The Happy Mama Place
I’m Jessica Ann — a doula, childbirth educator, prenatal bodyworker, and postpartum guide serving families throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Doula & Birth Preparation Specialist | NEPA
Supporting you through pregnancy, birth & postpartum
Prenatal bodywork • HypnoBirthing • yoga • placenta
Message me to feel supported, seen, and fully prepared 💕 The Happy Mama Place | Doula, Pregnancy, Birth & Postpartum Support in Northeastern Pennsylvania
The Happy Mama Place provides pregnancy, birth, and postpartum support for families throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania. Services include birth doula care, postpartum doula support, HypnoBirthing childbirth classes, prenatal massage therapy, placenta encapsulation, prenatal yoga, and breastfeeding support with an IBCLC. Welcome to The Happy Mama Place, where support for your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum journey begins long before labor and continues well after your baby arrives. My work is centered around helping parents feel prepared, confident, and supported every step of the way. At The Happy Mama Place, we offer full-circle pregnancy, birth, and postpartum support, bringing together services that prepare your body, mind, and baby for birth and recovery. Services include:
• Birth Doula Support
• Postpartum Doula Support
• HypnoBirthing Childbirth Education
• Prenatal & Postpartum Massage Therapy
• Yoga for Birth Prep (Prenatal Yoga)
• Placenta Encapsulation & Postpartum Recovery Support
• Breastfeeding Support including prenatal education and postpartum guidance
My approach focuses on preparing you physically and mentally throughout pregnancy, not just showing up for the birth itself. Through bodywork, movement, education, and hands-on support, we create the space your body needs for birth while building the confidence you need to trust the process. Whether you’re preparing for your first baby or welcoming another little one into your family, you deserve care that helps you feel seen, heard, and supported. If you're expecting and want to feel supported, seen, and fully prepared for birth — we’re here. Message us anytime. 🤍
Serving families throughout Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Hazleton, the Pocono region, and surrounding Northeastern Pennsylvania communities.
11/07/2026
Hi mamas! 💜 Here’s a little sneak peek at what we have planned for our upcoming Little Village meetups!
And yes, there are more packages on the way. 🤭 Don’t tell my husband. He’s probably already looking at our bank statements wondering how many googly eyes one woman could possibly need. 😂 So please come put these supplies to work with us!
We’re so excited to meet some new mamas, catch up with familiar faces, and see what your little ones make! 💜
11/05/2026
💕 Hey, Mamas!
We still have spots available for tomorrow’s meetup! 🥰
🤸♀️ Shooting Starz Gymnastics
📅 Thursday, November 5th
⏰ 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
📍 Wilkes-Barre, PA
💵 $10 per walking child
If you and your little one would like to join us, we would love to have you! 💕
📧 RSVP: [email protected] or message me directly on Facebook!
Once you RSVP, I’ll send you the event invitation along with all the necessary information. A waiver is required for all participating children.
We hope to see you there! 🥰
🌙 Most of my calls from laboring moms come between 11 PM and 2 AM.
And there's actually some fascinating science behind why!
Our bodies naturally produce more melatonin when it's dark. We usually think of melatonin as the hormone that helps us sleep, but did you know it also plays a role in labor?
Melatonin works alongside oxytocin, the hormone responsible for uterine contractions. Research suggests that melatonin can help the uterus respond to oxytocin.
So what does that mean for a laboring mom?
Think about the environment you naturally want when you're going to sleep.
Dim lights. A quiet room. Fewer distractions. A feeling of comfort and safety.
We don't need to be asleep for labor to happen, but creating that restful, sleep-like environment can help support the body's natural nighttime rhythms.
This is why I pay so much attention to the birth environment.
Even in a hospital, we can lower the lights, use calming sounds, and create a peaceful space.
✨ This video is from an actual hospital birth where we brought a little nighttime magic into the room.
Sometimes supporting labor isn't about doing more. It's about creating an environment where mom can relax and her body can do its work.
💕 The Happy Mama Place
11/04/2026
I’ve been sharing little pieces of this work in my videos, but I haven’t officially shared this with you yet! 💗
In April, I became a Body Ready Method® Pro, and now I’ve passed my Body Ready Birth® teacher training capstone!
After more than 20 years in bodywork and 15 years supporting births, this training has given me a deeper understanding of the why behind the movements, positions, and bodywork I use.
This isn’t an extra service you have to add on. It’s knowledge I bring into the support I already offer, helping me be more intentional about what we try, why we try it, and how we adapt it to you.
As a Body Ready Method® Pro, I can offer individual assessments to better understand how your body moves and tailor our work to your needs, comfort, and preparation for birth.
I’ve already been incorporating this into my practice, and clients have been sharing the differences they’ve noticed in their Google reviews. Hearing how this support has helped them means so much to me.
If you’ve seen my hip squeezes, standing lunges, or hands and knees videos, you’ve seen pieces of this work in action!
I’m proud of this milestone and excited to bring more opportunities for you and your partner to learn and practice together. Body Ready Birth® workshop details are coming soon to The Happy Mama Place! 💗
There was more happening here than a standing lunge! ❤️
During our HypnoBirthing class, we were practicing a standing lunge, a movement we might use when baby is navigating the midpelvis.
Here's something I want expecting parents to understand.
When we talk about creating space in the pelvis, it's not always about making the pelvis bigger.
