I am delighted to write a glowing recommendation for Laura Ellis. Laura and I met 5 years ago when…read moreI opened my nanny agency, The Nanny Consultant. She was one of the first handful of nannies that I placed with my clients. When I met Laura, I knew that not only was I gaining a friendship but also someone who I felt could inspire me and support me along the way and that insight was spot on. Over the last few years I have placed Laura now three times and had three babies myself, and she has been our NCS (providing overnight care for our newborn). Not only have my clients been more than happy with the services she has provided, I have as well. Laura has also cared for my children as well in a babysitting role. Laura is the kind of person that is always looking outside the box and paying attention to the needs that need to be met. She has really gone above and beyond for in the last couple years and I am beyond appreciative. When our second was born our oldest was only 21 months. The night that Laura came to visit there was also a house full of guests, she could see that I was struggling and instead of socializing she got our oldest bathed and ready for bed. More recently our youngest turned 1, she knew I had so much on my plate with both work, family, and getting ready for a few events I was throwing and she was the only person to reach out and ask if she could help me. I of course said yes and she came over the day of the party and cared for my children until it was party time so I could be all the places I needed to be. More recently, on the day of the birth of our newest son, my parents were exposed to an awful virus and couldn't care for our children overnight and Laura came to save the day that night and care for my children so I could have our son and not worry one bit. Since then Laura has been caring for our newborn overnight and helping my 16mo old son who is going through a really awful sleep regression where he is up 1 to 5 hours each night. With her help we have a strong system in place and it is getting much better. I am so thankful for her thoughtfulness and attentiveness to us. In other settings I have had the pleasure of getting to know Laura as a friend and even do play dates with her when she had her nanny kids. Laura is a warm, nurturing, and attentive. She is kind, honest, trustworthy, friendly, humble, and respectful. She is thorough, has great judgement, and intuition. Everyone needs a friend and NCS like Laura and I can't recommend her highly enough.

Initially, I was very nervous about hiring someone who would be in our home, especially during one…read moreof the most vulnerable periods our our life. From night one, Laura instantly put me at ease. Laura did an absolutely fantastic job of taking care of our little one. She went above and beyond to make sure we all felt comfortable and removed all of the unpredictable variables in the early weeks of having a baby. She washed bottles, pump parts, provided detailed reports each night (that I could look at in real time when I would wake up to pump) and was just a gentle, stable presence in our home. Honestly, I could say that she took care of all of us. As a FTM, having someone around at night who knew babies better than I did ended up being such a huge comfort. She is reliable, consistent, knowledgable and someone who we could (and can still, to this day) consistently count on to show up for us and our family. I would easily recommend Laura to anyone looking for a Night Doula.

Aylie was truly meant to be part of our journey as we navigated postpartum life. We feel incredibly…read morefortunate to have found her. This past summer, she supported us after the birth of our second son, and her presence immediately put me at ease. With her nurturing energy and vast experience with newborns, I trusted her with my baby completely--probably even more than I trusted my own husband (sorry, babe!). From the moment she arrived, our little one felt completely safe in her care. What sets Aylie apart is her ability to anticipate needs without ever being asked--whether it's loading dirty dishes into the dishwasher or folding the mountain of laundry lingering in the corner. She is completely nonjudgmental during such a vulnerable time (did I mention the piles of laundry and unmade beds?), and has an intuitive way of making everything feel more manageable and smooth. If you're lucky enough to have Aylie as your postpartum Doula, I promise she will make your experience 10 times better. P.S. It's a major bonus that Aylie is DONA certified and covered by Carrot Fertility for postpartum Doula support!

We hired Aylie Millar pretty quickly- our interview with her automatically felt comfortable and…read moresafe and she just felt like a good fit. And what a great choice she was! Aylie is a consummate professional and a person whose peaceful energy and quiet confidence I can only hope to match someday. Aylie did a home visit before our little one arrived, which allowed us to touch base on her methods and everyone's expectations. She reiterated that she was here to help- whether that was with the baby or with chores or whatever else we needed that fell within the contract. Once our baby was born, she coordinated times throughout the week that she could come by. We tended to ask her to come in for a few hours in the morning. Among the things she helped us with were chores (I don't think we had a concept of how quickly laundry would pile up for us!) and caring for the baby while we got in some self-care. Often, that would cover us while we showered or got in a much-needed nap. More important than anything else, more than the very useful cleaning and tidying, more than the holding and soothing of our baby while we took care of other things, was the peace of mind that Aylie provided. As first-time parents, we had so many questions. Some of these we would text her and some we would write down to ask her about. In this way, she helped us develop confidence and skills. She coached us through babywearing with a wrap and through our baby's first bath. She also helped me troubleshoot breastfeeding. She has so much expertise and it was by far the thing I found most valuable about this experience. Aylie is a wonderful human being and an exemplary postpartum doula. I highly recommend her services to anybody- new or experienced parents!

