Lucille Glick

4/1/2022

We could not have asked for a better doula. Jenna was a perfect blend of personal and professional. She listened carefully to what we needed, and when we weren’t sure, she stepped in confidently with recommendations. She helped me feel safe throughout labor, had absolutely magical intuition for labor positions and comfort measures, helped my partner feel valued and supported, and was a lifeline when breastfeeding got off to a rocky start. Her approach is trauma informed, queer friendly, and neurodiversity friendly. I can’t recommend her enough!

Mark

6/23/2019

I cannot imagine having had gone through this experience without Jenna.  It was extremely helpful to follow her guidance and hear her encouragement throughout the birth process.  She helped me stay calm and showed me way to help my wife during the birth.  I would highly recommend her and would definitely want her assistance again if we ever have another child.  

Arielle

6/23/2019

Jenna came to us a "backup" because our original doula was in another labor. Though we had never met her, she jumped right into the role and immediately made my husband and I feel comfortable. She took the time to understand my needs and coach me through the difficult decision to get induced. She helped to further explain my options (based on her experience as a doula, not a medical professional) and work through my fears of medication and cascading interventions. She has an amazing array of tools and came fully prepared. She took charge to make our hospital room as calm and pleasant as possible with warm lighting, music, and birthing "tools" to help with the pain. She went to the store and got my husband and I food. Once I was in labor, she never left our sides, and she coached me and my husband through position changes, breathing, pain management and more. Her calm, nurturing demeanor, and wealth of experience were invaluable. I would not have made it through the induction unmedicated without Jenna, and my husband was incredibly thankful to have guidance an assistance in providing me with support. We would both recommend Jenna without hesitation. Her services were 100% worth the investment.

Libby Mirande

1/27/2019

The day that we watched the birthing videos in our prep for childbirth course was the day that I realized that I need some extra support. I couldn't even watch them. I had to look away! I was very fortunate to have received a recommendation for Doula Love and even more fortunate to have found Jenna Chidester. From our first meeting/interview, I could tell that Jenna was incredibly empathetic. I needed someone who would be strong, kind, and cool under pressure. Jenna proved to have all of that and more. Going into my induction, I had every intention of working through the pain with the breathing, key positions, and movement, but induction to birth took two days. I was exhausted after a day and a half, not from pain, but from a lack of sleep. My baby's heart rate would also drop in certain positions, so I had limited options where that was concerned. Throughout the entire process, if I was feeling nervous or unsure, I would ask my husband to "call Jenna." Jenna would be there as a knowledgeable sounding board who helped me to make the best decisions for myself and my baby in the moment. When you are sleep deprived and in the hospital, things can get confusing. Jenna was a calm reasurring presence who really helped to bring clarity as we moved through these two days. As it turned out, I ended up being fairly tough. I got the epidural, which I was deathly afraid of, but it was worth it based on my situation, and I ended up sleeping/sitting in a Buddha position for several hours before giving birth vaginally. When my baby was born, the cord was wrapped around her neck. Jenna was there with me when my husband had to go back to the emergency area with our baby. She provided immense comfort during this time. Thankfully, our baby girl ended up being perfectly fine. Jenna was a great help post-partum as well, reflecting on the birthing process and teaching us to swaddle....a critical skill!!! I would recommend her 100%.

Erin Blaser

10/22/2018

Our birth didn't go according to plan. Surprise!:)

However, because of the relatinship we had developed with Jenna, we felt supported and capabale of navigating it all with her by our side. Jenna was calm, confident and fun during our birth. We loved getting to know her and having her around during the craziest months of our lives. She was able to wrangle moms, nurses and us, perfectly. Having someone around to navigate the hospital system was crucial.

After each visit, before, during and after birth, we felt more capable and informed than before.

I just can't imagine going through that without her. She was an amazing coach to us all.

Julie Sabatier

7/24/2018

Jenna was a wonderful support person throughout the second half of my pregnancy and a great resource as birth approached. She helped us make decisions when birth came quicker than anticipated, and made both my husband and me feel confident in a potentially scary situation. She was always available via text or phone and was very open to all of our questions along the way. She also helped us strategize the best ways to include our 2-year-old and introduce him to his new sibling.

Amy Peterson

7/17/2018

Jenna is a rock.  Jenna’s passion for empowering people in the season of birth is truly inspiring.  Jenna brings evidence based resources, a knack for educating, a huge and generous heart, and a genuine curiosity and openness for the humanity within us all.  That is all in addition to her quick wit and ample sense of humor.  Jenna balances a respect for the sacredness of choice, birth and loss with a grounded practicality that serves her clients deeply from the first meeting. Jenna is a spirited and gifted doula.

