Kirsten

11/29/2023

We asked Liz to be our labor doula to try for a VBAC for the birth of our son. While I ended up having a planned c-section at 40 weeks, Liz still met us before surgery and was calming and knowledgeable and I was happy to have her with us. Before and after our son was born, she came for pre- and post-partum visits. I know I would have been grateful for her guidance and gentle presence had the VBAC worked out, offering whatever degree of involvement we would have liked in each moment. Throughout everything, she continually checked in with me and my husband to see how we were doing (both physically and mentally) and provide us with any information we needed at each stage.

We have also had three photo sessions with Liz: maternity, birth, and a newborn session, and were so happy with all three. We were not planning on the birth photos, but Liz was kind to offer to take them when the VBAC fell through (and the OR team at the time allowed her in). In retrospect, we are so happy to have those photos, too. She was very knowledgeable of lighting and recommended a beautiful location for our maternity shots. While she took plenty of posed, classic shots, she also captured plenty of spontaneity, our family dynamic, and the extremely special event that is childbirth. We have many special moments to look back on and we are grateful she gave us these!

We highly recommend Liz as both a birth doula and a photographer, and know she would be just as great in other capacities as a doula, too.

Liz Schumacher

7/13/2023

Let me start by saying that this was my second birth experience and I could not have asked for a better team to help me feel confident and capable throughout the whole process. Liz was such an essential part of that team. She spent our initial days getting to know us as a couple, learning about our previous birth experience and what we wanted this experience to be. Our greatest wish was to labor together, as husband and wife, with as little interference and intervention from others as possible. For this reason, we had chosen to give birth at a birth center rather than a hospital. Our purpose in hiring Liz was for her to support that desire and to support us when we asked for it as well as document this breathtaking time for our family and she did just that. She never once overstepped or inserted an opinion when it wasn’t asked for. She answered questions, supported me through pregnancy, and was a quiet advocate and calming support in our birthing room. The photos that she was able to capture were made possible by her helping to ensure that we had the birth experience that we desired and I could not be more content with how everything went. We will forever cherish the photos and the experience of giving birth to our sweet little girl and are so grateful to Liz for everything she did through this process.

Austin

5/10/2023

Having Liz present at our baby's birth was exactly what we needed and more. I can't imagine how we would have managed without her. Being this was our first child, we tried becoming familiar with what to expect during labor and delivery. Still, I was hardly prepared for the intensity of how it would deeply feel, and how tiring even from the partner experience.  Liz has a wonderful talent of articulating how you are feeling, sharing words of support for both the birthing person and partner, and jumping into action to help. 

My wife, Aozora, started labor overnight. Liz drove to our home before midnight. She shared movements, breathing techniques, and massages to help. She encouraged us to visit the birth center as she deduced active labor was starting when we weren't sure ourselves. No exaggeration, she gave my wife hip squeezes at every single contraction from then till our baby was born 8 hours later. I would help as much as I could, but Liz stayed with it and whether she was tired or not (how could she not be??) she showed no signs of it.

Her experience and support skills are invaluable. I would seek Liz's support at every future birth. Liz is a considerate, compassionate, empathetic, and knowledgeable doula.  I am extremely grateful.  A lovely bonus was her commitment to taking notes throughout the entire experience so that we would remember it all, and her photography and editing skills!

Teegan

5/9/2023

I recently had the absolute pleasure of working with Liz Walsh as my doula for the birth of my twin girls. From our first meeting, I felt completely at ease with Liz. She took the time to get to know me and my husband, and she listened attentively to our hopes and concerns for the birth. She was constantly available for all of my questions and provided me with resources and information to help me make informed decisions about my labor.

When I went into labor, Liz was an absolute godsend. She arrived at the hospital shortly after we did, and she was a calming and reassuring presence throughout my labor and delivery. She provided continuous emotional and physical support throughout my labor and invaluable hands-on support during contractions. When it came time to push, she literally had my back as she and my husband helped hold me in position through each push.

In addition to her doula services, Liz also provided placenta encapsulation. Liz was able to answer all the questions I had about this service and did not make me feel uncomfortable in any way as I debated the decision. Liz  delivered the encapsulated pills to me within a few days of the birth and provided me with clear instructions on how to take them. The pills were easy to take, and I feel that they are helping me recover more quickly from the birth and the hormone in-balances.

