We had such a wonderful experience with Chicago Family Doula! From start to finish, the agency was easy to work with, and they matched us with the most incredible night doula, Shereece. She brought so much professionalism, warmth, and knowledge into our home. Our baby has been thriving under her care--healthy skin, great sleep habits--and she gave us peace of mind as parents so we could actually rest too. What really stands out is how much everyone in our family loves her, even our older kids get excited when she comes over. We feel so lucky to have had her support during this stage and highly recommend both the agency and Shereece to anyone looking for exceptional doula care. read more

We are beyond grateful for the support we received from Erin Y and Chicago Family Doulas. From the very beginning, Erin was absolutely fabulous, she took the time to help us understand the entire birth process, answer every question, and prepare us for what to expect with patience and compassion. When the big day arrived, Erin was there every single step of the way. Her calm presence, knowledge, and encouragement made all the difference for us. She not only supported me physically and emotionally during labor, but also helped my partner feel confident and included throughout. Beyond her incredible professionalism, Erin is simply an amazing person. She is kind, warm, and genuinely invested in her families. We felt cared for, respected, and empowered through one of the most important experiences of our lives. We cannot recommend Erin and Chicago Family Doulas enough. If you're looking for someone to walk with you through pregnancy, birth, and beyond, Erin is the one you want by your side. read more

I gave birth just under three days ago and I can't say enough wonderful things about our doula, Elly. We were first time parents delivering at a big hospital and we knew we wanted some kind of support system to guide us through the process. My birth plan took a turn after I needed a 37 week induction that ended with a preeclampsia diagnosis. Elly helped us understand what this meant, walked us through it step by step and made everything so much less scary for us. During labor she was an amazing support person and always advocated for my needs when I was too weak to do so. I would recommend her to anyone! read more

Review for Michelle, Our Incredible Night Nanny Michelle began caring for our son Ayaan when he was just 3 weeks old, and from the moment she walked through our door, she brought with her a calming, patient, and deeply nurturing presence. It was clear right away that she didn't just watch over our baby--she cared for him like he was her own. Those early newborn nights were overwhelming, and Michelle was more than a night nanny--she became an anchor for our whole family. She supported me not only physically but emotionally, helping me talk through my stress and gently guiding me through postpartum anxiety with compassion and understanding. Her instincts with babies are incredible. She always made sure Ayaan was safe, soothed, and well cared for, and I never once worried when he was in her hands. Michelle is the rare kind of caregiver who brings both professional experience and a deeply human, heart-led approach. We are so grateful to have had her in our lives during such a tender time. Anyone would be lucky to have Michelle by their side. read more

I cannot recommend Shelley from Chicago Family Doulas enough! From the very beginning, she was an incredible source of knowledge, support, and reassurance. She made herself available throughout my entire pregnancy to listen whenever I needed someone to talk to, whether it was about concerns with my previous OB (I switched to midwives halfway through) or just answering my many questions. I felt so supported during my pregnancy, and her guidance gave me so much confidence going into labor as a first-time mom. My package included a prepartum and postpartum visit, and both were invaluable. During the prepartum visit, she walked me through what to expect during labor and delivery, which helped me feel much more prepared and empowered. During my labor and delivery, she went above and beyond to create a calm and empowering environment. She was there every step of the way, offering encouragement, comfort measures, and helping me advocate for my needs. One moment that truly stood out was when she advocated for me to keep the residents out of my room. I was too scared to speak up for myself because I didn't want to seem rude, but she stepped in with grace and professionalism, ensuring my preferences were respected. It was such a relief to know someone had my back when I felt vulnerable. She also took the time to capture the incredible moment my son was born and was handed to me. My husband and I were too busy in the moment to think about taking pictures ourselves, but she ensured those precious memories were captured. It's a moment we'll treasure forever, and we're so grateful to have those photos. Her support didn't end there. During the postpartum visit, she was just as amazing. She answered all my questions, helped with breastfeeding, and even weighed my baby before and after a feed to see how much he was eating. That kind of support was so reassuring as a new mom! Her calming presence and expertise made such a difference in my experience. Whether it was guiding me through breathing techniques, suggesting position changes, or simply holding space when I needed it most, she was truly invaluable. I also want to mention how affordable Chicago Family Doulas was, which made it possible for me to hire a doula. I'm so grateful for this because it allowed me to have the support I didn't realize I needed so much. I can honestly say my birth experience--and the time before and after--would not have been the same without her. If you're considering hiring a doula, don't hesitate--Shelley and Chicago Family Doulas are amazing! read more

