Amy Moy, is very kind, and compassionate with her services for what I needed. I'm a traumatic birth survivor and when I decided to go along with my pregnancy the whole way through, Amy provided support and never judged me. Even though my plan switched many times. In the end. She was there when I had no one to go with me to give birth and held my hand. This time around I just needed a loving warm supportive person. This was a very special birth because I didn't really need to fight. I had a good team that understood my trauma. Amy was very helpful for my PTSD while birthing. Although I wasn't being assaulted and listened to with this birth I still needed that calming support and Amy offered me that.. I was very lucky to have Amy. Thank you. read more

Amy is an AMAZING doula! If you are considering hiring a doula I highly recommend her. She is extraordinarily prepared, punctual, professional, personable, nurturing, and a wealth of knowledge. My husband and I decided to hire Amy (back in April) for the birth of our second child. After interviewing with several doulas, there was no doubt Amy was the perfect doula for us. We conveniently met at a local coffee shop for our initial interview. Once we arrived, Amy had already set up a table with materials for our perusal and water for our enjoyment (talk about attention to detail)! She explained her practice to us and listened attentively as we described our birth-plan vision to her. At the end of our meeting she provided great materials for us to take home (including evidence-based articles, pamphlets, and the River Bend contract/policies). During our pre-natal home visits we bombarded Amy with questions. Not once did she waiver, and she provided thorough responses and reassurance. She showed us several relaxation techniques and exercises to implement during the early phase of labor. She walked us through the entire process of what to expect and how we would work together to achieve our ideal birth. On the big day, we agreed to meet at the hospital. She arrived well before we did and was ready to hit the ground running. As my husband parked the car, Amy wheeled me in and handled the registration portion and helped me set up in the delivery room (she had memorized all of the vital info/details and was able to answer the hospital staff's questions). Not having to do all this myself was such a relief. She suggested a better position at the time of pushing, continually offered words of encouragement, and wiped the sweat off my forehead, etc. She knew exactly what I needed without me having to say a single word. All of this as I'm yelling at the top of my lungs! After the birth she helped take pictures and even set up my meal. The post-partum visit followed in similar River Bend fashion (Amy will cater to your specific needs). Overall, our experience working with Amy at River Bend was magnificent. We cannot say enough good things about the service and Amy's admirable work ethic. Thank you so much Amy! read more

On Sept 7th our life was changed. With the help of our doula Amy she very helpful in helping me keep calm and relaxed in my labor process when things went south and not as planned. I loved the way she advocated for us and was our biggest cheerleader. She was able to give me advice when it was needed even advising me to have a big cry to keep my labor going. We were able to meet our baby girl in the way way we planned even throughout the crazyness with her help. Thank you so much Amy we cant wait to work with you again for the next one. Love the Burleigh- Crenshaw's read more

Thank goodness we met Amy! I am now two months postpartum after having my first child. My husband and I hired Amy upon the recommendation of our dear friends who had a beautiful, natural birth. I wasn't committed to forgoing pain medication during birth, but I knew that I wanted support and the option to labor as long as possible without an epidural. My husband and I had taken a class on natural childbirth- but there was NO way we would remember everything in the heat of the moment. Amy was completely non judgemental about our willingness to accept an epidural and supported our choice to enter our birth undecided. She helped us to create a very comprehensive birth plan and really educated us on our options. When my due date passed, I had to be induced due to gestational diabetes and advanced maternal age. The Pitocin shook our entire birth plan quickly and I ended up having an epidural much sooner than planned. I honestly thought I would be wasting Amy's time since I had received the epidural so soon. I wasn't sure how she could offer support given I didn't need help managing the pain any further. I was completely wrong. In the following 24 hours post epidural, Amy's support was critical. When our baby's heart decelerated, she helped me to calm down. She watched his heart rate for the following hours so that my husband and I could get much needed sleep, calling out the rate everytime I stirred and asked her. Amy worked seamlessly with the nurses, collaborating on which positions I needed to be moved into to help labor progress and to keep the baby healthy. It was clear that the nursing staff really respected Amy because she was so professional and knowledgeable. In fact, there were a few times that Amy had to provide them with additional information because here notes were so detailed. As the hours ticked by, Amy helped my husband I to manage every intervention so that we felt empowered and educated to make the right decision for our birth. We ended up making the decision to have a c-section after more than 36 hours in the hospital because my body wasn't cooperating with a vaginal birth. Because of Amy's support, I know I made the right decision. We didn't wait until we were in an emergency situation and as a result, our experience was really positive. We had already discussed what we would want to do in case of a c-section and included it on our birth plan. We were able to communicate clearly with the entire team of doctors and nurses and we had a great experience. We had a dimly lit operating room with minimal chatter. We were allowed delayed cord clamping, the curtain was lowered when my son emerged and he was on my chest within 2 minutes. We even had a contingency plan for if my baby had to go to the NICU. I was able to focus on my son because every base was covered and I didn't have to panic when we rolled into the OR. Without Amy's guidance and support, I would've been lost throughout that entire process. Rather than knowing we made the right decisions, I would've second guessed myself the whole way. As I continue to process my son's birth, I am incredibly grateful we had Amy to support us. She is thoughtful, professional, kind, knowledgeable and experienced- I would absolutely recommend hiring her as your doula. read more

