Katie Pollock

10/10/2024

When I found out I was pregnant, I knew that I wanted to work with a doula throughout the remainder of my pregnancy and birth.  Charity far exceeded all of my expectations and has my highest recommendation!  Every stop of this process was excellent.  Not only did we go through my birth plan in detail, but she helped coach my husband and me through different birthing positions and counterpressure techniques.  Charity was available to me for questions and concerns throughout the end of my pregnancy and supported me when my baby was over her due date.  The birthing process was incredibly challenging, but Charity’s support was constant and so essential to my success.  She jumped right in supporting me through contractions with counterpressure as well as encouraging words.  She cheered me on the whole time and was vital to both the process and my satisfaction in how the entire birth went.  I know my husband was so grateful to have her there to support me as well.  Charity has so much experience, which gave us such peace of mind and we are so thankful that she was by our side during this incredible experience!

Elizabeth Holzapfel

5/12/2024

This review is coming later than it should, but navigating the world of motherhood as a first time mom has been quite a journey, especially with my baby arriving so close to Christmas! With that said, I cannot recommend Charity enough! Her knowledge and support helped me have the unmedicated hospital birth I hoped for and I know I could not have done it without her. She kept me relaxed and calm throughout labor and did so much counter pressure to help me cope with contractions. She supported me while learning to breastfeed and even stayed with me at the hospital after delivery while my husband ran home to take care of our animals. She has stayed in contact with my family since the birth of our daughter and truly cares about her clients. If we decide to grow our family more, I would hire Charity again in a heartbeat.

Brittany

5/3/2024

My experience with Charity was amazing and I could not have asked for a better doula. She was there for me every step of the way during my pregnancy, during labor and she helped me a lot postpartum as well. She is very open, courteous, respectful and caring to you and your needs! I needed a lot of suppprt as a single mom to be and Charity hands down over exceeded my expectations, she helped me in ways that I didn't know I needed. While in the hospital, she advocated for me, made sure I had everything I needed and was there for me no matter what time it is was!  Before I could ask her for something she either knew what I was going to say or already had it taken care of for me. She made sure I rested and that my baby was well cared for during my stay. I appreciate her for this more than she knows and cannot wait to work with her again for baby #2 <3

Emma J

3/21/2024

Charity truly embodies “pure love”. She met our family where we were at financially at the beginning of my pregnancy, and did everything she could to make me comfortable through roughly a month of prodromal labor, coming over to our house multiple times when we had originally told her we’d only want support during labor itself. When the big day finally came, she stayed with us the entire day and then stayed long after baby was born to assist my husband when he had a medical episode after my labor. She loved on our entire family, and was a huge comfort and support. We could not be more grateful for her. You won’t ever regret asking her to be a part of your birth team!

Erin Riddle

3/2/2024

Without Charity, I truly believe I would not have been able to have an unmedicated, natural birth. She was accessable through my entire pregnancy and very knowledgeable with different methods to help keep my comfortable. During my labor, she was the encouraging, supportive, and calm voice to get me through each contract. She helped my husband tremendously in finding ways he could help me as well. Whenever baby #2 comes in the picture, she will be my first call! We love Charity!!!

Melissa Hemsley

3/1/2024

Charity was such a phenomenal doula! When I decided that I wanted to try an unmedicated birth, I realized that I would need some extra support. I’m so glad I hired Charity. She was always quick and responsive to my many random texts and questions. The morning of my labor, she was texting me in the wee hours of the morning to check in with me and then encourage me to head to the hospital when the time was right. I actually went into labor a couple weeks earlier than my due date while my husband was across the country and totally missed the birth. I would have been in a state of panic, except that I knew I had Charity to help me through. She was attentive and intuitive during the birthing process and helped me stay calm and determined. This is her calling in life- she has incredible patience, support, and just a calming personality and vibe.

Sarah

2/11/2023

I will be forever grateful I chose Charity as my birth doula, especially as a first time mom. I had questions and worries during pregnancy and about birth, but Charity was there to support and guide me every step of the way. She supported every decision I made while offering her knowledge and advice so that my husband and I could make informed choices.

Charity's expertise in birthing positions and comfort measures, as well as her overall support, had a huge impact on my birth experience.

During labor, Charity was always anticipating my needs and making sure both my husband and I were comfortable. Her counter pressure techniques and reminders to loosen my shoulders and jaw helped me get through each contraction. And let's not forget about my husband - Charity made sure he felt confident and equipped to support me. I can count on one hand the amount of times he ever left my side to fetch something for me. Charity was on it constantly so he could stay with me.

