Welcome to The Nomadic Doula!
My name is Jessica Ruscetta and I am a birth & postpartum doula, lactation counselor, childbirth educator, wife, mother and adventure traveler. I founded the doula co-op Two Hands Birth Services, located in southern New Jersey. I love to work with families during one of the most wonderful, crazy, life-changing times in their lives, when they are expecting a new baby! I also love mentoring new doulas and hearing all about people's journey to birth work.
Road to Birthwork
In 2008 I gave birth to my first child and it was not the experience I had hoped for, from the pregnancy to the birth to the postpartum it was disappointing. Of course I had a healthy baby and I was physically healthy but was mentally and emotionally unhealthy. When I became pregnant again in 2011 I was not going to let history repeat itself and I armed myself with more information and support during my pregnancy and the birth of my second child. The difference was life changing! I knew that if first time parents had support, information, education and guidance that they could have a better outcome than I did with my first child. I wanted to help these families so I began to research becoming a childbirth educator and with that the Pandora's box of birth work was opened!
Road to Birthwork
In 2008 I gave birth to my first child and it was not the experience I had hoped for, from the pregnancy to the birth to the postpartum it was disappointing. Of course I had a healthy baby and I was physically healthy but was mentally and emotionally unhealthy. When I became pregnant again in 2011 I was not going to let history repeat itself and I armed myself with more information and support during my pregnancy and the birth of my second child. The difference was life changing! I knew that if first time parents had support, information, education and guidance that they could have a better outcome than I did with my first child. I wanted to help these families so I began to research becoming a childbirth educator and with that the Pandora's box of birth work was opened!
With very supportive family and friends behind me I began my training in January of 2013 to become a birth doula, reading everything I could get my hands on, studying, and attending education and doula training workshops. Two Hands Birth Services was born in 2013 in southern New Jersey as I felt with my two hands I could make a difference in the lives of the families I served. All my hard work paid off as I became a certified birth doula through DONA International in July of 2015. My hunger for more knowledge continued and I soon also certified as a postpartum doula and lactation counselor as well. I wanted to be of as much service to families that called on me as possible.
During my experiences supporting families through pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period I also developed wonderful, supportive relationships with other birth workers. I found that these sisters in birth work were essential to the services I was providing. I enjoyed hearing their stories into birth work just as much as the stories of the families I supported through birth. In the summer of 2017 I transitioned my solo practice into a doula co-op and think it's one of the best decisions I ever made. We now share our passion for maternity care with each other and support each others work and lives.
The Nomadic Journey
During my experiences supporting families through pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period I also developed wonderful, supportive relationships with other birth workers. I found that these sisters in birth work were essential to the services I was providing. I enjoyed hearing their stories into birth work just as much as the stories of the families I supported through birth. In the summer of 2017 I transitioned my solo practice into a doula co-op and think it's one of the best decisions I ever made. We now share our passion for maternity care with each other and support each others work and lives.
The Nomadic Journey
In the fall of 2017, in a time of transition both personally and as a family my husband and I decided to do something radical. On a long drive to a client I had an epiphany about how to merge my calling as a birth worker and our family's dream to tour the country in a converted school bus. The Nomadic Doula was born! I could continue to do birthwork both in person and virtually to families all over the United States. This adventure will give me more knowledge and understanding so I can be of better service to the families who I am honored to support and my doula sisters who lean on me as I lean on them.
The combination of traveling with my family and showing my children a different way of life, connecting with nature, minimalism, serving others, nourishing my wanderlust and developing relationships with birthworkers from all over the United States is a harmonious union of all of my passions and I look forward to sharing them with you.
The combination of traveling with my family and showing my children a different way of life, connecting with nature, minimalism, serving others, nourishing my wanderlust and developing relationships with birthworkers from all over the United States is a harmonious union of all of my passions and I look forward to sharing them with you.
If you would like to contact me to chat, for teaching, mentoring, or anything else I would love to hear from you.
My Training & Experience
Certified Birth Doula
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Certified Postpartum Doula
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Lactation Counselor Training
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Certified Lactation Counselor
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Workshops, Conferences, and more
- Online training for placenta encapsulation with IPPA, International Placenta & Postpartum Association
- Presented a homebirth Q&A, hosted by The Village in Collingswood, NJ and a screening of Why Not Home?
- Presented a homebirth Q&A, hosted by the Pinelands Library, Medford, NJ and a screening of Why Not Home?
- Represented Why Not Home? and Two Hands Birth Services at the Midwifery Today Conference, Mt. Laurel, NJ
- Evidence Based Birth Professional Training, Haddonfield, NJ
- Expecting Parents & Baby Expo, exhibited and invited speaker, Cherry Hill, NJ
- Birthworks International Conference Organizer and Attendee, Mt. Laurel, NJ
- Healthy Children's Project Lactation Counselor Training, Philadelphia, PA
- Member of PALS (Philadelphia Alliance for Labor Support)
- Birthworks International Childbirth Educator Workshop, Medford, NJ
- Online training and certification as a postpartum doula from Madriella Doula Network
- DONA International workshop for birth doula training and certification, Nassau, NJ
