Laura S

1/28/2024

I had the pleasure of having Heather during the birth of my first child and could not imagine my labor and delivery without her. She was incredibly supportive, patient, calming, knowledgeable and reassuring when I needed it. She helped my husband and I navigate a long labor at our house and at the hospital. Not only was the support during my labor and delivery incredible, the resources you get as a package when hiring 312 doulas are priceless. They have so many amazing recommendations and support available for their clients online. My husband and I loved how supported we felt throughout my pregnancy during our video calls with Heather and Victoria. They really are a wealth of knowledge in anything related to pregnancy, labor, and birth. We really enjoyed taking the evidence based birth class too. I won't give birth without 312 doulas! -my husband says so too!

Mary Kenney

6/8/2023

I can't say enough good things about Victoria and Heather and my family's experience with 312Doulas. This was our first pregnancy after a couple rounds of IVF; not surprisingly, my husband and I faced pregnancy and labor with high levels of anxiety. Victoria and Heather talked us through those feelings all the way through the pregnancy, from 2 months pregnant to 2 weeks postpartum.

During the labor, both provided support, encouraging words, and much-needed massage to get us to the finish line. In the moments I felt like giving up (it was a long labor!), Victoria was there helping me feel confident and strong enough to keep going. Victoria checked in with me about my preferences and desires all throughout the labor, making sure the experience was what my husband and I wanted. I truly can't imagine going through labor without them.

In addition, the class we took through 312Doulas (Evidence-Based Birth) helped us make decisions both before and during labor that otherwise would have been confusing and frightening, such as knowing when to start an epidural and choosing to keep pushing rather than rush into a c-section. 312Doulas also hosted pregnancy and new-mom groups that helped me feel like part of a community in what can be a very lonely time.

Seriously, expectant parents, it takes a village, and 312Doulas is exactly the supportive, informed, kind, compassionate village you need.

kristina mcginnis

5/8/2022

if you are looking for a doula in chicago, hire 312doulas, you won’t regret it! they are worth every penny and working with them during my births has been one of the best parenting decisions i’ve made.

i’ve been lucky enough to work with both heather and victoria during two separate births. both are phenomenal at what they do, compassionate, skilled, attentive, empowering, knowledgeable, and so so caring. during both births, they texted with me while i labored at home, met me as soon as i got to the hospital, provided hands on support throughout my labor and delivery experience, and stayed with me during the first few hours of postpartum.

just a few examples of how they specifically helped: they have a magical touch that helped me manage birth waves using counter pressure, heat packs and pressure points. they made suggestions for positions and actions for both me and my husband to keep things progressing. their mood matched what i was going through, providing jokes when needed and words of affirmation when needed. they collaborated flawlessly with hospital staff. they took amazing pictures during the experience. birth can get very intense and difficult - especially during transition - and my husband and i couldn’t have navigated it at all to the same degree without them. i feel so grateful to have lived my dream and positive birth experience for both births, much thanks to heather and victoria's presence.

i love the prenatal and postpartum weekly zoom meetings, it’s been great to connect with other moms in chicago and make new friends. and i found the classes they teach so informative and helpful - we took evidence based birth and spinning babies. they’ve provided placenta encapsulation and postpartum doula services for me; and lastly, they were always very responsive to my messages, providing personalized advice and support to supplement my pregnancy experience and support from my ob.

Matt Hayes

5/3/2022

My wife and I retained 312 Doulas for their services after a fairly lengthy search. We really liked their 3•1•2 approach to laboring at home, and we hit it off right away with Senior Doula Marie Weiss. Marie made herself available for our questions, and talked us through a couple episodes of early/false labor. On the big day she came to our home and was just incredibly helpful and supportive … a real source of encouragement, reassurance, and calm. She also recommended and administered a bunch of very practical and effective comfort measures. She followed us to the hospital, stayed with us over night, and consulted with us in recovery, and again after we brought our new baby home.