Having Leah as our private childbirth teacher and postpartum doula is the best decision we've made…read morein preparing and caring for our first child! She has everything we looked for in getting us ready for the birth and helped us feeling confident in newborn caring. I'd hire Leah again and again! Leah is a well of knowledge when it comes to birth and caring for babies - she comes to our home to give the private childbirth class, in this private session format it allows us to ask direct questions; my husband and my mom were both in the class with me, Leah was able to cater the content to different roles in the household with the focus on the birthing mother. Leah is always extra prepared for the classes from various engaging activities to catered content. During the preparation for birth, we constantly reached out to Leah for suggestions and ideas. For the postpartum phase, Leah came to our home to educate us in various baby caring tasks/details per our requests; we did some lactation sessions, a lot of Q&As, and gave baby the first sponge bath! Leah's patient, steady, and very encouraging throughout the process, leaving us feel empowered to care for the baby after she leaves. She's super detailed, wearing masks to the postpartum sessions as the newborn is not vaccinated yet. She's super communicative - reply to my questions over email and text as things come up. Always super encouraging and send me the right direction. We wouldn't be able to be at such a fine place this early in the newborn stage if it's not Leah. I'd recommend Leah to anyone who's looking for childbirthing class and/or postpartum doula!

Leah is an absolute joy to work with!…read more She is kind, understanding, and extremely knowledgeable. We had her help following the birth of our twins (and my c-section) and it was such a relief not only having the extra set of hands but having the reassurance of her expertise, especially as a first time parent. It was so incredible having a few hours to nap - knowing the twins were in good hands - and waking up to a clean kitchen and folded laundry! I HIGHLY recommend Leah!

I cannot say enough good things about Cheryl. She is incredible and I hope she'll be my doula for…read moreall my future births. BACKGROUND on me/us. We decided when the pandemic hit that we wouldn't let it stop us from starting a family. I got pregnant in April of 2020, and in September, we moved from San Francisco to Seattle. Since this was my first, I wasn't sure what I was looking for. I visited Swedish First Hill thinking I might want a hospital birth, and interviewed three midwives and several (six, to be exact) doulas. When I met Cheryl, I knew I had found "the one." She was also the only person I spoke w/ that made me genuinely feel EXCITED about giving birth. PRE. Not only did Cheryl offer to meet me throughout my third trimester to do the stairs or go for walks, but she also hosts weekly prenatal yoga classes (over Zoom), which I'll be honest, were the *only* times I did yoga during my pregnancy. BIRTH. On the birth day, Cheryl was phenomenal. She comforted me not only w/ her words, but also her hands when I was laboring. She rubbed my back or my leg, which I later found out is not the standard for birth doulas, and suggested different positions for me as things progressed. She was so good about feeding me and making sure I was staying hydrated, too. (As an endurance athlete, I know for a fact I would have bonked had she not force fed me a banana, honey, and electrolytes.) She made me feel strong and safe throughout my entire labor. POST. After baby was born, Cheryl took such good care of my partner and me. She fed us, taught us how to swaddle baby, helped me through mastitis, and became someone we consider to be family. She encapsulated my placenta after making placenta art, too. Her intuition about what we needed was so spot on, it truly is a gift. I birthed a 9lb1oz baby w/o drugs or stitches at home, and I thank Cheryl (and my midwives) for that. We adore Cheryl and anyone would be lucky to have her.

