Meet Leah Hairston

Vision, Expertise, Heart

Leah guides women as they turn fear into confidence from pregnancy through the fourth trimester. She revolutionizes maternal care with education, empowerment, and advocacy.

As a seasoned doula, perinatal social worker and maternal health advocate, Leah has supported hundreds of families through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum—with a 100% survival record among the clients she’s served since 2016. Her approach, the Sweet Bee Method™, blends ancestral wisdom, clinical expertise, and radical empathy to create calm, informed, and empowered birthing experiences.

Through Sweet Bee Services, Leah is redefining what equitable, evidence-based maternal care looks like. Her team of highly trained doulas provides comprehensive birth and postpartum support across Maryland and beyond. The agency is also a Maryland Medicaid-approved doula training organization, preparing the next generation of birth professionals to serve families with excellence and cultural competence.

When Leah isn’t serving clients, she’s teaching, mentoring, or speaking on Black maternal health, birth equity, and the power of community care. Every part of her work reflects one truth: when women are informed, supported, and seen—the entire system begins to heal.

A Black woman smiling with hands on hips standing on a city street with colorful buildings and hanging lights overhead.

Under her leadership, Sweet Bee Services has become one of the only Black woman-led, Medicaid-approved doula agencies in the state of Maryland — a distinction that underscores both her pioneering vision and commitment to access and equity.

A Black woman with braided hair smiling at the camera, sitting at a table with a coffee mug in a cozy home or office setting, with framed quotes on the wall behind her.

Leah’s leadership has earned national recognition — most recently from Pharrell Williams’ Black Ambition Prize, the Johns Hopkins Social Innovation Lab, and the National Black Child Development Institute.

A proud graduate of Roland Park Country School, Howard University, and Columbia University, Leah is a lifelong learner. Her training spans renowned institutions including Ancient Song Doula Services, Lactation Education Resources, Steamy Chick, Brilliant Birth Academy, and Grandma’s Hands Herbal School. She is also a founding member, instructor, and mentor with the National Black Doula Association.

A Black woman with braided hair, wearing a white shirt, smiling and sitting on a wicker chair with a cushion, holding a tan and white dog with a black and orange collar.

Her heart lives at the intersection of healing, reproductive wholeness, and social justice. That’s why she and her team at Sweet Bee Services are on a mission to end maternal mortality and build a future where every birth is met with dignity, safety, and joy.

When she’s not supporting families or leading her team, Leah enjoys cooking new recipes while listening to audiobooks, walking her beloved dog T’Challa, and savoring time with her village.

Accreditations & Affiliations

Logo with text 'Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class' in blue with a pink line underneath.
Logo of the National Black Doulas Association with purple acronym 'NBDA', black text 'National Black Doulas Association' and 'Certified Instructor' below, surrounded by a gray leafy circular border.
Badge with a handshake icon, orange banner with 'Official Educator,' teal background with '[m]otherboard birth' text.
Brilliant Birth Academy Logo