Emily K

1/16/2024

This was our second child and we were looking for a new doula after moving cross country. We loved our first doula we had in WA and didn’t know what to expect in our search for a second doula.

By a stroke of luck we found Laura and she was available around our due date! Laura was a spectacular doula for us and eased fears we had around our home birth. Her love and light is contagious as soon as she walks through the door. She is a reiki master and does CST and was able to guide, soothe, and help through contractions to help baby arrive happy and healthy. We would recommend Laura for anyone looking for a friendly and accessible approach to the birthing process and/or home birth. The most valuable part of doula care for us was the blueprint Laura provided for us to plan and prepare as much as we could but also be open and to roll with what comes. We chose Laura as our doula for her experience and integrative care and feel we have gained an extension of our family.

Mare

1/13/2024

Laura has been doing body work and CST on my older daughter over the years and I've always appreciated her insights and felt better leaving her office even though I wasn't the one she worked on. After getting pregnant with my second, I knew I wanted her in my corner. As our doula she took time to get to know our wants and needs. She provided tips and shared her experience and research to help me make the best decision for us. I also went to Laura for bodywork regularly during pregnancy and felt great all the way till the end. While at the end she didn't make it to the labor (she didn't stand a chance! We arrived at the birth center about 10min before her and I had the baby 5min before she got there), Laura gave me a list of exercises to do while I was at home laboring that I believe helped me progress quickly. I trust her completely and appreciate her gifts as a doula and a healer.

Kendra Troske

3/13/2023

I decided to work with a doula five months in to my second pregnancy and I came across Laura after a good amount of research.  Laura stood out to me first because of all the incredible trainings, skills, and credentials she has.  Once we talked I felt an instant connection and knew I wanted her on my team.   From lactation consulting to her expertise in energy and body work, she was able to provide so much support to me throughout my pregnancy and well after (in fact she still is).  Pregnancy and childbirth is wonderful and challenging.  Laura helped me advocate for myself and baby as well as develop the confidence to have the birth I wanted (which happened to be natural).  Her approach to care is holistic and comprehensive and she truly knows and cares so much about her field.

I’ll never forget looking over my right shoulder to see her during my birth. Figuratively and literally, she never left my side. Her presence and guidance that day was so much of what made my baby’s entrance successful. If you’re considering a doula I would absolutely recommend Laura as she is the best partner and guide I could have imagined!

Stacy Bates

8/26/2021

I can't speak highly enough of Laura's knowledge, compassion, and       skills as a doula. I felt so safe and supported during my pregnancy and birth knowing she was by my side. I felt so comfortable sharing my concerns with her and she always had the best information and the wisdom that only a very well prepared and educated doula could have. Her overall demeanor is so calming and easy, exactly what I needed in my birthing time. Her knowledge and experience with Spinning Babies and Cranial Sacral Therapy were added bonuses I didn't even realize we needed. I would hire here a million times! ?? Forever grateful for her! 

Joanna Roth

7/3/2021

We had Laura attend our 3rd birth (2nd hypnobaby) in March at the Minnesota birth center.  I was a little nervous about the birth center as my first birth we had some complications, but with covid wanted to avoid the hospital.  I am so glad we did on Laura's suggestion.  Having Laura's calm demeanor yet proactive approach was exactly what we needed to bring our almost 10lbs baby earth side.  

Her knowledge of positioning baby right, hypnobabies and CST helped put baby in the right position to have a relatively quick and comfortable birth.  The trust I had with her knowing we were all on one team to welcome baby was the relief I needed to birth our baby.

My husband was worried a doula would mean he didn't play as big of a role, it is exactly the opposite.  He was able to be more involved with her suggestions and guidance.  I have had 3 doulas, if we have a 4th, I will absolutely have Laura by my side!

Gina Dolski

11/1/2020

Laura is truly an amazing birth professional. As a fellow birth worker, I have had the pleasure of seeing the confidence many families gain by taking her Hypnobabies classes. It's always a pleasure to support one of Laura's families as their Hypnodoula, because I feel so confident they'll not only feel prepared, but empowered to have a beautiful and positive birthing time. I've also called on Laura to support clients when they've needed bodywork during their birth, relying on her expertise as a CST. I've always felt at peace knowing my families are in excellent and skilled hands. Laura is truly one-of-a-kind, and I enthusiastically recommend her classes at All Things Birth and CST services are Bloom Into Balance. 