Without making this review too long, I absolutely recommend working with CFD! We were seeking a sibling doula (babysitter) for our 2yr old while I gave birth. This was the first time I had left her overnight, and I was very anxious about it. From the first email inquiry to Chelsea to our follow up with Sarah V afterwards our experience was PHENOMENAL. They are professional, knowledgeable, compassionate and reassuring. read more

We had such a wonderful experience with Sheba! She helped us with overnight care for our daughter and we couldn't have asked for better support. Sheba was attentive, caring, warm and trustworthy, and we knew our baby was in the best of hands when she was here. A couple of examples: She was over the night that our daughter got her first round of vaccines and proactively decided to stay up all night to make sure to keep an eye out for any bad reactions. Our daughter also has really bad reflux and had a very scary choking incident in the middle of the night on spit up, and Sheba was there to quickly intervene which we were so so so thankful for. We are so grateful for Sheba and couldn't recommend her more!! read more

We hired Chicago Family Doulas for both a birth doula and post partum doula and couldn't be happier! Anna was really easy to work with, helping us get matched with the right people based on our preferences and theirs. Our birth doula Mary was incredible, offering personalized advice like suggesting we do an extended birth prep course to ease our anxiety. She helped us prepare a birth plan in person and even how to best cope with labor while at home by showing us stretches and positions. I can't imagine our birth experience without her, supporting us each step of the way with information and compassion. It was a huge relief to have a post partum doula join us at home the day we got home from the hospital. We worked with a few folks, and all were eager and capable to jump in on everything from laundry to bathroom cleaning to childcare. I particularly appreciated their expertise, shadowing them during tasks and talking through tasks together to ramp my learning curve. read more

This review is for our doula Shauna. Shauna has such a sweet and peaceful presence Prior to the birth she was very responsive and informative. I felt like I could ask her anything or just vent about the discomforts of pregnancy. I went into labor in the middle of the night so it was so wonderful to have her as a resource to walk me through everything. Once I was at the hospital, she helped me take my time and think through the various decisions during birth. Her support contributed to it being such a positive experience. The final stage of my delivery happened much more quickly than expected so she didn't make it in time for the actual birth but came as quickly as she could and was able to meet the baby. I can't recommend her enough and am so grateful to have been able to work with her! read more

Working with Chicago Family Doulas has been so great! The entire process was seamless. They made sure we felt comfortable and had all of our questions answered. They were also extremely flexible and worked with our schedule. Our doula Becky has been so amazing. She sent us notes each morning on how the baby did each night. We knew our baby was in the best care with her and were able to get great sleep! Finding someone that cares for your child as much as you do is so relieving to find and that's exactly what we found in Becky. We will definitely use Becky in the future. read more

I can't say enough good things about Anna and her doula service! Anna, the owner, was so helpful and made sure we had the best doulas to support us during those crazy first few months after giving birth. Special shoutout to Verity, Adrienne, and Emily, who spent the most time with us and were truly amazing--they felt like part of the family. Everyone was so kind and supportive, and I don't know how we would've gotten through it all without them. If you're in the Chicago area and need a great doula team, this is the place to go! read more

Great resource and support to have postpartum. Jess helped us not just with care but also navigating developmental changes and understanding how to address issues as we learned how to care for our newborn. read more

I highly recommend Chicago family doulas. I initially hired them for 3x times a week but I had complications after my C-section that required me to stay on the hospital longer, with that I contacted the agency to hire last minute support and Anna answered us right away and soon we had a doula to support us. We had several different doulas and they were all professional and extremely knowledgeable and trustworthy. I couldn't recommend their service more. Their response time is fast and most importantly they are flexible, we were able to set a different schedule every week. Stop looking for other agencies and go with Chicago family doula. read more

