Chloe French -

Wow. I do not know where to even begin about the level of care Chloe provided me as my doula.

Chloe was my doula during a pregnancy after losing a baby. My goal was to have a V-BAC which many physicians in my area did not want to do because of V-BACS not being common in my geographical area/ local hospital.  Chloe guided me and supported me in so many ways during pregnancy and was there to support me in MY birth plan and helped me achieve a very successful vaginal birth after cesarean. I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy and it all went incredibly smooth and Chloe was the best advocate. I cannot say enough about her abilities as a doula- both professionally, emotionally when I needed it, and spiritually. I highly recommend Chloe French as a doula...She is a wealth of knowledge, passion and love for families and babies to give them the birth that will truly remain in their memories forever as a beautiful experience.

Extremely pleased with this doula...and I believe my little one was too : )

Posted 9/19/2012

 My husband and I hired Chloé for our first pregnancy. We were both very excited and a little terrified as I wanted an all natural birth. From the time we met her, she was nothing but encouraging and informative! She recommended several books and sources with information for the pregnancy, labor and delivery. She made both of us feel so much more comfortable about choosing to have a natural birth - something that seems unheard of now-a-days.
The day I went into labor, I felt very prepared (as much as a first time mother could be) thanks to Chloé's help. She was nothing but encouraging and supportive the entire 27 hours I was at the hospital! She stayed the entire time - never complaining! - and always helping to make me more comfortable with a new labor position or foot rub or whatever it took. She was wonderful about being helpful and always available, but never in my way or my husbands. She was very respectful of my husband wanting to be very involved and never stepped on any toes - not mine, not my husbands, not my moms.
On top of everything she did for us during the pregnancy and labor, the postpartum visits were a life-savor for me! I was blessed with a lot of help for several weeks after the delivery, but when my son was about 2 months old, I developed mastitis and felt just awful! She came over and sat with me and watched my son while I took a much needed nap so I could get on the road to recovery. She even did a few dishes while my son was napping!
My husband and I are both very thankful we were recommended Chloé. We are truly thankful for all the encouragement and support she gave and cannot wait to hire her again for our next baby - whenever that may be!

Posted 9/6/2012

Searching for a doula can be intimidating.  I was worried by the lack of available birth support in my area and nervous that I would end up with a less than ideal match.  I should not have worried.  Chloe is an extremely well educated, tolerant, empathetic person. I cannot imagine a person more well suited to provide birth support to pregnant women and their partners. 

In our pre birth visits Chloe came to our home armed with books and materials she thought we might find helpful.  We discussed what our goals were and how best to achieve those goals.  When my husband expressed a concern about having the baby in the car, I laughed it off - but Chloe provided him with an excellent resource (an emergency birth manual) that put his mind at ease.  Going into our birth we had all the information we could possibly want or need.

The birth was LONG - much longer than any of us expected.  Chloe was present or available to us for the entire four days I spent having contractions.  She spent the night at our home.  She stayed up with me so my husband could sleep.  She made me tea.  When my confidence waivered, hers did not.  In large part because of her support I made it to 8cm without any medical interventions.  While the birth ultimately ended in a csection, I felt so empowered that we made it as far as we did - and Chloe was supportive of all the choices we made along the way.

After we were home from the hospital, the postpartum visits were a blessing - make sure you take advantage of them!  I'm a very private person, but having Chloe around never felt like an imposition.  She watched the baby so I could get so much needed rest and heal.  At one particularly stressful point, she even did an overnight visit.  At every turn Chloe went above and beyond our expectations to provide excellent care and support before, during, and after the birth.  

Posted 9/6/2012

 Chloe was a very good personality match in a doula for me. She was beyond educated and did not have a moments hesitation sharing her education with me when it would ease my mind or help me through a tough time. It definitely appealed to my inner scientist. But her compassion and empathy probably ended up impressing me the most. When things with my "perfect pregnancy" took a detour toward the end, she was exactly what I needed to help keep a hold on my goals in childbirth. I am quite sure that things might have taken a totally different path if I did not have her support or expertise. My only regret in the doula experience (my first, although it was my second child) was not using the postpartum visit. With things getting so crazy afterward and pushing it to the back burner, I never ended up having her over after my son was born. It may have helped me to process what happened during my "less than ideal" labor and help me realize sooner that I did exactly what I could have done and no less than that. I will be sure to keep that in mind for my next child :) But I would, and do, recommend Chloe to friends who are looking for a doula. Especially ones whose husbands might be a little less than keen on the idea, since my husband said he was very grateful to Chloe and felt really comfortable having her in our birthing experience. I think the combination of knowledgable but not "showy" about it can help some men become more comfortable having someone non-family share such an intimate experience. All-in-all, I was pleased with my choice and wouldn't do anything different.

Posted 9/5/2012

i could not have found a more perfect doula for me! Chloe was absolutely fantastic! She listened to all of our questions & concerns and helped us educate ourselves on a healthy pregnancy and birth. When it came to relaxation & pain management techniques, she had tons of tricks of the trade to share with us.Chloe is vastly knowledgeable in her field. When it came to labor time, she came just when we needed her and helped us labor at home for some time. When we arrived at the hospital, she remained polite and professional towards the staff (who were not always so themselves) while staying by my side as much as possible (as I had wished) and truly was the friend and sister my husband and I needed to get through our natural birth! She was there through every contraction and push and remained to make sure we were okay and our daughter was nursing well after her birth. After the birth, she remains a close friend and has helped me through so much!

Posted 7/11/2011

I was about to try to have my second VBAC in a VBAC hostile hospital.  I felt like I needed a support team.  I was referred to Chloe by another Doula who worked in the area who was booked solid.  I am so so glad that Chloe was available to me.  Chloe met with me several times to discuss the pregnancy and impending birth, she also accompanied me to a prenatal visit with my OB to introduce herself.  Just having her there gave me the confidence to assert my needs and wishes for the birth of my Little One.   When my labor hit like a freight train she rushed to our side and helped me to focus to realize that labor had progressed very fast and it was time to make our way to the hospital for the delivery.  She helped support me to the registry as I was starting to move from active labor to transition.  She stayed with me the whole way and let my Husband finish the registry.  After my little Man was born she let my Husband be with our Son while they cleaned him up and stayed with me during the third stage when I typically need some emotional support.  Having a hand to hold of a friend is invaluable.  I really felt like I had a friend and birth support partner in Chloe.  I would and have recommended her to my pregnant friends and I would use her again if I was ever to have another baby.

Posted 3/6/2011