Thanks to Liz’s help, I was able to have a success VBAC delivery of my twins, which was my goal from the beginning. Overall, I would highly recommend Liz to anyone looking for a doula for their birth, especially if they are having twins. Despite being a newer doula, she demonstrated a deep commitment to providing personalized care and exceptional skill and knowledge throughout the birth. Her knowledge, experience, and compassion were truly invaluable, and I feel so grateful to have had her by my side during such an important moment in my families life. 

Ashley

4/24/2023

I contacted Liz preemptively for postpartum support knowing that I would need help in those first weeks and months after giving birth. I’m so glad I did. Liz has always seemed to know how to show up in meaningful ways for me. I can’t thank her enough for not only helping me adjust to life with 2, but supporting my entire family with the transition as well. She’s been amazing with my oldest daughter in helping her still feel special and seen as she transitions from being an only child to a Big Sis. A true gift for our family!

Sora

2/9/2023

One of the best decisions I made during my pregnancy was to hire Liz as our doula. Having her there to support me and my husband bettered my birthing experience. Liz took charge from the moment I messaged her to let her know I was having contractions, and arrived at our doorstep in the middle of the night when my waves became more regular and intense. When we were told at the birth center that I was not dilated enough to be admitted, we drove to a hotel nearby and Liz guided me through different positions to get my baby into an optimal position for birth. Back at the birth center a few hours later, she continued to give me hip squeeze after hip squeeze to counter the downward pressure of the waves, and she reminded me to relax and to breathe through them. After my baby was born Liz supported me with aftercare, allowing my husband to bond with our baby. She continued to check in with us during the postpartum period and offered encouragement and a listening ear when I really needed it.

Liz is also an incredible photographer and took both our maternity and birth photos. Liz was flexible about the location of the maternity shoot, and my husband and I were able to take our maternity photos at sunset in a vegetable field of my family’s farm. I absolutely adored the experience; in a time when I felt insecure about my ballooning body, Liz’s photos made me feel beautiful. The birth photos captured sweet moments between my husband and I as we weathered those long, difficult hours together, and the moment of my daughter’s arrival. I cherish those images, too!

What makes Liz an exceptional doula is her deep care for her clients. Though I knew her only a short time before I went into labor, I trusted her completely in guiding me through the ebbs and flows of birth. I truly think I may not have had the positive birthing experience I had without her strong and gentle presence. I highly recommend her, especially for a first-time mom!

Carrie

9/17/2022

I originally wanted to hire a labor doula because I wanted to have an unmedicated birth at a hospital.  I wanted the support of a doula to assist me with pain management techniques during labor and to help advocate for my wishes during labor and delivery.

Liz was a fantastic doula!  Liz was professional in all aspects of her services from beginning to end.  Liz was also always very friendly and pleasant to be around.  

While I was pregnant, Liz assisted my husband and me with creating our birth plan.  Liz also suggested helpful questions to ask my OB to help me better prepare for labor and delivery.

During my labor, Liz suggested many different pain relief techniques. Liz walked the hospital floor with me during my early labor, and Liz’s hip squeezes provided me great relief during contractions!  I felt very supported by Liz throughout my entire labor.

After the birth of our baby, Liz sent my husband and me a timeline of details of labor and delivery to help us remember when milestones happened, such as what time I started pushing, what time the baby was born, APGAR scores, etc.  This was very helpful since the details of labor and delivery can easily get mixed up.

Liz also has wonderful birth photography skills.  Liz captured precious moments like my OB holding up my baby right after delivery, the cutting of the baby’s umbilical cord, and our first family photo as a family of three.  I will cherish those photos forever.  If we did not hire Liz, those photos would not have been taken.

Since our baby was born, Liz has checked in with me via text several times and provided us helpful resources regarding infants.

I am very happy that we hired Liz for her labor doula services.  I highly recommend Liz!

