doula. She received her Certification in Lactation Counseling from the Academy of Lactation Policy and Procedure. She teaches Breastfeeding Essentials and Newborn Care classes at Boston Birth Associates as well as in-home private classes. Kit has over 5 years of personal breastfeeding experience and has helped countless mothers through their own feeding journeys.
“The most important thing I’ve learned in this career is that pregnancy and birth are predictably unpredictable! My goal is to provide families with the consistent, non-judgmental and caring support they deserve in this crazy, beautiful time of their lives.”
Meghan Scafati
Meghan Scafati grew up in Methuen, MA, as an only child surrounded by her large, close-knit extended family. Her cousins have always been more like siblings, and from babysitting frequently by age 11 to being a proud Auntie to 12 amazing kids, Meghan has been a nurturer her whole life. After graduating UMass Lowell with a Bachelors in Criminal Justice and Psychology, Meghan worked as a manager within state government for 10 years. It was there that she met her husband; they married in 2013 and have a 2 year old daughter. After a high-risk pregnancy and her own experience giving birth with wonderful doula support, Meghan felt compelled to join Boston Birth Associates to give other families what she had received – amazing, non-judgmental support, informed choices, and confidence. Meghan has a myriad of past experience, both personal and professional, that has given her the skills to help mothers and families navigate this incredible, chaotic, challenging, and beautifully transformative time in their lives.
Meghan completed the Labor and Postpartum & Infant Care trainings through ProDoula and also provides Maternity Concierge services for BBA. Maternity Concierge options include event planning (baby showers/sprinkles, baptisms/christenings, birthday parties, etc.) and design services (nursery, playroom, etc.), both of which Meghan has varied and comprehensive experience handling – and a genuine passion for! Planning these things can be very overwhelming for new and even seasoned parents, so leave it to someone who loves considering the tiniest details and developing a way to make your perfect vision come to life. Meghan would be thrilled to help you plan and execute a wonderful event or a beautiful, functional space!