Sarah

9/20/2022

I was incredibly fortunate to have Wendy as my doula for both of my children's births. I'm a single mom and so appreciated having such a knowledgeable and experienced person to support me. She was warm, caring, genuinely interested in what my needs and wants were, and I also appreciated her straightforward manner with me.

The first birth, it was wonderful just to have someone there to reassure me for a fairly uneventful experience for a first time mom. My second however was an emergency C-section due to placental abruption. I was so grateful to have Wendy by my side holding my hand and reassuring me. She also took wonderful pictures for me! I couldn't have asked for a better support person.

Suvi

12/30/2021

Wendy was indispensable in the birth of our first child (and didn't disappoint for #2 either!).  

To be honest, my husband was apprehensive that we "needed" a doula but since we worked with Wendy he is the one singing her praises.  

The three things we valued most were: 

1) helping us plan ahead and ecouraging us to ask important questions before baby arrived (even small things like "who do you want in the hospital with you?" turned out to matter)

2) helping me focus on just being in labor while I was in labor-- in order to do this Wendy acknowledged my general M.O. as a type-A control freak, medical person and then she made a plan to help me not be in "medicine mode", to trust that she would tell me what I needed to know if I needed to know it and to otherwise use her as the liason between the "medicine" and my experience

3) visiting us after birth to check in on my well being and also help with nursing (which was key). 

We adored working with Wendy and would recommend her without reservation to anyone!

Lacey & Danny

5/22/2020

We met Wendy during our Your Birth, Your Way class in 2017. I was nervous my husband wouldn’t take to the class but Wendy was the perfect blend of humor and detailed information that my husband needed in order to learn and understand the birthing process. We had a c-section with our first for breech presentation, and we knew immediately that we would be going for VBAC with our next. As soon as we were pregnant again we started the conversation of hiring a doula and knew we wanted to interview Wendy. We were so impressed with her ability to connect with both of us and knew we needed her on our team.

After hiring, anytime I had any concern with appts, with pregnancy, wife-life and mothering a toddler, she was there to embrace me with her words! She just GETS it! Wendy inspired me with her tenderness and direct words in my anxieties. She talked me through all of the ins and outs of VBAC. We knew we’d likely have another “big” baby and that since I had never been in labor before that I’d go late. I didn’t want to be induced at all. Wendy gave us evidence-based information, as well as stories of her experiences with other families and this helped us make decisions leading up to spontaneous labor and we couldn’t have appreciated it more!

After being up all night and having a slow but intense labor, my baby was not just big, she happened to be surprise BROW presentation (we didn’t know until she was out!). During pushing I remember bawling and begging for Wendy. She knew I needed strong words and I knew she’d give them to me! The rest of my team was exhausted but she came through and told me to get my baby out! My husband and I both agree that without Wendy we would not have had a successful VBAC. She was such a critical member of our team! One of my favorite birth pictures is of my husband crying and embracing her after our baby was born. Wendy will be on our team for all of our future births!

Darcy

2/28/2019

I had the incredible gift of working with Wendy during my pregnancy and birth of my second child. I had a lot of stress and uncertainty and anxiety about the birth, since our first was quite stressful - and Wendy did so much to help us work through that, so much more than the doula duties required. She was always always available, showing up by text, phone or in person - and the most knowledgeable, supportive, non-judgmental presence. The birth was fast, but amazingly Wendy - because she is so dedicated - made it in time! She was also there for several months after the birth offering support. I woudl work with Wendy again in a heartbeat. We felt so much gratitude to work with and to know her.

Sara

2/25/2019

I've had multiple experiences with Doula Love and many of the different services they provide, and can say it's such a great resource for soon-to-be and new parents. 

We hired Wendy as our doula for a VBAC. It meant a lot to me to experience a vaginal birth and it was important that we find someone who we "meshed" with and who we believed to be knowledgeable...Wendy is INSANELY knowledgeable. With 350 births under her belt, she knows what she's doing. 

She made us feel at ease from the get-go, and I felt very protected knowing she was with us during our birth. I feel her prenatal care really helped with the outcome of the birth. 

She read my mind during labor, stepping in ever so subtly to get me what I needed when I needed it. I felt she really cared about the outcome of our birth and while she frequently blended into the background and let the birth unfold, she knew when to step in and take charge. Ultimately her greatest value was ensuring my husband could be my main support and helping him to support me. 

I got my unmedicated VBAC and couldn't be happier about my experience with Wendy. If we have another baby I wouldn't hesitate to hire her again. Birthing is an extremely important, once in a lifetime experience and it's worth every penny to find a doula that is the right fit for you.