We also worked with 312 Doulas to retain Aimee Kubes' services as a postpartum doula. She's been absolutely great helping us transition into our new lives as parents and family. We've had her a few nights a week, and the extra sleep has been crucial for our health, relationship and sanity. She's also been an invaluable source of information about our baby. She's recommended a bunch of different things that help with soothing him, getting him to sleep longer, breast feeding, and his development.

Finally, my wife has been attending 312 Doulas' postpartum support group, and that has been yet another wealth of information and a real sense of community.

All in all 312 Doulas has been an absolute pleasure to work with, and we'd both (all three!) wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone bringing a new person into the world!

Tarra Sharp

5/3/2022

We love Heather and Victoria. We worked with 312Doulas as we prepared for the arrival of our first child. They were fantastic. We engaged them at about 18/20 weeks in the pregnancy and were able to take advantage of the pregnant person weekly zoom meeting (which provided a wonderful support system through the pregnancy), the birth classes (which were more evidence-based and intimate than what my hospital offered), and they were available for any questions (which gave us another opinion outside of our OB).

On the day of our birth, my husband was able to engage with them via text and let them know how things were going. Heather arrived at the hospital and was able to offer comfort measures, support, and coaching that helped both my husband and I feel that we could do THIS! :) In addition, they were able to relieve my husband and let him get some sleep and they got me ice and food, etc. Just so kind. Once I started to push, Heather was there to coach us and encourage us and then take pictures of our new family when the baby girl came. Heather had to leave (they work 12-hour shifts) and Victoria slid in, so quickly I didn't realize it was happening and never felt alone. Victoria then stayed to help us breastfeed and get settled in.

After our birth, we had a postpartum call to ask any questions and now participate in the new parents' weekly zoom which already has been super valuable.

We'd highly recommend working with 312Doulas.

Trevah

2/17/2022

My husband and I could not be happier that we decided to work with 312 Doulas for the birth of our first child. The meetings with Heather and Victoria and the Evidence Based Birth class we took through them during pregnancy were very helpful and informative. It was especially useful since we were doing an unmedicated birth at a hospital - it gave us a good understanding of the options we would be presented with and the evidence behind them which made us feel confident and empowered to make the right choices for us.

For our birth we worked with Victoria and she was absolutely amazing. My husband and I both said afterwords working with her was the best decision we made and we will 100% use her again if we have another baby. She has a very gentle, supportive, and calming presence. She offered helpful tips and tricks all throughout my labor - massage, countermeasure, essential oils, etc. - and was able to assess how my labor was progressing. By working with her I was able to stay home for the majority of my labor (which is what I hoped for) - I was at at 9 cm when I got to the hospital! If we hadn't used her we probably would have shown up way too early!

At the hospital she helped us navigate questions and requests from the doctors, advocating for us and our birth plan the whole time. After delivery she even took photos which I wasn't expecting but am so happy she did because we now have our first few moments as a family captured. She also stayed to make sure that breastfeeding was off to a good start. We felt so supported by Victoria before, during, and after our labor and would absolutely recommend her and work with her again! 

Zach Elkin

1/18/2022

Partnering with 312 Doulas was the best decision for our family as we prepared to welcome baby #3! As the birthing partner, I can only offer the highest recommendation for their services and how they supported my wife and me through the entire experience. Heather and Victoria were incredibly communicative, thorough, and nurturing. Most importantly, they listened to our story and met us where we were. 312 Doulas was an integral piece of our care team and with their constant guidance and encouragement we felt empowered throughout the pregnancy, labor, and postpartum periods. We are so grateful for Heather and Victoria from 312 Doulas!

Abby

1/12/2022

I never imagined my pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum experience could feel as empowering as it did - I attribute so much of that to Heather and Victoria's support! Each step of the way they offered guidance, insight, and brilliant probing questions to help me uncover my own wants and needs. I originally sought out their services because my first two deliveries I did not have a doula present and both resulted in emergency c-sections/ rather traumatic experiences. This time around I wanted to attempt a vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) and knew they had a strong reputation in the VBAC world. This delivery didn't end up going as planned and yet I was so pleasantly surprised by how at-peace I felt with the outcome. Even though I ended up needing another c-section, Heather and Victoria helped equip me with the knowledge and resources I needed to have a stronger sense of agency & to use my time during pregnancy to develop trusting relationships with all my care providers.
I can't recommend these women highly enough and am forever grateful for their partnership along my journey.

