We are first time parents. We had booked a different doula with Brave Birth and on the day I went…read moreinto labor our doula was sick with COVID. I was grateful our contract meant that we would be provided a backup doula. I felt we lucked out because Kelly had facilitated our childbirth class so we had spent a weekend together. Kelly was not a total stranger. Kelly was in contact with my husband throughout my early labor at home and offered to come as soon as we wanted support for laboring at home. We felt so supported by Kelly's checkins and support even from afar. She encouraged Chris with specific tactics to keep labor progressing when I had a slow down before her arriving. At about hour 12 of labor my husband was exhausted from helping me through the waves. When she arrived her energy was calm and informed. Kelly's approach is consent based and empowering. I could sense her understanding of labor and her guidance was calm and direct which is what I needed. She immediately offered comfort measures such as massage and counter pressure. Both were amazing and gave Chris a much needed break. The pain of labor was intense and Kelly's energy, knowledge, and touch supported me in staying in my body. We've never done this before, Chris was anxious and wasn't sure when to make the call to go to the hospital. Kelly helped Chris feel at ease. Chris felt relieved to have someone to trade off with in the physical support of my labor. I didn't have to worry about anything except getting through each contraction. No easy feat. Unbeknownst to me Kelly and Chris would collaborate on next steps. Kelly's discretion in pulling Chris aside for next steps helped me focus on labor. Each stage of labor Kelly would come to me make eye contact and describe the next phase of labor. I usually heard it as "ok this next part is going to be harder (than the last phase) here is what is happening and how to proceed." It wasn't what I wanted to hear but it was what I needed to hear. I appreciated the clear and direct communication about what was next. It was exactly what I needed.Anytime I got stuck during active labor, Kelly would give me tips for getting through. How to breathe, how to let go, how to welcome contractions with curiosity and then let it go. Kelly was the anchor Chris needed in supporting me through labor, making sure his physical needs were met so he could continue being there for me. Kelly was my lighthouse in the stormy sea of labor. I would look up to find her or Chris and then gather the strength to sail the next wave.I got through labor and delivered our amazing little baby. Kelly advocated for me, took charge when needed, and stayed with me throughout. I was able to go into my deepest self to gather strength and power for labor. I could let go of control of everything around me because I knew Chris and Kelly were taking care of it all. In the days after our baby's birth Chris and I continually recounted that Kelly's support was vital and invaluable to our birthing experience. We would not and we're pretty could not have done it without Kelly. We are so grateful. I felt held and empowered. Kelly is an expert doula, highly intuitive, and doesn't miss any detail. Doula work is hard to define, but it fills in the gap of care for birthing people. What does it mean to really hold and care for someone as they bring new life into the world? It is powerful work and Kelly gets it.I feel like we won the lottery having Kelly as our backup doula through Brave Birth and would recommend Kelly to any pregnant person whether or not it is your first pregnancy. She is an incredible doula.

I worked with Crystal Broer for postpartum doula services. Being a first time mom with not much…read morefamily in the area, securing her in advance of my baby's arrival gave me great peace of mind to know she'd be there to help ease the transition. Crystal was fantastic. From a planning and availability standpoint, she was exceptionally professional, respectful, and on the ball. She was amazing with my baby, and most importantly gave me confidence to trust my intuition. She was calm, knew how to get things done and help around the house, but not be overly intrusive. Highly recommend.

I don't know why it took me so long to write this but I suspect it has something to do with being…read morepreoccupied with a super cute tiny human that now rules my existence. I want to say thank you so much to BFD. This was my first birth, my first experience using a Doula myself, and it saved me so much anxiety and made me feel like I wasn't left to fend for myself. We had Liz H. and she was GREAT. She was everything she said she would be. She was transparent, she was supportive, she was funny and made the stress of DAYS in the hospital 1000% times better. My partner and I will be having her join our adventure of the next baby next year!

Working with Kathy McLean was the best decision we could have made for the birth of our first…read morechild. She's an invaluable resource and provided wisdom, comfort, care, understanding, positivity, and enthusiasm as she guided us through pregnancy, labor, and delivery, and helping us answer postpartum questions. She was key in making a difficult labor and delivery (sunny-side up baby) actually joyful and peaceful. She was an MVP team player -- so much so, that our OB will keep Kathy's info at her office to continue referring to folks! A doula that can be bffs with a doctor is high praise :) We will always highly recommend Kathy to anyone we know! Thank you Kathy!

