About Jerika Smith
Knoxville Birth & Postpartum Doula

Jerika Smith, Knoxville & Maryville Birth and Postpartum Doula

You deserve someone who believes your story, your body, and your family deserve care that feels intuitive, is evidence-based, and emotionally safe—no matter what type of birth you choose or how unpredictable your journey becomes.

That is why I am a doula.

Hi there! I’m Jerika, the founder of Daisy Doula Services.

I support families through pregnancy, birth, postpartum, newborn support, and placenta encapsulation with a holistic, evidence-based, and trauma-informed approach.

My work is rooted in the belief that birth and postpartum are deeply connected, and that families deserve more than being told to “go with the flow” and figure it out later.

I help expecting parents prepare intentionally, understand their options, involve their partner in meaningful ways, and build a stronger foundation for both birth and the fourth trimester.

Through birth doula support, postpartum doula/newborn care, childbirth education, newborn care classes, and placenta encapsulation, I serve families in Knoxville, Maryville,

and surrounding East Tennessee communities.

Daisy Doula Services is an independently owned practice founded by Jerika Smith.

How I Got Here (and Why This Work Matters So Much to Me)

My path to birth work began unexpectedly in January 2020, when I watched a video of a peaceful home birth that completely changed how I understood birth.

It wasn’t chaotic or frightening.
It was quiet, powerful, and deeply empowering.

I was hooked.

I began studying everything I could about birth as a doula and soon stepped into the world of midwifery, training under several local home birth midwives.

For 2.5 years, I lived the on-call life as a student midwife— attending prenatals and sitting bedside through long labors. Through learning holistic midwifery care, I developed a deep respect for how the body, hormones, and emotional support all work together

to guide physiologic birth.

That time shaped everything about how I support families today.

Where I Am Now

While midwifery will always hold a piece of my heart, I am currently

pausing my midwifery journey to spend time traveling and creating

a season of slow, intentional living.

This shift allows me to pour even more into the parts of support I love most:

✔ Prenatal preparation that helps couples feel like a united team
✔ Birth planning that feels informed, flexible, and empowering
✔ Postpartum support rooted in physiology and emotional wellness
✔ Newborn care education that replaces overwhelm with confidence
✔ Placenta encapsulation prepared safely and professionally

I will be attending a very limited number of births as a doula in 2026—

but I am here to support you before and after birth, every step of the way.

This makes my care especially supportive for families who want a trauma-informed,

physiology-centered approach to birth prep.

While I’m not currently attending births as a student midwife, the training I received helps shapes the way I educate, prepare, and walk alongside families from pregnancy through the first year.

Jerika, Daisy Doula Services, smiling while supporting a family at a home birth as a birth doula in Knoxville, TN

My Certifications + Partnerships

To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.

Jerika Smith Birth, Daisy Doula Services, Doula Certification

Jerika Smith, Daisy Doula Services, EBB Evidence Based Care Training

Jerika Smith, Daisy Doula Services, EBB VBAC Training

Jerika Smith, Daisy Doula Services, EBB Advanced Maternal Age

Jerika Smith, Daisy Doula Services, EBB Big Baby Training

Jerika Smith, Daisy Doula Services, NRP Certification

Jerika Smith, Daisy Doula Services, Be Her Village Partner

My Birth Philosophy

I believe:

→ Birth is a normal, natural, sacred process— and it deserves to be respected, honored, and protected.

→ Empowerment doesn’t come from avoiding interventions — it comes from understanding your options and being supported in your choices.

→ Every type of birth can be meaningful and empowering — unmedicated, epidural, induction, or cesarean.

→ Trauma-informed care is not optional — it’s the foundation of safe and compassionate support.

→ Couples thrive when they learn together as a team — how to communicate, make decisions together, and understand how to support one another through intensity, uncertainty, and newness.

My work is to help you feel calm, prepared, connected, and safe— not by telling you how birth “should” go, but by helping you trust yourself and move forward with clarity.