Abby Faber

1/31/2021

I couldn't recommend 312 doulas more. The EBB class was so helpful in preparing my husband and I for birth and helping us think about the type of care that we wanted. We had Victoria as our doula on the day and she was invaluable in supporting us throughout the birth and coming up with different ideas to try for comfort and positioning. As someone who was always scared of childbirth, I am so glad that we had this additional support. I will definitely be using 312 doulas again.

Brandi Bridges

12/16/2020

I have used 312doulas for the labor and delivery of both of my children and would highly recommend their services. They are amazing experts and have a wealth of resources that they provide to their clients. On resources, they provided me with information around what foods and vitamins were helpful in my last phase of pregnancy, what exercises could potentially shorten labor and what practices could relax me and and reduce pain during labor. I was so thankful that Heather was by my side throughout the whole process, making sure I was prepared for conversations with the medical team and that I could make informed decisions. Heather and Victoria both are so caring and loving and you know that they love their roles in helping bring new lives into the world.

Courtney Robson

5/17/2020

When we found out we were pregnant, our first priority was to find a doula that would help us navigate the journey for the first time. From our first meeting with Heather and Victoria, we felt comfortable, confident and like we would always have all of the information available to be in the driver's seat with our birthing decisions. Our pregnancy was going smoothly until the third trimester when we were faced with several obstacles; two of which were COVID-19 adding restrictions at hospitals and finding out our baby was breech at 38 weeks along. Heather and Victoria willingly went above and beyond to guide us through all of these challenges; helping us change hospitals at 33 weeks, educated us on all of our options with the breech positioning and constantly made us feel at ease with our decisions.

One hour before the planned c-section, we found out that the hospital would not allow doulas. Victoria stayed in touch with us through the entire day and guided us from afar on decisions, advice and helpful tips. Knowing she was there with us, although not in person, was extremely empowering and helped us remain calm and that we were not in it alone. We felt very comforted by her support, even though she was not able to be with us in person.

Although we did not end up having the natural birth we worked so hard for, I would not change a thing about our journey to meet our son. I know for a fact we would not have had such a great experience, despite all of the twists and turns, if it were not for Heather and Victoria. I cannot speak highly enough of their expertise, knowledge and flexibility during such an important time. If you are looking for a doula who will advocate for your hopes and desires, guide you through the ups and downs and provide education so you can make the best decision for your family-you will not be let down with 312Doulas!

Rachel Jacobs

5/13/2020

Heather and Victoria had a tall task ahead of them, unbeknownst to them, as giving birth was one of my greatest fears. Both Heather and Victoria provided extremely personalized support and guidance, even before we decided to work with them as our labor and delivery doulas. We found the Evidence Based Birth class to be invaluable, especially after we learned that we wouldn't be able to have either of them at the hospital due to COVID. We were able to have informed conversations with our care providers (OB, nurses, etc.), which they seemed to really appreciate. 312Doulas went above and beyond in our new virtual reality to ensure that my husband and I felt informed, supported, and comfortable about the on-going pandemic and our desired birth experience.

When I went into early labor, Heather and Victoria were constantly texting with husband to check in and provide advice. When my early labor started to stall past 24 hours, Victoria came to our condo and slept on our couch to ensure that she was able to help us the second we woke up the next day. She did an incredible job providing and faciliating a game plan that would move me from early to active labor, and enable us to meet our goal of spending as much time at home as possible. What was especially cool is that she provided the direction, but my husband was the hands-on support, which was super special to both of us. We are excited to report that we made it to our labor and delivery room at 9cm dliated and water broken (more like exploded), which would have been, in my mind at least, impossible without Victoria's support. We have recommended 312Doulas to all of our friends and family that plan to have babies in the future! Thank you for making our birth experience everything we could have wanted and more!!