Jen Cosmano

3/11/2020

"I can't believe I just did that" I think I said that about 30 times the night my son was born. His birth wasn't a quick one nor was it easy but it was powerful, full of love and support, and felt so incredibly safe. This was how I wanted to feel during my vbac and Laura played a huge role in making it all come to fruition. 

Along with her essential oils and a beautiful smile which seemed to tell everyone in the birthing room "everything is happening just as it should" Laura brought with her powerful skills, a deep level of birthing knowledge, passion, and respect for the birthing process.  Her ability to offer the perfect hynobabies scripts at just the right moment, her body work, attention, calming demeanor, and support made her, as our midwife said, "the perfect doula for [our] family".

Getting the birth you want takes work, time, communication, and a well thought out plan along with a great deal of flexibility. Laura not only completely trained us in hynobabies she also walked alongside my husband and I as we took all of the other important steps to prepare. 

After our son's birthday Laura checked in, offered suggestions when I needed them, and came to our home inorder to reflect on the day and share her detailed notes. I wanted to remember everything about our day and Laura's documentation was  so incredibly valuable. She even gave pictures and a video which we will cherish forever.

The day I brought my son into the world and earned my vbac was the most powerful day of my life. So many things had to fall into place inorder for this to happen and inviting Laura into our birthing room was the best decision I made. Any mother would consider themselves so incredibly lucky to have Laura by her side on what will become the biggest day off her life. I am eternally grateful that she was by my side. 

Amy

1/2/2020

We were so lucky to have Laura as our doula for our second baby. After a long and traumatic first birth, we wanted a more experienced doula this time. I was specifically seeking out someone with experience in bodywork, and Laura was able to use this knowledge to help my body relax and continue to progress during labor. She is a calming presence and so intuitive. She somehow knew exactly what I needed whether it be words, touch, food/water, or rest, without me having to talk. She was a huge support for my husband as well. She also encapsulated my placenta and was able to get it back to me very quickly, and has provided me with so much support even after the birth. I very highly recommend her!

Gemuel Brewer

6/19/2019

Laura is awesome. She was the perfect doula for our family and the birth of our baby boy. Seriously, my husband and I couldn’t have asked for a better doula to help us welcome our little guy! This was our third birth and first time having a doula. I so wish we would have had Laura for our first two! We did the Hypnobabies home study course as it was difficult to take the class with two other little kiddos at home. Her support throughout the course was incredible. She answered all our questions and made us feel confident for birthing day. She’s very knowledgeable.  We completely believe in the Hypnobabies course and are blown away by how effective it is! We highly recommend! I went into this birth with no fear thanks to Laura and Hypnobabies! She’s caring, sweet, gentle, calm, a joy to be around, and incredibly supportive. We highly recommend getting the invaluable support of a doula like Laura.

Jen Bromley

1/10/2019

Laura was the perfect doula for me and my family! I wanted to have a hypno-babies birth, but I could not attend a class, so I did the homestudy system and Laura supported me throughout my study. She was always available to answer my questions. She was encouraging and supportive, but she is also not a pushover and was very clear about what I needed to do to stay on track.

The thing that I appreciate most about Laura is how she worked with my husband, who was very resistant to having a doula at our birth. She had to deal with him with kid gloves, but she did it quite gracefully despite his resistance and sometimes antagonism. Even though we were challenging to work with in that way, she aced it!

I remember when Laura arrived at my birth, she came straight over an started putting counter pressure on my back. When it came time to push, I was on my side facing my husband and she was at my back. While he was cheering me on, she was giving me specific strategies and feedback, like "Relax your butt into the bed," and "low moans." Her knowledge and guidance were so valuable to me in that moment!

It was so reassuring to have her in the room because she knew and supported my birth plan and because I trusted her and skills and expertise. I recommend her 100%!