Amanda Peden

7/14/2018

Jenna was a truly incredible birth partner. We immediately liked her easy, warm manner and her wealth of knowledge about birth, breastfeeding, and postpartum care. Our visits with her helped us prepare for all kinds of expected and unexpected labor situations and she helped us develop a thoughtful and meaningful birth plan. She was a helpful and reassuring coach in the weeks and days before labor. She even taught our labor comfort measures and massage classes! But Jenna's value was overwhelmingly clear during our labor and delivery, when she helped us interpret the early signs of labor, came quickly to our home when needed, and remained a calm, encouraging, soothing, and even fun presence throughout labor, helping us achieve our birth goals. After birth, her postpartum visits, breastfeeding advice, pro swaddling tips, and baby soothing magic helped us feel confident and supported as first time parents. We would highly, highly recommend her to anyone. Our birth would not have been the same experience without her.

Katherine Wu

7/9/2018

Strengths: I find Jenna to be a very warm person that I trusted and felt totally safe with, which I think is the most important thing in a relationship with a doula. She's very physically strong--I literally leaned on her all the way from arriving at the ER until I got into the bed in the labor & delivery room, because I was at a point in my labor where I didn't want to sit in a wheelchair at all. She really took care of me and my husband when I was laboring at home, to make sure that we both paced ourselves and didn't get too tired too early. She also is really knowledgeable about different labor positions to try, such that I was able to deliver my son with minimal medical interventions like I had wanted. I felt like we probably wouldn't have needed to go to as many of the classes as we did because we could just ask Jenna to guide us. Jenna is great at keeping up-to-date on the current research about labor and birth practices such that when I asked about why people would make one choice or another, she could present very fair and scientifically-grounded explanations and she never judged.

I kind of wish I had hired Jenna as a postpartum doula to help me further in the first few weeks because we were having a lot of breastfeeding challenges. On the visits she made as part of being our birth doula, she taught us various swaddles and how to babywear safely, which were great tools.

Katryn Bruce

7/6/2018

I don't even know where to begin.  Jenna is beyond amazing.

We had hired Jenna as our doula about two weeks before we found out the most heartbreaking news of our lives: that we needed an emergency induction and our baby boy wouldn't make it.  It was a Thursday.  I notified Jenna and the next day she came over and talked us through everything.  It was my first pregnancy and I wasn't far enough along to have taken any classes, but Jenna was available to answer all of my questions and really put both myself and my husband (and my mom) at ease.  I was nervous enough going through my first pregnancy and delivery, but the added heartbreak made the whole situation a whole lot harder. On Saturday I was induced.  Jenna was there the entire time. It's impossible to describe how much we needed her there.  While doctors and nurses were coming in and out, Jenna explained our next steps in the birthing process while bringing so much calmness to what was hardest thing either my husband or myself had ever experienced. We couldn't have done it without her.

When looking for a doula, we wanted an advocate, a strong but calm presence, and someone who could offer us information and options.  We got that and so much more with Jenna.  We have more preganacies and births in our furure and Jenna will always be our number one choice.

Jessica Dunham

7/6/2018

We interviewed a few doula options and Jenna was, by far, the most down-to-earth and personable doula that we met in our search. I felt an immediate connection.

For our second child, I wanted to experience childbirth in a more natural way than we did with our first. Jenna listened to my personal goals, and our goals as a family, and we devised a plan. She was more than accommodating of our three-year-old son, too, and talked with him about ways that he could be helpful. She regularly checked in on me as the birth date neared and was available to talk to me about my concerns, anything, any time. She truly made me feel like I had a whole other support system. And I did.

On the day of the birth, Jenna beat us to the hospital and helped us get settled. She was thoughtful and brought everything that we had discussed that might be helpful. In the throes of childbirth, Jenna was confident and collected and delegated as I needed her to. She was the most calming and reassuring force in the room, for both me and my partner.

I was honestly sad after my last post-partum meeting with Jenna. I had made a friend and was hoping to find more excuses to see her. She helped us meet our goals as a family and, in the short time that we worked together, felt like she became part of our family.

Kat Mathews

6/25/2018

As a first time mom with little experience with babies and birth, I was glad to have an expert on my side to help me through the process. Jenna was helpful from the first time we met, was easy to talk to, very knowledgeable and had a soothing presence.

We had an (unplanned) long induction, and from the moment we checked into the hospital, Jenna was making sure that we knew what we had access to, asked the right questions of the nurses, coached us to make sure we understood the choices in front of us, and generally anticipated our needs before we knew what we needed. At each step of the way, Jenna had a solution for us to try to improve our comfort. When we would have otherwise been alone in the birthing room with questions, Jenna was there with answers, reassurances, and ideas & tools to help cope.

I was not fully sure of what working with a doula would entail, and now I am incredibly thankful that I was able to work with Jenna. I tell anyone who is curious about doulas that I don't know how I would have made it through without her help.