Sometimes it's about changing the orientation of the pelvis.
As baby moves through the midpelvis (approximately −1, 0, +1 station), asymmetrical movements like a standing lunge may help baby navigate and rotate through this part of the pelvis.
Watch what she's doing.
One foot is elevated while she rocks through the movement, creating asymmetry. Her partner is right there, providing balance, stability, and support.
But while I was watching her hips and how she was moving, I noticed something else.
He was singing to her! 😂
Of course, I had to ask, "Are you serenading her?"
And then came the laughter!
This is one of the things I love about teaching HypnoBirthing.
Yes, we're learning breathing techniques, movement, and how to work with the body during labor. But we're also helping partners learn how to work together.
How to communicate.
How to provide support.
How to stay connected.
And sometimes, how to laugh together.
Because birth preparation isn't about memorizing a bunch of positions.
It's about understanding what we're doing, why we might use a particular movement, and how partners can support each other along the way.
And if that includes a little dancing and serenading, even better! ❤️
10/31/2026
She was one centimeter. We were getting ready to head home. Just over an hour after that exam, her baby was born.
We’d been talking through the night, finding positions where she could rest. That morning, I brought lunch to her home, and we worked with movement and positioning. At the hospital, her exam hadn’t changed since Monday. She wanted to go home and rest.
I had just gotten into my car when my phone rang. Her water had broken. We headed back upstairs, and everything changed quickly.
The room filled with people, voices overlapped, and I helped Candace focus on me and her breathing while her medical team responded.
Later, she wrote that I helped her stay “fueled and focused” and supported her and her husband “when things got fast and furious.” She shared how invaluable her husband felt my support had been and how grateful he was to have me there, too.
That’s the story behind this review. Overnight calls, lunch at home, and a familiar voice when everything suddenly changed.
Welcome, Maximos. 🤍
There's more to a hip squeeze than simply putting your hands on someone's hips and squeezing! 💗
We see hip squeezes demonstrated all over social media. They're often taught as a comfort measure during labor, and yes, they can feel wonderful!
But here's what I want families to understand: Where you place your hands and how you apply pressure matters.
The pelvis isn't one fixed opening. We have a pelvic inlet and a pelvic outlet, and different movements can influence the space available at each level.
Simply placing your hands on someone's hips and squeezing doesn't necessarily create the pelvic movement we're trying to encourage.
That's why I teach families to understand the why behind the technique, not just memorize where to put their hands.
In this video, I'm teaching during one of our HypnoBirthing classes. We're exploring different hand placements, how they influence pelvic movement, and what the mom notices as we practice.
And this is what I love about teaching in person. The conversation, the laughter, the questions, and those unexpected moments when a mom suddenly says, "Baby likes it!" because she feels her baby moving. 💗
That doesn't necessarily mean we've created more space for baby, but it makes for a memorable learning moment!
Birth preparation isn't just about learning what to do. It's about understanding why you're doing it.
That's the difference I want families to take away from our classes.
10/28/2026
Look at this placenta! 💗
I don't know about you, but I find placentas absolutely fascinating!
I've been preparing placentas for years, and I can honestly say I never get bored. If anything, I think I get more excited with each one.
But this particular placenta is a little more personal to me.
I've known this mama for almost eight years! She was one of my clients when I first started encapsulating placentas, and I've now had the pleasure of preparing all four of her placentas.
And I still get excited every time!
Now, look at these pictures.
First, look at the maternal side. This is the part of the placenta that was attached to mama's uterus. See all those individual sections? They're called cotyledons.
Now turn it over.
Look at the fetal side!
Do you see what I see?
Start where the umbilical cord attaches and follow those blood vessels outward.
Look at how they spread across the placenta!
To me, they almost look like fingers. Reaching out, gripping, holding on.
There's something about those shapes that makes me think of embracing and protecting.
And maybe it's because I know this mama and some of what she experienced throughout this pregnancy, but that's what came to mind when I looked at her placenta.
Of course, that's just what the shapes remind me of.
And there's one more thing I wanted to share.
The amniotic sac and umbilical cord.
This once held her baby!
The amniotic sac surrounded her baby throughout pregnancy, while the umbilical cord connected her baby to the placenta, allowing oxygen and nutrients to reach her.
I don't often see placenta encapsulators sharing these parts of the process, and I think they're just as fascinating.
After all these years, I still find myself stopping, examining the different structures, following the vessels, and appreciating what I'm seeing.
Now I'm curious.
When you look at those vessels on the baby's side, what do you see?💗
The Happy Mama Place
10/27/2026
One thing I've learned over the years as a doula is that every family brings something different into their birth experience.
Earlier this year, I supported a Jewish family, and after their baby was born, I was asked to give the mother this handwritten Hebrew blessing to read.
I've had the privilege of supporting families within the Jewish community for years, and respecting their traditions is an important part of the care I provide.
Sometimes doula support means hands-on comfort, helping create space, or working through difficult decisions.
And sometimes it's something as simple as making sure a family's traditions are honored.
Because what matters to the family matters to me.
That's part of what it means to provide individualized birth support.
— Doula Jessica Ann
10/25/2026
Mark your calendars!!! We are so excited about this event!
Alerts
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Happy Mama Place posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Subscribe
We will notify you when anything happens in Plains.