Megumi Yoshida

12/15/2024

Maria was such a great companion to our birthing journey. I wanted a very natural birth and she supported us with her expertise and depth of knowledge. She speaks Spanish fluently and made everyone in my family feel comfortable as well. I 100% recommend her as a doula.

Vanna

11/13/2024

Maria made my entire pregnancy journey a very, very, very special and positive experience. She was always communicative, patient, loving and thorough. I learned so much from our visits, which made me feel more at ease in the days leading up to labor. She was reachable any time of day, and I felt seen and heard by her. It's so hard to get that feeling when you're being rushed in and out of regular appointments; luckily, Maria was my voice and advocate. The day I went into labor, Maria rushed over to our apartment and kept me calm and comfortable (as much as she could!) until it was time to go to the hospital. Contractions are no joke (!!!), but Maria never left my side, she was seriously my guardian angel. My husband and I were hesitant about working with a doula – we almost didn't do it – but choosing Maria was hands down the best decision ever. I'm so glad I did it, and having her there prepared me more than any childbirth class we took. We still keep in touch with her, and she has been so incredibly helpful even postpartum. Aside from Maria's work as a doula, I just have to say that she's a lovely person who is extremely caring and has a genuine heart. Any mom would be so lucky to have her as their doula! 

Jasmine

11/10/2024

We had Maria as a birth doula, and she has been a great support while I was having my child for the first time. She was responsive, was not judgy and respected what my partner and I wanted. Maria was also very patient and didn't force us to do something that we weren't comfortable with. I would definitely recommend Maria to my friends and family, and I would work with her again in the future. Super thankful that we had her as our birth doula. 

Sophie

11/9/2024

Whatever I write won’t fully capture how much we love Maria.  Maria was our birth doula and nighttime postpartum doula for our baby born in July 2024. Maria is excellent at her job. She is kind, thoughtful, does not judge, highly skilled and has a huge amount of knowledge. During the birth of my son, she  remained calm and guided me through every step of the birth process, working closely and seamlessly with the hospital staff. At the end of delivering my baby, the doctor even gave Maria a hug! She helped with lactation immediately and did not leave my side until I was ready for her to. A few days later she came by our apartment and helped further with lactation support and really set us up for breastfeeding success. We then hired her for nighttime postpartum support and I trusted her entirely every night she was at our home  to take excellent and safe care of our baby. My husband and I started calling her our sons magician because truly, she seemed to always have the answers for us and he always seemed so at ease in her presence. When she would arrive each night she would sit with us and patiently answer our questions. She helped us navigate all of the challenges of new parenthood and I’m so so grateful. She was available to us over text on days and nights that we didn’t see her to answer our questions too. Simply, she is the best. We all felt so sad when she left- and we really miss her. Look no further , just hire her.

Alejandra Springer

8/29/2022

Choosing Maria as our doula was among the best decisions we made during my pregnancy. Maria provided incredible support before, during and after our son’s birth.

Leading up to his birth, Maria provided incredibly useful suggestions for educational resources, as well as products, to help us prepare emotionally and physically. She also understood the root of my fears about birth by asking the right questions about my family history and continually reassured me accordingly throughout.

Our birth preferences went out the window immediately when I had to be induced for medical reasons. Maria helped us navigate each decision throughout the birth and gave us confidence. We both felt calm and cared for the entire time, and we were able to achieve what was most important to us. My husband was so grateful for her support as well, especially during labor.

We will absolutely work with Maria again if we are able for any future children! We are so glad to have crossed paths with her!

Shoko Tagaya

8/12/2022

We absolutely love Maria and feel very lucky we got to work with her. She is knowledgeable, attentive, thoughtful and calm. She guided me and my partner throughout the pregnancy, the birth, and postpartum.

Pregnancy:
Maria helped me realize what's important for me for the birth experience, and helped me find and switch to the provider I felt most comfortable with. She was always available to answer questions, gave us great recommendations (my favorite was her recommended books!), and often times gave us advice on what to ask doctors/midwife so we can be confident in our decision making.

Birth:
I went into labor on the day my midwife was away and had to work with a backup midwife that I’ve never met before. Everything happened very quickly too and by the time the midwife came, the baby was already crowning. It could've been a very stressful situation, but I felt confident and calm having Maria besides me the entire time. 

