Our Doulas

  • Meet Mariam Lam, CD(DONA), LCCE, CLC
    Founder of Designated Doula

    Mariam Lam is driven by a heartfelt mission: to provide compassionate, knowledgeable, and empowering support to individuals and families during pregnancy, labor, and birth. She believes that every person deserves a powerful and confident birth experience—one grounded in care, support, and respect. With Mariam by your side, you can feel assured that your journey into parenthood will be met with understanding and strength.

    Mariam founded Designated Doula to serve families in the Triangle region of North Carolina, with a focus on creating safe, supported, and informed birth experiences for every client. Her approach is calm, confident, and deeply personal—reflecting her passion for birth work and her commitment to equity in maternal care.

    When she’s not supporting families, Mariam enjoys spending time with her loved ones in Durham, NC. She finds joy in nature walks, crocheting, and cooking with her children.

  • Ann Marie has a passion for loving, supporting, and nurturing newborns and new families. She finds it an honor to work with families giving them the guidance and care to succeed and thrive in and through the transition after birth. She sees this transition as the birthing of a new family. She honors and treats each with exceptional care, so they feel a quiet reassuring support and find benefits in overall health, well-being, feeding success, bonding, baby care and in overall confidence.

    Ann Marie loves babies and is passionate and intuitive about care for newborns, infants, and their families. She is a trusted, experienced, professionally trained postpartum doula, and an experienced mother of 3. In addition, she has received certification for infant CPR, lactation counseling, and is a TummyTime!™ Method provider. She regularly pursues continued education in areas focusing on birthing experience, postpartum time period, newborn and infant health and well-being. Ann Marie has been dedicated to nurturing families with a loving, non-judgemental presence for over 15 years. As a postpartum doula trained in the needs of the mother, baby, and family, Ann Marie also gives special attention to the emotional aspects of recovery – adjustment – listening – to fears, concerns, worries, and anxieties. She works to see you grow with joy in your journey.

    Ann Marie resides in Pittsboro, North Carolina with her husband. And in addition to loving all things baby, she enjoys friends & family time, long walks, beautiful hikes, kayaking at Jordan Lake, beaching at North Topsail, skiing out west, and traveling to visit friends and family.

  • Kelly Collins first developed her passion for babies and young children when she was 14 years old serving as the neighborhood babysitter. Once she started her own family, her passion grew even more and she was called to birth work. In 2015, she took a leap of faith and began her journey to become a doula. With an Early Childhood Education background and 25 years of experience as a professional caregiver & family consultant, Kelly has the knowledge and expertise to assist families during any part of their parenting journey. She knows that the family is one of God’s greatest creations and serves her clients accordingly.

    First trained as a postpartum doula and then labor doula, Kelly has taken several trainings and certifications over the years to provide a top tier care for her clients. She prides herself on continuing education to ensure she has an abundance of tools and methods to support her clients.

    As a doula, Kelly’s main goal is to educate her clients and provide continuity of care during pregnancy through the postpartum period. Specializing in new parent support and healing-centered care, she provides evidence-based education and whole person care. Whether you are a new or veteran parent, your needs and desires will be top priority.

    For 20 years, Kelly has called Raleigh home. When she is not assisting clients, she enjoys cooking & baking, writing, fitness activities, connecting with nature, and spending time with her husband, son, and Staffy.

    “Service is the heart of my business and family means everything to me. Both yours and mine.” Kelly Collins

  • Anna brings more than 25 years of experience to her role as a postpartum doula, offering families a calm, grounding presence during the early weeks with a new baby. With a bachelor’s degree in child development, over a decade as a preschool director, and years spent supporting children with special needs as a case manager, she has developed a deep understanding of what both parents and little ones need to feel truly supported.

    Her approach is gentle, intuitive, and rooted in connection. For Anna, doula work is more than a profession — it’s a calling. She walks alongside families during this tender transition, creating space for them to feel confident, cared for, and never alone. Whether she is offering hands‑on guidance, emotional support, or thoughtful education, her heart is always focused on helping each family feel seen, prepared, and at ease as they settle into their new roles.

    Outside of her work with families, Anna enjoys quiet moments of reading, time spent outdoors, and being with the people she loves. Her steady, nurturing spirit shines through in every part of her life, and she brings that same warmth into every home she serves.