One of the things that was so happily unexpected to me was her capturing the special moments of my labor and birth. She took photos and videos that I will cherish for a lifetime. Those alone are truly priceless to me, and I will be forever grateful to her for them.

Charity has always been a short text away for questions and check-ins, and continues to be even after the birth, and her continued support has been truly invaluable. She even came over for a postpartum visit, and I was so happy to see her again and have her see my little boy that she was so pivotal in bringing into the world.

Charity quickly became someone very important to both my husband and me. The emotional impact of her support and care will always be a cherished memory.

Bottom line, if you're in the Richmond area and looking for a doula who will have your back every step of the way, look no further than Charity. I can't recommend her enough.

Molly

1/20/2023

Charity was extremely professional and kind. I was interviewing many doulas and she stuck out because she had great experience and came to meet me in person. This was our first child so Charity was always available to answer all my questions and give recommendations. She is very caring and intuative. During labor I barely had to tell her what I needed, it was like she could just read my face and take action. She has been very supportive even after birth and happy to help if I need it. I would highly reccomend Charity to be your doula. 

Karol Wilson

10/29/2022

I cannot say enough good things about Charity. Charity was our doula for our second child. I wasn't sure what to expect with a doula and now after experiencing birth with and without, I would say its definitely worth having one. My husband is not great in hospital settings so it was nice having him stand by my head for moral support and Charity helping my nurses, holding my hand and leg, asking me how/what I'm feeling, relaying information to my nurses and also taking pictures. She really is a rock star and she knows her stuff. She went above and beyond too. I was a week past my due date and she stopped by to try some reflexology on me to see if that would help. I'm so happy a friend recommended her and I would highly recommend her too. She's fantastic! 

Patricia

8/16/2022

Charity was an incredible comfort to my partner and me throughout the pregnancy and birthing process. Despite being first time parents with so much to learn, we never felt judged for our decisions or condescended to. She was patient, kind, well-informed, and very responsive to our needs and desires. It was very convenient to have access to her lending library and I appreciated all the resources she pointed us to, to help us prepare. Our meetings leading up to the birth never felt rushed, and she made it easy for us to craft our birth plan by educating us on the different options available. Her relaxed and caring manner set us both at ease and my husband appreciated being able to learn the different comfort techniques he could use to assist me, so he had an idea ahead of time of what his role would be; he was able to feel like an active participant during the labor process, rather than just being on the sidelines. I had a suuuuuper-long labor process and Charity was there for me 110%, from late night contractions at our house, to 17+ hours in the hospital. I’m so grateful we had Charity at our side and I would recommend her doula services to others without hesitation. 

Kyla Beckstrand

7/30/2022

Charity is amazing! She is so kind and sweet, and so knowledgeable! Working with her is like hanging out with your best friend, having someone who really cares about you by your side while you face something hard. There are so many things I could say, but I think one of the things I loved the most about having her as my doula was that she made everyone involved feel more comfortable and confident-- not just me, but she taught my husband counter pressure techniques he could do to help relieve some of my discomfort, which helped him feel like he was contributing; she communicated with my family and kept them in the loop; and she kept the nurses informed about needs and preferences. You'll be so blessed to have her as part of your birth team!

Vanessa

7/20/2022

Charity was my doula for the birth of my first baby. She provided content and education on birth and natural pain relief intervention for during child birth. Charity supported me and helped me feel confident during my labor. She also encouraged and educated my husband on being my support system. We had a great experience with Charity as our doula, we are grateful for the help she gave us in one of the most important moment of our lives. I would recommend her to anyone who asked!

Laura F.

7/20/2022

I contacted Charity when I was already 3 weeks postpartum. I hadn't planned to hire a doula, but when I was feeling overwhelmed and getting nervous about my husband's return to work, I suddenly urgently wanted some help and wasn't sure where to turn.

I had reached out to several doulas the week I decided I needed support, but Charity stood out to me by her prompt and kind response to my email, flexibility, as well as her offer to come by in-person for a meet/interview at no charge.

I was nervous about the "interview" but she was so calm and reassuring that I felt at ease immediately. We discussed my needs and made a plan to address them. She also made me feel comfortable by making it clear there was no expectation/obligation to hire her and also told me if ever anything came up, I could reach out to her.

Charity worked with me both at home and on an outing to feel more confident about taking care of my daughter and myself going forward. Having her support and knowing I could ask questions or seek help from her made all the difference for me! So glad I met her and am thankful for her help.

Bottom line: Charity is very easy to talk to and comfortable to be around. She was flexible with my needs and schedule. She was knowledgeable and helpful in addressing my questions and concerns. She seemed to genuinely care about my well being and my baby. Would recommend her to anyone seeking support during their pregnancy, delivery, or postpartum.