Huge thanks to Jenna and Doula Love for helping me through the birth process, I am beyond grateful.

Erin Jenson

6/17/2018

Jenna was a vital part of my natural birth team. I would not give birth without her. This was our 2nd Bradley birth so we felt a bit more prepared than the 1st time, but Jenna made a huge difference for us. With her positioning suggestions and massage I was able to handle contractions much better. She also provided support to my husband as he navigated driving, me and hospital check in procedures. We chose Jenna because she is warm, caring and very informative. I felt relaxed and excited for birth knowing she’d be by our sides.

Mariah Papaya

12/26/2017

Jenna was an absolutely invaluable part of helping us have an empowering first birth experience. My partner and I immediately felt at ease with Jenna’s warm, confident and grounding presence. Jenna offered a wealth of resources to support both my partner and I through out pregnancy and labor. She was patient, kind and reassuring as I endured several long and stressful days of prodromal labor. Jenna worked seamlessly with the hospital staff to advocate for my needs in a respectful and unobtrusive way. In the words of my midwife, “Jenna was amazing!” She was like my guardian angel throughout labor, suggesting positions, transforming the delivery room into a magical little paradise and encouraging me with her soothing voice. We simply adore Jenna and would undoubtedly hire her again if we have a second baby.

Sarah Muela

9/14/2017

We're so grateful for our experience with Jenna! We found out my mother-in-law couldn't come just a few days before our second daughter was born and decide to hire a Doula. Jenna didn't miss a beat as she came into our home and assessed her surroundings and asked us what we needed. She helped me to feel a bit more grounded and I really enjoyed having someone to talk to. Our two year old daughter loved her, this was probably the biggest help to me besides the taming of mount laundry which Jenna also kept at bay. God bless you Jenna in all that you do for women in these tender seasons of life!

Alexis Fraser

6/1/2017

Jenna is simply amazing. She is like a warm soothing hug, in person form. She took all the stress out of a day with nine months of built up anxiety. The sessions we did before going in for delivery helped us prepare and learn more about our own communication style.  I cannot say enough good things about what Jenna brings to the table. I had so many pregnancy complications but going in for delivery day I was calm and happy. Hiring her to help us through the long delivery was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Becky B

5/19/2017

After our first prenatal visit with Jenna, my husband gave her a hug and said, "I'm so glad you are our doula." This moment pretty much summarizes our experience. Jenna was amazing and we knew she was the perfect fit even during our initial interview. We immediately felt comfortable with her and we appreciated her thoughtful and thorough answers to all of our questions before, during and after our labor/delivery. We were considered a high-risk pregnancy and wanted to plan for as many situations as possible; Jenna was a calm, well-informed coach who helped us think through what we wanted our birth experience to be like but also helped us consider what we might need or want on our less preferred paths. During labor it was wonderful to have Jenna by our sides because an emergency induction led to more interventions than I would have ever predicted. Jenna's experience and knowledge helped us make informed decisions that we felt good about - no regrets! Our postpartum visits were a nice combination of information, support and conversation; it was like being with an old friend!

Jenna is warm and caring and you can tell she loves what she does! If we were to have another child, I would most certainly work with Jenna again!

Kim Garcia

5/19/2017

My husband and I loved having Jenna as our doula. She made the entire pregnancy, labor, and postpartum experience so much easier and less daunting than it would have been on our own. We hired Jenna halfway into our first pregnancy and were able to meet with her three times before our actual delivery. Jenna completely demystified pregnancy and labor.  She answered all of our questions and prepared us for the delivery.  When I did go into labor, Jenna was at our house as soon as we called her in the middle of the night.  We were pretty frantic and she guided us through the process and saved me through my painful moments. She was at my side through the delivery and explained to us everything that was happening during the chaos of my labor.  After the baby came, Jenna offered immediate lactation support and helped me begin my postpartum recovery process. She met with us several times after the baby came to answer any baby question and assist with any concerns.  I can't imagine going through our birth process without Jenna.  She made us feel completely comfortable in all of stages of my pregnancy and labor.  As soon as we met her she gave us more confidence about the whole process and felt like an old friend.  She really does know everyone about pregnancy, delivery, and babies and is an amazing resource and friend to have through such an important experience.

Krystan HuffMenne

5/17/2017

We hired Jenna because we were impressed with the combination of warmth and professionalism she showed in our interview. From the get-go, she took charge of the process, helping to guide us along while still making us feel heard.

During the prenatal visits, she helped us work through the logistics and anxieties surrounding childbirth and early parenting. During these visits we visualized our ideal birth experience, and amazingly Jenna helped to make our actual experience align as closely with this ideal as possible. It ended up being a very satisfying and even enjoyable labor, largely due to Jenna’s presence.

