Minnoli & Raja

1/26/2023

Courtney was helping us post delivery (postpardum care) and also took care of our 5 year old daughter. She was a saviour angel for us as we approached her in the last minute.

To start with she is "fantastic, outstanding and highly talented".

Courtney is very highly professional, punctual, disciplined,  helpful, reliable, intelligent, non-judgemental, trustworthy, super friendly, caring and knowldegable.

She educated us in many ways of parenting, infant care , sleep schedules, lactation, sibling care.

Courtney used to bring toys, activities, games, books, home made cookies, home made chocolates for my 5 yr old daughter who really enjoyed her tenure. We felt she is part of our family. All these above were done after the main Doula tasks like taking care of the mother and baby , light meal prep , laundry. One has to learn time management and discipline from her.

This is a 5 star testimonial for Courtney as she went above our expectations.Please don't hesitate to reach out to us for a reference. We are happy to answer any questions.

Nicole Parziale

6/13/2018

Courtney was an amazing Doula and I am so glad I had her before, during and after birth. Courtney was very supportive with that plan I wanted to have, and when my plan fell through she was there helping me advocate for myself when I felt lost and confused. I had a vaginal delivery and I credit Courtney for her expertise on knowing different positions to help move my baby down. She was a great support person and I am glad I found her on DoulaMatch. I also still look at the photo book she made me of my labor, I am so thankful I have such beautiful pictures and still get emotional over them! Thank you Courtney for being an amazing support and forever thankful for you and what you did for Mike, Leopold and I.

Renee Coburn

6/13/2018

As a first time mom, I had a lot of anxiety about pregnancy, giving birth, and parenting. Once I started working with Courtney, I immediately felt a sense of comfort and relief. Prior to the birth of our daughter, she provided incredible support to both my husband and me, empowering us with all the information we needed to make the right decisions for us about our birth plan. My labor was long and difficult and I truly could not have had the natural childbirth I hoped for without Courtney’s unwavering support. I look back on my birth experience with such joy and gratitude due in large part to Courtney. Not only was she a critical support person for me prior to, during, and after the birth of my daughter, she was really effective in supporting and coaching my husband so that he could be fully present for me during labor. Her holistic approach and wealth of knowledge paired with her personal and professional experience made her the perfect doula. Thank you, Courtney, for giving us the support we needed to transition into parenthood with such a positive experience!

Renee Coburn

6/13/2018

As a first time mom, I had a lot of anxiety about pregnancy, giving birth, and parenting. Once I started working with Courtney, I immediately felt a sense of comfort and relief. Prior to the birth of our daughter, she provided incredible support to both my husband and me, empowering us with all the information we needed to make the right decisions for us about our birth plan. My labor was long and difficult and I truly could not have had the natural childbirth I hoped for without Courtney’s unwavering support. I look back on my birth experience with such joy and gratitude due in large part to Courtney. Not only was she a critical support person for me prior to, during, and after the birth of my daughter, she was really effective in supporting and coaching my husband so that he could be fully present for me during labor. Her holistic approach and wealth of knowledge paired with her personal and professional experience made her the perfect doula. Thank you, Courtney, for giving us the support we needed to transition into parenthood with such a positive experience!

Allison Little

7/6/2017

Courtney is amazing! She helped my husband and me have exactly the labor and delivery experience that we were hoping for as first time parents. From the very first meeting, we felt like she took the time to understand what we were looking for in a doula, which we weren't even sure that we wanted until we met Courtney. The pre-delivery meeting that we had a few weeks before my due date really helped us to prepare and understand what each of our roles were and how she could best help us during the birth of our baby. She really was the extra coach throughout my pregnancy and delivery that we knew we would need in order to make sure the experience was positive for both of us! She helped coached my husband so he could be the best partner for me, and she was able to keep both of us encouraged throughout my labor. With Courtney's help, I was able to advocate for myself and have the natural childbirth I really wanted to have. As an added bonus, she put together a beautiful photo book that captured the birth of our daughter. Neither of us could imagine doing this without Courtney! She really made a highly exciting day that much more perfect!

Bermary Coughlin

8/1/2016

Courtney was amazing! Knowing that I wanted a med-free birth I knew I wouldn't have been able to do it without a doula and I'm so glad I came across Courtney's profile on DoulaMatch. She was very responsive from the very begining. In our initial meeting I immediately felt at ease and knew she would be the right person to have on my "team". I hired her as my doula about half way through my pregnancy and she served as an amazing resource for any and all questions throughout. This was my first pregnancy so the entire process was all new to me. Courtney was a nice, calming force during the actual birth that made both my husband and I comfortable creating an easy and relaxing atmosphere. I had the med-free, water birth I wanted! I would highly recommend her to anyone considering a doula.

