Neville Berard

6/29/2024

We were really fortunate to be paired with Kristin as our doula. Ahead of labour she was super encouraging and supportive via text when I blew past my due date.

She was very responsive when I went into labour and communicated well with my partner to keep up to date on the progress. Immediately upon her arrival at the hospital the mood in our room become calmer and she helped me a lot with establishing a routine for contractions. Her knowledge of the hospital was also invaluable as she could direct us to the supports such as heated blankets and popsicles that made a big difference. We were very impressed with her labour knowledge too and that made us feel really safe as we navigated a long labour. She was also a fun presence in the room and we listened to hours of music and had some great chats waiting for things to progress.

When my birth ended in a c-section she was a fabulous support to both me and my partner, being exactly where she needed to be for us but never too present during key moments.

All in all she was with us for close to 24 hours and we can’t imagine having gone through it without her. If we have another baby we would love to have her with us again.

Liam

6/20/2024

As the dad in the room, I really don't know what I would've done without Kristin there. Of course she coached my wife, but she also coached me through the whole experience, from what to expect to what I could do to support my wife. We are super grateful for her support before, during, and after labour. 11/10 experience! 

Asia

6/19/2024

Kristin was our doula for our first delivery experience and I cannot refommend her enough! She brought such a calm, safe, confident presence to our birth and continues to offer us lots of support even afterwards...from breastfeeding support, to phone calls/resource sharing, and cheerleading as we navigate parenting.

Having a familiar face who knew us and our wishes present in our delivery room was such a reassurance. We had an incredible birth experience and I credit her with so much of that! If I'm lucky enough to give birth again I refuse to do it without her! Thank you Kristin!

Cait Fleck

3/8/2024

My hubby and I cannot recommend Kristin enough.  We just had our first baby in December, and we were on the fence on whether or not to get a doula, given the added expsense, but are so glad we did, and so glad it was Kristin. To be honest, we thought between the midwife, and nursing staff, plus my hubby who is very involved, we would be set. I'd read "the books", my hubby was reading "the Birth Partner". How much more did we need? But we spoke to people who had amazing things to say about their doula experiences, including my brother and sister-in-law (who herself delivers babies but wanted a doula!) and decided to do it. As my brother said - you're never going to regret having "too much" support in a moment like that.  Kristin was everything we needed - experienced, knowledgeable, calming, and supportive. She was available by phone when I thought I was in labour, to help us figure it out. She came over to our house when contractions got serious. She supported us throughout my labouring at home, and encouraged me to keep going at home, but also made sure I knew we could pull the plug at any moment and head to Women's. Without her I would have gone to the hospital way to early, and I'm so grateful I didn't. At Women's, she helped me advocate for what I wanted, and when there were some scary complications, she was a source of calm and support for both of us, but also gave my hubby some extra tools to be a support to me in that time.  She also never over-stepped.  It was so meaningful for us to have him be my primary support person, but with her supporting him, because its a difficult time for the partner as well. All I had to do was focus on myself, and the babe.  Could we have done it without her? Absolutely - shout out to the incredible team at Women's and the midwives of South Hill - but I know it would not have been the same experience, and there would have been a lot more stress, uncertainty, and bumps along the way. So Grateful!

Naomi Keenan O’Shea

1/14/2024

My partner and I are so grateful to have had Kristin's support and advocacy during the labor and birth of our daughter. Kristin centred my desire to have a birth free of interventions and supported me practically and emotionally to stay at home for the majority of my labor before giving birth at BC Women's. She helped me make informed decisions throughout my labor that supported my agency and desires as a birthing person. Her guidance allowed me to lean into the intuitive and embodied aspects of labor that often become sidelined in medical contexts. She always centred the relationship between my partner and I, providing my partner practical and emotional support that allowed him to be a central part of our child's birth. I am also deeply grateful for the conversations we had after my daughter was born, particularly the support Kristin gave me around my approach to breastfeeding. When I think about my labor now, I remember my partner and Kristin's constant presence and support, not the many other staff who come and go during the process. 

Becky Bliss

7/26/2018

From our first meet with Kristin, we felt confident that she was going to assist us with a positive birthing experience. And that, she did! Kristin listened to us - what we wanted, what we didn't want. It was so great having her with us during labour & birth - giving me suggestions to help with the pain and giving my husband instructions to help him feel more helpful and involved. Kristin could sense when we where unsure of certain things, and thus asked the nurse / midwife to clarify further. Along with her supportive, positive and encouraging energy, Kristin captured the birth of our beautiful daughter with her snazzy camera (I didn't even see her taking most of the photos). I call Kristin our 'labour fairy' - I wish we knew about Kristin for our first baby.

Rosie Higgins

5/15/2017

When my water broke in the middle of the night at 36 weeks, my husband and I were in shock and felt completely unprepared! Kristin was an incredible support over the subsequent day as things unfolded. She guided us to make the right decisions at the right time to manage a short, but intense progression of labour. With her help, we welcomed our beautiful and healthy little boy into the world. Thanks very much!