Postpartum
She checked in frequently and provided guidance until I was doing okay with the recovery and adjusting to being a mother. As she did during the pregnancy, she had lots of great recommendations that helped me get through the first month of breastfeeding. I also appreciated Maria for continuing to be a great advocate for me when much of the attention had shifted to the baby after birth.

Ester

8/3/2022

Working with Maria exceeded my expectations and with her guidance I had a beautiful and smooth delivery during an unmedicated birth. From the beginning she presented me with resources that made me feel at ease throughout my pregnancy and when my labor started - she quickly came to our home prepared for showtime. She helped with massages and breathing exercises and overall support and came with us to the hospital which was great for me and my experience. Really loved her and she has a great energy and very easy to communicate with. Really wonderful! 

Liz

7/31/2022

Maria coached us through our first birth and first few weeks at home with a newborn. She empowered us with information about what to expect for both labor and after care. She was supportive through the preparation and actual delivery and postpartum. Her calm demeanor and encouraging attitude makes her a wonderful doula. We couldn't have asked for a better person to guide us through this most important life milestone. We would definitely hire Maria again for any future births. 

Jenna

7/30/2022

Maria was amazing to work with. She helped me feel empowered and as in control as possible throughout pregnancy and childbirth. She taught us spinning babies techniques to make sure my daughter was in the best position for labor, and also helped me with managing various symptoms throughout pregnancy. Making a birth plan with Maria was such a positive experience for my husband and I to go through. She is thorough and extremely thoughtful. Maria was also so helpful and supportive when I was in labor. I was lucky enough to have an uncomplicated birth, but I went in feeling prepared for multiple outcomes. Maria then additionally was great after birth in helping me get started feeding my baby, ensuring we had a good latch from the beginning. Last but not least, our postpartum visit was great. We were able to debrief and also make sure that we were adjusting well to life postpartum. I cannot recommend Maria enough!

Annysa P.

7/30/2022

María Luisa was an absolute dream to work with for both of my pregnancies. She has an incredibly calm aura, very knowledgeable, patient, attentive and really listens to your needs. I was induced for my first child and it felt like she was one step ahead reading my body language and what was happening around me before I even asked for something. My husband raves about how helpful it was to have her throughout the process and how involved Maria Luisa helped him be before, during, and post partum. She is definitely a very grounding energy to have present during a time when you don't know what to expect and she offers such constant reassurance and belief in the strength of your body and the experience that is unfolding. I didn't hesitate for one second to call her when I was pregnant with my second !

Rachel

1/31/2022

Maria is an absolutely incredible doula, and I am not exaggerating when I say she transformed our birth experience. We are so grateful that we found her! I am a physician and was on the fence about whether to hire a doula, and I am so glad that we chose to work with Maria. I can’t imagine having gone through my somewhat challenging labor and delivery without her. She is intuitive, kind, and professional. She has an easy-going personality and a great sense of humor. I cannot recommend her highly enough and would hire her again in a heartbeat. On the day of labor, Maria was so supportive and helped both me and my husband relax and stay present. We had some stressful moments with the baby’s heart rate decelerating, and Maria was able to manage the situation through coaching and repositioning my body - all without overstepping the boundaries of the medical team. She worked well with the medical team and had a great rapport with them, but also supported me in advocating for myself. I was able to safely deliver vaginally - basically as a result of Maria’s skillful coaching and encouragement. She supported my labor with her expertise, massage, and knowledge of positions. She has a healing touch and the right balance of being hands-on and giving space. She also provided me with a helpful guided meditation that got me through the most challenging part of labor. Maria led the coaching alongside our nurse through the pushing stage and was so encouraging and helpful. Her practical tips really helped me to push more effectively, which was crucial to my delivery going smoothly. Her postpartum visit felt like a happy reunion, and she gave me some great advice for breastfeeding that helped me through a rough patch. If you are lucky enough that Maria is available for your due date, I recommend you hire her without reservation! She was a real guardian angel for our family and such a stellar person to have as an advocate and coach.