Shelley M. was an amazing labor and delivery doula! People called my labor and delivery "fairytale like" and even my OB said to "don't tell people what your labor and delivery was like, they'll get the wrong idea it's that quick"! Even the nurses in the room commented on how calm I was! Shelley kept me calm throughout my pregnancy. We started texting when I was 20 weeks, and she prepped me more than any of the classes I took on how to have a relaxed, calm delivery. I was nervous about breastfeeding as no one in my family had really done it, but Shelley was also and IBCLC and came through with all the information I needed, even after the delivery I texted her whenever I had a question and she was so fast to respond. In the delivery room Shelley gave me great counter pressure, heat, and advocated for what I wanted - was infinitely positive and was a great friend through it all. She was instrumental in my super positive birth experience. Chicago Family Doulas (CFD) was great to work with as an agency as well. I got to interview and speak with Shelley beforehand, and CFD was also easy and prompt with answering emails and questions about admin and payment. read more

We hired Adrienne at Chicago Family Doulas for 9 weeks of nighttime postpartum care for our first child. She was outstanding--incredibly kind, knowledgeable about baby care and development, compassionate, and supportive. She taught us about baby sleep patterns, feeding, and general health, which equipped us with the skills and knowledge we were looking for as first time parents. We felt entirely comfortable welcoming her into our home for 9 weeks at night and fully trusted her to care for our baby, which allowed us to sleep and recover. We would not think twice about hiring Adrienne for a second time. Chicago Family Doulas was also great to work with--they were very responsive over email, thoughtfully matched our needs and personality with Adrienne, and checked in before baby arrived and during our doula services to offer support. read more

I am beyond lucky that my company provides funds towards night doula services as it completely changed our postpartum experience. Anna matched us perfectly with Ashely G and we could not have found a better fit for our family's needs! She took amazing care of our lil guy while we got some much needed sleep AND provided a mini therapy session every time she arrived, patiently answering all of our questions and providing guidance for our concerns. My new go-to gift will be providing funds towards a night doula for my new mama friends! read more

We used Chicago family doulas for post partum services for 6 weeks for our first child. A specific shoutout to Shelley and Leila who both worked with us. The experience was absolutely fantastic from start to finish. Coordination with the company was seamless, they made organizing services very easy on us, and were exceptionally responsive. As far as actual care, both Shelley and Leila were a delight - they both have a great depth of knowledge, were attentive to our baby's needs, and were able to give us a lot of advice/tips/feedback. They were both also very flexible and able to tailor their times/services to meet our every need. I can't thank Shelley/Leila and the company enough - highly recommend. read more

We had the best experience with Chicago Family Doulas! Annamarie was so easy to work with and paired us with the most wonderful postpartum overnight doula, Sheba. I'd recommend her to anyone! She was such a huge help to our family during the madness of the first 4 weeks of parenting. Don't think twice about hiring a doula through this company -- I'd do it again in a heartbeat! Nothing but good things to say :) read more

Chicago Family Doulas has been a god send. My birth doula helped me prepare and deal with stressors throughout my pregnancy and was an amazing support during my birth. I had both day and night postpartum doulas during the newborn months with my daughter and getting time to do things I needed to do, getting extra sleep, and having someone do the dishes and laundry made such a difference! Highly recommend! read more

Chicago Family Doulas is one of the best companies I've had the opportunity to engage with in a long time. After undergoing some post-birth complications, I reached out to the owner, Anna to see if she could help me find last minute night time support by the next night. Within a few hours she clearly outlined their process, and contract terms and helped me set up interviews with available doulas. Since matching our family with two doulas Anna has been consistently timely in her communications and has helped us navigate continuous changes to our schedules with ease. On top of how well the company is run, our doulas have all been incredible. I never thought we would have "strangers" in our house, but they quickly made us feel at ease and were no strangers at all. The first three months with our first born (who loved all of the doulas) was made so much better with Chicago Family Doulas. Our family appreciates and thanks you! read more

We were so lucky to have Shelley supporting us for my second birth. After a tough first birth experience, I was ready for something different and having a doula - and specifically Shelley - changed everything! She was informative and a great listener leading up to the day and was the most calming presence during birth. She was open, non judgmental, and so kind. It was such a relief to know she was there to support us. read more

I can not speak more highly about my experience working with Chicago Family Doulas! I called Anna when my night help became unreliable (CFD had come highly recommended from my lactation consultant who has sent many of her clients to them) and Anna saved the day. Within 24 hours, I had night help secured and her amazing team of Doulas were not only able to give me and my husband some night time sleeping relief but they were amazing resources full of knowledge every new parent can use. If you have the ability to use this amazing company as a resource, I can not tell you how happy you will be! read more

