We were lucky to catch up with Kaitlyn Foster recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kaitlyn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

The idea for Queen City Doulas came from a combination of my professional life and my personal journey into motherhood. As a pediatric nurse practitioner and seasoned NICU nurse, I had witnessed firsthand the immense need for support for new families. I saw the struggles and the lack of resources available during the postpartum period.

However, the real inspiration came after I had my own two sons. I was fortunate enough to have my mother’s unwavering support during that time. Her presence allowed me to focus completely on healing and bonding with my newborns. It was a transformative experience, and it made me realize just how critical that type of compassionate, knowledgeable care is. I knew that not every new parent has that kind of support network.

My professional and personal experiences converged, and I felt a strong pull to create a company that could provide that same level of care to others. The core idea was to blend the medical expertise I had gained as a nurse with the personal understanding of a mom, creating a service that could truly nurture and empower new families. That’s how Queen City Doulas was born—from a mission to ensure no one has to navigate the postpartum period alone.

Kaitlyn, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hi, I’m Kaitlyn Foster, and I am a pediatric nurse practitioner, a seasoned NICU nurse, and the founder of Queen City Doulas. Beyond my professional titles, I’m also a mom to two incredible boys. The journey into parenthood is a profound experience, but it’s one that often comes with a steep learning curve and a significant lack of support. My passion is to bridge that gap and ensure that no family has to navigate the postpartum period alone.

Our Story: From Nurse to Doula
My professional career as a nurse gave me a deep understanding of infant health and development, but it was my personal experience with motherhood that truly brought my purpose into focus. When I had my own children, I was fortunate to have the invaluable support of my mother, who is also a registered nurse. Her presence and care allowed me to focus on healing and bonding with my newborns without feeling overwhelmed. This experience was so transformative that I realized I had to provide that same level of compassionate, knowledgeable care to other families. I saw a way to combine my professional expertise with my personal passion to create a company that truly nurtures parents during their most vulnerable time.

Our Services and What Sets Us Apart
At Queen City Doulas, we provide a wide range of services designed to address the most common challenges new parents face: exhaustion, uncertainty, and isolation. Our core services include:

Labor Doula Support: We provide continuous emotional and physical support during labor and birth.

Overnight Newborn Care: Our doulas provide expert care so you can get the restorative sleep you need.

Daytime Postpartum Doula Support: We help with everything from light housekeeping and meal prep to running errands and providing a listening ear.

Sibling Doula Services: We provide support for older children to help them transition to their new role as a big brother or sister.

Newborn Care Education & Breastfeeding Help: We empower you with the knowledge and confidence to care for and feed your baby.

What truly sets us apart is the unique blend of our team’s medical expertise and our personalized, non-judgmental approach. Many of our doulas are also nurses, certified newborn care specialists, or other healthcare professionals. This allows us to provide a level of support that is both nurturing and clinically informed. We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all solution; instead, we craft a personalized plan for each family, ensuring their specific needs and goals are met.

What I’m Most Proud Of
I am most proud of the moments when I see a family truly thrive. It’s incredibly rewarding to watch exhausted, overwhelmed parents transform into rested, confident ones who are fully present and enjoying the early moments with their baby. We’ve built a team of compassionate and experienced doulas who are dedicated to this mission. Seeing their impact and knowing we are helping families build a strong foundation for their lives together is what makes all the hard work worth it.

Ultimately, I want our clients to know that the journey of parenthood is not something you have to conquer alone. We are here to be your village, to provide you with the support you need, and to empower you to feel confident and capable in your new role as a parent.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

My philosophy, and the strategy we’ve built, is rooted in three key principles: Authenticity, Education, and Consistency.

1. Be Authentic. The first thing we focused on was being real. As doulas, we’re invited into a very intimate and vulnerable time in a family’s life. Trust is everything. Our social media isn’t overly polished; it’s a reflection of who we are. We share our faces, our stories, and the genuine compassion we have for our work. I think that authenticity resonates far more than a perfectly curated feed ever could. It’s what helps new parents feel comfortable and confident in our team.

2. Educate, Don’t Just Sell. Our goal is to be a resource for our community, not just a service provider. We share evidence-based information on everything from newborn care tips to self-care strategies for new moms. This isn’t just about showing our expertise; it’s about providing real value to our followers whether they become clients or not. By giving away valuable information, we build a reputation as trusted experts, and when the time comes that they need a doula, we’re the first people they think of.

3. Be Consistent. This is a lesson that I find is key to success in any aspect of a business, including social media. We work hard to maintain a consistent presence so that we are always there for our community. This doesn’t mean we are on a constant grind. Our team works to batch content—planning and creating posts in advance—which helps us avoid feeling overwhelmed and ensures our message is always timely and helpful.

My biggest piece of advice for anyone just starting out is to find your unique voice and stay true to it. Don’t feel pressured to be everywhere at once. Pick one or two platforms where you can genuinely connect with your audience and focus on providing real value there. Remember, your goal is to build a community and a reputation, not just a follower count. Show up consistently, share your knowledge generously, and let your passion for what you do shine through.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

In our line of work, trust is everything. Parents are inviting us into their most intimate and vulnerable time, and they want to know that the people supporting them are not only skilled but also trustworthy and compassionate. When a friend or a fellow parent recommends us, it carries more weight than any advertisement ever could. Our strategy has been to focus relentlessly on providing an exceptional, high-touch experience for every family we serve. The glowing testimonials we receive and the new clients who say, “a friend told me I had to call you,” are the truest measures of our success.

This word-of-mouth success is supported by a few other key strategies:

Establishing Expertise and Credibility: My background as a pediatric nurse practitioner and the extensive certifications of our entire team give our clients a sense of security from the very first conversation. We position ourselves not just as doulas, but as knowledgeable professionals who can be a trusted resource for evidence-based information.

Building a Valuable Online Presence: Our blog and social media platforms are a core part of our strategy. We consistently share free, high-quality, educational content that solves parents’ problems—from choosing a hospital to navigating newborn sleep. This positions us as a go-to expert in the community, building trust and familiarity with potential clients long before they even need our services.

Professional Networking: We are committed to building strong relationships with other professionals in the birth and postpartum community. We partner with local doctors, midwives, lactation consultants, and therapists. These collaborations create a network of referrals where we can confidently recommend other trusted professionals, and in turn, they can confidently recommend us.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://queencitydoulas.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/queencitydoulas.nc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/queencitydoulas.nc/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/queencitydoulas/