Stacy Swain Doula Profile

Working with Stacy was a complete joy from the beginning.  She is kind, knowledgeable, patient and comfortable to be around and be with.  There's a certain amount of modesty that needs to be put aside when the experience of birth is in the room, and Stacy always had a very easy way of putting mom and dad at the center and making everyone calm and focused.

On my son's birthday, Stacy came to our home and my wife labored at home for a few hours till we decided that it was time to go to the hospital.  At the hospital, Stacy was a fantastic advocate for us and worked very closely with our midwife to be sure that our desires and our decisions were respected and heard clearly.

We had the goal of a natural, unmedicated birth. After getting "stuck" at 9.5cm for almost 6 hours, we faced a moment of decision and Stacy guided us to a great place.  She made sure that we had the peace, the time, the calm and the information to focus on the decisions we needed to make, and made sure we made decisions based on what *we* wanted and what *we* needed.  And her presence made sure that the midwife knew were in good hands and trusted our good guidance.

Our son was born almost 18 hours later and Stacy was with us all the way, as an incredible partner through the experience.

It's funny how sometimes the little things make you realize how good of hands you're in. Stacy knew that we would be exhausted when our son was finally in our arms, so when dinner went by (with 6 hours to go till delivery) she made sure that it was tucked away in the ward fridge. After 30 minutes with our baby boy, she walked in with a tray full of food and we all realized how famished we were! It's a little thing, but it made me realize that Stacy was looking out for us on every level.

Thanks Stacy. You're amazing!

Stacy is a wealth of knowledge! She answered a ton of questions that my husband and I had regarding breastfeeding, labor, natural childbirth and newborn care.She offered CPR and infant massage which my daughter loves! Stacy is straightforward yet has a very nuturing and maternal way about her. I felt comfortable asking her advice on many different issues. She is very professional and loves and believes in what she does. I was sad that due to circumstances she wasn't able to be present at the birth of my daughter, but she checked in the next day to make sure that mom and baby (and dad!) were all doing fine! I would highly recommend Stacy as a doula,her expertise and passion is unmatched.

After spending a mere 48 hours with Stacy, I can say that I felt as if I have known her for a lifetime...Watching my daughter experience labor and childbirth was so amazing, however the pain that she contended with, would be upsetting to any mother...I knew that my daughter was in good hands with Stacy...Her knowledge was outstanding, and her genteel manner created the atmosphere of a yoga retreat!!!  Stacy never once mentioned that she herself was exhausted or hungry...When I finally insisted that she take a break, eat and relax, she did so reluctantly...It was so apparent that my daughter's well being and that of the baby was her only true concern.

 If I had the opportunity to experience childbirth again, I would, without a doubt bring Stacy into my life...Had I known her 30 years ago when giving birth for the first time, I imagine that my c - section  could have been avoided  having Stacy's expertise, and calm in the picture.

 I would recommend Stacy Swain to any young woman who wants to experience childbirth in a positive and unforgettable light..She is truly one of a kind as far as special people that I have known in my life.

When we learned that we were expecting our first child- we were thrilled! We started reading about pregnancy and birth and decided that a natural birth was the best for us. We took a class at a local center, and that's where we met Stacy. We immediately liked her humor and style, and the breadth of her knowledge and advice left us confident in her ability to answer our (many, many) questions. Stacy helped organize our ideas about what we hoped our birth experience would be into a plan of action. She taught us breathing and relaxation techniques and helped us understand what to expect during labor. She taught my husband massages and pressure point techniques that were amazing and helped him determine his roll in labor.

Before our daughter was born, Stacy came to our home multiple times to get to know us and to prepare us for birth and becoming parents. She also taught us infant CPR and infant massage. When the day came, she came to our home again and helped me through hours of labor- and when it was time to go to the hospital, was right with us every step of the way. Having her with us helped both my husband and I because we had a resource who knew what to expect, and what our options were during labor. She stayed in the background, giving massages and breathing instructions, until we needed her or asked her opinion about some course of action or suggested intervention during labor. She never intruded on our wishes or the experience. She was with us through the entire long, long labor and for a few hours after our daughter was born to help us with any questions we had. Once we went home, Stacy came again to visit us and the baby and to see how we were getting along, answer the new myriad of questions we had, and generally gave us confidence we were lacking as new first-time parents.

If you're considering hiring a doula or labor coach, I would unreservedly recommend Stacy Swain. Having her with us was a blessing!
 

We interviewed a few Doulas when looking for the right person to help guide my husband and I through my first pregnancy and delivery. We clicked with Stacy right away. Before labor she was very accomodating to our schedule and met with us a few times to make sure she understood our approach to the process and all of our concerns. We also took advantage of the infant CPR and infant massage instruction that she offers.