Miguel G. Matos

1/28/2020

My wife and I would not have had the amazing birth experience we had without Maria Dangond. As the husband/father/birth-partner in this experience, I did not think a doula would affect my own birth-experience as much as it did. I agreed to hire Maria as our doula mostly to support my wife (the two of them hit it off great from the initial interview). However, now that I look back at the birth of our first child, I cannot imagine how my own experience would have went without Maria. She provided support to my wife with massage, stretches, running a bath, etc. That much I expected. What I did not expect (and was pleasantly surprised by), was how much I ended up relying on Maria during the birth.

Since it was our first child, Maria was instrumental in helping us labor at home as long as possible. This let us arrive at the hospital at the right time (not too early and not too late). I was nervous about laboring at home, but Maria was so calm and confident that we should wait before leaving to the hospital that we followed her lead. Maria helped support me throughout the birth as well. She taught me about some pressure points that I could apply to help my wife deal with the pain (my wife decided to have a non-medicated birth and succeded in delivering without Pitocin or an Epidural - she's a rock-star). Maria also told me to grab lunch at the right time (My wife labored for 24 hours, and I had gone about 22 hours without eating until I finally grabbed a bite 2 hours before she finally delivered). I'm glad I didnt have to welcome my baby into this world on an empty stomache. 

After we first interviewed Maria, I just knew my wife would get the support she needed to have the birth she wanted. I didn't know that she would give me the support I needed as well. 

Thank you so much Maria for everything you did for us. We will give you a call again when we're ready for baby #2. 

Camilla Marcus and Josh Siegel

1/26/2020

Having Maria part of our birthing experience start to finish was invaluable and more magical than I could have imagined.  She helped us fully understand the hospital process and gave us guidance on how to navigate every step from pregnancy to delivery to lactation to new parenthood and everything in between.  It made would could have been a confusing or challenging process one filled wtih love, calm, and empowerment.  I wholly attribute our baby latching right away and feeding so well to Maria and her presence and help right when our son was born, in the moment we needed it the most.  She's so amazing that I've blissfully shared her with every friend I know who's similarly raved.  Her approach is uniquely wholistic and thoughtful, regardless of what kind of birth you plan to have she's the ultimate advocate that you didn't know you absolutely needed.  We can't wait to have her part of every birth we have.

Nina

1/21/2020

We had planned a home birth but ended up with a C-section after 40 hours of labor at home and another seven at the hospital. Words can not express how grateful we are to have had Maria by our side for all of this. From the first pre-natal visit, through the whole incredible birth experience, right to the post-natal visit, Maria was one hundred percent on our team every step of the way and provided invaluable support. She is a beautifully grounded and warm person, as well as incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about her work. From help with Spinning Babies and Hypnobirthing techniques to wonderfully relaxing aromatherapy and pressure point massages, from honest and clear explanations of what was going on, to the sense of calm and tranquility that she brought to our birthing day(s), Maria was everything we could have wished for in a doula.  

Lizzie and Carl

6/21/2019

Maria was an amazing partner to us in the birth of our son in oct 2018. The time she took with us beforehand to make sure we were comfortable with everything that would happen was invaluable. She answered every question we had and gave us invaluable advice, labor positions, food ideas for my last trimester and day of labor, encouragement, all of it. She wanted to be kept in the loop on all our doctor's appointments and always helped us interpret any doctor-ese we were unsure of. The day of she was an awesome partner - our babe came a bit early, and very early in the morning. She came straight to us from an overnight with someone else and was ready to go! Having her in the car to the hospital was invaluable - and having her there with me while my husband checked in was incredible. She knew how to handle the hospital staff, how to help us direct them. When it came time to push, she was helping my husband with how he could best support me, holding my hand and cheering me on the entire time and she helped our little guy get latched right away! Somehow during all of this she also took photos of the birth so that we have these precious moments forever. I cannot recommend her enough - she was such a strong, caring guide for us during our first birth. I know I said invaluable like a million times in this review but that's truly the best way to describe how we feel about our time with her :) 