Bryan Bubulka

8/26/2022

This review is through my eyes as the husband/father. I hardly ever write reviews so to write this one up shows how much I enjoyed working with Liz! I initially wanted a doula based on research (both web and books) related to childbirth and how doulas help that experience. Once my wife informed me she was set on NOT taking strong pain management (epidural) and only wanted nitrous, I knew we needed a doula. My wife researched multiple doulas and came up with her top three. I personally chose Liz as she was here in town, had lots of training, and the price was reasonable. Although at the initial meet up she only had a few deliveries under her belt, she knew her stuff and was confident in her abilities! We all have to start somewhere, right? After our initial meet up, I was sold and don’t regret our decision one bit. When the day came for our little one to join us, I knew we would be in great hands! She was a rock star during early labor and was a huge help during labor itself. Her compassion, knowledge, and experience (as a mom herself) definitely made that day even more special for us. Even days and weeks after the delivery, Liz still checked in on us to ensure all was well. I beyond happy we went with Liz for our doula needs and encourage all others reviewing this to look her up and meet with her. I hope your experience will be as great as ours was.

Bethanie

8/24/2022

We hired our doula, Liz, this year for the birth of our second child.  I used a doula for our first birth in 2019.  It was suggested to us during a new baby class at the hospital as the woman teaching was a doula herself.  It was the best money we have ever spent. An extra support person in the room who has been through countless births before, and is putting your wants and needs first, is invaluable. Liz was a great match for us because she had experience with having an unmedicated birth and listened to our wants and needs. Since she didn’t know the Decatur area well, she came down to visit us and mapped out the route from our house to the hospital so it would look familiar when the time came. She was very supportive during the days before the birth through phone calls and texts and checked in after baby was home, too. I have recommend Liz to everyone I have learned is pregnant and will continue to!

Jessica H

9/29/2021

Liz was so helpful when our little man would not sleep.  As a registered nurse, I was very impressed with Liz’s knowledge about babies and also her attention to safety.  She knew a ton about our son’s digestive issues and gave us some very helpful tips on dealing with his problems.  She also takes all safe sleep precautions seriously, which made my husband and I feel safe and comfortable leaving our baby in her hands all night. We were able to get a couple great nights of sleep every week knowing that our baby was in safe, caring hands.  Our second baby had a very rough first few months in the world when compared to our first, and Liz was so understanding and non-judgemental when we were struggling as second time parents.  Highly recommended!

Frank

8/24/2021

Liz was a life saver during my whole experience in our birthing process. She helped me and my wife every step. She is very knowledgeable about all kinds of birthing plans and helped us reach our end goal. Liz was truly a blessing for my whole family.

Victoria

8/23/2021

Liz was amazing! This was my second birth (VBAC) after a traumatic experience with my first that started off with an induction and ended in an emergency c section. Liz was invested in getting to know me and my partner, and what I wanted out of my birthing experience. She shared resources to help me mentally prepare for a natural birth, sample birth plans, helped me come up with questions for my doctor, gave me provider suggestions that shared my values, and gave me resources on pain relief techniques and various early laboring positions to try once my contractions started.

I labored for several days and during that time, she came to help with my labor pains more than once, including coming in the middle of the night when my contractions got intense. At the hospital, she made sure that any questions I had were answered by the nurses and my concerns were never ignored. I felt very vulnerable and tired by the time I got to the hospital, and I truly felt like Liz was my advocate. She supported me and gave me strength when I was at my weakest, both physically with pain relief techniques and also emotionally. I love my husband dearly, but he didn't have the knowledge on what to do to support me like Liz did. Having her at the hospital as my doula was invaluable and I am so grateful we found her! On top of just being good at her job and caring about her clients, Liz has a sweet and pleasant personality to be around and a cute sense of humor! You will love her if you have her as your doula. I truly can't imagine going through another birth without a doula like her!

Angela Ahern

8/8/2021

Liz was an amazing help to our family after the birth of our second child. She was caring and attentive to not only mine and baby’s needs but also the needs of my 2 year old. She was flexible with scheduling and any changes or requests. Early Postpartum can be challenging with 2 children but liz helped me ease into being a mom of 2 and I’m extremely thankful.

