The power of long-term doula support
Interview with Nikki Hampton
Nikki is a Tucson-based doula who has shaped her practice around long-term care, supporting families not just in the first few weeks but for a year or more. She shares how her first client began as a baby shower gift, how she quickly set up her business and created a brand inspired by the desert, and how these extended relationships have become her specialty. We discuss the deep trust built over time, the flexibility of designing a business that truly fits your life, and the unique value of staying alongside families as they grow.
Listen Now
About Nikki
Nikki, a parent of two, is a certified Postpartum Doula specialising in long-term care, a Parent Group Facilitator, and Perinatal Mental Health Advocate. A former Early Childhood Educator, she now supports families beyond birth with compassion, meaningful care, and connection. She leads the Blossoms of Parenthood Circle Group, serves on the Tucson Perinatal Mental Health Coalition board, and blends her love of family care, teaching, good food, and community in the Sonoran Desert.
Reach out to Nikki here: http://www.swayingsaguarodoula.com
We explore the following questions:
When did you complete the Newborn Mothers course, and what was happening in your life that led you to join?
How did your personal experiences of caring for your mother and being a parent shape your decision to become a doula?
Can you tell us about your first clients and how you began working with families?
How did you develop your brand and what inspired the desert theme?
What tools and platforms did you use to build your website and get started with your business?
How did your first client relationship grow into long-term care, and what did you learn from that experience?
You’ve mentioned working long-term with families—what do you love most about this approach?
How has building trust with families influenced your work as a postpartum doula?
What direction do you see your business taking now, especially with your involvement in community projects and perinatal mental health?
What doubts or fears did you face as a new doula and business owner, and how did you overcome them?
How can people connect with you if they’d like to learn more about your work?
If you love this podcast please subscribe leave a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen!
Transcript
Julia Jones:
Hello and welcome to the Newborn Mothers podcast. Today we're having a chat with Nikki, who is from Tucson in Arizona. Nikki is a graduate of our postpartum training, and I should have looked this up before I clicked record, but do you remember when you did the course? It’s been a few years, hasn't it?
Nikki Hampton:
Yeah. I graduated actually, on July 4th, 2023.
Julia Jones:
Wow, that's such a good memory. And so then I think you must have taken under a year to complete the course. And so what was going on for you in 2023 when you thought this is something that you wanted to do?
Nikki Hampton:
I was actually coming out of, my mom passed and I had a lot more time on my hands. I was caring for her during cancer and I always knew I wanted to be in this space and be with families in some realm, but with our kids being young and then with taking care of my mom, I didn't have the time or capacity to do that. And so after she passed, that time and space opened up and I was able to explore what that looked and, come across your training. And I had the time and I was able to jump in.
Julia Jones:
Yeah, amazing. I bet both the experience of being a mother yourself and also caring for your own mother. I bet that gave you a lot o, great experience in caring for families as well.
Nikki Hampton:
Yeah, absolutely. I think as mothers we are carers. And that's just what we do. Andit's been a really amazing journey. Seems forever, but not long at the same time.
Julia Jones:
I was surprised actually, when you said the date. I was like, that's not that long ago. But you've done a lot since you graduated. So tell me a bit more about your business and the clients that you've had and how it felt to start all of that.
Nikki Hampton:
Right after I graduated your programme, I ended up doing another certification here in the US and so, my title is officially a Certified Postpartum and Infant Care Doula. And then shortly after I got through that training, I landed a client and it was very fast. It was in September. So it was through a mutual friend and the friend was giving this client a gift for her baby shower. And, it was me. I was the baby shower gift for her.
Julia Jones:
So beautiful. I love that.
Nikki Hampton:
It really was. Yeah, it was such a great connection. And, so she was my first client and I really fast created a welcome packet and I didn't even have a website up yet, so was very fast. And I got some things organised and I had a Zoom meeting with her and got to know her and then met her in person. And then after the baby came, worked with her and her family and we were together for a year and it was wonderful. I got to celebrate her baby's first birthday with the family and it was wonderful. It was a really great experience.
Julia Jones:
Yeah, what a great opportunity to make you do all those things, because I know a lot of people when they graduate, that idea of setting up a website and, you know, doing their client intake paperwork, it can be a bit daunting, but if you've got a client, you've got a deadline.
Nikki Hampton:
Right, exactly. I eventually got there with the website that came closer to the holidays, but I'd never done web developing and that's what it is to make a website and I don't do great with technology and so it really stretched my brain creating the website. I was lucky enough to find the platform I use and it is self-guided, so I was able to really lean into that and get something up and running and go from there.
Julia Jones:
You have a really beautiful, clear brand as well. A beautiful desert, sunset colours, cacti. It's really so clear and everything I see that you do. I'm like, yeah, that's Nikki. And how did you come up with that brand?