Brandon Allen

8/24/2018

I could not imagine our birth without Laura. She is truly incredible and respected and advocated for us the whole time. She was our Hypnobabies instructor and our doula which was an amazing combination. I will spare the details but my wife had an exceptionally difficult birth with our first and it was Laura that kept everything together the whole time. She has a special place in our hearts and you should absolutely consider her for your birth no matter what your birthing plan is to see how very special this incredible woman is!

Carina Dillon

2/25/2018

We had a wonderful experience working with Laura. My husband and I took her hypnobabies class, had her as our doula and also did placenta encapsulation. i really felt that Laura knew what relaxation techniques would work best for me and seeing her during my birthing time really made me feel assured that everything would go as it should- and it did. I had such an enjoyable birth and almost exactly as I had envisioned it. Thank you again Laura!

Cassie Hunt

2/22/2018

Laura is a wonderful person and would be an amazing doula to anyone who’s looking for one! I met her when she taught the hypnobabies course my husband and I signed up for. It was amazing getting to know her over the 6 weeks we had our class. She really helped steer our birth experience in a positive way. She helped us make a huge change to our birth plan very late into our pregnancy (35 weeks) by deciding to switch from our OB and hospital birth to switching to a birth center with midwives instead. It made the transition much easier on us by having her support! She is full of knowledge and experience in birthing babies! She is very supportive and would make herself available to you for whatever you would need. I would highly recommend her as a doula or as a hypnobabies instructor!

Amy Leh Jensen

2/22/2018

I had a wonderful experience with Laura before, during, and after the birth of my first son. She was attentive to our specific needs, and adapted with us as we made decisions that best suited our situation. She was an amazing support to me and my husband during my birthing time. Laura is knowledgable and was able to give us more information on things that came up during the birth so we were able to make the most informed decisions. Her spirit was kind and gentle and she handled me, my husband, our families, and the hospital staff well and with grace. I would recommend her to anyone who is looking for a doula! She also provided services we were interested in like hypnobabies, lactation help, encapsulation, and post partum care!

Nicole Swentek

1/15/2018

Laura was a wonderful doula during my birthing time. She was a calm and thoughtful presence, encouraging and warm. She helped keep me on track with my hypnobabies hypnosis, helped with EO's when nauseated and, yet, wasn't over-bearing. She met us at our home for a few hours before following us to our birthing place, a birth center in St. Paul. She remained with us until my daughter was born - 24 hours later! I can't recommend Laura enough.

Sarah Haglund

11/19/2017

Laura is such a genuine woman that is passionate about seeing birth as empowering and beautiful. She makes you feel 100% confident and capable of your ability to birth and to birth peacefully without feeling rushed or overwhelmed. She was such a gift to have at our son's birth and she was so peaceful and calm. There were multiple times she would do specific moves on me while I would be having waves (aka contractions) and she really really helped to ease the discomfort. She believed in me and supported me and my husband and baby SO well. She was a constant resource and always available. I never felt like a burden to her and we will always highly esteem, value and love Laura! We also did hypnobabies through her and she is so knowledgeable. I feel privileged to have gotten to work with Laura. SHE IS AWESOME IN EVERY WAY!!! : - )

Megan Orr Szarzynski

8/6/2017

I had looked at a number of doulaswebsites and Facebook pages but none compared to the robust, thorough site of Laura's which covered a ton of info and gave me a true sense of who she is, what she knows, how she practices, and her experience. We met for a coffee so I could learn more about her and I was taken with her combination of warmth and approachability with professionalism and  seriousness about her work. Throughout my pregnancy she checked in via text, asking how I was and if I had any questions. I loved our meetings prior to going into labor, as she was super organized and intentional about what we needed to cover. She would bring her laptop and have prepared questions she would ask that gave her the full picture of what I wanted my experience to look like. This paid off during my labor, as she right away told my midwife something about that I didn't want to know how dilated i was, and I had completely forgotten I had told her that. But she had noted it months before and reviewed her notes before meeting me at the birth center (or maybe she just has an excellent memory). Once at the birth center, she was reassuring, supportive, and 110% focused and present. I tell you, this woman is the labor whisperer. Seriously. She knew what to say, what to do, and what not to say or do. She knew when to force feed me oatmeal for god's sake. She helped my husband help me by making suggestions or subtly gesturing to him what to do. Laura was a quiet presence, knew when to talk, when to suggest a different position. She had a bag full of magical aids like homeopathy, essential oils, music, etc. When my midwife got a bit too firm for my liking, Laura was a gentle presence and gave me a knowing glance helping me shake it off. She is just plain and simple gifted for this work, and then brings a level of professionalism and preparation that makes for an amazing combination. Not to mention the most reassuring smile (with dimple!) this side of the Mississippi.

