Stephanie Schiavenato is a labor and post partum doula, lactation counselor, anthropologist, and filmmaker. She strongly believes in the potential for birth to be a positive experience, however that might look in terms of your individual choices. Her work focuses on fostering a deep sense of fulfillment for pregnant people and their families. As your doula, she offers continuous, non-judgmental support, informed advocacy, and a calm presence throughout your process.

Stephanie holds a degree from Middlebury College in Gender Studies, a Master's degree in Anthropology from the New School for Social Research and she pursued a doctoral degree in Anthropology at New York University where she also studied documentary filmmaking. Her graduate research focused on how families cope with pregnancy loss. This academic background positions Stephanie to offer you curated and sophisticated informational support throughout your decision-making as you prepare for the birth of your baby. 

Stephanie has also traveled to Uganda and Senegal to volunteer as a doula in rural birth clinics and learned many skills from traditional midwives to help laboring people. She is well-versed in the most up-to-date evidence based obstetric practice guidelines and the policies and protocols at all local hospitals and birth centers. Additionally she is the director of a documentary about placentas called, Mother Cake which is currently in post-production. She is also producing a film about miscarriage called, Adventures in Miscarriage, currently in development.

Stephanie was born and raised in Queens, New York. She lives with her dog Stella and her cat Zora. She is Colombian-American, fluent in Spanish, and happy to help families in the language they are most comfortable using. Stephanie recently moved from Brooklyn to Hastings-on-Hudson. She is enjoying the quiet, more opportunities to be in nature, and grocery stores with parking lots.