Lisa Blachut

1/10/2017

Kristin was a wonderful doula for me and Charlie. Right from the start, she took the time to learn about us - our values, our attitude, and our hopes for the birth. While she offered lots of sound advice, Kristin never tried to impose her own agenda. Rather, she helped us to make good, informed decisions. Luckily, our labour and birth was uncomplicated and no interventions were needed. I think this is partially due to Kristin sharing our positive attitude towards the process, and reminding me of the most important fact, which is that all women are fully capable of doing this naturally.

During active labour and pushing, Kristin really helped Charlie to connect with me, which allowed me to relax at some really key moments. As a result, he felt empowered as a partner, and I was more calm and ready to continue. Her expertise and intuition meant that she knew what we needed to be even stronger as a team, and it worked. I was as relaxed as possible, even smiling between some contractions.

In short, Kristin was a teriffic support for us during the whole process. She was calm, confident, and a great support for our incredible birth experience. We both wholeheartedly recommend her as a doula and enjoyed getting to know her during the beautiful process of becoming parents.

Melanie Leung

10/11/2016

If you've come across Kristin's profile looking for a doula, don't hesitate and book her! We knew from before being pregnant that a doula was a must and feel very fortunate to have had Kristin be our doula. She has a calming presence that you will realize is invaluable during your baby's birth. So much is going on and you can try to prepare as much as possible, but every birth is different and the value of having an expert like Kirstin there for us was amazing!

She helped me find my breath when it sometimes felt impossible, she offered us information when we needed it and was good at judging when to be present and when to let us have our moments to ourselves. Not only was Kristin excellent at guiding me during this beautiful and challenging time, but she was also great at guiding my husband. I feel like the guys or the partners can sometimes feel left out or unaware of what to do, but Kristin made sure that he was also well taken care of.

Births do not often go exactly as planned and mine was no exception, ending up in a cesarean section after about 20 hours, but we were thankful to have Kristin in the operating room with us. The c-section was unexpected and it felt like everything from that decision onwards was happening fast, but Kristin was able to be with me the entire time even before my husband was allowed in and she even took some pictures for us of our son being born!

Kristin was excellent with her follow-up and we were pleasantly surprised that she had taken notes of our entire birth. Things happen slow, but fast at the same time, so it's so nice to have the time documented that we can look back at and one day share the story with our son.

If you're fortunate to have Kristin attend your birth, you will find yourself in great caring hands and for such a special time, it's a relationship we wll cherish forever!

Eve Luedee

10/6/2016

My husband and I were so fortunate to have Kristin as our doula for the birth of our son this past April. We found her to be very intuitive. She knew when to step in and when to give us some space. She knew what I needed to keep me comfortable without me even needing to ask. This included massages, heat packs, ice chips, popsicles, drinks, movement, and encouragement. She also guided my husband so he could help me during this long process and brought him coffee to keep him going! Additionally, she took some beautiful photos for us during the delivery. We are so happy we were able to have the support of Kristin during the labour process. We don't know what we would have done without her!

Linna Tran

10/5/2016

We had Kristin as our doula and she was amazing! We honestly cannot say enough good things :) Our birth experience was awesome and we owe a lot of that to her.

As first time parents we were new to well, everything. Kristin was not only knowledgable but she was kind, open minded and supportive of our ideas for our birth plan. She gave us complete answers with tons of information so that we could feel confident we were making the right choice for us.

When I went into labour Kristin was easy to get a hold of and quick to reply. At the hospital she was informative and encouraging - I felt empowered because I always knew exactly what was happening. Whenever I needed something Kristin was right there!

We welcomed our baby girl on May 12th and a few days after Kristin came over to the house for a final visit. We were definitely sad to say goodbye but she softened the blow with home baked cupcakes! :)

We would absolutely reccomend Kristin as a doula. She is funny, personable and you know she truly cares.

We are so grateful so have her be apart of our birth experience

- Linna & Jasser & Baby Hailey

Sammy Reimer

10/4/2016

We were unsure of the benefits of having a Doula initially, but after hearing great things from friends, we decided to give it a try. As soon as we met Kristin, we were reassured that we had made the right decision. It was such a relief to see her familiar face when we arrived at the hospital, and we loved that we knew that throughout the whole process, she would be there for it all. As my labour progressed quickly, I didn't have time for any pain interventions, however Kristin was able to provide me with great coaching, reminding me to take deep breaths, and even giving me a little finger toy to play with to help distract me. As a part of our birth story, she also played an important role in coaching my husband through how he could be most supportive to me. As this was our first child, that was so critical for us, as he had no idea how to be helpful and it was hard seeing me in so much pain. Overall we had an excellent experience with Kristin!