Loved the doula services provided for birth and postpartum care. The agency matched us perfectly with Julie and she was a complete lifesaver and provided us with phenomenal support. I recommend using them for birthing classes as well. They helped us to prepare and learn what to expect in the birthing process. Overall recommended 100% this was truly life changing for our family. read more

We reached out to Chicago Family Doulas in the 34th week of my pregnancy and were worried that we wouldn't be able to find someone with availability. But within 24 hours we had a response and were setting up interviews with doulas. A few days after our initial inquiry we met Shelley and instantly knew we wanted to work with her. She was completely focused on our goals for birth and for our family. During our first sessions she taught us so much about labor, postpartum, and caring for our baby. She honestly taught us more than my doctors. Her preparation and education helped me feel confident and empowered for labor and delivery. I actually had contractions intermittently for 2 weeks before going into labor. Shelley would check in with me every few days to see how I was doing. Her nurturing and encouraging messages were exactly what I needed to hear. When labor finally did start Shelley was the first person we called. It was 5 am and she still answered the phone! I had very little warning between early labor and pushing and was scared Shelley wouldn't make it to the hospital in time. But, she has a 6th sense and was on her way to us before we even told her it was time. She arrived before I started pushing and was there to couch us through the whole thing. I am immensely grateful to have met and been able to work with Shelley. She is truly the most wonderful and nurturing person. If/when we have another baby we will absolutely be calling her! read more

I had Shelley as my birthing doula and what a difference it had made!! Shelley is not only knowledgeable and experienced in what she offers but she has positive and uplifting persona which made every interaction self-affirming and valuable. She provided her calming presence and massaged my legs while I was having contractions in the hospital. Plus she is a lactation consultant which was immensely needed after the birth and I credit her for making my breastfeeding journey easier and launched me off to a great start by providing the support right after I delivered my daughter in the hospital. She even paid a visit within a week after the birth and put my mind to ease about breastfeeding experience. She was so responsive to my need and always present to answer any questions I had via text/call or a in-person visit. read more

We absolutely loved our Labor Doula Shauna. I felt super supported the whole way through my pregnancy. During labor Shauna made sure I was heard and that our experience was as we wanted. Shauna's personality was perfect for us. She was a very calming presence! read more

Anna and her postpartum doula, Malika, were absolutely wonderful, I am so grateful we found her. Anna connected us with Malika and she is everything you want in a postpartum doula. She took care of our daughter starting around 4 weeks old until she was 3 months old. She is a total professional and so good with children - including our older child who she was around each morning - she cleaned my pump parts multiple times each night and always had them ready-to-go before each night-time pump. She was ALWAYS on time, never called in sick, and occasionally stayed a little late. She took detailed notes of what happened during the night and I felt so comfortable and at peace knowing she was in the best of hands whenever we had Malika with us. She helped us catch up on sleep and regain our sanity back during the beginning newborn haze. I recommend Chicago Family Doulas and definitely Malika to any family that has a new baby! I don't know what we would have done without her. read more

I was fortunate enough to have a labor doula, Alex, and post partum doula, Natalie through chicago family doulas. Both were amazingly supportive. I had a surprise speedy labor which meant Alex missed our little guys arrival, but she was so helpful in that first bit of time in post partum and captured some of the moments right after birth for us that we are so happy to have. She was responsive and supportive all the way through my third trimester and we felt well equipped for labor. We also got a great baby wearing tutorial too during her post partum visit! Natalie was an absolute gem and brought the calming energy to our house when we needed it. She was the exact right fit for our needs - I think every new mom deserves to have a Natalie! She balanced care for me, our baby, and our home all while giving my husband and I so much information about newborn care- all in a super respectful and supportive manner. I had a lot of trouble with breastfeeding and Natalie was so supportive and helpful in calming me down which was critical to getting our squirmy newborn to get latched. Thank you again for having such a wonderful service and for hiring talented people! read more

