Angela Thornton (they/them)

The birth of my child and our family’s deliciously magical postpartum period is what led me to postpartum doula work. My experience of being held with such love and tenderness by our community awakened my deep belief that all families & birthing people should have the right to a postpartum full of ease, nurturing, care, and easily accessed resources, no matter their family structure. My goal as a postpartum doula is to witness & resource each family in a grounded, holistic way that resonates with them, providing encouragement in their unique and innate ability to parent.

As a nonbinary person practicing gender creative parenting it brings me deep joy to provide gender affirming care to all birthing people and their families, especially those who are interested in gender expansive parenting. I believe that postpartum care, and a “fourth trimester” set aside for bonding, healing & resting is an essential part of reproductive and social justice. I am deeply dedicated in my work to providing care that counters the systemic pressures and oppressions of racism, ableism, transphobia and homophobia, capitalism & classism. I recognize that we are navigating a world in which a pandemic has been allowed to freely ravage marginalized communities, and it is central to my work to be COVID informed, and to take every precaution I can to protect all of us who are at risk.

My dedication to a supportive and healing postpartum experience has extended into my training and practice as an herbalist, where I focus on supporting postpartum parents through the almost universal experience of sleep & nervous system upheaval, hormonal adjustments, and stress.

During my time with the Arctos School of Herbal and Botanical Studies my focus on postpartum herbal support led me to write a thesis project on herbal interventions and situational postpartum depression.

I am grateful to be able to show up as my whole, embodied self in my work as a postpartum doula, and deeply honored to be trusted in such a delicate and vulnerable time in a family’s life.  

Angela’s Qualifications 

  • Postpartum Doula Certification, DONA International

  • Cornerstone Postpartum Birthworker Training

  • MotherTree Postpartum Doula Training (DONA)

  • Over 10 years experience of early childhood care

  • Basics of Lactation Management for Doulas

  • Arctos School of Herbal and Botanical Studies Herbal Immersion Program graduate

  • Current Oregon food handler’s card

  • Adult, Child & Infant CPR certified

About Angela

  • I’ve recently discovered yin yoga and how much my body LOVES this practice

  • My home is in NE Portland where I live with my kiddo, partner, two house/land mates, 2 old cats, 8 chickens and a big, wild herb and vegetable garden

  • I’ve been an avid reader since I was a child, I love to read almost as much as I love to sleep (which is a lot!)

  • My previous career was as a knitwear designer (for 11 years!). I will always love to knit, and probably always have 4-6 projects going at once, though my newest fiber fixation is learning my family’s traditional Croatian embroidery techniques & motifs and stitching them on everything

“I was so grateful for Angela’s support. I had no idea how much I would need postpartum resources. Angela was proactive about connecting with my partner, and referred me to specialists when I needed. Angela was an essential part of our family’s team.”
— elissa