Meet Aaliyah
BIRTH & POSTPARTUM DOULA
Aaliyah (they/them) is a full spectrum doula who aims to support their clients in a holistic way, offering education and care focused on the entirety of a family’s well-being. With the skills they learned training to be a life coach, as well as their herbalism and nourishment knowledge, they are able to customize their care to suit a family’s needs in a well-rounded way. Their care is rooted in evidence-based knowledge as well as indigenous practices, and they aim to align their care with the values of the family to help them feel seen and heard during their reproductive experience.
Aaliyah earned a business degree in culinary arts, working as a chef in Nashville for 7 years before transitioning to doula work during the pandemic. They are full spectrum, supporting families in any stage of their reproductive experience through any outcomes. They are regularly engaging in opportunities to share their knowledge of nutrition/nourishment, plant medicine, and gender inclusivity as well as increasing their skills to better serve their clients.
Aaliyah is passionate about supporting queer, trans, and BIPOC families and has extensive training in gender-affirming care and cultural competency. Advocacy in reproductive justice is a core part of the work they do, and they’re willing and able to advocate for clients when they need it most. They focus on supporting non-traditional families, including folx who are ethically non-monogamous, and those who build their families through surrogacy and adoption.
When they aren’t studying, crafting tea blends, teaching, cooking, or supporting families, you can find them gardening or flipping around in the air on a lyra hoop. They also crochet and write, and is currently making as many sweaters as they can, while their cat Luna yells and tries to claim the sweater as their own.
Experience & Credentials
Certified Full Spectrum Doula, BADT
Certified in First aid and CPR, Heaartsaver CPR AED
Certified OR Doula, Saint Thomas Midtown Hospital
Trained Community Herbalist, Commonwealth Herbs
Trained Postpartum Doula, BADT
Trained Abortion Doula, BADT
Trained in Queer and Trans Reproductive Support, BADT
Trained in Fertility and Conception, BADT
Trained in Birth and Disability, BADT
Trained in Crisis response for Birthworkers, BADT
Trained in Supporting Physiologic Birth, Bundle Birth
Trained in Gender-Affirming Practices in Birthwork, Love Over Fear Wellness
Cultural Competency in Supporting the BIPOC Community
Professional Nutritionist Diploma, The KEW Training Academy Professional Life Coach Certification, Transformation Academy
Owner, Aaliyah Kianna
Bachelor of Science in Culinary Management, The Art Institute
“My initial call with Andrea was very informative and she did a great job pinpointing what my husband and I were looking for in our birth team. She connected us with Aaliyah, and I do not have enough wonderful things to say about them.”
“Although my husband and I were a little late to the game when hiring a doula, we realized it is never too late for the amount of support ours provided. My initial call with Andrea was very informative and she did a great job pinpointing what my husband and I were looking for in our birth team. She connected us with Aaliyah, and I do not have enough wonderful things to say about them. Our pre-birth visits with Aaliyah helped us to prepare for what was to come. They were very supportive and encouraging of our plan to do a natural unmedicated birth at Vanderbilt Birth Center taking advantage of movement to progress us through labor. We knew as soon as they left after our first meeting that we had made the right decision. Fast forward to our birth story - it didn’t go as planned. After many hours of no progression at the birth center, my husband and I made the decision to go to the hospital to get some medication and some rest. As we made this decision and other important decisions down the line, Aaliyah was great at coaching us through our options alongside the midwives, working to give us as close to the birth experience we were looking for but also understanding the safety of my baby and me was forefront in our minds. When talks of a potential cesarean were presented, I felt comfortable with that as an option because Aaliyah is a certified OR doula and would be with us if that had ended up as part of our journey. Aaliyah was always willing to answer questions throughout my last trimester of pregnancy (again I would hire them sooner rather than later, so you can take full advantage of this throughout second trimester as well) and now into postpartum as we figure out our lives as first time parents. If you are looking for someone who will walk with you each step of the way, encourage fun (I answered one of my questionnaire questions saying I would like to give birth dancing to 2000s hip hop) and comfort even if a labor takes some turns you aren’t expecting, and provide honest educated insight throughout your pregnancy and birth, Aaliyah is your person! We will definitely be hiring them for subsequent pregnancies, and I would be confident saying your journey with East Nashville Doulas would be equally as satisfactory.”