As a first time mom, I was clueless about the labor and delivery process. As I was exposed to…read morevarious kinds of births, I came across the idea of having a birth doula to help both my husband and I through the process. Cheryl was everything we had hoped for and more. We connected with her immediately. I would reach out to her regularly during my pregnancy with questions and concerns, and she was very quick to respond and ease my nerves. We took a few prenatal classes with her which helped us understand labor and delivery better. I wanted to make sure my husband and I were also well versed with the possible interventions that could take place at a hospital birth. Cheryl did a great job of teaching us what the alternative options were in case things didn't go as planned. On the day of, Cheryl helped me labor at home and the hospital, which is exactly what I had hoped for. I wanted to labor at home for as long as possible before heading to the hospital, and I felt very secure knowing that Cheryl would know when is the best time. The majority of my labor was pretty intense back labor and Cheryl knew exactly what to do to help me get through the contractions. Our experience with the labor and delivery would never have been the same without Cheryl. I had an amazing experience thanks to her faith and support. After the birth, Cheryl came to our home a few times to check on us and help me breastfeed as well. Being with Cheryl on this journey felt like being with our family! It's been almost a year and a half since our daughters birth and we still keep in touch with her and enjoy speaking to her about parenthood! Cheryl was a Godsend, and we could not have imagined our daughters birth without her!

We felt lucky to have Barbara with us for our second baby in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic…read more Once again, my labor and delivery was a dream experience. With Barbara there, it felt calm and focused. Leading up to labor, I kept Barbara updated with my symptoms and she came by a few times to measure my dilation and give me her experienced perspective each time. On the day my contractions started in earnest, she came over and made the quick decision to head over to the hospital immediately because I was progressing quickly. Thank goodness she did, because our boy arrived just 2 hours after we arrived at the hospital! We are so thankful to have had Barbara with us both times, and I credit her for my positive experience both times. Without her there, I am sure I would have been anxious with endless possibilities of outcomes racing through my mind. She was our sounding board and we fully trusted her to guide us through the experience, which allowed us to enjoy the moment without worries.

I cannot recommend Barbara enough!!! She was an essential part of my birth team and I'm confident…read morethat I wouldn't have had a successful unmedicated birth without her. From the moment we started working with Barbara, she took the time to truly get to know us, my goals, and concerns regarding labor. She provided thoughtful reassurance and guidance that was clearly backed by years of experience as both a midwife and doula. She never pushed a particular approach but instead empowered me with information and support so I could make the best decisions for myself. During labor, Barbara's presence made a huge difference. Her coaching helped me manage pain and stay focused. Her experience allowed me to try various labor positions that I believe aided to a more efficient birth. She also advocated for me when I was faced with tough decisions, which is already hard enough to navigate when you're in labor! Not only did she support me, but she was also an incredible resource for my husband. She provided him with the confidence and guidance to be a present and helpful partner. We both felt she added so much value to the experience. Another major plus is that Barbara has a strong relationship with the providers at NW Women's Healthcare. They clearly enjoy working with her and respect her. During the labor, I felt that she worked well with Dr Jiao and the nursing staff; it truly felt like a cohesive team that was focused on me having a successful birth. On top of all that, Barbara is just genuinely an awesome person! She is easy to talk to, kind, and calming, yet also fun and engaging. We had many good laughs together. If you're looking for an all around amazing doula who is knowledgeable, supportive, and truly makes a difference, Barbara is the one!

A friend of mine spoke wonders about having a doula for labor, so between that and my commitment to…read moreself-advocacy, I knew that hiring a labor doula was a non-negotiable for our first child. What I didn't know is how lucky we'd be to find Christi @ Emerald City Doulas! She is the perfect combination of experienced and empathetic, and her calm but direct approach was the perfect fit for my personality as well as my husband's. We loved having our two prenatal sessions and the ability to text Christi with any questions (they were always super responsive), but for us, the real value came during labor and delivery, which was not only traumatic for me but also came with tons of unexpected turns (starting with PROM, which is when water breaks with no contractions). Between the horrible pain and the decisions to break with our birth plan, Christi didn't waver and made sure I was supported and safe throughout. Needless to say, next to my husband, Christi is the person I will most remember as being there for me in the process of having our first child. After our little girl arrived, we worked with Jylane as our postpartum support doula. I can't say enough about her demeanor (our baby is comfortable with her, but so are our two cats, which says a lot!), reliability and kindness--not to mention the lack of judgment, which is critical in a time where you're already hard on yourself. We purchased a combo of overnights and day shifts, and at this point in baby's life, there aren't many other people we'd trust to take care of her for such long periods of time! We are grateful for her role in the early days of parenthood.

Thank you, Christi, for being the best doula a first time mother could have asked for! I had a lot…read moreof anxiety with my first pregnancy because of gestational diabetes and a baby who was consistently measuring in the 99th percentile. Christi brought me a lot of ease with her vast knowledge of child birth and assured me that I am more than capable of a vaginal delivery. My birth went according to plan and she really gave me the confidence that I can deliver a giant baby. I will remember you for the rest of my life, thank you!!