Olea K

6/12/2018

I honestly don't know how I would have gotten through my labor without Wendy's help. She was with me for almost two days, and helped easy my pain and make decisions about my labor. Her expert, kind care, and her calming presence made a huge difference to me. She also visited with me multiple times after I had my baby, and answered my frantic late-night phone calls when I had various nursing and sleep-related issues with my newborn. For months afterwards, she gave me advice on everything from how to take care of my baby to where to look for a sleep-training coach. More than a year later, she even helped me find a sitter when I tweaked my back and urgently needed help. I can't praise Wendy enough. She is knowledgeable and experienced, and a wonderful human being. While she charges a premium over many other doulas, she is also much more experienced; her services are worth it.

nell westerlund

2/13/2015

After the surprisingly fast birth of my first baby, I had a lot of anxiety about a potentially even faster second birth. I chose Wendy for her breadth of experience and down to earth, calming nature. Once I knew Wendy would be my birth doula, I had no concerns. She made herself available to me all throughout pregnancy for questions, and her wealth of knowledge was impressive, even as much as I had educated myself about pregnancy and labor, I was always learning more in my interactions with Wendy. With her support, I went on to have a fantastic birth experience. I highly recommend Wendy to anyone, no matter what their situation or birth plan.

Jena Carter

2/13/2014

We hired Wendy to help us with the birth of our first child in the summer of 2012. To prepare for the big day, Wendy asked thought-provoking questions to help us decide what the ideal birth scenario would look like and provided us with resources and knowledge to answer any questions. My pregnancy went to 41 weeks and the doctors sought to induce. Wendy provided us with key questions to ask the doctors and helped prepare me mentally for the induction. In the end, the induction took 5 days, including 24 hours of labor followed by a c-section. This was not what we had pictured, but none of the problems were related to Wendy. In fact, she was a rock throughout the process. She helped us understand that we were empowered to make key decisions about the induction process. When I was finally in active labor, Wendy provided lot of support to my husband and gave me useful tips. And once it was decided to proceed to a c-section, we received permission from the hospital for Wendy to come into the surgical room. She not only took pictures of the birth but she also helped the baby to nurse within minutes of birth. This was a key goal of mine and I’m so happy that worked out. I can’t say enough wonderful things about Wendy. Even though we don’t see her every day now, I look back on our time together fondly and definitely count her as a friend.

niki s

4/14/2012

 Wendy is exceptionally good at what she does.  After meeting with her in person, I realized she was the perfect combination of what my husband and I were looking for.  I am a trauma nurse and I needed a doula that was confident and had a good knowledge base, someone who was compassionate as well as respectful of our wishes.  Wendy was all of these things and more!  Wendy helped my husband and I to cope with the many  emotional aspects of my birth and pregnancy.  She was always there for me or my husband to email, text, call, etc both prior to and after the birth of our daughter.  My birth plan was to have a drug free vaginal birth, however  I ended up having a cesarean birth due to complications.  In the end our minds were at ease, and we felt prepared for our birth thanks to the one on one education and book resources she provided us.  Wendy was with us during the birth of our daughter,  met with us in recovery to begin breast feeding and checked in with us in the hospital postpartum.  We also hired Wendy to encapsulate our placenta, which I believe prevented any baby blues.  I would without a doubt recommend her and hire her again!

Kristy Geffen

4/1/2012

Wendy is amazing! She attended my wife's birth, and I believe that it is because of her that the birth was a positive experience for both of us. Wendy's work with us really began months before the birth: getting to know us, educating us about all of the medical options and comfort measures available to us during the birth, holding space for our concerns re: labor and our practitioners, and helping us to mentally and emotionally prepare for motherhood. At the birth Wendy made sure that we were both taking care of our bodies...drinking water, applying chapstick, supporting ourselves with pillows, etc. She encouraged my wife and suggested helpful positions and imagery to ease the contractions. Our baby experienced distress which required the use of a medical intervention during the birth, and Wendy made sure that we had space to ask questions and think through what was happening, which has made us feel good about the process in the months since the birth. She helped us connect with our daughter and get her latched onto the breast minutes after the birth, which is a memory filled with love and joy for me. Wendy was there for us postpartum too. She encapsulated my wife's placenta, which was incredibly helpful in replenishing lost blood, bringing in milk, and easing the baby blues. Her help in teaching us to nurse and feel confident caring for our daughter once we arrived home was so important to our wellbeing. Wendy is knowledgeable, nurturing, a great advocate, and fun too! We are so grateful to have worked with her.

Terri Felton

4/17/2011

I can't speak highly enough of Wendy - she is an amazing doula!  Our pre-birth meetings alone were enough to confirm our decision, and my husband and I both felt that we were much more confident and knowledgeable in our birth preparations because of our meetings with Wendy.  At the birth itself, Wendy was extremely helpful in suggesting visualizations as well as alternate positions, and she was always positive and encouraging.  My husband and I both felt so calm just having her in the room, and we really only needed to focus on ourselves and what we were doing - she made sure all of our other needs were met.  She also visited me after the delivery and called often to see how I was doing!  Her easygoing manner instantly puts you at ease, yet she is extremely knowledgeable and professional.  I highly recommend Wendy as a doula and would most certainly hire her again.

Sabrina Lavdis Arnold

1/15/2011