Margaret Dunne

7/18/2017

I did not plan on having a doula, but signed up for Laura's Hypnobabies course. She was so awesome--very knowledgable, easy to talk to and positive. We decided to hire her as our doula, and are so happy we did. Laura met us at the MN Birth Center and really helped me through tough back/hip labor and 4 hours of pushing. She was great at suggesting different positions, reminding me me to use my Hypnobabies cues, saying positive, encouraging things, and pushing on my back and hips to help ease my discomfort. I felt I never had to ask her for anything--she intuitively knew what I needed and was one step ahead of me! Laura was also great in advocating for my Birth Plan preferences. My midwife wanted to give me pitocin to help birth the placenta, which I had wanted to birth naturally, and Laura suggested squatting instead, which worked! Laura really helped ease my mind and worries beforehand, and helped so much during my birthing time. She is always available for questions or concerns and really eager to help. Plus, she is just a fun person to be around! I highly reccommend Laura!

Leah Gangl

4/19/2017

Jackie Parks

4/12/2017

My husband and I decided to start looking for a doula after we found out our baby was breech.  After meeting with Laura, we decided to use her because of her experience with spinning babies, her personality, and her knowledge with birthing.  Full disclosure, we did plan on using drugs in a hospital for our birth, so hypnobabies was not a major priority for us. This was the best decision that we could have made for our birthing process.  She was an amazing resource to go to with questions, she has lots of connections that she was very willing to share with us, and was available anytime that we needed her.  She even came to the appointment to have the doctor try and spin the baby!  In the end, our little boy was too far wedged in that we were not able to spin him and had to go the c-section route.  This was a hard decision for me personally, but Laura was there every step of the way.  She sugested a hynobabies track to help prepare me mentally for what would happen, talked us through what our options were with having a c-section (delayed cord clamp, gentle birth for how they can take him out, clear drape so I can see what was going on, essential oils to keep me calm, music playlist, etc), and helped us with our birth plan.  She even kept my husband calm in a situation that can be very stressful! Words cannot express everything that Laura did for us during this time.  I woud highly suggest that anyone use her for their doula no matter their situation.  We will be using her again when we are ready for baby number 2.

Alex Barnard

8/1/2016

I took Laura's HypnoBabies class and my husband and I had an amazing experience! She is very calm and knowledgable and genuinely cares about her clients and the people in her class! She works very hard and you can really tell how important she finds you. I have nothing but good things to say about Laura. We had an amazing experience because of her and she has become a good friend through it all!

Shelley Moen Gardner

4/23/2015

Laura was so good to us. Working with her helped ease my anxiety about giving birth. I texted and emailed her several times with questions as they arose. She's as sweet as a person can be, and never made me feel silly about my fears and anxieties. As it turned out, I had a scheduled c-section due to placenta previa. That did not mean she wasn't involved. She took us to the hospital and stayed with us until we were comfy in our hospital room. In fact, she was there for the surgery alongside my husband! That was really cool. She brought us essential oils to calm the nerves and helped deal with the hospital staff. We were COMPLETELY taken care of! A million thanks to Laura!