Nikki Hampton:
I love the desert. I love living here. And every day there's something magical to look at here. This morning for instance, we have a really big cactus in our backyard and it was full of blossoms and that's the second time this summer that it's blossomed in over a hundred blossoms. And so there's so much magic I think, being in the desert and so many different animals and habitats and it's just, it's a great place to be.
Julia Jones:
So it was an easy inspiration. Did you pay someone to do some little graphics for you or did you do them yourself?
Nikki Hampton:
I did them myself. The platform has a lot of awesome pictures and some of them are actually pictures from my backyard.
Julia Jones:
And what is the platform? I bet there's lots of people listening, going like, I want some help setting up my website..
Nikki Hampton:
So I used Wix and it was easy, I think for somebody starting out and who doesn't know anything, I didn't know anything about websites. That was a really easy way for me to accustom myself to how you set things up on a website. And I also use Canva a lot, and I feel Canva also helped prep me for setting up website stuff. So I feel between the two of those I was all right.
Julia Jones:
Yeah, that's great. That's great because we do include the business module, which has some help with things choosing colours and fonts and what to write on your website, but ultimately you have to choose the software that works for you. And we try not to give specific lessons for specific software because it's such a personal thing, so I'm really glad you found the thing that clicked for you.
Nikki Hampton:
Yeah, same. I looked at a couple of different ones, but it felt like, that one felt manageable for me. And I said, I'm not very good with technology, so that was perfect for my space in that.
Julia Jones:
Well, it's beautiful. You've done really well. So let's go back to that first client. I can't imagine that the gift was for a whole year. So at some point they must have decided they really loved your care and paid for more themselves.
Nikki Hampton:
So, the way I have my services set up right now is, and in the beginning as well was hourly support. So she ended up, after her time ran out, we actually had a goodbye breakfast together. She took me out for breakfast and we had a wonderful breakfast with her and the baby and you know, it was emotional because we'd been through a lot together and, a short amount of time and we were saying our goodbyes and I feel it was not very much longer after that. She was like, actually, we'd to keep you on for a bit longer. And so we sort of worked out a plan together and then it ended up being a regular thing. And I feel that worked so well for the both of us. And I joke with her even now because we’re still in contact. She comes to the mother's group and I feel so grateful for her because I learned so much from her, starting off and I could bounce ideas off of her and it was such a great way to begin this journey.
Julia Jones:
So you weren't planning on working with families for such a long time, but it has happened to you again and again, hasn't it?
Nikki Hampton:
Yeah, it has. I've been with three families long term and they've consisted of the time that I've been a doula.
Julia Jones:
You've only had three clients.
Nikki Hampton:
Only had three. I also occasionally do some independent contracting with an agency in town. And so I have had a couple of people through them, but they were the typical short-term, you know, some family came into town and they needed somebody for a couple of days. So, that wasn't the typical for me. The typical for me was the long-term care and so I've had three families that I've had the privilege to be with and still am in contact with, and they still attend the mothers’ groups. And so we're all a close knit group right now.
Julia Jones:
I love that so much. I often talk about all the different ways to be a doula because a lot of people come to this work thinking that there's a set sort of format and way that you do it and that, oh, I can't be a doula because that doesn't fit with my schedule, it doesn't work for my lifestyle, or I'm too introverted or whatever. And they don't realise that actually there's as many different ways to be a doula as there is doulas. And you found this really unique thing without even meaning to, you've found the thing that's right for you.
Nikki Hampton:
Yeah. And I feel that's what something else that clicked for me is that when I realised I could really make this what I wanted it to be, it really opened up a lot of doors and I really felt like, wow, I'm, I've never been my own boss, so I really was able to make all these different choices that were really right for me and my family. And so that is really nice to know at the end of the day that I'm the one who gets to make the choices about where I put my energy into and what I want to continue learning about and growing with in this space.
Julia Jones:
I love it so much. So tell me what you do love about working with families longer term.
Nikki Hampton:
Well, you really get to know a lot about yourself as a doula as well, when you're in a situation long-term. So not only was I getting to know families more in depth, I was getting to know how I worked as a doula more in depth. And I feel what I love is, watching mothers and families sort of evolve, especially the first time families, first time parents, they just, you could see in the very beginning maybe not so sure about what they're doing. and then growing over time to being strong and in love with their babies and listening to their intuitions about how to care for them. And I think watching that progress has been a gift. It's been really amazing to see that. Then also getting to be a part of the baby's life for that long, too. We make really good attachments and relationships.
Julia Jones:
I imagine the trust, it's irreplaceable when you are working with someone for such a long time. The fact that they know that you’re not going to judge them, you're not going to leave them, you know, they can ask you anything. There's nothing too embarrassing. Yeah, nothing too small, nothing too big that they would really feel so safe with you.
