Lena Wood Doula Profile

For the birth of our second child, my husband and I knew we wanted doulas to help us get through the physical and emotional effort of labor and delivery. We hired Scarlett Lynsky for her calm, practical, flexible, and humorous attitude, and her clear ability to both listen and understand what we wanted. She soon introduced us to Lena Wood, her backup doula for our due date, and we were relieved to have a second person on hand with a similarly calm and understanding attitude towards childbirth. My midwives had told me that my baby's position often correlated with a fast, intense delivery. In my case, however, labor was both long and hard. Scarlett had another client in labor at the same time, so she and Lena traded off shifts at our house and, later, at the hospital. I still can't believe how hard our doulas worked; over the course of nearly two days, they were tireless in their massaging, comforting, and creativity in coming up with techniques to help me adjust to labor and, eventually, to get my baby to come out. In my memory, they were both there all the time, although I know that wasn't the case. They were a warm security blanket, and I couldn't have done it without them. We also really appreciated their two postpartum house calls, to check and see how we were adjusting to life with our new baby. Having them get to know us before the baby was born was essential, because they understood what we wanted and needed better than the hospital staff did. But having them wrap things up afterwards really made it feel like a complete experience.

Lena’s and her doula services are an amazing gift that I would wish upon any expecting mother and family. I had just given birth to twin girls in January 2009 and was expecting a baby boy in May 2010. I was a very busy and pregnant mama, to say the least, when we met Lena in April. Lena’s arrival was a breath of fresh air! She provided child care, light cleaning, meals and education for us prior to the birth of our son. We created a birthing plan to assist with the big day. Our twin daughters fell in love with her from the beginning; they enjoyed playing and singing songs with her while mommy took a much needed nap.

On the day of our son Jaxon’s arrival Lena met us at the hospital. She brought food, gave massage and direction, helped us to keep the environment calm and made sure our labor plan was followed. Lena exudes peacefulness and helped pass that on to me (and my family) during the labor process. She was an amazing addition to my labor team.

After Jaxon returned home, Lena was there to once again provide childcare, information and comfort to make our transition home a smooth one. Lena’s doula services have been invaluable to my family and I. In fact, her assistance contributed to my decision to change careers to a care based occupation. I highly recommend Lena Wood and Cascadia Birth Services.

My husband and I had such a wonderful experience with Lena as our doula. Lena was very professional, caring, and took time to make sure that we felt comfortable and that she had answered any of our questions or concerns as a couple. With our first meeting, Lena brought a sense of peace into our home and we knew that she was the right doula for us. When the time came for the birth of our son, Lena was prompt in meeting us at the hospital and began helping right away. She was with us all night, putting pressure on my back through the contractions, helping me find a rhythm in my labor, and being present with me when needed. She was respectful of my needs as well as my husband's needs and she stayed with us after the birth until we felt comfortable with breastfeeding. My husband and I have both commented on how we wouldn't want to have a baby without her there! She was everything we were hoping for in a doula, and I highly recommend her!