jennifer strahan

3/1/2015

Laura was reccommended to me by my Hypnobabies instructor, whom I had originally planned on hiring as my birth doula.  Hiring my instructor made sense since we had already met and my partner and I liked her, and the whole interview/search process just gives me anxiety. She ended up not being available, and no offense to her as I'm sure she would have been great, but after our interview with Laura I was so glad things turned out the way they did. I pretty much fell in love. She was so easy to talk to, warm and cheerful, and hiring her was seriously one of the most exciting things I experienced during my pregnancy since I couldn't believe my luck, hitting it off so well on only my second try out of hundreds of choices in the area. Laura did some great things during my pregnancy, helping me with some Spinning Babies exercises and hooking me up with a deal for an excellent massage therapist, plus she prepared my placenta, but where she was absolutely essential was during my home birth. I was taken aback pretty early in my labor, being a first-timer, and was entertaining fantasies about going to the hospital for painkillers. When Laura arrived and got to work, that all melted away. I don't think I could have worked my Hypnobabies without her. And boy did we put her to work. My labor was on the long end time-wise, and Laura was there the whole time supporting me verbally and physically, AND helping my mom out emotionally, plus taking pictures! I had an episiotomy and Laura stuck around to help me get through being sutured. She helped keep my dog calm! At my last post-partum checkup my midwife told me she thinks Laura might be her "new favorite doula" (ssshh don't tell the other doulas!) I honestly can't say enough about how much we appreciated having Laura attend our birth, and when we start trying for another she is going to be the first person we call.

Leah Gangl

1/5/2015

I didn’t think I needed a doula. My husband and I choose to go with a midwife that would support our choice to have a natural and hopefully intervention-free delivery. We took special baby classes and also a hypnobabies class. I thought we had it covered. However, the closer we got to the birth of our child the more anxiety seemed to build. Would we remember what to do when we get to the hospital? Will I follow through with my Hypnobabies techniques? What if one of us totally loses it?!

With all of these thoughts swirling it became apparent that a doula might be a good idea. That’s when Laura entered the picture. Within 10 minutes of meeting her, our worries, and especially my husband’s anxiety were put at bay. Looking back now, the extra time she took with us to plan and prepare before the birth of our daughter was so instrumental in her successful arrival. Even though we had spent so much time preparing with classes, it was still impersonal. Laura focused on figuring out what experience we desired and customized her approach to fit our needs.

When it came time to have our baby, Laura was there every step of the way. She added so much calm and helped me implement hypnobabies during my birthing experience. She stayed with us the entire time and that consistency helped me stay focused, which I believe helped me have a quicker and more comfortable birth.

After our birth, Laura took the extra time to check in on us on a regular basis. She also did our placenta encapsulation and provided post-partum support. Her support is continuous and didn’t end with the birth of our daughter. I feel like she has become extended family and I can’t imagine not having Laura as our Doula again in the future. We consider ourselves very lucky to have had the experience we had bringing our daughter into the world with the help of Laura.

Laura Nelson

12/31/2014

I am so thankful to have had Laura Hanstad as the second doula at my successful VBAC birth! She was such a warm and calming presence and had such a positive attitude. She helped create the supportive, safe atmosphere that I needed and wanted for my birth.

I had studied hypnobabies to prepare for the birth, and she helped me stay relaxed and focused. She also gave the best massages during my labor!

I had a very calm and totally natural birth, and I think having doula support was a big part of that. Thank you Laura!!

Shannon Eisentrager

12/15/2014

Initially we didn’t plan on having a doula. But once we started Hypnobabies classes, we realized it would be a good idea to work with a Hypno-doula to help us get the most out of our Hypnobabies training. We interviewed several doulas, and just felt instantly comfortable with Laura. She was easy to talk to and I loved her positive energy!

Our birth ended up getting a bit more complicated than I imagined, and having Laura there to support us during some very difficult decisions was so useful. Her presence gave us additional confidence and while things didn’t go as planned, I feel like I still maintained some control over the situation. Laura was also great at getting me to move around and do things I really didn’t want to do! We went for a walk at 2 a.m. and did bleacher lunges the next day at a neighborhood park.

I would highly recommend Laura to anyone, especially mamas who are planning to have a Hypnobabies birth!

Jessica Shryack

11/24/2014

Laura Hanstad could possibly be the world's best doula. Case in point: my birth experience.