Maggie

3/23/2019

My husband and I cannot say enough about how grateful we were to have Maria by our side for the birth of our first child. I mean it when I say I could not have done it withouth her! To start- our prenatal visits were so helpful and gave me the confidence to establish the kind of birth I wanted. She educated us on different ways of laboring, how to advocate for ourselves and gave us plenty of resources to prepare for the big day. My water broke early and she continually checked in on us throughout the day/night until we were ready to have her come to our home. She was such a calming presence, educated but not judgemental, and she made laboring comfortable and powerful for us. My situation was not ideal, as our on-call OB pressured us into going to the hospital earlier than we wanted to (typical of the practice) and Maria made sure that we were comofrtable with the decisions we had to make. We were very unhappy with the OB and the induction methods he was trying to push on us- and Maria was the advocate we needed to ensure we only made the choices we were comfortable with. In no way would she ever overstep an OB's request- but in our case, he was rude, pushy, and condescending and Maria was just the advocate we needed. She continued to remind me throughout the entire laboring and delivery process how capable I was and how great I was doing, which was everything we needed during those tough moments. She was also a huge support to my husband, who was quite stressed and worried about me and the baby. Despite the horrible experience with the OB, I can still look back on my birth story with such a positive and empowering feeling- all because of Maria. I truly feel I would not have that same sentiment if it werent for her. We would HIGHLY reccomend her to anyone looking for a doula who is educated, gentle in her apporach, will advocate for you (by empowering you to advocate for yourself) and will support your personal birth plan. 

Monika

3/21/2019

We hired Maria as our birth doula for our first child. We had interviewed several others but knew she was the one as soon as we spoke to her. She has a very warm and calm presence about her. During our prenatal visit she not only shared lots of knowledge but really took the time to listen and get to know us and our wishes. She often stayed past her scheduled time in order to answer all of our questions and never made us feel rushed. The day I went into labor, there was a big snowstorm in NY. Despite that, she arrived at the hospital with no problem. During labor, she not only calmed my nerves but also my husbands. She helped me enormously with pain management by massaging me and guiding me thought different positions and movement. My husband also wanted to be very involved and Maria provided him with the knowledge and guidance that he needed to do that. Thanks to Maria, we were able to have the natural and calm birth experience we imagined. We both said that when we have our second, Maria will have to be there!     
 

Whitney Sansalone

2/28/2019

Maria helped us bring our son into this world, and we honestly can’t imagine having done it without her. As first time parents, there is no book or video that can prepare you for birth. Her prenatal visits were very helpful, and she has a very holistic approach which completely aligned with my views, although she was supportive when I decided to get induced at 10 days late. Maria’s knowledge about the induction process, pain management on pitocin (it’s different!), and what was normal and what was not was priceless. Her hands on techniques helped me figure out how to manage the pain, because I forgot everything I had learned before I walked into the labor room! She not only kept me calm when my labor stalled and my OB warned me that a c-section may be inevitable if I didn’t progress quickly, she helped me advocate for myself and had me equipped with all the information I needed to make sure that I was not bullied into a c-section. Our baby boy came into the world perfectly healthy, and we couldn’t be happier. I truly credit Maria for the reason we ended up with a vaginal birth.

My partner and I cannot recommend Maria enough. She’s sweet, loving, encouraging, and great company for 20+ hours straight :) 

Elizabeth Germano

2/3/2019

Maria was great!  She assisted us at the birth of our daughter in October 2018.  She had a calming presence and came prepared with essential oils and massage techniques to get us through labor.  We met with Maria twice during the third trimester and she gave us lots of information to prepare for labor.  I ended up being induced and she met us at the hospital once contractions were getting strong.  She helped me think through the decision of an epidural.  Ultimately I ended up with a c-section and she was able to coach us in what to expect.  She advocated for skin-to-skin contact as soon as our daughter was born.   Maria was right there in recovery to help with the first breastfeeding. Finally, she stopped by for a postpartum visit to help with continued breastfeeding and answer questions we had.  It was wonderful having someone as knowledgable as Maria with us, taking much of the stress out of the experience.

Sarah Britt

1/27/2019

My husband and I were thrilled to have Maria as our doula.  From the moment we met her, we loved her energy, knowledge and understanding of our needs and wants. We felt much more comfortable facing this new adventure knowing she'd be there.

I wanted to labor at home for as long as possible and was a little distrustful of hospital procedures here (I'm from Europe), so it was very comforting to know Maria would be there to be my voice and advocate for me if I were feeling overwhelmed.

On the day of my delivery, she helped a lot with pain management at home, in the car and even during the delivery. It also really helped my husband to know I was being taken care of so he could focus on driving.

