Community Highlights: Meet Jillian Barker of Parenthood in Bloom

Today we’d like to introduce you to Parenthood in Bloom.

Hi Jillian, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory. 
I’d say a little bit of my current story has always been with me. Even from a very young age, I had an interest in helping with care of my disabled sister, mostly little things, since I was only a toddler at the time, such as safeguarding her hospital bed with stuffed animals and holding her bottles while she drank. Her death was (not unexpectedly) a very traumatic experience, in and of itself, however I also don’t know that I was ever properly supported during that time. As time went on, I continued to face massive loss in my life, which put me in a position to connect emotionally with people all along the spectrum, from fertility struggles to the loss of a caregiver. 

The heaviest of life transitions had always fallen towards death for me. Yet, what I hadn’t realized was how the passage of motherhood would rock me in a way that I could not have ever prepared for on my own. 

The birth of a child is always accompanied by the birth of a mother. We are stripped down to our raw, primal core in a way that allows us to be rebuilt, becoming this incredible force that not only creates life but sustains it as well. It is not lost that mothers nurture and shape the future of humankind, although what IS lost is the village that it takes to care for a mother during this major life transition. 

My journey into motherhood will forever be hazy for me, as postpartum anxiety and limited support muddied those waters. I felt failed by my medical providers and society as a whole, much like many new parents. And as my bearings steadied, I found myself questioning my current path of corporate healthcare and medical school — is this system really the best that we can do for our community? The answer for me was a resounding “no.” 

As a doula + life transitions photographer, though, that is where I could find meaningful work tailored to each client without the restrictions of 13-minute doctor’s visits and insurance companies. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The biggest hurdle has been spreading the word and informing the general public that I exist — well, not me exactly, but the roles that I hold. Per a 2013 study conducted by Declerq et al., only 6% of birthing people used a doula during childbirth. What I have found on my end is that the majority of the (already small) percentage that knows what a birth doula is have no idea that postpartum or bereavement doulas exist at all. Yet if you look throughout history, you’ll see that the role of the postpartum doula is of great significance — so why have we lost her? And every time I talk to a mother who is well past the postpartum period, she cries to me, “I wish I knew. I wish I could have had you there for me.” 

My hope is that through networking, content creation, and events, our community will step back and accept that they are deserving of continuous care (and the documentation of such a pivotal era of their life). 

We’ve been impressed with Parenthood in Bloom, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Parenthood in Bloom is a holistic practice supporting families during major life transitions in birth and in death. I am a full-spectrum doula and lifestyle photographer with a focus on motherhood and elderhood. While I have a deep-rooted appreciation for the elderly population, I do primarily work with expectant families, supporting and documenting their journey through labor, delivery, and the postpartum period, advocating for their mental and physical health. 

As a birth doula, I come with the added knowledge of TENS unit usage, birth + fresh 48 photography, and an openness towards hospital, home, and birth center deliveries. With doula support during labor, you can anticipate someone ensuring you are nourished, educated, and empowered. 

As a postpartum doula, I “double” as a certified lactation specialist, babywearing counselor, and cloth diaper advocate. Having a postpartum doula in your home is to have a fairy godmother in your home — someone to help with the baby, to wash bottles or make you food, to monitor your mental health, and to get you professional or peer support if needed. 

As a photographer, you can expect me to capture the little touches of love, the glimmers of emotion (the whole continuum), and the precious moments that exist only for a tiny fraction of our existence. 

My overall goal in any practice is to establish a connection with my clients, seeing to their optimal care and memories immortalized. You deserve to be cared for, and your story is worth being told. 

How do you define success?
More than once now, I’ve made the decision to walk away from a higher-paying job in exchange for job satisfaction — I genuinely don’t believe that success is a financial conversation. Success is getting to the end of your day and still having a smile in place (even if it may have wavered earlier in the day). Success is feeling that squeeze in your chest and warmth in your body when you think about the effects you’ve enabled. Knowing that I can look my son in his face and say, ‘Mama is proud of herself,’ and that I’m excited to encourage those around me (same field or not) to choose happiness is a definition of ‘success.’ The overarching theme for me is that success is radiant, and it is achieved when those around me can feel it, too. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.parenthoodinbloom.com
• Instagram: parenthood.in.bloom
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094115269713

Image Credits
Amanda Goodin Photography