I was terrified of childbirth. I said for YEARS that I would definitely have an epidural. I couldn't understand why women would want it any other way. Someone once said to me, "Just find out more about natural birth before you have a baby." So, I left the door a little, teeny, tiny bit open. Even after hiring Laura as my doula, I still left the door open for an epidural if I "couldn't handle it."

I called Laura around 2am the night I went into labor. I was full of anxiety. I was freaked out! Within 25 minutes she was at my place, doula bag ready. Within five minutes of her arriving, she was successfully helping me do deep breathing and massaging my back. Within a few hours, I was sleeping. When we went to the hospital, I didn't worry about anything. She helped us plan in advance everything we'd need - and she brought comforting extras like warm socks, a blanket, even a ponytail holder! I spent the next six hours sleeping, squeezing her hand, listening to her remind me about the positive statements we practiced...and I just breathed through the whole thing with her support. I was comfortable and felt totally capable. By 12:15pm, I had my baby. Within two hours, I was out of bed, walking around, joking with my family.

I always describe my birth as a calm, meditative experience. No drugs, no feeling out of control. I am 99 percent sure that this would not have been possible without Laura's thoughtful, collaborative planning beforehand and calming, supportive presence during the birth. With Laura, I had one of the most empowering, amazing experiences of my life!

She literally is the: Best. Doula. Ever!

Tara Jackson

11/12/2014

My family had a wonderful experience with Laura as our Hypno-Doula- it ended up being one of the best decisions we could have made! Our daughter was born via natural water birth on 9/10/14 at Woodwinds Hospital.  We discovered at 37 weeks that she was breech and Laura offered great advice on exercises and positioning and lots of encouragement to help flip her.  She recommended listening to the Hypnobabies Flip your Breech Baby track and the next day when we went to the hospital to have her turned, we discovered that the baby had turned on her own!

Laura was readily available for us by text and email to answer questions and was so incredibly nice and sweet to work with.  She helped me visualize the birth I wanted and it was eerily close to what we had pictured!  She is incredibly nurturing and positive and she kept me focused on my Hypnobabies tools so that I acheived the peaceful, joyful birth I wanted.

Initially we thought we wouldn't need doula services since we felt we would be well prepared with the Hypnobabies classes.  But ultimimately my boyfriend felt he needed someone there more familiar and comfortable with the scripts and physical prompts during my birth (relax and peace cues). Laura provided him with great direction so he was able to care for me by providing water and cold wash cloths (which kept him busy and me energized and hydrated), while Laura was able to work with me on staying calm, relaxed and in hypnosis.  This birth was amazing and was a completely different experience from my first birth, which had been so chaotic and had resulted in some unwanted interventions.

Laura has also provided excellent  post partum care as well as placenta encapsulation.  My body feels amazing after giving birth naturally- I had no tearing, very little bleeding and have over all felt very positive and energetic.  I would higly recommend Laura to anyone looking for an excellent doula!

jennifer sippel

11/10/2014

June 12, 2014 - Our Birthing Day

Hiring Laura to be our doula during the late winter of 2014 was one of the best (and easiest) decisions Jon and I have made as parents. She is knowledgeable, experienced, confident and supportive. Simply put, Laura is an amazing doula. She introduced us to Hypnobabies, which is what we ended up using as our birthing technique, so that I could have a drug free birthing experience, which I did. She helped us not only find a birthing technique/philosophy that matched our interests and needs, she also consulted with us throughout the pregnancy to help us prepare mentally, physically and emotionally for our new arrival, as this baby was our first! She helped us through some of our fears, and provided ongoing love and support. (How can one possibly even compensate someone for those kinds of things?)

Some favorite memories include our in-home consultations, where we worked through all sorts of emotions together and made plans for the future, and her meetings with me at work to read me my hypnobabies scripts. She also checked-in frequently via text & email to see how we were doing, and she shared resources with us as appropriate. She waited patiently with us for baby to come, and when it was time, she arrived at the hospital at the exact perfect moment of our easy birthing (aka- active labor) and was a total rock star birthing coach for us. She took charge in exactly the way we needed her to, and encouraged each of us every step of the way until baby Dylan was in our arms.