I'm an engineer so I always way over do things especially relating to the birth of our child. We rigorously interviewed 12 Doulas. Amy was by far the most knowledgeable and best. After interviewing her, there was no doubt in my mind she was our doula. Our first son took 48 hours to come out. He had several complications. I didn't want to repeat that experience again. Being a first time parent, I thought taking a natural birthing by class game me all the info I needed. I was actually wrong. There are many subtle things that can be done to make a birth go more smoothly. When my wife was stating progress, Amy gave us several tips to make the progress kick into over drive. I applied acupressure, and my wife's water broke in 40 minutes. Most of all Amy helped with positioning. Our son was sunny side up, which made it a long birth. This go around, Amy helped greatly with positioning. Our daughter came out right side up in 5 hours. They say Doulas are for dads and now I understand. As a father or birthing parent, you have the greatest responsibility to support the mother. Amy gave me all the tools and support I needed to do my role. We would definitely hire Amy again! read more

Amy and Jenn taught a Cornerstone birth class for us. They are a treasure trove of evidence based information. I would highly recommend them to anyone creating a human. Amy is an experienced teacher and it shows. Jenn is knowledgeable and was a valuable co-leader. We're planning a home birth...they were able to educate us on that situation but also on hospital births if it comes to that. I discovered my love of birth videos in this class. What drama! What emotion! Reality TV. Better than hollywood. Aside from the knowledge, their attitudes were easy-going and confidence building for new parents. Can't say enough good things. :) read more

I cannot recommend Amy Moy highly enough to those who want a caring, supportive birth experience. From our initial contact via email through to our postpartum meeting, Amy was available, professional, and ready to meet our needs. During our pre-birth meeting, Amy reviewed options and information that was helpful both before and during birth. We reviewed our birth plan and Amy gave insightful and experienced feedback. When labor came, Amy was a phone call or text away, talking us through laboring at home and deciding when to go into the hospital. My goal was to have an unmedicated birth and knew that having a professional in addition to my husband was more likely to make that a reality. With Amy's support, I was able to achieve this goal and can't imagine a better birth experience than the one I had--a glorious memory that will stay with me for a lifetime. I would hire Amy again in a heartbeat and have personally recommended her to pregnant friends. read more

I'm writing this review from my perspective as birth partner to my wife, who recently gave birth to our magical little boy. Bottom Line: Amy Moy is an incredibly talented and professional doula, and I can't possibly convey the extent to which she positively affected my wife's pregnancy and the birth of our child. We met Amy through Capital City Doulas, and from our first meeting she was professional, open, and kind. As first-time parents, we had SO much to learn about childbirth (and yes, now we have plenty to learn about being parents). Amy made time to meet with us days later on our schedule, and she was very well-prepared for the initial "interview", with a folder filled with reference materials and some fun goodies. I was definitely impressed with her from this initial meeting, and my wife and I had an easy time selecting Amy to support our childbirth as our doula. Learning that she is essentially a one-stop shop for all things childbirth (except for medical services of course), we also signed up for Amy's childbirth preparation class (Cornerstone Method) and placenta encapsulation. As the birth partner, my main question going into the childbirth preparation class was "how can I be a good partner during the labor and delivery process"? I certainly gained a HUGE amount of information to answer this question through the childbirth prep class. Each week's content was presented in approachable, not scary, and appropriately fun ways. Especially nice was the comfortable space in which the class was held, creating a warm and safe environment for learning and opening up about our hopes, fears, and feelings about pregnancy and childbirth. I left the childbirth prep class feeling much better informed, prepared, and excited for our baby to arrive. Amy's support of the actual labor and delivery was simply incredible. I don't really know how she can survive supporting a childbirth where she is neither a) having the baby or b) the partner of that person, given the stress, the emotion, and the long hours involved. Amy supported us for over 24 hours, as my wife's induced labor ended up being very challenging and... laborious! Throughout, she was immensely helpful in providing physical support to my wife and to me, in providing emotional support, and in bringing us string cheese. The tremendous value that I have recognized of having a doula to support a labor and delivery is that the laboring person (and partner) have a dedicated advocate and support person whose only role is to make the process more survivable. My wife's labor was very challenging and took many twists and turns, some of which we were completely unprepared for and required interventions to be quickly made by the medical staff. Amy was able to help contextualize the situation for us and help us go through the BRAIN process - Benefits, Risks, Alternatives, Intuition, and Need time. All told, I cannot recommend Amy highly enough, but will close by saying that she was an INCREDIBLE support person for my wife's pregnancy and challenging childbirth. If we are so fortunate as to go through this process again, we will DEFINITELY be calling Amy to support us again. read more

