I’m Jen!

I am a not your average “doulatog” (doula/photographer)! I am a multifaceted artist and professional actor & film maker, weaving narratives through birth work, filmmaking, and photography. I am also a mama of 4, wife to the most amazing adventurer of a husband David, world traveler and…I love quilting, arranging flowers and making anything with my hands!

My Intentions as a Doula & Birth Documenter

As a doula and birth documenter, my intention is to walk alongside families so they feel fully supported, informed, and empowered to make the best decisions for their birth. I provide hands-on physical support to help baby achieve optimal positioning, hold space emotionally, and guide fathers so they feel confident and included. I honor each family’s communication preferences to ensure they feel heard and understood, while spiritually connecting and creating the most gentle, holistic birth environment possible.

Through birth photography and filmmaking, I capture the raw, intimate, and transformative moments of your birth journey-preserving memories for your family while honoring the privacy, beauty, and authenticity of your experience. My goal is to provide comprehensive support-physical, emotional, spiritual, and visual-so families can experience their birth fully present, empowered, and celebrated.

My Journey into Birthwork

My birth journey began unexpectedly in 2008 when I nannied for a doula in New York City. At the time I had NO idea what a doula was, but that experience sparked my curiosity and passion for birth work. Before becoming a mama in 2015, I immersed myself in learning about birth work, and those experiences shaped my path as a birth doula and documenter.

Travel, Art & Birthwork

Living in vibrant cities like NYC, Manila Philippines, and Nanjing China with my husband for 13 years, we honed our craft as actors for both stage and screen, while also delving into filmmaking. Upon returning to the United States, we founded Bianco Productions, a hub for coaching actors, crafting compelling stories and creating film content for filmmakers and local businesses. My love for storytelling and birth work intertwined beautifully when I started documenting the raw, intimate moments of births while I supported families as a doula. It’s the best of both worlds! I am blessed to be in the birth space and capture birth stories as they unfold!

My 4 Births

Which leads me to my own birth experiences!  I won’t go into each one fully…we’ll save that for a coffee date and a deep dive. Each and every one of my 4 births have been transformative. Essentially my first and fourth babies were cesarian births and my two middle babies were home VBAC births! Two entirely different sides of the birth spectrum.

My Inner Warrior

The birth of our fourth child, our Aaron Jacob “A.J.” Bianco, was a poignant chapter that forever altered our lives. His 44 day journey earthside, though brief, radiated immense joy and taught us profound lessons in resilience and choosing joy amidst trials.  In the pregnancy, we discovered that A.J. had a rare congenital heart defect and achondroplasia. He was the most unique baby, so special and precious. His birth was a highly planned high risk cesarean birth. I’m so grateful for my first birth because it prepared me for A.J.’s full circle.  On the day he was born he had open heart surgery and he fought hard for those 44 days…our little warrior.  We were right beside him, me in my post partum body pumping, almost forgetting that I needed to rest myself and focus on my own healing. That was not easy. Especially since we were living at the Ronald McDonald House away from our 3 older sons.  We are still in the wake of his loss, putting back the pieces and finding ways to keep him alive in our hearts. By the grace of God.

Choosing Joy

A lot of people ask me how I can keep moving forward as a birth worker after A.J. passed.  Every birth I attended plus my own 3 births prior led me to being the best advocate for myself and A.J.  I am so incredibly grateful for that.  Aaron Jacob’s legacy continues to inspire me daily. From the moment he was born, we decided to Choose Joy. We still do, even amidst our grief. As I walk with families as a Doula & filmmaker/photographer, I carry his spirit of joy and resilience. His presence fuels my advocacy for empowered births and storytelling and I am a better mama and creative because of him. This is what mothering A.J. looks like…through service as a birth worker.

He is with us, Aaron Jacob Bianco.

A.J.B.

A Joyful Blessing

*A.J. was born on March 20, 2023. I was called to a birth on what would have been his first birthday earth side March 20, 2024. A.J.’s eternal birthday was May 3, 2023. After two years of trying to get this site together, I finally completed & published it May 3, 2024.