Anne Heaps is a certified Postpartum Doula, certified Newborn Care Specialist, Lactation Educator, Bereavement Doula, and former career nanny. Anne values in-depth research and a sweeping knowledge of the latest trends, precautions, and recommendations facing parents today. She wants to be able to support all parents in their journey; her goal is to be an inclusive, well-informed, caregiver who can support all family structures and parenting philosophies. Anne hopes to become a leader of change and inclusivity in the industry of newborn-family care. Outside support of this kind can seem like a luxury service; Anne believes it is a human need that is unmet for most parents. She hopes one day every family will have access to support when adding a newborn to their family; regardless of race, gender, religion, sexuality, family structure, or financial status.

In the summer of 2021, after 10 years as a nanny, Anne began to reevaluate her career path in the face of a post-covid world. Always happiest with a newborn in her arms, Anne took another leap of faith and left nannying to pursue full-time postpartum and newborn family care. After 25+ years, countless babies, and that scary leap of faith, Nanny Anne’s Newborns was founded in October 2021. In February 2024, Anne moved to Portland, OR, and renamed her business Postpartum Portland.

Anne is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, MMR/TDAP, and flu. She follows all CDC guidelines for safe COVID practices and is always willing to wear an N-95 mask with clients. Anne has been Adult/Child/Infant CPR, AED + first aid certified since 2006. In 2019, Anne used an AED followed by CPR to help save a man's life at her gym after he suffered a near-fatal arrhythmia at the end of his workout. She swiftly deployed the AED and performed CPR with another gym member. Despite a 6% chance of survival, Lou is alive and thriving, and each year, Anne has the joy of joining his family in celebrating his rebirthday!

Anne has loved babies for as long as she can remember. Born and raised in the East Bay Area of California, Anne attended the same church for the first 18 years of her life. As early as 4, Anne was sneaking out of Sunday school class to go “help” with the babies in the nursery. After 6 years of trying to keep her with her age group, she was finally allowed to volunteer in the nursery, leading to a lucrative babysitting business. At 12, she had a vast clientele of families and was caring for up to 3 children at once (which seems like a very bad idea, in retrospect). Anne would continue to be a valued caregiver for many families in her church until her graduation from high school in 2007.
In 2011, Anne graduated from North Park University in Chicago with a BA in Theology and a minor in Theatre Arts. Though she no longer participates in either discipline, Anne continues to use the research, problem-solving, and creative skills she developed during that time.
In July of that year, Anne found a full-time nanny job in Chicago for a sweet baby girl named Violet. Almost immediately, she fell in love with the family and the vocation. When they brought home their second daughter, Elena, in May 2013, Anne fell even more in love with newborn/infant care than she could have ever imagined. Anne will be forever grateful for that little family that trusted a religiously confused theatre nerd to care for their precious girls.
In 2015, 4 years into a one-year contract, Anne’s Chicago family no longer needed a full-time nanny. The same year, Anne’s brother was expecting his first child in nearby Milwaukee. Anne moved in with their family to do full-time postpartum, newborn care, and nanny work for her nephew, Oskar. Anne pitched in where needed, going as far as holding her nephew upside down on her sister-in-law’s breast to clear a blocked duct. In addition to caring for her nephew, Anne supported several families in the Milwaukee area with nanny care.
Anne studied early childhood education at Milwaukee Area Technical College where she was on the Provost list, a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, and spent a semester as a student teacher in an infant room at a Jesuit Intergenerational Adult and Child Day Care (the first of its kind in the United States). In May 2017, Anne again supported her brother’s family, attending the birth of her niece, Joey, and providing postpartum care.
In August 2017, Anne packed up her car and headed to Austin where she began researching postpartum doula work and began training with Austin Baby Guru to be a postpartum doula. Anne also began working with Windsor House Nannies, where she was featured as their spotlight nanny of the month in July 2018. In 2019, Anne trained with Newborn Care Solutions to become a CACHE certified Newborn Care specialist. In 2020, her nanny-family had a second child and Anne provided additional support as a newborn care specialist and postpartum doula (plus newborn and Christmas photo shoots due to COVID).
In February 2024, Anne moved to Portland.
Anne loves being a tour guide to the first stages of parenthood; it is an honor to help parents feel more confident in their own instincts (and help them get to sleep!).

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