Nikki Hampton:
And that's such an honour to have that trust and to have that, you know, privilege to be there for them, you know? 'cause it's a very vulnerable time and going into somebody's space during that vulnerability, it speaks a lot about the trust there. And in fact, on my questionnaire with my first client, she wrote that she was feeling a little nervous about having somebody she didn't know come into her home. And I was so grateful for that feedback and it opened up this whole conversation about trust and about how this relationship was going to work. And so the fact that she was willing to be honest and open about that was really awesome.
Julia Jones:
I love it. It's so beautiful. And every time I do these podcast interviews, it's so inspiring for me to hear more ways that people have managed to support families that works for you and your strengths and your life. So what is next then, now that you know that this is what you love? You've been, you've had a few clients, you've graduated for a year. yeah. What do you feel is next for you and for your business?
Nikki Hampton:
It seems I am being called into some spaces that are more community-based projects and continue on with the long-term care. But I recently was invited to join a board, a perinatal mental health coalition board here in town. And I've always had a very strong desire to be in that space. I feel like mental health care in general is super important, but I feel especially in that vulnerability of a new mom, it's really important to check in, and have plans put into place for mental health care. And so when I was invited to join that, that really fit with me and I felt so honoured to be a part of that. And so that's relatively new for me. But, so I'm going to be working in that space and I really love being a facilitator for the mother's group.
I feel that draws from my early childhood education background of being the teacher. And, so I get to still make lesson plans and do fun projects with the mamas and have a safe space where they can come and be themselves and, be, you know, with community and we have food that we get to share and just, you know, fellowship really. I feel doing those things are very important to me. And then, you know, going forward with this long-term care, you know, I was playing around with some ideas the other day and, you know, we had this epiphany moment and so I'm going to be moving forward with the long-term care in the sense of it being more of an adaptive process for families. So looking at what that care means for them. It doesn't have to be a one-size-fits-all. It can really be tailored to what their family needs.
Julia Jones:
I love it. That's so beautiful. It's so beautiful. It really sounds you've landed on your feet and it's all flowed really beautiful beautifully. But what I always like to ask, behind the scenes, how did it all feel, like, what doubts or fears came up for you? Were there things that you were worried about or things that didn't go to plan? Over that last journey of the last couple of years.
Nikki Hampton:
So I think being in a space with a professional title that I'd never been in before, you know, I felt nervous about that and wanting to be, I guess good at it, but not wanting to mess it up. And so I feel that was the fear. But then I started to look at it like, you've always been a natural carer, so that goes with what it is. It is a different name.
Julia Jones:
Yeah. And it sort of speaks to the way that our culture devalues caring as well. We don't really see that as a very skilled or professional role. It's something that women do for free anyway.
Nikki Hampton:
Right? Right, exactly. And so I think I felt I really wanted to, you know, maybe change that dialogue a little bit too, and how I'm going to do that, so there's a lot going on with living up to expectations I guess, and, being a newbie, you know, always in a space. I think being able to step out and say I'm a business owner and I've never done this before and I'm starting off and I don't have any experience under my belt in the business realm. And so I think that part was scary. But there's a lot of really great resources, including you and Newborn Mothers that has been so helpful in that business realm.
Julia Jones:
Yeah. And I bet you're glad you did it. Because I mean, we always have fears when we're starting something new. It's sort of a natural part of being human, isn't it? But you found the courage to take those steps forward anyway, and then in a couple of short years, it really sounds like you've landed on your feet and are really much more clear now about your future and what you want to do and what makes you happy.
Nikki Hampton:
Yeah, absolutely. I feel very much when I'm going to serve these clients, it doesn't feel like a job. It feels good to do this. And so that's something that's always been something when I have a feeling that, I know I'm where I'm supposed to be.
Julia Jones:
Yeah. It's something that I always say. But yeah, we love this so much. We do it for free, but we do have to figure out how to get paid for it. It's life.
Nikki Hampton:
Yeah, absolutely.
Julia Jones:
That's really beautiful. Is there anything else you want to, you want to share, or how could people reach out to you?
Nikki Hampton:
You can reach me on my website. You can reach me on Instagram at swayingsaguarodoula. I'm on Facebook. I love connecting with people in the community. So, you know, meeting people at functions at our events in town that we do. That's a great way for me to meet you. I think if you are curious about what I do, drop me a line and I'm happy to answer any questions.
Julia Jones:
That's great. Well, thank you so much for sharing your story, Nikki. It's really beautiful to hear, again, a really fresh approach and a different way to be a doula that you sort of accidentally stumbled on, but clearly it's meant to be.
Nikki Hampton:
Absolutely. Thank you so much.
Julia Jones:
Thank you for sharing with us.