I was hoping for an unmedicated childbirth at a local hospital. When I went into labor, she came to our home to help me stay out of the hospital as long as possible. During labor, she used counter-pressure and massage, at my request, to keep me more comfortable and seemed to know what I needed before I did. When things took an unexpected turn during my delivery, Stacy was the one who really connected with me and helped me own the decisions that needed to be made. She also kept the family we had waiting in the waiting room aware of how things were going. All in all, my 22 hour labor was a positive experience and I owe much of that to Stacy. I can't recommend her highly enough.

 Stacy was my doula for the planned homebirth of my third child. This birth was also a successful VBAC. I had a midwife assisted homebirth for my first child, an attempted homebirth turned c-section for my second and was very hopeful for a HBAC for my third. With Stacy's help, this dream became a reality. I interviewed several doulas and decided to hire Stacy based on her experience, her knowledge on coping technques in labor, and baby positioning strategies.  She was optimistic throughtout my pregnancy and incredibly supportive through my labor. I was lucky to have her with me at this birth and truly feel her support and encouragement helped me acheive this HBAC!

My husband and I met Stacy through a natural childbirth class. With our first child we had a wonderful birth, which included an epidural. When I became pregnant with our second child, I was really interested in natural childbirth. My husband was tremendously supportive. I tried to do everything I could to be prepared, which included signing up for Stacy’s class.

My husband and I loved the class, and we immediately liked Stacy. She was very knowledgeable and impressed us as being kind, understanding, supportive and flexible. And she gave awesome massages! We were already considering a doula, but we hadn’t interviewed anyone yet. Once we met Stacy, we didn’t look for anyone else.

Stacy was really helpful and encouraging! She responded promptly to all email. She shared valuable information and advice with us. We were so happy and relaxed, knowing Stacy would be with us.

The big day arrived, and we were blessed to experience the natural birth I had dreamed about. We were at a big city hospital, and Stacy interacted well with the staff. I was thrilled the staff left us alone in a distant, corner room. They could see that my husband and I were doing well under Stacy’s gentle leadership. She never left our side. She was quietly encouraging and listened to everything we said. She had wonderful suggestions, including several different positions. She took precious pictures of our baby entering the world, which I now cherish. She helped our first breastfeeding go smoothly. Then she made sure we were all set and left us to enjoy the rest of the amazing day.

Stacy will always be special to us, and we’re lucky to know her. She was the main reason both of us were so relaxed, and she enabled us to enjoy a 100% natural birth that incredibly met all the goals of my birth plan. We’re grateful our healthy baby arrived peacefully, and we recommend Stacy without reservation.

We LOVED working with Stacy Swain! I had heard of a Doula and thought that this type of service might be what I needed to ease my fear of childbirth. My husband was worried that a Doula would cut him out of the birthing process…but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

After interviewing Stacy, we just knew she was the right choice. She was kind, patient, funny and well…normal (haha). We felt at ease knowing that someone would be looking out for me / us and could guide us through the birthing process. We created a birth plan together and wanted as natural a birth as possible, but without any preconceived expectations. When the big day arrived, Stacy had helpful advice for laboring at home and met us at the hospital to stay with us until our baby arrived.

She was a wonderful asset to have with us during the birthing experience…she helped keep me as comfortable as possible, she showed my husband what to do so he felt confident in assisting me, she made sure he got a break to eat or to update our relatives, and since she knew the terminology she was able to help us when we didn’t understand what was happening. Plus, with her knowledge of baby massage, first aid and advice after we went home…we felt we were better prepared for this next chapter of our lives.

I can’t say enough good things about Stacy Swain or our wonderful birth experience! I already have an open-date pre-booking for her for our next baby!
 

My wife and I first met our doula at a birth preparation class and I’ll admit that I was a little overwhelmed. I’m a type-A personality who has been successful because I do my homework, practice, and perform well under pressure. Childbirth is a different ballgame. It’s totally new, there’s no way to practice, everyone goes through it differently, and there is more on the line than any business deal. Plus your wife is in a good amount of pain, which is unsettling in the least. It didn’t take us long to decide that we needed someone with the experience of multiple childbirths on our side to coach and help us.

As prepared as I thought I was, when the time came I found myself looking through notes to figure out how far apart contractions needed to be, how long they should be, and what phase of labor my wife was in. As soon as our doula, Stacy Swain arrived, everything got easier. As a husband my task immediately changed from trying to remember timelines and relaxation techniques to following Stacy’s advice and being a comfort to my wife.

When it came to pain management, we discussed pain meds or an epidural, and although my wife didn’t have a problem with either, her goal was to do things as naturally as possible with the hope of avoiding a C-section. Thanks to the techniques suggested by Stacy, my wife proved without a doubt that she is stronger than me and made it through 18 hours of labor without any pain.

I now emphatically tell anyone who is expecting to use a doula. Don’t even think about it…use a doula. If you’re in the Boston / NH area, use Stacy Swain in particular. Stacy was very knowledgeable, calm ‘under fire’, and was instrumental in the before, during, and after periods of our birthing experience.  We’re so grateful to have had the guidance of Stacy at what was undoubtedly the most important moment of our lives.