Samantha

1/31/2020

Victoria and Heather are absolutely incredible. We chose 312 Doulas based on their glowing reviews and tons of experience. We had an in-home initial consultation with Victoria and knew right then and there that we made the right decision. Both Victoria and Heather have amazing personalities and are so warm, knowledgeable, supportive and compassionate. 

My husband and I took the 6-week Evidence Based Birth course with Heather and our minds were blown by how much we learned in each class. It's hard to even describe how much we gained by attending these classes. It was invaluable and better prepared us going into labor and birth.

Both Victoria and Heather supported me throughout my labor, Victoria for the first half and Heather for the second half. I could not have gone through this without them. They not only supported me, they supported my husband. Every step of the way they helped with various comfort measures and positioning exercises to help with labor. They worked alongside my midwife to ensure that my husband and I were involved in all decisions and fully informed of our options along the way. 

Again, I can't say enough positive things about Heather and Victoria and my experience with them during pregnancy and through birth. They have also been so attentive postpartum. I highly recommend them and will absolutely turn to Heather and Victoria again in the future.

Megan

6/26/2019

Forever grateful. Victoria and Heather are incredible. I highly recommend 312 doulas to anyone looking for knowledgeable, compassionate birth support. They worked with me throughout my 42 week pregnancy and natural birth and I honestly can't imagine what it would have been like without their support. They are so patient and bore witness to a very intense birth experience. They advocated for me when I couldn't and encouraged me to advocate for myself when I could. They will always be a part of my son's birth story and I am so grateful!

Victoria Asimos

5/10/2019

No words can begin to express how grateful I am for the 312 Doulas! With their guidance and support I was able to have the birth story of my dreams!! It is possible!

Pregnant with my first child, I knew that I wanted a natural birth with no epidural and I knew I couldn’t do it alone. I needed guidance and support and Victoria & Heather went above and beyond my wildest expectations. I was open to any outcome during the birth (I knew I ultimately was not in control) but I wanted to know that I was putting my best foot forward. Heather & Victoria were always there for me whenever I had any questions and always put my mind at ease.

Victoria was right by my side on game day and she guided me with through every contraction. I remember looking at her at one point and asking her if there was any way we could speed up the process. She told me there were a few things we could try and guess what, they all worked! 6 total hours of active labor and 4 pushes later my beautiful baby boy was born.

Do yourself a favor and hire the 312 Doulas! My husband and I cannot thank these wonderful women enough! They were a BIG part of why I was able to have an unmedicated birth. We love you and thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Kelli Allen

4/29/2019

We were so excited to hire Heather & Victoria as our doulas for our first pregnancy/birth based on their deep expertise, many years of experience, and the personal connection we felt when speaking with them.  We felt safe and secure in their care from the moment we interviewed them all the way through the home visit post-partum.

They provided great education through our pregnancy to help me prepare and reach my goal of having an unmedicated and active birth that was everything they promised - confident and joyful.  

Victoria attended my little guy’s birth at the hospital and with her essential oils, squat chair, warm compress, guidance through different positions, and encouragement, I was as comfortable through the contractions as I could be!  It was especially helpful to have her focus on my physical comfort so much husband could focus on my emotions.  The two of them working together to help me was incredible.  I would hire Heather & Victoria again, no doubt, and would love to be a reference for anyone looking for further details on their services.  Thank you Heather & Victoria!!! 

Brandi Bridges

3/11/2019

My family and I had an excellent experience with Victoria and 312doulas. We got a recomendation from a friend to use a doula (and specifically 312Doulas) for our first pregnancy/delivery and I am so glad we took their advice. From the first call with Victoria, I impressed with their deep expertise on the end to end process - from the pregnancy, delivery, the hospital experience and resources. It was AMAZING to always have someone to text or call and ask all of my questions to. I felt very cared for during the whole experience. Their online portal and resources were also incredible and I accessed them daily. As I first time mom, I didn't know what I didn't know and the resources helped to educate myself in a very efficient and effective way. Victoria was also very available during my labor (which went much quicker than expected!) and joined us at the hospital to help with all of the things I needed after delivery (predominantly breastfeeding). Finally, in the days after my daughter was born, Victoria's postpartum visit was very reassuring and she was very encouraging and answered all of our questions. I would 100% recommend 312Doulas to my friends and family and hope to have the occasion to use them again in the future.