We worked with Chicago Family Doulas for both birth and postpartum care. Anna was incredibly organized, kind, and helpful, and ensured that we were matched with an excellent labor and delivery doula as well as postpartum doulas. She also expertly coordinated scheduling for our postpartum doulas. Mary was our labor and delivery doula for the birth of our son in Prentice Women's Hospital in Chicago a couple of months ago. Thanks to Mary, the birth went exactly as we were hoping. Her guidance and support throughout the whole process was critical to making our plan of an unmedicated birth a reality. She helped us prepare for the big day by meeting in person and over zoom to craft our detailed birth preferences sheet and teach us different types of birthing exercises and comfort measures. Her support during labor was also critical, and her prior experience enabled her to make helpful suggestions like dimming the lights and using a birthing ball between contractions. Her communication with the medical team and active physical support (in collaboration with my husband) ensured that I could focus entirely on breathing through each contraction and effectively managing the pain. After the birth, we had a lovely postpartum visit where Mary brought delicious snacks and checked in on how things were going with our new family of three. She also had some great advice for improving our quality of life as new parents. We are so grateful for her help throughout the process and cannot recommend Mary highly enough! Dee Dee and Becky were our postpartum doulas during the first few weeks of our son's life. During that critical time, they helped us learn how to care for him and helped us get as much sleep as possible at night so we were well-rested during those stressful early days. Dee Dee taught us how to bathe him so that he was comfortable, and now he actually enjoys bath time! She showed us how to swaddle him effectively, the best way to warm a milk bottle, and lots more. Becky taught us how to burp him effectively and tricks to keep him awake during nighttime feedings. She also gave me a much-needed massage! Most importantly, both Dee Dee and Becky allowed us to sleep well since we knew our son was in good hands. We are very grateful for Dee Dee's and Becky's support during that time! read more

WORTH ALL THE $$! My family was referred to Chicago Family Doulas in the midst of the crazy early newborn stage when I was fighting to maintain my sanity on only a few hours of sleep per night. Anna (the owner) was in touch immediately and that evening we had a postpartum doula at our place and it was incredible. We worked w/ a total of four doulas over the 8 weeks we used the overnight help and all of them were fantastic. They are training in the care and management of newborns and are truly experts in what they do. We cannot recommend Chicago Family Doulas enough and sing their praises still to this day (our kid is now over a year). We will 100% be using them w/ our future children. Save yourself the stress of the overnight newborn craziness and hire a postpartum doula w/ Chicago Family Doulas. You (and your family) will appreciate it! read more

We were so fortunate to have worked with Shelley for the birth of our second child this past April. We were on the fence about whether or not to work with a doula again since I had a quick and uncomplicated delivery for our first child a few years ago but I am so glad that we had Shelley on our team for this delivery. I had a long and difficult labor this time around and Shelley was by my side for every minute of it, encouraging me and calmly (magically) anticipating so many of my needs at every point. Shelley made me feel so secure and supported; she really listened to me and was excellent at recognizing what was or wasn't working for me and then adjusting as needed. She was also very keyed in to my partner's needs - both emotionally (reassurance) and physically ("take a rest") - and made sure that he felt fully supported as well. Her warmth, calm confidence, and consistent communication made such a difference. Shelley is truly meant to do this work and we are so grateful to have had her as a part of our birth experience. Apart from the delivery, our experience working with Anna to get matched with a doula was great. The process was quick and Anna took great care to ensure that we found someone who was the right fit for our family. read more

My experience with Chicago Family Doulas was fantastic. From the initial phone call with Anna, to setting up payment, and most importantly, getting matched with my doula, Shauna K, was seamless. I really felt like Shauna and I connected and she was there for any question I had during pregnancy. She offered so maybe resources. When it came time for labor, she was there every step of the way via phone, text, and finally at the hospital. Shauna really kept my environment in the L&D room calm and quiet. Even my OB said she really enjoyed the zen vibe of my room! I highly recommend everyone to have a doula for their pregnancy and labor. If I'm lucky enough to have another child, I would 100% love to have Shauna as my doula again. read more

I am a first-time mom who found out about Chicago Family Doulas through a New Moms group. I've had a wonderful experience with Anna who has helped set us up with two Doulas for postpartum overnight care for our newborn. Since we don't have family close by we wanted trusted support that we could count on while we got some valuable rest. Anna took time to understand my family's needs and paired us with wonderful support! I highly recommend Chicago Family Doulas! read more