The Doula
Jacklyn Mahoney’s story is one of resilience and growth. She overcame adversity of child loss by founding Daisy C.H.A.I.N. and now works with pregnant individuals and families who need/want extra support while working as executive director of the organization.
The prompt: Find a community member with a unique story and showcase it in a profile piece.
The role: Copywriter and interviewer
Jacklyn Mahoney’s Story
After a birth at the hospital, a newborn car seat is empty, the doll-sized clothes remain unworn and a mother is devastated. A phone call away, Jaclyn Mahoney, a postpartum doula and executive director of Daisy C.H.A.I.N., drops everything to support the grieving family while managing the nonprofit that provides free perinatal and postnatal care to marginalized communities in Lane County. There is no typical work day for Mahoney. Each day a new challenge presents itself between searching for grants, managing programs and ensuring clients have the resources they need.
Mahoney began her doula training in 2007. According to Planned Parenthood, postpartum doulas provide support after birth or loss of a baby. During training, “is also when I was pregnant with my second baby and that baby was my baby, Daisy, and she died during birth,” said Mahoney, “that’s who the agency is named after.”
Motivated by the devastating loss, Mahoney decided to get her master’s degree in American studies at Cal State Fullerton, studying the development of maternal care in Los Angeles from 1886 to 1922. After Mahoney submitted her thesis, co-founder, Kelani, asked her to move to Eugene, Oregon, to start the nonprofit. After some hesitation, Mahoney realized she wanted to help other mothers going through child loss.“Lived experience is the thing you can’t get training for, and that’s the thing that’s most connective with folks,” Mahoney said.
As a single parent with an 18-month-old and a six-year-old, Mahoney moved to Eugene and enrolled in the University of Oregon’s nonprofit management program. After completion in 2012, Mahoney founded Daisy C.H.A.I.N.
Growing over the past 11 years, the organization serves more than 650 clients per year. Mahoney hopes to find a building to operate from and, one day, an apartment complex to house homeless Daisy C.H.A.I.N. mothers and children. Advancing the organization’s connection to the community and becoming sustainable is Mahoney’s top priority.
“We’re not focusing on growing bigger, we’re focusing on growing deeper,” said Mahoney, “we don’t want to get watered down.”