Kathryn Borzych

12/18/2018

Let me begin by saying I will never have a baby without heather or Victoria as part of my team. I decided to hire a doula for the birth of my first daughter in 2016 and Heather‘s reputation (as best in the business) certainly preceded her. I fell in love with both heather and victoria during the prenatal visits and from there decided to enroll in Hypnobabies; this was taught by heather and my husband And I learned so much!  After the most amazing birth of our first daughter, Ruby, with Heather by our side we knew we would work with 312 doulas again.  I gave birth to my son Miles one week ago today and I couldn’t have done it without heather and Victoria. Between the support and coaching my husband received (he was able to give me exactly what I needed when things got intense) and the physical and emotional support I received from both heather and Victoria, I could really trust my body and enjoy my birth experience...this is priceless. The education, support, responsiveness, love and acceptance I received from 312 doulas really took my birth experience to a level far Beyond my expectations. I went from thinking of the birthing process as a necessary means to an end to LOVING every moment of birthing my babies. Thank you heather and Victoria for helping me meet my babies. Truly the best days of my life...can’t wait to do it again, with you by our side!!!!!!

Meg H

11/18/2018

When we found out that we were pregnant with our second, we knew that we wanted to work with a doula. We had a doula for our first when we were living in a different state and felt that the support was huge during pregnancy and birth. Additionally, wt knew we wanted to try for a VBAC and wanted to find the best team to help us with this goal. We were thrilled when we met Heather and Victoria as they were knowledgeable, compassionate, and supportive. They were able to point us in the right direction with supports in the area as well. We ended up changing our hospital and team based on their recommendations and we believe we ended up with the birth we wanted based on these factors. Heather was with us during labor and she was a constant support throughout. She encouraged me to try different positions and talked me through decisions that needed to be made in a calm manner. We are so thankful to have found Heather and Victoria and would highly recommend working with them to anyone looking for a strong doula team!

Caroline Vasquez

10/24/2018

Yesterday we had the joy of welcoming our daughter Hadley into our family. And for the second time, the 312 team walked along side us throughout our journey. Whether it was answering questions about muscle cramp relief, helping us come up with a plan for a baby that was again breech at 39 weeks or giving us the tools we needed for to have the kind of birth we wanted, they were amazing partners. I most appreciated that they gave me the confidence to trust my instincts, my body and my baby. They helped me feel powerful and well supported, and I loved all of the evidence-based information they shared so we could make the best decisions for our family. They are a wealth of insights, all delivered with kindness and compassion, and without judgement for a family’s choice.

It all culminated in a beautiful, intense and magical birth experience, without any interventions — Heather was with us for labor and delivery, bringing her calm, supportive energy into the room and helping both me and my husband keep moving forward toward the outcome we wanted. It was her “let’s get up and move” (nooooo was my screamed answer, but she persisted) that absolutely shifted things and immediately resulted in major progress and my beautiful daughter screaming on my chest 10 minutes later.

These two amazing women will forever be a part of our (very different but equally amazing) birth stories and they are incredibly talented at what they do. We feel so lucky to have had them with us for both of our pregnancies and could not recommend them more highly.

Eileen Romito

7/26/2018

We chose Heather and Victoria as our doula team due to their amazing history of experience not only as doulas, but also as practicing midwives. We also loved that they were intimately familiar with Prentice Women's Hospital, as well as having worked with my particular OBGYN in the past. After going on an initial consult with them and hearing about their process and extensive birthing background, there was no doubt that they were the doula team we wanted to hire.