It's taken me more than 2 months to write this review because Amy made birth so much easier than I imagine, and the after-birth is much harder in contrast. I highly recommend Amy as a birth doula. From the very first interview to the postpartum visit, Amy has been warm, caring, and supportive. Both my partner and I couldn't imagine giving birth without her. I was induced, and Amy was able to provide valuable information on the induction process prior to the birth of my daughter. As I was being induced overnight, Amy kept tab on my status, and came to the hospital as soon as we requested in-person support. Our nurse was a little hostile towards Amy at first, but Amy worked her magic and got the nurse to be completely onboard with our birth plan (or the change of birth plan as it often is the case).Throughout the day she helped us through the 6 hours labor and 3.5 hour pushing. When I was tired, scared, and worried, Amy was there holding my hands (literally and figuratively) and provided information on all my options. If/when I have other children I will definitely request Amy's services again! read more

Short version: we love Amy and we're so glad she was part of our birth journey! We met with Amy a few months before our baby boy was born. Immediately we connected with her calm, caring and inclusive presence and educational approach. We even took her 20 hour birth education class where we met other couples in the area who hired Amy as their birth doula (she's in high demand like that)! When it came time to deliver the baby, having Amy with us was indispensable. Our son decided to rotate posterior shortly before labor started, causing a prolonged labor (41 hours, eek). After about a day of painstaking back labor, we decided to allow some medical intervention. Thankfully, we were well prepared with the benefits and risks we learned from the birth class, and Amy was able to help us navigate as gracefully as possible. Though coaching, positioning, and a lot of patience, our son was born vaginally and came out perfectly healthy! We're excited to be part of the River Bend Birth Services community and are looking forward to catching up with the other couples in our birth class! read more

I cannot recommend Amy highly enough. We hired Amy as our doula and childbirth educator. She excels in both roles. The childbirth class left us feeling prepared for pre-OB visits, labor, and delivery. As our doula, Amy rolled with the unexpected turns that labor took for us, and helped me advocate for myself in the midst of the intensity of labor. I awoke in the middle of the night almost fully dilated, and called Amy and asked if she could get to us. She was just as surprised as I was about how quickly labor was progressing for me, but didn't miss a beat and was at the hospital in very little time. The labor room gets crowded with people who are professionals but still strangers, and having Amy present as someone I knew my spouse and I could trust to help us make decisions was calming and reassuring in a profound way. I have few clear memories of the time of pushing, but I remember Amy reminding the nurses of an item in my birth plan (despite the fact that we didn't have a paper copy with us because everything moved so quickly!) and helping make sure it happened. When one member of the medical team started doing things to me without explaining himself, Amy made sure to narrate for me and explain what was happening. Amy and my spouse also partnered well together; she supported him during labor, providing additional practical advice about what he could do to support me--labor was new, intense, unfamiliar terrain for all of us, and having support made it a really positive, empowering experience. Working with Amy--in preparation, labor itself, and in our postpartum visits--has helped me hone my ability to advocate for myself in the medical sphere. That's a transferable skill that goes beyond the realm of birth itself, and makes the investment in Amy's services pay dividends well past pregnancy and the postpartum period. It was our experience that Amy really cared for our family. She's the person I'd want again on speed-dial if we have another child. read more

In a word, Amy was wonderful. In two words, also invaluable. When my wife suggested she wanted the support of a doula, I was maybe a bit hesitant, but that evaporated as soon as we met Amy. She brings a great combination of knowledge and warmth. (And I'm a physician so I hope my endorsement carries some weight.) Bottom line, on the big day, I really don't know what we would have done without her - her experience and calming strength were absolutely critical to getting my wife through. Even better, we had a few issues in the first week post-partum and Amy was able to refer us to additional resources that helped us immensely, which we wouldn't have thought of otherwise. We're really happy with our decision. read more

