Brigid Owino

Birth and Postpartum Doula and Childbirth Educator, Perinatal Wellness Partners: Age 38

Brigid Owino

Brigid Owino’s journey into the field of perinatal care is a deeply personal one.

She gave birth to her first child during the early days of the pandemic, while also dealing with a difficult separation from her partner, and the isolation contributed to a challenging battle with postpartum depression.

“It was a very lonely, painful journey going through the birth process,” she recalled. “During that time, you weren’t even allowed to have a person in the room with you at the hospital.”

But when she became pregnant with her second child, with the support of compassionate professionals and loved ones, the birth experience was healing and transformative.

“I was present this time. I was ready. I took childbirth classes with a doula. And I wondered how many women go through this themselves and don’t have that support.”

Owino wound up doing some volunteer work in perinatal care, then began working in the field professionally and, eventually, launching her own company, Perinatal Wellness Partners.

Her mission is to create a nurturing, supportive environment where women feel informed, confident, and empowered throughout their journey through pregnancy, birth, and beyond. She said she provides trauma-informed, mindful care tailored to each client’s needs, whether navigating a routine pregnancy or facing complexities such as maternal-fetal medicine cases, cesarean deliveries, medical emergencies, or harm reduction during pregnancy.

Having earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at UMass Amherst and worked in the mental-health field before her current career, she’s also pursuing a master’s degree in mental health at Framingam State University.

“Mental health, especially in perinatal health, can be very taboo,” she noted. “Often, women are afraid to say, ‘I’m experiencing problems. I’m not feeling well. I’m not bonding with my baby.’ That’s why I wanted to be very honest with my journey. As someone who had PTSD, I wanted to show people that you can go through this and still love your baby and still thrive as a mother.”

Owino also serves a peer mentor doula with Moms Do Care, where she connects families to resources and community supports from pregnancy through postpartum. She is also a board member with the Green River Doula Network, which fosters community for doulas, midwives, and birth workers.

And she remains grateful to keep telling her story.

“No matter what your journey, I want you to know that you’re seen and heard, and you’ll be better off for it.”

—Joseph Bednar