Heather was on call the day I went into labor. She was AMAZING. It ended up being a longer labor than I'd hoped for (20+ hours) but without her, it could have gone a completely different direction. Because of her familiarity with the hospital procedures and policies, she was able to get us a room with a birthing pool, and she constantly bugged them to get the pool into the room faster because they were dragging their feet on it. I was in too much pain to advocate for myself much, so I was so glad that she was there to do that for me. (She even was the only person in the room, nurses and doctors included, who even knew how to operate the pump for the pool!) Throughout the labor, she pulled out all the tricks of the trade - essential oils to help bring down my BP at one point, different positions to help the baby descend more quickly, and various other tools to keep me as comfortable as possible throughout the long labor (which I honestly feel would have been even longer without her). She was also in no way intrusive into the ability for my husband to participate. It's almost like she was this little fairy godmother in the background, offering gentle but constant help, guidance, and comfort, but letting him be the main pillar for support. She also has a very calming presence, and a very charming & diplomatic way of dealing with the medical professionals that will be surrounding you during a hospital birth.

Thank you for everything you did for the birth of our little guy!

Rebecca Fitzpatrick

7/25/2018

Heather and Victoria greatly helped my husband and I with the birth of our first child. The two pre-natal appointments were incredibly comforting, as they gave us a good feel for what to expect and how to manage the early portions of labor. Once my labor started, it went really fast, so Heather didn't have a chance to come to our apartment. Instead she was at the hospital the moment we drove up. She stayed with us for the next 7+ hours, and again was extremely calming, comforting, and helpful. She helped us interact with the doctors and nurses (we don't like the hospital environment), relieved the burdens on my husband, suggested position changes and pushing strategies, kept us informed about what was happening and what to expect, etc., etc. -- it was really a lot, and this was a pretty straightforward delivery. It was comforting to know that if anything had gotten complicated, she would have helped with that too. I highly recommend 312Doulas.

Lauren Schuh

4/29/2018

Heather & Victoria were just AMAZING through out my pregnancy. Heather was on call for the birth of my daughter & really helped me get through it. There was a few scary minutes when my daughter was a little stuck & Heather knew exactly what to do. I give all the credit to her for making me change positions, telling me where to put my hands, my foot & just taking over. My daughter was born 3 pushes later. If I didn't have Heather, I think it could have been a totally different outcome. Having the extra support through out my pregnancy & the delivery was priceless. I learned a lot this time! They gave me many tips on supplements, things to eat, drink & how to make sure I had the best pregnancy ever. Do yourself a favor & hire these amazing women. You will not regret it. 100 stars!

Melissa Poeta

11/14/2017

I could not be happier with my experience with 312Doulas and I highly recommend them to anyone and everyone!!!  Although both Heather and Victoria were amazing, the majority of my experience was working with Heather.  Heather completely changed everything I thought I knew about childbirth.  She educated me on exactly what the body goes through and helped us understand that I had choices and the right to stand up for the type of medical care we recieved.  Heather provided education, support, and guidance throughout the entire process and I am forever grateful for her.  I especially love 312Doulas because of the support they offered my fiance.  He was able to hold me and help me through the birth because of the guidance and support from Heather.  She always allowed him and I to work together and sort of "coached" him at times.  This made an incredibly painful experience much more special and and brought my fiance and I much closer together.  He was just as much a part of the birth as I was and I couldn't be happier.  On October 22 I naturally gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl and I know I couldn't have done it without Heather.  No way.  Not a chance.  Heather was there every step of the way providing reassurance and a comfort and her visitis after the birth were also great because it gave me time to ask all of my millions of questions and have reassurance that I was doing things right.  312Doulas are absolutely amazing and I will definitely be using them again if I have another baby!

Andrea Machala

4/11/2017

I used 312 Doulas for our first pregnancy/delivery in February. I cannot explain what an impact they had on our journey. So professional and so knowledgeable. I would recommend them to anyone interested in using a doula. Not only are they an amazing support system for the mother, but also the father. My husband and myslef could not have gotten through our natural childbirth without them. We will definitely be using them in the future. Thank you Victoria and Heather!