Amy was a pleasure to work with! Her prenatal visit was very informative and helped us come up with a birth plan I was comfortable with. During labor, she was incredibly helpful because my husband was like a deer in the headlights and I was delirious with pain (no medication). She suggested different breathing and positioning that could help with the pain and her hand fan felt AMAZING! I would DEFINITELY hire Amy again. She was empowering, encouraging and easy to work with. read more

I gave birth to my first son at my home a week ago and am SO grateful for Amy's presence. She was a huge support before, during, and after the labor. Her coaching helped me through the most intense contractions, and helped give me the confidence to make it through and deliver my baby. My husband was so grateful for her support and it made a big difference to have someone as knowledgeable and experienced as Amy by our side. After the birth, I had to go to the hospital to deal with excessive bleeding, and Amy stayed with my husband and the baby and was there when I returned a few hours later. She was very attentive and supportive during the weeks leading up to the birth and in the postpartum time as well. I highly recommend Amy as a birth doula! read more

Amy was such an excellent presence at the birth of our of son. Labor didn't go as originally planned (of course it didn't!) and there were far more medical interventions that we originally expected, and Amy was there as a sounding board, cheerleader and hand to hold for my husband and I. There were so many beneficial aspects of having Amy as our doula than I ever originally considered; from having her as an amazing educator in preparing for our labor, being available by email for all my wild questions, borrowing from her lending library, continual support during a two day labor, having her detailed notes and photos postpartum...it was all such a worthwhile relationship throughout this entire adventure. During pushing I can so clearly remember hearing Amy's voice encouraging me and offering a calm, soft presence. I had no idea where she actually stood, It seemed like she was right in my ear, her voice seemed to cut through the medical personnel, my own pain and fear and I really held on to hearing her words of calm encouragement when I didn't think I had any energy left. At a time when I needed a reassuring presence, Amy was there! My husband and I would definitely encourage others to hire Amy as a support person; for before, during and after the birth...we were so incredibly pleased we can't imagine our birth experience any other way! read more

Amy was excellent! We learned about her through a reference and were able to meet her soon after. We instantly felt at ease, as she has such a calming presence. We were able to email some of her previous clients and all of them sang praises and had similar births to what we were looking to have with Amy. We were expecting our first child, a little girl, and she ended up surprising us a little early. My water broke at 35 weeks and we ended up calling Amy prior to our contractual time period, in the middle of the night. She answered our questions and was there for my husband and me to validate our thought process around how to proceed. We ended up staying in the hospital for a week trying to keep our little girl inside for additional development. She ended up coming naturally about a week later and again, we had to call Amy in the middle of the night with news of the contractions, which progressed rapidly. She was at the hospital in no time, calming me down and offering assistance to my husband and me with the contractions. Even the nurses told my husband to get Amy because her voice seemed to calm me down. It was a very emotional experience and we will definitely have Amy there for any future children - her calmness, ability to offer suggestions and ensure that we had the birth experience that we wanted was great. I felt completely comfortable with her presence, instruction, positive motivation and I could not speak more highly of someone that I would want at the most intimate time in my life. read more

As first time parents without family in California, my partner and I decided early on that we wanted additional birth support, and I am so glad that we hired Amy as our doula, as well as taking her Childbirth Education class! We were lucky enough to connect with Amy at a Capital City Doulas event, and from our first conversation she was warm, knowledgeable, and professional. The Cornerstone Method was a great match for our education needs, and Amy is a fun and supportive teacher--demystifying the process of labor and delivery, and making us feel well-informed and well prepared for what was to come. (Her awesome home classroom space and delicious snacks are also worth mentioning!) I cannot overstate Amy's value to our family as a birth doula. While we had hoped and planned for a natural birth, nothing about labor went as planned -- induction, premature rupture of membranes, 50+ hours of labor, epidural, multiple close calls with an emergency c-section, forceps birth, and then a baby who needed to be immediately transferred for NICU care. Amy was invaluable every step of the way: she scheduled extra video-calls to talk us through the induction process, supported my partner and I with comfort measures at the hospital (giving him much-needed breaks, helping with positioning and the peanut ball, providing counter pressure and ideas, etc.), asked the right questions at the right times, and held my hand when baby and dad were whisked away right after delivery. Despite circumstances that many have interpreted as "traumatic" I felt empowered in my choices, and my partner and I felt well supported throughout, including numerous check-ins from Amy during a seemingly endless 9-day stay in the NICU. It was such a joy to have Amy as one of our first visitors once we were home with our healthy, happy boy. Should we have future children, I would absolutely work with Amy again, and cannot recommend her highly enough for both her course and doula services. I feel so lucky that we found her! read more