When I ended up needing to schedule an induction, she helped me stay calm (and even get excited) about the prospect when my tendency was to feel like I had somehow failed.

During the labor, she helped me remember to breathe, move, and focus. Frequently she was able to communicate with me without even using words, so it often felt like it was just my husband and I in the room.

We benefited immensely from Jenna’s expertise in the labor process and comfort measures. She evidently has a broad repertoire of positions and techniques. She was generous with hands-on assistance. She guided my husband in the best ways to comfort and support me.

After the labor, she stayed for just the right amount of time, helping us to get settled in with our new baby and making sure that we had everything we needed (including going to get us food from a restaurant down the street).

During our postpartum visits, she helped us work through various issues big and small, from swaddling to breastfeeding, and was again a reassuring presence during an otherwise stressful life event.

We look forward to hiring Jenna again for future pregnancies and would not hesitate to recommend her wholeheartedly to our friends.

Najmeh Killian

5/4/2017

We were intially skeptical about hiring a Doula, however after meeting Jenna and being exposed to  both her professional advice and warm demeanour we felt extremely at ease and relaxed. Proceeding forward we had a number of informative pre-birth meetings. However on the big day of Najmeh's birth Jenna's role came into play. Jenna arrived within the hour of the call. The minute she arrived she created the perfect environment by setting the physical environment (i.e lighting, music etc) and was hands-on making Najmeh comfortable, but at the same time not over-doing it and always allowing Killian space to be involved.She was also cognisant of our need to get clear information from the medical staff and was always putting us at ease.

The word we would use for Jenna is 'intuitive' - she just knew what she was doing.

Throughout the birthing process Jenna was there to give comfort massage, change-up positions, feed, soothe and always encouraging Najmeh. We can't say enough good things about her and how she was an integral part of our positive birth experience.

We would recommend Jenna most highly to any couple looking for a Doula and would be happy to speak to any interested parties.

Najmeh and Killian

Cola Hoff

4/10/2017

This was my first pregnancy, we had finished a 5 weeks course in HypnoBirtihng and felt fairly confident and empowered that we could handle this birth on our own with our OB.  Countless people told me that a Doula would bring an extra layer of support and knowledge that my partner or some OB's might not be able to provide so we decided to pursue her expertise as extra support. We completely underestimated the impact she would have that day.

Jenna was the graceful, guiding force in the room, for me, my partner and the hospital team.  On birth day, I preferred her calling the shots and taking the lead because I had complete trust in her assessment of the situation.  The pressure was off of me to think about anything else except being in the moment, breathing down and connecting to my child.  The pressure was off my partner to determine and assess what would come next or anticipate my shifting needs.  A birthing class alone can't prepare you for exactly what will unfold for you on birth day.  It was unlike anything I could have imagined.

Jenna's role evolved with the labor.  She was a constant reinforcer of tools I had used in HypnoBirthing, using words and visualizations I was familiar with.  She encouraged a change in positions, set the ambiance of the room to be comfortable and serene, and encouraged me to stay hydrated and fed.  She was constantly informing and updating my partner and my OB to keep them included on the progress.  When the time came to push, she turned on what I jokingly called, "coach Jenna" mode and I knew it was game time.  This was exactly what I needed and she adapted accordingly.

She brought such comfort to us during every phase of labor, including her postpartum care visits where we relived the birth day, massaged my little one and relished in the beauty of such an amazing experience.

Anna Cornett

4/1/2017

Jenna was warm and attentive with us, respected our needs and preferences, and advocated for us without judgement.  She communicated thoroughly with both my husband and I, and was there for us when we needed her.  She brought a sense of humor and a lot of knowledge to our birth experience, and I don't know what we would have done without her!

Lauren Newton

3/31/2017

Jenna was AMAZING and I can't imagine not having her at the birth of my son.

We met Jenna late in the game of my pregnancy because i kept going back and forth about affording it. WORTH EVERY PENNY! She was lovely, explained the birthing process, dicussed our needs, and overall great to work with. When it came down to business, she was prompt at the hospital when I went into labor, created a stellar and comfotable labor environment, and kept offering advice for movement/breathing. I will never forget her advice/support with my breathing during labor, it has stuck with me and I think about it often! Both my partner and I walked away and said, wow we are SO GLAD we had Jenna there.

Now- for the real stuff. I regret not booking her (budgeting it in) for POSTPARTUM DOULA SUPPORT. It's intense coming home and her postpartum visit was amazing. You dont think about it during pregnancy because there is so much planning about the birth, but BOOM, once that is over- breastfeeding, baby advice, sleep support, chores, etc- all become reality. YOU WILL NEED HER!

xoxo- thanks Jenna