Wildwood was on a list of recommended doulas from my OB and it was really important to me in…read moreselecting someone to work with that they had worked with our practice and in our delivery hospital before. We interviewed two doulas and I was honestly very torn because I really liked them both for different reasons. Heidi had such a calming presence even through zoom and I knew deep down that would be exactly what I needed. Little did I know at the time my seemingly low risk pregnancy would take some interesting turns. I don't know what I would have done without her constant reassurance. I ended up in the midst of a multiple day induction that picked up incredibly quickly when they broke my water. We had been in communication with Heidi throughout the weeks leading up to my induction and she got to the hospital very quickly when we let her know they had broken my water. Just as i suspected she was the calm in the storm, not just for myself but my husband as well. She took some photos for us of those initial moments together and made sure I got my lusted for post delivery meal before leaving us to get some rest. She stayed in close contact over the next few days while we dealt with a 72 hour hospital stay, a readmittance scare, and struggles with feedings. We had a lovely postpartum visit at our home when things calmed down and it warmed my heart so much to see her hold our son. She advocated for me during labor when I wasn't in the mindset to do so myself and made me feel so supported and safe. I've recommended Heidi and wildwood to everyone I know who has gotten pregnant since my delivery. They are truly such an amazing and supportive group.

We had the privilege to have three different Wildwood Birth doulas: Kim, Zoe, and Kelsey and took…read moreWildwood's birth education course. Kim was our birth doula she supported me in pregnancy, labor, and birth. The birth experience is a very personal thing and we felt incredibly comfortable with her throughout the entire process. I only ever felt supported by Kim and that she had my best interest at heart. My husband had concerns that having a doula would be distracting for him, however looking back he said that that couldn't have been less true he was thankful for Kim and the support he provided for him too. Zoe was our day time postpartum and we were so thankful to have her there in those essential first weeks. Zoe not only took excellent care of our baby, but she checked in on our physical and mental health. She really was making sure everyone was doing well. I felt comfortable asking her all sorts of questions and she showed us how to give our baby their first bath! Kelsey was our night time postpartum doula, it's a strange feeling leaving your baby with someone overnight and you going to sleep, but from the moment I met Kelsey I knew she would look out for my baby and do what's best for him. As a mom who had a journey with breastfeeding, pumping, formula Kelsey was always coming up with a plan for how I could do what I needed to and get the most sleep. My husband and I would always say "Kelsey night!" the day she was coming because we got to sleep and we knew our baby would be taken care of - which is a rare combo in the days of a newborn. As a whole Wildwood Birth Collective was a dream to work with. The birthing course was thorough and informative and communication for all the staff was excellent. I feel that when we joined Wildwood we got not only really great doula support but gained an awesome community. Thank you Wildwood, Kim, Zoe, and Kelsey!

Sherilee went above and beyond to build our confidence. We went into the class blind not wanting to…read morefeel overwhelmed with online info. Everyone in our class ended up being first time parents. It was a breath of fresh air to all be in it together. Sherilee was patient and supportive throughout our boot camp of classes. Extreamly imformative, built our confidence and knowledge for our new adventure. Could not recommend taking her class or interviewing doulas through birth nest services! Even after our class she's been a great resource of reassurance.

Sherilee was super sweet! The classes were informative, fun, and really connected with our minds…read moreand bodies for both partners and birthing peoples. I loved it! I highly recommended to any mama and partner to take these classes, they are well worth it! Also, her tea blend for the raspberry leaf tea is so yummy! Especially if you aren't an avid tea drinker. The class has an interactive book that makes it easy to remember everything and some good pages that you can post up on your fridge or walls. The classes are built in a great order- As someone who plans to birth at a birth center my anxieties were lowered ALOT after these classes. And if you are planning a hospital birth or home birth, the classes work for all of them! You and your partner will appreciate these classes a lot!

