About Us

Welcome and congratulations on your growing family! We are Ginger Hollemans, LMSW, CD/PCD(DONA) and Brenda Baar, CD(DONA), GBCE, West Michigan’s most experienced doula team and the founders of Eastown Birth Partners. Our work is motivated by our belief that birth does not have to be a terrifying and traumatizing experience. Having the right birth team is an essential ingredient to a positive and empowering birth! We bring our previous experience in education and social work to our doula work and are proud to offer services and support from pregnancy through the postpartum period.

Our work is shaped by several foundational beliefs. We believe that:

  • a birth experience has a profound impact on the whole family.

  • there is no place for judgment and shame in birth choices and circumstances.

  • positive collaboration within the birth team is best for families.

  • bodily and decision-making autonomy should be honored without exception.

  • A positive birth is not contingent on mode of delivery or medications used/not used.

  • If desired, individuals are capable of natural (unmedicated) birth.

  • Birth is a normal physiological process that more often than not requires no medical interventions.

In a career field with a high rate of burnout and limited options for training and education, we are also passionate about creating a sustainable business model and investing in a new generation of doulas. We do this through working in a partnership model, sharing our hands-on skills through apprenticeship, and coaching new doulas on how to implement principles of sustainability in their work.

Logo for Dona International, Certified Birth Doula, featuring a purple stylized flower or tree symbol surrounded by a circular border with purple text.
A certification badge with a purple inflorescence symbol in the center and the text 'DONA INTERNATIONAL CERTIFIED POSTPARTUM DOULA' around the circle.
Two women sitting on a blue tufted sofa in front of a white brick wall, smiling at the camera.
A woman in a hospital bed with a bandage on her arm, looking down, with a girl sitting nearby, both in a hospital room.
A woman in a hospital bed is surrounded by medical staff and visitors, holding her hand and offering support during her labor.
A woman looks concerned as a man and another woman attend to a patient in a hospital room.
A person with freckles wearing a ring and bracelet is holding the arm of a person in a hospital bed, who is lying down with an IV in arm, while another person in glasses is assisting nearby.
A woman giving birth surrounded by two smiling women, one on each side, in a home setting.
A woman in a hospital bed holding a new baby, smiling at a visitor who is leaning over her. The woman is wearing glasses and a hospital gown, with medical monitors and IVs nearby.
A woman in bed with medical professionals attending her, in a hospital room.
A sleeping baby being held in a person's arms, in black and white.
A group of six people gathered around a woman holding a newborn in a hospital room, smiling at the camera.
A woman holding a baby, looking at the baby with a smile, sitting in a wooden chair in a cozy home interior. The woman has brown hair, glasses, and is wearing a tan coat over a black top.
A black and white photo of two people embracing, one with long hair in a bun and the other person's face buried in their shoulder, in a dimly lit room with fairy lights and a shelf with a mask in the background.
A woman in a blue tank top is in labor, with medical staff assisting her during childbirth in a hospital room.
A badge or seal designating a 'Top Care Provider' for Grand Rapids Kids, awarded in 2019, with a blue banner and stylized water waves.
Award badge for Grand Rapids Kids recognizing a top care provider in 2020.
Badge for Grand Rapids Kids, recognizing a top care provider in 2021
Badge with the text "Grand Rapids Kids Top Care Provider 2022" in bold, colorful design.