Welcome to Grounding Touch Doula Services!
Holistic, trauma-informed care for every stage of your reproductive journey — serving Denver, Boulder, and surrounding Colorado communities.
Hi, I’m Eloise Howell—a DONA® Certified Doula and Certified Lactation Counselor with a Master’s in Psychology, over 200 labors attended, and years of experience walking alongside families through their perinatal journeys. At Grounding Touch, I’ve grown my practice into a small, collaborative collective of dedicated doulas. Together, we support families through fertility, pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, postpartum recovery, parenthood, and loss. Every family we work with receives evidence-based, heart-centered, non-medical care tailored to your unique needs.
Drawing from years of holistic training and hands-on experience, our collective at Grounding Touch offers:
Holistic, trauma-informed birth support including unmedicated physiologic birth, high-risk pregnancies, VBACs, inductions, and cesarean recovery
Postpartum recovery and education with traditional herbal education, nutritional guidance, belly binding, restorative comfort measures, and lactation counseling
Holistic and integrative parent support
Loss and bereavement doula services
Hands-on comfort techniques — HypnoBirthing-informed relaxation, Spinning Babies®-inspired positioning, Soothing Comfort Touch, Acupressure, TENS Unit, Rebozo, Aromatherapy, Counter-pressure, and more!
Whether you’re preparing for birth, navigating early parenthood, or processing grief, you’ll receive continuous, deeply personal support that honors your body, your story, and your values.
Eloise’s work is rooted in reproductive justice, creating safe, affirming space for every family she serves.
What Is A Doula?
The word doula, originating from ancient Greece, means “one who serves women.”
A doula is a trained professional who offers continuous emotional, physical, and informational care before, during, and after major life transitions—most often around pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
When it comes to navigating the birth journey, each care provider brings their own expertise. A doulas role is to provide continuity of care throughout the families journey, focusing on presence, education, advocacy, and holistic support. We listen without judgment, provide evidence-based information, help navigate options, and offer hands-on comfort and grounding in moments of intensity or uncertainty. Most importantly, we center you—your needs, your choices, and your experience.
Doulas do not replace partners, family members, or medical professionals; we collaborate with them, helping to create a more connected, supported, and empowered environment for your journey.
WHy hire a doula?50% decrease in cesarean births15% increase in spontaneous births60% decrease in epidural requests40% decrease in the use of pitocin30% decrease in the use of forceps57% decrease in rates of postpartum depression and anxietya 25% decrease in the length of labor!*Source American Pregnancy Association
Denver/Boulder Prenatal & Postpartum Resources
As part of your doula support, you will be offered excellent, personally recommended referrals and resources that align with your desired pregnancy, birth and postpartum vision. Holistic, comprehensive and continuous care is at the heart of Grounding Touch Doula Services.
About My Services
In my practice, I offer a variety techniques and information to help simplify your pregnancy, birth and postpartum period by working to minimize pain, speed up labor, prevent medical interventions and give you a space to feel grounded and relaxed in your birth journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
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I am a certified birth doula through DONA International, the top ranking doula training program in the world.
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A midwife is a health care provider, while a doula is a non-medical childbirth professional. You might choose to have a midwife instead of an OB for prenatal care and to deliver your baby—midwives can deliver babies in hospitals, birthing centers or even in your home. A doula, on the other hand, doesn’t replace your healthcare practitioner but rather can add extra services, such as helping you with techniques to manage pain during labor and even providing support and help during baby’s early days.
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Although I plan my schedule strategically to make sure I am at every birth, I will also always have 2-3 professional and trusted backups in the case that I cannot attend. Meeting my backups beforehand is an option!
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Yes! I have worked with dozens of women who both chose to be induced as well as needed to be. I am familiar with the timeline of inductions and can support you in that process.
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Yes! I love to support home births. Birthing at home can be a wonderful and magical experience, although I do require that you be working with a provider such as a midwife for your delivery.
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You’re right that most labors last longer than 12 hours from start to finish, but families usually don’t need continuous doula support for that entire time.
During our prenatal visits, we’ll go over the stages of labor and talk about the best time to call me. Early labor is often the longest phase, and many people find it most comfortable to be at home with the support of a partner, family member, or friend. During this stage, I’ll stay in touch with you by phone or text, and when you’re ready, I’ll join you in person, either at your home or at your place of birth.
For my own wellbeing and to ensure I can show up fully present, I generally limit in-person labor support to 12 hours. In most cases, this is more than enough. If your birth extends beyond 12 hours, you’ll have the option to continue my support at a rate of $75/hour. If I am unable to stay past 12 hours due to prior commitments or personal needs, I will call in my trusted backup doula, who follows the same hourly policy. For clients using Medicaid or Kaiser, labor support is unlimited.
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In many hospitals in Colorado, doulas are allowed in the operating room (OR) for a cesarean (C-section), in addition to one support person such as a spouse or partner. During prenatal visits we will discuss this (even if you are not planning to have a cesarean).
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Yes, I have extensive experience supporting high risk pregnancies and am happy to help you navigate that process.
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Yes! Some people think that if you have an epidural you do not need labor support but that is usually not true. There is a lot of things I can do as your doula to help your baby descend into an optimal position and help your mind and body prepare for delivery. Plus, pushing with an epidural is its own unique experience that requires support.
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I have experience and training in massage therapy, HypnoBirthing, Spinning Babies position changes, acupressure, aromatherapy, hot and cold therapy, deep relaxation breathing techniques, hydrotherapy, counter pressure and more. All of these can be utilized in your birthing space!
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Yes! I have supported many women through successful VBACs. Using techniques to get baby into the optimal position, making sure labor is progressing and helping you relax your body, I can help you achieve a smooth vaginal delivery.
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I am currently in network with Medicaid, Kaiser, and Carrot Fertility, but am happy to provide documentation for any other insurance company so that you can get reimbursed.
Planning Your Birth Journey
If you are Interested in learning more about my services, I offer a free 30 minute consultation in-person OR via zoom or phone. I look forward to meeting you and discussing your desires for your birth journey!