Alicia

11/17/2020

I had such a beautiful experience working with Liz. She was extremely responsive to my questions and  took the time to explain the process, benefits and how to take placenta pills during my postpartum. I enjoyed    
having her in our home while processing the placenta because her presence felt like a good friend who also gave good tips on breastfeeding as I was learning in those first few days.

I had a positive experience with the placenta pills and could tell a difference in my overall mood when I took them vs when I did not. I also feel like the pills increased my energy levels - which for a new mom is always helpful.

I would recommend Liz as a doula for any of your birth/postpartum needs.

Maggie Durbin

9/21/2019

Liz Walsh served me and my family so well this summer. As we anticipated the arrival of our third child I had questions about having my placenta encapsulated. I had some postpartum depression with my second child, and undiagnosed with my first, and I was nervous about how the encapslation process was done. Liz educated me and my family, providing great resources and encouragment about that and so much more during my pregnancy. Liz and my husband corrdinated the actual encapsulation at my home easily as she is so easy to work with and made herself available when we were available. Finally we enjoyed a wonderful time with her as she included my son in the encapsulaton process, cooked my family a meal, and provded an excellent belly wrap for me as well.  She has answered countless questions throughout and continues to.  Her service was excellent and her heart for this was absoltely evident.  I would highly reccommend her for all of her services!

Brianna

4/29/2019

I contacted Liz the day my daughter was born to encapsulate my placenta. She very quickly responded and was at my house in less than 48 hours. During the process she explained each step and answered all of my questions. We talked about my birth and how breastfeeding was going, she even shared some mommy groups I could join to help with juggling the stresses of being a mommy of 3. I would 100% contact Liz again if I ever needed her services. She was amazing to work with and I can’t thank her enough. 

Jaqie Kennell

4/28/2019

Liz was wonderful! I have nothing but great things to say about her. She was patient and kind and never disregarded a question from anyone, including my 60yr old mother or my 8 year old son. She always explained things she was doing thoroughly and always had a smile on her face. She encapsulated my placenta and was willing to do it in my home and on my timeline (baby came in the wee hours of the morning!). I could not have had a better experience and would highly recommend her to anyone! Down-to-earth, real, patient, always-willing-to-help - that's Liz! This was our third baby and I sure wish I would have called her for the first 2. If there's a fourth, she will be one of the first people we call! 

Nick Stafford

2/19/2019

If you're looking for a Doula in the Central Illinois area, you want to hire Liz Walsh.  Trust me, you won't be disappointed.  Let me just say this - I've been in the customer service industry for 18 years and I have very high standards for any type of service and she constantly meets, and exceeds, what I'm looking for in a Doula for my family.  The moment Liz walks in our door she is working.  She seamlessly makes her rounds to say hi to both of my boys (who love her), ask my wife if she needs anything, and inquires about my most recent work trip.  She is such a people pleaser and you can tell that based on how she talks to you and handles things around your house (dishes, trash, clothes, toys, etc.).  Before I knew it, my dirty dishes were in the dishwasher, the clean ones were put away in their proper place (not in another cabinet), the trash was taken out, and she asked to re-arrange a cabinet that needed it desperately (apparently we had a few hundred more plastic grocery bags than I was aware of.)  Liz's personality meshes well with just about everyone b/c she's detail oriented, she has high standards, she's a "do-er," and she wants to make people happy. She'll make you laugh, she'll acknowledge the small victories in your life that you may not acknowledge yourself, and when she leaves you'll miss her the moment she shuts the door.  A small, but huge, thing that Liz does that is much appreciated is she asks my wife, before she comes over to our house, what her goals are for the night!  How cool is that?!

We wish our money tree was in full bloom this year so we could hire Liz to help out at our house more often.  If you hire her once you'll want to hire her again.  It will be some of the best money ever spent for your family!    

Jessica Aurbeck Stafford

11/13/2017

Liz is an amazing postpartum doula. I was so rested after her overnight shift. She brought baby in to me for feedings and kept up with the household throughout the night. When soothing the toddler back to sleep in the middle of the night, he didn't even realize that she wasn't me! She fit seemlessly into our little world of being a new family of four. I awoke to laundry folded, a happy baby, dishes done, and breakfast ready for me. The peace that her services bring is priceless.