My husband and I received a referral to Rachael from a friend. We met with her while I was in my…read moresecond trimester and quickly knew that we wanted her to be part of our birth story! Rachael was incredibly helpful and supportive during my pregnancy, available to answer questions when we were faced with baby challenges and decisions surrounding the birth. We met with her multiple times to get to know each other and talk through our plans. Also, she provided great support via phone/text/email in between our visits. Despite our best efforts to encourage our baby to turn around with natural and medical interventions, she remained in the breach position and we ended up scheduling a c-section. We were unsure what a doula's involvement would like in this scenario. Rachael was super flexible and walked us through her experiences as a doula at a c-section and provided so much moral support during this exciting but challenging time. When the time came, Rachael was right by our side at the hospital, joining us in the operating room as our baby was brought into the world. Her positive energy and support were so appreciated, especially when I didn't feel well. After some skin-to-skin time, my husband took our baby as I was feeling quite ill. When his focus turned to her, Rachael was there to comfort me - rubbing my head and helping me breath through it all. It really helped me push through the nausea so I was able to hold my baby again. Following the birth, she helped us get settled and encapsulated my placenta. The pills were ready and waiting for us when we arrived home. We are incredibly grateful to have had Rachael as our doula. We found the experience of working with her to be highly valuable and we appreciated having this lovely, genuine, kind soul with us as we welcomed our daughter into the world.

Working with Rachael was an absolute dream! She is warm, compassionate, smart, and invested. Our…read moreprenatal appointments were long and thorough. She really took the time to get to know me, my partner, and our 2 year old son. In the weeks leading up to my birth, she was wonderful about checking in to see how I was doing and even came over with some essential oils when I hurt my back! I had a very fast birth and Rachael helped me to stay as calm as possible and reassured me when my confidence started to waver. She's extremely knowledgable about counter pressure techniques and positions to better support labor. I don't know how I could have done it without her! I also highly recommend Rachael's postpartum services. They are invaluable! Those first weeks with a newborn can be crazy and it was so nice to have another set of hands as well as a listening ear. She's the best!

Sejal is amazing. She is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to feeding tips and practices. She…read moregives the best of advice and has a network of people that she works with who are all amazing! (Chiropractor, craniosacral, ent etc). She gives her heart and soul to her clients. She supported me through bad, painful latches, underfed infant, tongue tied kid and tongue tie after care help. She is a busy woman so get in her calendar when you can. Working with sejal is the blessing you'd never have thought of

Sejal is a miracle worker and my husband, son and I couldn't be more grateful that we found her on…read moreYelp. I called her the day after we came home from the hospital - breastfeeding was so painful I would cry whenever I nursed my son. When I read her reviews and looked through her site, I thought she was too good to be true. She is as good as that, and more. She comes to your home, she is thorough, kind, professional and insanely knowledgeable about babies, mothers and the human body. Her bedside manner is AMAZING and most impressive of all, she is a baby whisperer. After her visit, we had a much better understanding of breastfeeding, and she also supplied us with an arsenal of resources, customized just for us: baby exercises to strengthen his neck (so he can be an ambi-turner and more effectively nurse both sides), cheeks and tongue; nutrition guidance for me; a pain mgmt/treatment plan for the issues from nursing incorrectly; and details about how to specifically improve where we needed to. She responded to our follow up questions and helped us refine our techniques. Please, please don't hesitate to call her if you're having any doubts or troubles with breastfeeding.

Jennifer Lunceford was my doula for my daughter's birth and she was amazing. She is extremely…read moreknowledgeable and experienced and helped me achieve my goal of an unmedicated birth. The birth was intense and progressed quickly, and she was calm, comforting, and reassuring the whole time. She knew which breathing techniques would be the most effective just based on my reactions to the contractions. She helped me feel safe and strong. If you are interested in having a true supporter help you through your labor, look no further!

From the owner: DONA International Birth and Postpartum Doula Training, Lamaze Childbirth Education & Trainer…read moreTraining. Gain knowledgeable and experience as a doula companion who is trained to provide emotional and physical support, encouragement and wisdom for pregnant parents. Jesse is a visionary in the field of integrated healthcare. She brings her skills as a doula, trainer, educator, speaker, writer, change agent, advocate and resource to support the creation of new models of maternity care. She specializes in the childbearing year but her wisdom is available to many modalities of traditional healthcare work.