Amy attended and supported the birth of my son, but her support encompassed so much more than just the birth. From my first phone call with Amy I knew I wanted her to be my doula. She has such a friendly personality and she seemed to understand the kind of support I was looking for right away. My husband and I got to know her during the two prenatal sessions which, addition to providing childbirth education, helped us all develop a comfort level with one another. Amy lent me books from her lending library that I read to help me prepare for my birth, and she even dropped them off at my house. When my pregnancy went two weeks past my due date she checked in frequently to see how I was feeling and to offer support. She was extremely responsive whenever I contacted her and it was comforting to have her to turn to when I wanted to discuss symptoms or things such as how I was going to deal with the pressure to induce. I did end up being induced, and Amy was there to support me through that process just as she would have a natural labor. Since we had discussed potential interventions I was a well-informed patient, and this allowed me to feel like I was making choices rather than taking what was given to me. When I opted for an epidural Amy supported that decision, and provided me with her peanut ball to help keep my pelvis open. She supported me through three and a half hours of pushing, providing a rebozo which I used with my husband's help and utilizing massage to help ease the discomfort in my back from pushing on my side. Amy visited me post-partum and continued to check in with me through those first intense weeks. When I needed to find an acupuncturist on a Sunday and talk to a lactation consultant late on a Friday she reached out to her network on my behalf to find someone. Amy's support was invaluable and I highly recommend her! read more

I knew Amy was the right choice for us upon meeting her. She is so organized, professional and thoughtful when it comes to her care as a doula. She was very communicative and helpful with resources before labor and delivery. We were very pleased with how easy it was to make payments and how clear she was about her service. Knowing she would be there for us, either at home or at the hospital, helped ease our worries and fears about the start of labor. I would look forward to her responses and insight in the weeks leading up to the delivery. Amy answered all of our questions and was incredibly open and supportive about our wishes. Now for the fun stuff! We asked Amy to arrive at the hospital soon after we did so we could have her help in determining the next steps - whether we'd be admitted or if we'd have to make any other decisions. It was very helpful to have another person present while we made the decision to stay at the hospital even though I was 1.5cm dilated. When we asked her to arrive back at the hospital, she was helpful in offering different positions that might help ease the pain during contractions. She would remind us that a change might be helpful. She stayed with me so my husband could take a breather and get some food. Amy helped us both stay calm and I know her presence really empowered my husband to be an incredible birth partner. Her words of encouragement and suggestions are still very fresh in my mind. Amy blended so well with the hospital staff and my family. She was integral in my ability to have the labor and delivery I had hoped for. We would absolutely love if Amy could be our doula again. Amy has stayed in touch with our family and her continued support is something I will always cherish during this sweet time in our lives. read more

We worked with Amy for the preparation and birth of our first child. We interviewed a couple of other doulas first and didn't feel we "clicked" with either of them. That sense of comfort and connection with a doula was so important to us that we decided we'd rather do it alone than work with someone we didn't connect with. A big part of that was that we are a lesbian couple, and while everyone's birth is different, we wanted to work with someone who felt like part of our community. We are so lucky that we were finally introduced to Amy. Amy is such a warm person who is a queer mom herself, and we instantly felt emotionally safe with her and like we would like to welcome her into our very personal and private birth experience. We originally decided to seek the help of a doula because the non-birth-parent of our family felt insecure in knowing how to coach her partner through the birth experience. We had heard labor could be short or stretch for multiple days, and the prospect of that was daunting for both of us. So we hope to have a little extra support on the day of the birth with things like getting in the best positions, helping with logistics and the like, and Amy ended up giving up so much more. We met with Amy a few times before the birth and she gave us so much more support than we had anticipated. She gave us things to think about in creating our list of "birth wishes" (since "birth plans" rarely go according to plan), and helped us understand things we could do to try to avoid a C-Section, which was one of our biggest goals. Every step of the way, Amy provided a knowledgeable and above-and-beyond supportive presence. She sensed when to reach out and when to fade into the background. She never pushed her opinion into the mix unless we directly asked for it, but when we asked for it she shared her very great perspective. In the birthing (and now we've learned, breastfeeding) culture out there, there are a lot of very strong opinions about what is best for babies. Amy was so non-judgmental, and made it very clear throughout our experience that she was there to help us achieve OUR goals. If we wanted to use pain medication, she would have supported that without question. In the end though, because we were so prepared for the birth and because of the way our birth went, we think a lot of that having to do with Amy's support, pain medication ended up being unnecessary, which was our goal. Amy was unbelievably helpful and supportive, and we're so glad she was such a significant part of our birth experience. Should we decide to have another child, we would definitely hope to work with her again. read more