Haley Parizo

Haley (she/her) is a pediatric RN, professionally trained and certified labor and postpartum doula, new parent educator, and infant feeding educator. Her extensive training and clinical experience enhance the support she provides to Vermont families. Haley has supported families through a wide range of experiences, including multiples, high-risk pregnancy and birth, cesarean birth, surrogacy, LGBTQ+ family building, single parenthood, and home birth. She has extensive breastfeeding experience and especially loves and specializes in overnight postpartum support.

Growing up in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, birth and early parenting were normalized by the life experiences around her. Inspired by a lifelong interest in birth and babies, and following in her aunt’s footsteps, Haley pursued a career in nursing. While completing her degree, she spent three months as a nurse extern on the Birthing Pavilion at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, where she gained invaluable experience in labor and delivery as well as newborn and postpartum care.

After graduating from the University of Vermont with a bachelor’s degree in nursing, Haley began working as an RN at Richmond Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, a small pediatric practice where she continues to work today. She loves the continuity of care that comes with a small practice and can’t believe how quickly her patients grow up. Haley also spent two years working per diem in the Family Birth Center at Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans. There, she realized that the demands of modern nursing often left too little time for the individualized attention and support she most wanted to provide. Her passion for education and one-on-one support ultimately led her to pursue doula work. She trained and became certified as a labor doula through CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association).

Haley’s passion for postpartum support became especially personal after the birth of her son. A long and difficult medication-free birth, many days without sleep, significant breastfeeding challenges, and undiagnosed postpartum anxiety led her to a powerful realization: planning for the postpartum period deserves just as much attention as planning for birth. She went on to train and certify as a postpartum doula and new parent educator through CAPPA.

“No one should have a baby and be left to feel isolated, alone, and trapped in a dark and scary place. The postpartum period is powerful and requires tremendous support.” — Haley Parizo

In 2018, Haley founded Island Doula, LLC, providing pregnancy, birth, and postpartum support to Vermont families. In 2019, she also helped build UVMMC’s Volunteer Doula Program and coordinated the program until September 2021. She remains one of the program’s trainers and continues to participate in its biannual training for new volunteer doulas.

Over the years, Haley has completed many additional courses and trainings, including CAPPA’s Annual Conference for Perinatal Professionals; breastfeeding education; ProDoula Postpartum and Infant Care Doula training; ProDoula Infant Feeding Specialist training; childbirth education; hypnobirthing; and Postpartum Support International’s “2020 Mom” eight-week maternal mental health training. She is also working toward certification with Stillbirthday for bereavement doula services and with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep for photography support for families experiencing fetal or infant loss.

Haley reminds her clients that this is their birth, their body, their baby, and their family—and that they have choices even when things feel as though they are spiraling out of control. She encourages families to take in the often-unasked-for advice and information that surrounds new parenthood with a grain of salt, then move forward in the way that feels most right for them.

Haley lives in Grand Isle with her husband, Dustin, who is as passionate about his business, Island Excavating Corp., as she is about Vermont Doula Company. Together they have two children, Bryson and Tenley, along with two cats and two dogs. When she isn’t working with clients, you can usually find her listening to an audiobook or podcast through a single earbud. She also enjoys photography, reading, camping, boating with her family, and traveling to tropical places.