About the Owner - Tier Two Doula

Hello! My name is Melanie Joy Pierce. With over 25 years of experience in birthwork, including 5 years of owning Joy in the Journey, I have been blessed to serve over 100 families with doula care and I am passionate about helping people get beautiful birth experiences. In 2024, I made the decision to transition from practicing as a solo doula to expanding into a doula agency. I chose my team carefully and have personally mentored several young ladies so that together we can serve more clients with utmost care.

So, who am I?

I am a country girl from the Missouri Ozark Mountains. I have enjoyed many wonderful years of homeschooling my children, some of whom are now grown and married (and I’m even a grandma now!), though I still have 3 at home, so I’m not an empty-nester yet!

I spent many years of my life living in various other states, including a long stint in Arizona where I started raising my children, but Missouri called me back to the old family farm and we moved to Mansfield in 2012.

During my early wanderings as a young single woman, I spent eight months overseas in the country of Nepal where I witnessed and helped with a birth for the very first time in 1996. It was a life-transforming moment for me and how I found my calling. Thus began my life-long journey as a birthworker…

Falling in love with all things birth-y…

It all started in the wee hours of the morning on the back porch of our little Nepalese clinic when I was 22 years old, holding the “torch” for the midwife and learning how to say “push” in Nepali, while a young mother gave birth to her first baby. It was surreal and beautiful. I could only think of one thing…someday I wanted to be a midwife.

But eventually, back in the States, life happened and soon enough, I was married and starting a family. I couldn’t juggle it all though, so instead of continuing to pursue my midwifery education, I focused on breastfeeding & raising my babies. I spent my spare time reading everything I could about pregnancy and natural birth.

During this time, I carved out time to be a labor doula to anyone who reached out to me in need. Through these experiences, I found that I learned something new at every birth and over the years, I saw women becoming empowered as they embraced this incredible transformation to motherhood. Together, we were changing the world bit by bit.

As I continued to support other women who were having babies, I was also having babies. Though my first choice was to have all home births, my middle baby was born via C-section, due to unforeseen circumstances. I struggled in the aftermath of that birth and spent some time healing emotionally from its impact. Eventually, I came to terms with the ordeal, however, and went on to have two very empowering VBACs (Vaginal Birth after Cesarean).

All told, I am so grateful for each one of my experiences, as collectively, they have shaped me into the person I am today and made me a better and more empathetic doula. So here I am, still learning everything I can about birth and still loving my role as a doula…and ready to be a vessel of service, the one who bears witness to your beautiful moment, your companion as you search for and find JOY IN YOUR JOURNEY!

Melanie Joy Pierce - Owner of Joy in the Journey Birth Photography & Doula Services

 
 

Joy in the Journey Doulas - 2024

Meet our Tier One Doula Team!

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Meet our Tier One Doula Team! 〰️

 

  • Certified Birth Doula & Birth Assistant


    Hello! I'm Kayley. I'm a mama of two sweet girls and they are what got me interested in the birth and postpartum world. I attended a birth for the first time at just 12 years old, the birth of my little brother, and was absolutely amazed by it. At that point, I knew I wanted a natural birth someday. In 2018, I decided that I wanted to pursue working in breastfeeding and postpartum support after having faced my own pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and breastfeeding struggles. I knew that I wanted to help other people facing those same things.

    My passion is postpartum work and making sure that new mothers are well taken care of and given the support they need on their individual journeys into motherhood. As a birthworker, I support every mother's unique circumstances and needs, and work with her to help cultivate the birth and postpartum experience she seeks.

    I am natural-minded in my approach but very respectful that pregnancy and health are not a one-size-fits-all thing, as every birth is different! With my experience being more rooted in the natural side of things, I am well-versed in healthy nutrition for pregnancy and postpartum, natural pain relief methods, and breastfeeding support. My goal is to empower you to have the birth you want and make sure you know all of the choices available to you so that you can make the most informed decisions.

    Beyond birthwork, my interests are homesteading, homeschooling, natural living, and embracing authenticity in everything I do. I find joy in nature's beauty, creating art, making music, reading a good book, and getting my hands dirty in the garden.

  • Certified Birth Doula & Placenta Encapsulator


    Hi mamas! I’m Stephanie and so excited you have found your way here! I’m a natural minded mama to two incredible children who have both encouraged my journey in birthwork. It all started almost 13 years ago when I delivered my firstborn in a separate country from my husband. I was a young, new mother and my support circle was incredibly small. Shortly after the birth of my daughter, we both accompanied my husband in Germany and I witnessed so many other young families delivering babies overseas, away from their husbands and families. I immediately found a group of women who also felt passionate about birth support and we jumped into birthing classes and found ways to support our fellow military families. A few years later I was able to officially start my doula career in Japan. Since then I have continued to pursue my education and training in all things birth and postpartum related so I can best serve women to make informed decisions in their childbearing years. I am passionate about supporting pregnancy and birth as a sacred physiological process, freedom in birth choices, and keeping the mother-baby dyad intact postpartum. I am excited to walk along side you while providing support and encouragement to you wherever you need.

    When I am not actively attending births, I spend my time immersed in homeschooling my kiddos, tending to our ever growing garden, baking and creating new meals in the kitchen, caring for our 100+ animals, and just soaking in all of the beauty of the life and love we have built.

  • Certified Birth & Postpartum Doula

    Hi, I’m Jacy—a certified birth & postpartum doula and a clinical herbalist. I support families through pregnancy, birth, and the tender postpartum days with care that is calm, grounded, and deeply nourishing.

    As both a mother and a farmer in the Ozarks, I know the power of slow, intentional support during life’s biggest transitions. In my work, I weave evidence-based guidance with traditional herbal and nutritional care, helping families feel prepared and held through every step of the childbearing journey. I believe that birth is the seed from which family life grows—an investment in the health and connection of the whole family for years to come.

    Whether I’m guiding you through labor, creating a postpartum plan, or crafting herbal remedies to support recovery, my goal is for you to feel calm, informed, and deeply supported.

    When I’m not tending to birthwork, I can be found planting perennials, homeschooling my curious kids, or exploring hidden gems across the Ozarks.