I'm so deeply grateful that I was able to have Mary there to guide me before, through, and after…read moregiving birth. She was sensitive to me, kind, stood up for me, and helped me know I could get through it. I do not hesitate to recommend her as a doula for any reason.

Hiring Mary as our Doula was one of the best decisions we made, and I truly believe she played a…read morehuge role in helping me achieve my successful VBAC. Her support started long before labor. She met with us several times to help us prepare mentally and physically, walked us through our birth plan, and made sure we understood what to expect. She also helped us prepare our home for postpartum in ways I never would have thought about; helping me set up nursing and changing stations around the house, sharing practical meal ideas, and even helping us put together a special "fun box" to help keep our toddler entertained during the transition. Those little details made such a big difference once we got home. During labor, she was incredible. She stayed with us for over 20 hours, offering constant encouragement, comfort techniques, and reassurance. She helped me stay focused when things got hard and reminded me I was capable when I needed it most. Her calm presence made such a difference for both me and my partner. She doesn't just show up for the birth, she truly invests in the whole family and the whole experience. Because of her, I felt prepared, supported, and empowered every step of the way. If you are hoping for a VBAC or just want someone truly dedicated to supporting you through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, I cannot recommend her enough. We are so grateful she was part of our birth story. We will definitely hire her for our next birth!

I had a successful VBAC thanks to Melinda and Milla of "Calm & Confident Doula Care!"…read moreInitially, I was ambivalent about a VBAC. To feel comfortable taking the leap, I wanted a doula who would be more than a cheerleader: someone who could provide physiological knowledge and support to keep my labor going smoothly, and preferably someone who had lots of successful experience with VBACs.Milla and Melinda were exactly who I was looking for. I loved the workshop on physical prep for birth that Melinda taught (and created, I believe) as part of their package, their nonjudgmental approach to my preferences (yes epidural), and the fact that they made sure we met them both, so either one could attend our birth. I had to go into the hospital very early in labor. Milla attended our birth, and helped us navigate when the hospital offered us various interventions. Her TENS unit made my back labor bearable. My baby was at risk of coming out "sunny side up" because she was ROA, and Milla suggested positions that would create space in my pelvis (with the epidural in!) and successfully turned my baby around to LOA for a smooth delivery. I was able to deliver my 8 lb baby after only 48 minutes of pushing! Melinda did our postpartum visit at that low point in early breastfeeding where my milk hadn't really come in yet and the baby was a worrying combination of thirsty and sleepy. We were so grateful to have an experienced eye on our baby for reassurance and to give us some much-needed pointers -- because of course, our second baby is completely different from our first. Two more things, in case you weren't sold already: first, we found it very easy to build a rapport with both Milla and Melinda, and loved spending time with them; and second, I have mild cerebral palsy, which they easily took in stride, and were happy to adapt techniques as necessary.Don't wait -- get on their calendars!!

I can't recommend Milla and Melinda enough! My husband was skeptical about hiring a doula, but…read moreafter the birth he was the first to say how grateful he was they were there for us and that the investment was so worth it. Their package is outstanding compared to others. Milla was with us for delivery and she was such a calming, supportive presence. She reminded me of my birth plan when I needed it, worked beautifully with the hospital staff, held me through contractions, cheered me on when I felt like giving up, and set boundaries with family when I asked. She just knew what I needed and I felt safe with her. Melinda was equally fantastic. I felt deeply seen by her. She helped me with my anxiety before labor and in postpartum, gave me practical tools (the ice exercise was a game changer), and walked through our house helping us set up baby stations + shared so many helpful tips. Some additional highlights: - Their website has the best list of questions to ask when interviewing doulas. - The prep class with Milla was both super helpful and honestly fun. I truly believe the exercises she taught me made a huge difference in my labor. - Melinda dropping everything to come help us on day 3 postpartum when we texted her in frenzy. Hiring them was hands-down the best decision we made. I'm so happy with how my labor went, and I honestly credit that to this amazing doula team. Overall, the biggest impact they made on me was that they believed in me, and that gave me so much strength. For a first-time mom with higher levels of anxiety, that kind of support was priceless. I honestly wish they could be my team of support forever in motherhood--that's how much I loved them and how much I trust them. And even now, I still bug them from time to time and they always quickly help me out with resources. I am so fortunate to have found them. I am sure you will feel the same way if they become your choice of doulas.