Sancken Burgess Doula Profile

We have loved working with Sancken.  She has a wonderful energy and a depth of knowledge.  Sancken is full of great ideas, maintains a level-head and works to meet you philosophically where you are.  She definitely eased our minds during a miraculous and challenging time.

My experience with Sancken was just wonderful. As a doula, Sancken has a very calming and professional manner, and made me feel supported and confident at all times throughout the birthing experience. My husband maintains that we couldn't have done it without her, and I agree! Sancken has a way of making you feel calm in an often stressful hospital environemnt, and she worked very well with the medical staff in the hospital, ensuring my needs were met and keeping me informed at all times. We cannot recommend Sancken highly enough!  

Sancken was amazing - from the first pre-natal to the post-natal visits! As a first time mom, she helped ease my concerns and questions. She was always quick to pick up the phone to help and provide resources for some controversial issues. When it came to the big day, we could not have done it without her. She was a fantastic support for me and my husband; offering a variety of different positions to keep labor progressing and also to assist with the back labor pains. With both of them by my side, I felt incredibly supported during the entire labor and comforted when the day did not go as planned. Her expertise was especially useful when my labor stalled and we had to use interventions - and her comforting words were exactly what I needed to hear during those confusing hours. I cannot image going into a birth without a doula and I would highly recommend Sancken. She was (and continues to be) a great resource for us!! Catherine, Peter and baby Garrett

When I first found Sancken on Doula Match I was unsure of what to expect, how to feel or even if I was making the right decision! Sancken immediatly called me back within the hour I want to say and it was like we were ment to be matched. 

Sancken and I immediatily had a connection because of my specific situation in helping another couple have a baby! I am a surrogate and it was a life changing experience for myself and I believe everyone that was a part of my life.

My husband was very unsure if we needed someone else to play a part in this journey and I wouldn't let him say "no" because of his ever so busy work schedule. So Sancken automatically became a part of the plan and good thing she did because he ended up working a night shift and she was there to help me through my labor.

She was my #1 person and I wouldn't have anyother Doula but her, she is caring, attentive, loving, proactive in your care and above all a #1 overachiever! Her kind touch just melts you in so many ways that it was amazing. She helped her new parents get to their baby and once they were with her she came back to my side. She has laughed with me, hugged with me and even cried with me. Her generosity of her time and patience and knowlege is astounding. 

I honestly can say having Sancken in my life has changed it forever, if you are looking for your "PERSON" she may just be a click away... all I know is that I have made a friend for life through this journey of birth. A miracle of it's own and having such a caring person involved with it makes it that more magical!  

Thank you Sancken... Love Ya mama :) 

Sanken really helped make the entire newborn phase less overwhelming. She had answers to all of my questions about the million sof baby details and also provided me with a wealth of new mom info! She did research on specifics for my baby's special needs. I would not have made it through those first few weeks without her expertise!

Sancken was 1 of our top picks, but we interviewed another doula we liked 1st. I got the bonus of a massage with Sancken, who I liked even better in person.

My labor was stop and start for 2 weeks and my labor began in earnest the night before my doula left town! Sancken was our backup doula since we'd met and had repoire. She was so supportive of my labor. I'm a quiet laborer; my first doula didn't believe I was seriously in labor when we spoke. I think that my inner anxiety at not having her there to help stalled my labor. She had encouraged me to moan low, but alone I found controlled breathing worked best for me. Sancken recognized this immediately upon speaking to me on the phone and encouraged me to labor in tune with my body. She took nothing personal, read our birth plan and listened to what I told the docs earlier and advocated later on when I couldn't. She didn't time contractions and relied on her internal clock, which I found inaccurate when I timed them, but was helpful in that she was paying more attention to me and my needs than timing contractions.

I had back pains with each contraction  and I couldn't have made it through without her. She chose her words carefully so as to never provoke anxiety and has a no nonsense aproach. She reminded me of options and that sometimes you have to compromise on a few points for the overall wellbeing of you and your baby to get most of what you want from your birth.

I think we could have used more advocacy for our baby in the immediate postbirth experience, but we didn't realize this at the time. Overall she was excellent, and I think the deficiencies we experienced were because she was our backup: She wasn't familiar with our particular situation and desires and she and my husband didn't have the repoire he had with our 1st doula; she hadn't met with us enough ahead of time. She wasn't prepared with much besides herself as she had been called in last minute to help us.

I chose Sancken to be my doula because I was instantly drawn to her positive energy & assuring, enthusiastic attitude about the birth experience. She was a great source of support & comfort for me in the months leading up to my son's birth, helping me deal with the unexpected challenges of my pregnancy. We spoke and emailed often and I took good advantage of her amazing massage skills by seeing her regularly for treatments. 

I'd like to think I provided Sancken with a good learning experience to build on her already strong doula skillset. I was a mama who would have loved an all natural home birth. Instead, I became a scheduled C section around wk 30 due to placenta previa. In wk 32, I wound up in the hospital with bleeding from the placenta previa & learned I also had vasa previa which kept me in the hospital on bed rest for 12 days before I wound up having an emergency C section in the middle of the night due to more bleeding. During my hospital stay, Sancken called or visited me every day. She talked through all of my angst about the medical intervention I was dealing with on a daily basis & helped me come to terms with this much different plan I had to follow to bring my son into the world than I had hoped for. She was probably the most sympathetic person in my life to my despair over not experiencing labor and having my son on my terms.

When my beautiful boy was delivered, Sancken was by my side despite very short notice at 2am. My husband left the O/R with our son & she stayed with me through my recovery. She helped me come off anesthesia & the other meds as I had a more extreme reaction than I expected. My pregnancy & son's birth was a journey I did not imagine I would experience and I don't know how I would've gotten through it without Sancken.

