Birth and Postpartum Doula Care in Los Angeles

mEET youR dOULAS

Brana Ninkov and Dawn Batson are two doula friends and partners supporting birth and postpartum parents in Los Angeles.

Our Philosophy

The transition into parenthood is a powerful threshold that calls you to face challenges and discover parts of yourself you didn’t know were there. It’s hard to do that when you’re surrounded by conflicting opinions, protocols, and expectations.

You deserve to feel deeply heard, respected, and honored as you move through this rite of passage. You deserve support that sees you as a whole human being navigating something identity-altering. And you deserve for that support to not only respect your desires but truly believe that you alone will know what is right and best for you.

At Deep Well Doulas, we’re here to walk beside you while attuned to your wisdom. We believe that with the right kind of support, you are capable of making the decisions that feel right for you so that you can come out the other side feeling empowered rather than infantilized.

WHO WE ARE

Brana Ninkov, RN, MSN, CLEC, Birth and Postpartum Doula

  • Brana is a doula and RN with over a decade of experience in birth and postpartum care. She moves skillfully between the emotional, spiritual, and medical dimensions of birth. Her approach is both deeply intuitive and grounded in evidence, honoring the sacred while navigating the protocols with a clear-eyed understanding of the realities families face. Her care is intuitive and rooted in fierce advocacy for your choices. She is known for her calm presence and thoughtful listening which allows her to hold space for her clients to be their whole selves without apology.

  • Britta Bushnell’s Transformed by Birth- Birth Workers’ Apprenticeship 2025

    Evidence Based Birth Webinar 2024

    Maternal Positioning for Optimal Fetal Positioning- Gilligan’s Guide 2023

    Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Training- The Embody Lab 2021

    Early Concerns in Infant Feeding and Milk Transfer- Dr. Jack Newman 2020

    Lumos Transforms: Embodied Trauma and Resilience Toolkit- 2019

    The Art Of Sacred Postpartum and Mother Roasting- in training

    Certified Lactation Educator Counselor- UCSD 2018

    Spinning Babies Workshop- Nicole Morales 2017

    Beyond the Swaddle- Advanced Postpartum Doula Training with Becca Gordon 2016

    Hypnobirthing- Alisha Tamburri 2016

    Postpartum Doula Training- DONA International 2016

    Supporting Fetal and Infant Loss- Return to Zero 2016

    Breastfeeding Full Circle-Dr. Jack Newman 2016

    Protecting the Mother-Baby Dyad: Innovation in Maternity Care- MFCI Symposium 2015

    Beyond the Hip Sqeeze- Advanced Birth Doula Training with Becca Gordon 2015

    Science of Oxytocin- Michel Odent MD 2015

    Masters of Science in Nursing- UCLA

    Birth Doula Training- DONA International

    Child Birth Education- DONA International

    Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology- SDSU

Dawn Batson, Birth and Postpartum Doula

  • Dawn’s decades of hands-on experience in birth spaces alongside her midwifery assistance training with renowned midwives Ina May Gaskin and Pamela Hunt inform her deep respect for the physiological and emotional needs of a person in labor. She is a devoted companion through threshold moments from pregnancy through the postpartum period as well as hospice care. She is known for  her ability to name and hold what is hidden and unconscious as well as her emphasis on optimal fetal positioning, autonomy and trauma informed care. As a childbirth educator familiar with the needs of neurodivergent minds, she strives to find interactive and experience based ways of laying out information so that her students walk away feeling well prepared, uplifted and informed rather than overwhelmed. She frequently draws from her training in hypnobirthing techniques and the work of Transformed by Birth’s Britta Bushnell in her work.

    • Birth Doula Training – DONA International (2008)

    •  Midwifery Assistant Training – The Farm Midwives (2009)

    • CPR Certification – Red Cross (2009, 2012)

    • Hypnosis for Childbirth – Hypnobabies (2009)

    • Postpartum Doula Training – DONA International (2010)

    • Midwifery Today Workshop – Philadelphia (2010)

    • Rebozo for Birth – Gena Kirby (2011)

    • Midwifery Intensive – Heart and Hands (2011)

    • Nutrition for Pregnancy – Food Renegade (2011)

    • Healing Birth Patterns – Dr. Susan Lange (2012)

    • BEST Doula Training – Tracy Hartley (2012)

    • The Thompson Method Breastfeeding (2019)

    • Hypnobabies Instructor Training – Albuquerque (2019)

    • Echo Parenting, Nonviolent Parenting Workshop – (2018, 2020)

    • Childbirth Education, DTI (Doula Training Institute) – (2020)

    • Transformed by Birth Mentorship – Britta Bushnell (2022)

    • Fetal Positioning – Gilligan’s Guide – (2023)

    • CPR Certification, American Heart (2025)

After many years supporting families in LA, I’m excited to be expanding the Deep Well Doulas experience. Beginning in November 2026 I will be heading New York’s Hudson Valley branch while Brana continues on with our Angeleno families.

Deep Well Doulas Hudson Valley
Birth is a transformational experience.

Our Influences

We’re students of birth and of the human psyche. Birth is not just a clinical event—it is relational, mythic, and transformative. Our perspective is frequently informed by: Spinning Babies, Evidence Based Birth, Britta Bushnell and her book “Transformed by Birth”, Jack Newman, Carl Jung, Donald Winnicott, Ina May Gaskin, Alan Watts, Echo Parenting, Nkem Ndefo and Anne Gilligan. We draw from medical research, philosophical traditions, and the wild wisdom of real life.

Schedule a Call

Curious if we’re the right doulas for you? Let’s connect and find out.