We feel very fortunate that we chose Olivia as our doula when expecting our first child. (Side…read morenote, if you're on the fence about getting a doula, do it! How anyone goes through this process without a doula, I have no idea). Upon our first meeting, her enthusiasm, passion and knowledge was evident and we appreciated her confident, straightforward manner. She was proactive about reaching out to check in with us throughout pregnancy and we happily took advantage by asking many questions along the way. When it came to the birth experience, things could not have gone any different than we expected so again we were grateful to have Olivia by our side to thoughtfully explain and compare various options. We ended up needing her earlier than we anticipated and she arrived quickly and immediately went into action. She ensured both myself and my husband felt cared for throughout the entire experience and her kind gestures (taking photos, giving my husband breaks, bringing us food from the cafeteria afterward) were greatly valued. Lastly I found her postpartum visits, which are highly individualized, quite useful in helping me process my birthing experience and simply get an extra nap knowing my son was being well looked after. We can't recommend Olivia highly enough!

Olivia is absolutely amazing. I found her back in 2016 preparing for the arrival of our first son…read morein 2017. I was on the WIC program and Olivia was a student at the time and needed to attend so many births in order to graduate. I had heard of doulas before and was a little hesitant because from my understanding they can be very naturopathic and very laid back and while I do like alternative medicine, I do need more structure and that's exactly what Olivia provided. She's very knowledgeable on different drugs and medicines to help during labor but also what kind of essential oils and massage and stretching positions will help too! She was a really great asset to have as a student but I was lucky enough to snag her again recently for the birth of our second son in March 2021 and now that she has 4 years of experience under her belt she's ever better! Giving birth is such an emotional experience and even if this isn't your first rodeo, it's so different every time so having someone like Olivia to explain what nurses are saying and knowing you and your concerns and explaining those to your health care professionals so you can just focus on laboring is beyond helpful. Not only is she helpful in the delivery room her postpartum services are top notch. I swear every time I see Olivia at our postpartum services I just break into tears because she makes me feel so safe and is a person I can lay all my fears and worries on without judgment and she always seems to be able to make it all better. Then, once you're done crying she offers to help during her 3 hour service by watching baby so you can shower or nap. She'll offer to do laundry or dishes even. I always choose the nap, though. Haha. Every year we send her updates of the life she helped me bring into this world and I know Olivia will be apart of our family for the rest of our lives and I can't wait for her to be apart of the next birth. As far as pricing goes, I was a little nervous because this job is so important and the more important the higher the price, right? The first time she was with us it was free because she was a student and I was apart of WIC but omg, her prices are amazing, completely fair and worth every penny. Olivia is just absolutely the best and you will never be disappointed with her level of care.

Kristen was my midwife for my firstborn. We had a great connection throughout my pregnancy. I felt…read morethat she walked a great line of alternative medicine and western medicine. (Or hippy v. science as my husband likes to say) She was always quick to respond when I needed advice. If an at home remedy was called for she would offer it up but if things needed more acute attention she didn't hesitate to recommend I get checked out at the doctor (high blood pressure) I had a loooong labor which wound up not progressing and I had to go to the hospital for delivery. She rode out the labor with us and was a wonderful presence to have around. When the decision was made to deliver at the hospital she made all the arrangements and would have come with (had Covid not been limiting things) She checked on my baby in the weeks that followed and answered the multitude of questions that come with new parenthood. Being able to do the well baby checks from my living room was so nice! Kristen was absolutely wonderful and I recommend her as your midwife. If we decide to go for round two I won't hesitate to call her up!

Kristen is an incredible, compassionate & supportive midwife. She takes the time to inform and…read morethoroughly present you with all of your options throughout pregnancy and after birth. She fought hard to give me the birth that I wanted and supported me & allowed me to make my own decisions when my daughter was in an unexpected breech position at 39 weeks. She helped me fight for the birth I wanted, and even though I didn't get to have it in the end she stuck by my side. I know I would not have gotten through that change in plans quite as well without her support. Two years later she's still there for me when I need her. I highly recommend Kristen!