Sancken provided invaluable support during my pregnancy and labor.  She was always available to answer any questions by email and phone.  During labor, Sancken allowed us to stay at home longer, providing us with advice on ways to ease labor pain.  When she joined us at the hospital, Sancken provided compassionate, loving care and stayed with us until the early hours of the morning.  When my labor failed to progress, Sancken helped my husband and I to make the right decision for us regarding pain management, allowing me to get some sleep and rest up for what turned out to be a very long back labor.  Sancken gave us the gift of a very thoughtful, meaningful birth in a hospital setting.  We are so grateful for her services.

Sancken is an amazing person, doula, and friend. When I found out I was pregnant, I wanted to make sure I was completely educated about the birthing process. I knew my ultimate goal was to have a vaginal birth, and I wanted it to be a positive experience, not a scary one. Sancken was an amazing resource throughout the pregnancy, and an incredible support system during labor. She gave me so much information, and helped my husband and I make important decisions on things that we didn't even know we had a choice. Most importantly, she helped me to have the labor experience I wanted. Her sunny personality and calming presence helped me to achieve the perfect birthing experience. She coached me through everything and I truly believe her movement techniques helped the labor to progress faster than it would have if I were just sitting around in a hospital bed. She doesn't project her goals on you, she helps you achieve what YOU want to acheive. Now I look back on that day with fond memories...so much so that I would gladly go back and relive that day a million times. Sancken played a huge role in creating my perfect birth experience and the BEST day of my life.

If it weren't for Sancken, I probably would have had to get a c-section to get my huge, OP baby out.  Instead, after 32 hours of labor, and one intense moment of self-doubt, I delivered vaginally without any drugs whatsoever and was on cloud nine with endorphins all day long.  Sancken was very professional yet felt like a old friend even from our first phone conversation. She openly shares her own birth experiences and insights, yet when we were faced with a decision she was always careful to provide us with information and resources that presented both sides and support whatever decision we made.  Her prenatal massage was a wonderful experience and she even provided over the phone instruction for stretches and massage techniques when I was having sciatic trouble but didn't have time to schedule a massage with her.  During labor, she and my husband were a magical team, combining lots of creative positions, baths, jokes, encouragement, and often times sheer physical support when my pain prevented me from bearing my own weight.  When my body wanted to push long before I was dialated enough to do so, Sancken breathed with me in a way that eventually allowed me to control those urges.  When I was about to cave into drugs, Sancken's insight helped me to find the light at the end of the tunnel and the strength to carry on without the drugs. Then when I was finally ready to push, Sancken gave me a rhythm of breathing and pushing that kept me focused on the task at hand and made the most of my waning energy.  She got along so well with the OB that the doctor asked for her help as the baby crowned. Both my husband and I are so grateful to have had Sancken's support throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum and I would recommend her to anyone.

Sancken is a very passionate person and her love for the birth of children is unmistakable.  We were fortunate enough to be her first client and she was very professional and friendly at the beginning.  I can only imagine how she has grown since our child's birth and how much she has learned along the way.  I can honestly say that I would have her as my doula again. 

From the moment I met Sancken her passion for helping families through (and after) the birthing process was amazing.

She is caring, open and willing to do what she needs to do to help the family and baby! Having a Doula created a peace of mind for us as first time parents. She truly helps connect dads in this experience. 

She is an excellent Doula and I would highly recommend her to any one expecting a baby!

We are so glad that we had Sancken with us for our birth. She was calm, confident, and full of suggestions about how to keep the process moving, and we didn't have to worry about anything, or think about what was happening, because she was always at least one step ahead of us.We totally recommend her - she know what she is doing, and is full of passion and commitment for what she does. She helped both of us get the most out of the labor experience- and it would not have been anything like as straightforward without her. The best recommendation we can give is that if and when we have another child on the way we will not hesitate to use her again. THANK YOU Sancken!

Sancken is AMAZING! It's hard for me to put into words just how wonderful she really is. I recently had a successful VBAC with Sancken as my doula. Sancken had a great deal to do with our success. (I use the word "our" because Sancken not only provided support to me throughout my pregnancy, labor, and delivery; but she also supported and guided my husband through the process). Sancken provided an immense amount of emotional support to me throughout the process of preparing for a VBAC. She had so many recommendations for us from preparing my body for labor to helping my body embrace labor at the end of my pregnancy. When the time to labor finally arrived, Sancken's intuition and guidance transcended all of my expectations. She committed to us fully, and through her we were able to rise up to the VBAC experience. As I type this I am still in awe of what she did for our family. Tears come to my eyes as I think about it. She was right there by my side through the entire labor and instilled confidence in me. The labor techniques she taught us were a major key to our success. She helped us determine when it was time to go to the hospital to finish our labor. The timing was so perfect. I felt like we went through transition labor and pushing as a team (Sancken, my husband and me). My beautiful baby girl was brought into this world via VBAC, and I know that Sancken had much to do with that. She is a phenomenal doula, a kind spirit, and full of life. She is passionate about all things pregnancy and birth. She is AMAZING!

We love Sancken! This was our first pregnancy and we thought it might be helpful to have a doula for support, it was the BEST thing we could have done, and Sancken was a perfect match for us. During our pregnancy, she provided us with loads of information, she was always available for any questions we had, and the prenatal massages were a fabulous treat! Our delivery was a beautiful experience, full of loving support., it was so great to have someone there keeping us calm, guiding us through each moment, teaching us how to really support one another, it was especially reassuring for my husband to have her there,  and the cherry on top was being able to share in the joy of our baby coming into the world with someone that we grew to love and trust.