Ann Marie Jaber

7/20/2016

We used Courtney for the birth of our second baby boy and she was wonderful. We didn't decide we wanted a doula until we were about a month away from our due date and she was very accommodating at short notice. She lived rather far from the hospital we were giving birth at and had to come out multiple times after I was sent home to labor longer at home and was good about not making me feel bad about it. She has a gentle way about her and when you meet her, you feel like you've known her forever - something that was very important to me. She was non-judgmental and incredibly supportive when I ended up with a different birthing experience than I had hoped for. I am so grateful that she was there for me when I needed her and she will always hold a special place in our family's heart and memory.

Ashley Liffers

6/9/2016

After taking a childbirth class in December 2015, my husband Dave and I decided we wanted to consider hiring a doula for the birth of our first child due in March 2016. I looked for doulas on doulamatch.net under the advice of our childbirth class instructor and found Courtney. We set up a face to face meeting and Dave & I both instantly felt comfortable with Courtney and chose her to be our doula. She is warm, open and easy to talk to. We had a prenatal meeting at our home where we went over birth preferences and I found this incredibly helpful and calming. Courtney was also there by phone or text whenever I needed to vent as the end of pregnancy dragged on. I first started experiencing contractions on a Saturday night and let Courtney know and she helped me with how to try and relax etc ... we ended up going in early Sunday morning but being sent home which meant she had to start out to the birth center and then head home, which I'm sure was no fun. We finally checked into the birth center around 2pm on Sunday and Courtney met us there. Throughout my long labor, she was supportive of both myself and my husband. My labor did not go as planned - we spent about 8 hours in the birth center dealing with intense back labor and very little dilation or progress before making the decision to transfer. Courtney was extremely helpful with talking through this decision. In the hospital, I made the decision to get an epidural and felt supported in that choice. Ultimately, our daughter ended up being born by c-section late Monday morning. It was extremely helpful to have Courtney there for Dave and myself to talk through the options and our decisions with.

In addition to her awesome support before, during and after labor - Courtney followed up postpartum and made an amazing photobook of my labor and delivery which I will always treasure. She was a great support and I would highly recommend her.

Delilah Rose

5/26/2016

Working with Courtney was absolutely amazing right from the very beginning! I had a difficult pregnancy with my second baby girl, and Courtney was "on call" for the last two months of my pregnancy after I went into preterm labor (which was stopped) at 32 weeks. She was a coach, support system, and encouragement when I had FIVE false alarms due to prodromal labor.

When I finally went into labor, she was there very quickly (we all knew it would go very fast) and not only helped me through the rough labor, but also encouraged my husband when he felt helples. When the time came to push, she took absolutely AMAZING photos of the entire delivery and even made a book for us to have of the very best ones!

Courtney helped us out so so much and we don't know what we would have done without her love, guidance and support through the experience.

Lynn Rivenburgh

10/2/2015

We had no idea what to expect when trying to find a doula, we thought we needed someone close to us but other than that we weren't really sure what to ask and what the outcome would be (other than our baby being born at some point).

Courtney came to our home, met my wife and I and not only took a genuine interest but spent time getting to know us and to educate us.  She explained what here role was in this process and how we could leverage her during the birth of our daughter.  She helped us to think about what kind of experience we wanted, being first time parents there were many things we hadn't thought about. She provided information but she never tried to influence us or to convince us to do something 'her' way.  She was extremely sensitive to ensure that our needs were met.

Other than helping us put together our "Birth Options" her participation in our actual birth was invaluable. She helped my wife to relax, to breath and was a great support to me as well.  She honestly was just so natural during this experience, it could have been because she had three of her own children. 

She honored our wishes and even when I decided not to be with my wife in the operating room she more than willingly participated.

Courtney is thoughtful, compassionate, non-judgmental and we would not have had the amazing experience it ended up being without her participation.  As it turned out I didnt end up being the best coach and with Courtney there I felt completely comfortable in not having to be completely present the entire time.

If you have any quesitons please feel free to reach out to me: Lynn Rivenburgh  lrivenburgh@hotmail.com or 415-827-9237

Elizabeth Reinke

10/2/2015

My experience with Courtney being a doula for my second child was incredible as she was respectful, knowledgeable, and compassionate throughout the process. We knew she would be a good fit for our family because of her holistic approach and clear desire to serve women and their families before, during, and after thie childbirth process. In particular, Courtney helped my husband understand the various interventions that were available, and may be necessary, when we drafed our birth plan. This was important to both of us as he could better support my desire for a natural birth with minimal interventions. Courtney had a perfect balance of providing hands-on care during the labor while allowing space for my husband and I to connect and appreciate the transition from a family of three to a family of four. We highly recommend Courtney as a birth doula and will forever appreciate her involvement in the birth of our second child.