We would highly recommend Maria as a doula and thank her for all her wonderful help.

Ray Hancock

9/2/2018

I had never heard of a Doula before we got pregnant and we didn’t originally consider engaging the services of one, though as birthday loomed we felt that we didnt feel comfortable with our pain management techniques and researched doulas on doulamatch as advised by the team at Cleo, an excellent post partum service.

After meeting a few doulas over FaceTime we chose Maria as she fit closest to our values, was a qualified Lactation consultant and has a background in nutrition.

Great decision!

Maria was exactly what we were looking for. Her pre-birth preparation visits made us feel very at ease and relaxed as we approached birthday. She was very knowledgeable and was attentive and understanding of our concerns so we were confident on birthday that Maria had our back.

In full disclosure nothing went as planned. The birth progressed slowly, leading to induction and ultimately a C-section.

We we’re in delivery for 34 hours - all of it in the hospital. Maria was there pretty much the whole time and we were so glad to have someone around to advise what was going on and why, make recommendations and be a welcome distraction as the hours rolled by. She interfaced with our doctor really well and eventually helped us come to terms with our decision as we reluctantly moved forward with the c-section.

After a very long day/night Maria stayed in the hospital whilst we were in the operating theatre and was the first person to meet new baby when she came to the recovery room to help guide mom and baby through their first breast feeding after which Maria finally went home to get some well earned rest.

In the end the reason we got a doula in the first place was essentially voided but the value that Maria brought to a long and awkward birth was well over and above what we expected.

We would definitely engage Maria for baby #2 if we find ourselves lucky enough

Annysa Rodriguez

3/12/2018

Maria was an incredible resource and a calming presence to have at the birth of our our first child. We were hoping for an unmedicated hospital birth but ended up being induced and I truly believe having Maria there was one of the reason my labor progressed so quickly. Not only did she answer any questions I had, but her attentiveness before, during, and after labor made me feel secure in my decisions. Energy was super important when we were choosing a doula and Maria's grounded demeanor and warm personality made me feel confident in having her in the delivery room as another support person. It is also important to note that my husband has been raving about her and he did not even know what a doula was before we started our research. He really felt involved, connected to the process and more confident in being able to support me because of her.

Vivi Kofman

2/28/2018

I hired Maria to be my birth doula as I was afraid that there would be no one to advocate for my preferences during actual birth. My birth prefrence was to have vaginal unmedicated birth. Before hiring Maria, I was skeptical if doula can help much with pain management, and hence, I was mainly looking for someone who can advise us if the doctor's recommendations makes sense and also as a helping hand for my husband. What surprised me most during actual labor was how much Maria helped with pain management. She constantly massaged me, put me in different positions and suggest options for pain management. Even before my labor started she would check on me after my weekly doctor's appointments asking how things are. I didn't feel comfortable burdening her but she was also checking in. Besides pain management she knew when I was having contractions, when I was transitioning and when I was pushing. As a first time mom all of these experiences were new to me. Many times I thought I was having contractions but wasn't sure if its just severe back pain or contractions, and also when they start and end. Maria was also a huge help for my husband. He could leave me with her and fetch the car or go use the restroom without being anxious of leaving me alone. My birth experience was  so much better than I expected, thanks to Maria. If I were to do it again, I would definitely hire her as my doula.

Carolina D'angon

7/27/2017

I found Maria's presence very supportive and loving. She came in at the last stage of delivery because my baby decided to honor us with her presence four days earlier than due date, the same day Maria was traveling to the west coast to help us through the process. Maria helped me to stay focused on the affirmation that i could deliver my baby. She was strong for me at my most vulnerable moment and gave me the support and encouragement to accomplish what seemed such an impossible feat. At last moments of delivery, the midwife in charged was asking me to push and get the baby out or they would have to use a vacuum delivery; she was also pushing to give me an episiotomy. Maria was there to help me understand what the midwife was asking, I was too high in pain and tired for what was almost 12 hours of labor. Maria helped me focus and regain my strength to deliver my baby without intervention. She reminded me that I was a strong woman and that I was ready to meet my daughter, that I had all it takes to deliver my baby into this world. Her words were like a shot of adrenaline, six pushes later my baby was born. I am forever grateful that Maria was there for me, with me. It was a very special moment.