Kelsey

4/12/2019

Rachel was an absolute blessing during my birth with my first son. Prior to going into labor she was available for any questions, concerns, or anxieties I was having and was such a calming presence. When my birth plan went out the window and I had to be induced Rachel calmed both my fears as well as my husbands. Once things got going she just knew exactly what to suggest for me to try to cope with everything. 

On top of her being amazing during my actual labor/birth I think I needed her even more during my postpartum recovery. When I was having trouble breastfeeding my son in the first few days after coming home from the hospital Rachel came over to my house to give me tips and connect me with a lactation consultant. She also did a thorough "debrief" and processing of my birth which was so great as it did not go as planned at all!

All in all I would hands-down recommend Rachel to anyone! 

Nikki Neumann

3/27/2017

My husband and I met with Rachel, loved her, and hired her. Rachel has a very warm, nurturing, and open personality which I thought would be nice to have with us during labor and delivery. It was important to us that we liked the doula we hired and that she was experienced. Additionally, Rachel is up to date with evidence - based practice while also having experience with more complementary areas of health and well being. We felt that Rachel knew her stuff, would do whatever she could do to support me through childbirth, and would be a strong advocate for an unmedicated birth in a hospital setting if needed. We hired Rachel for my first child's birth in 2014 and were thrilled to be able to hire her again in 2016. Using the word "hire" almost feels wrong; more like we invited her to join us in these birthing experiences. She was an integral part of my positive birth experiences and is a large reason why I was able to have the unmedicated births I had hoped for. Rachel LOVES what she does. When she arrived at the hospital for my second birth she was almost giddy to be there! She (and my husband) rubbed my back tirelessly, relieved my discomfort with heat and cold, kept me hydrated, kept me focused, and kept me feeling strong, confident, and capable. I should also mention that she was a great support for my husband by showing him what he could do to assist and by keeping him company during some of the slower times earlier in labor. He also values Rachel's support and guidance. We just adore Rachel and her contributions to my positive birth experiences are deeply imprinted in my memory.

Hannah Flint

8/24/2016

I highly recommend Rachel! My daughter was born 4 weeks ago and the memory is still fresh. This was my first child and I was nervous about going through the labor process without an experienced guide but Rachel has a great sense of humor and an easy going personality that put my boyfriend and I at ease about the entire situation. She had an incredibly quick response time via phone/text during the last weeks of my pregnancy and was available immediately to coach me during the beginning of labor (at 2 am on a Thursday!!). During the actual labor event Rachel was forward enough to suggest helpful positions and strategies to manage the pain but when I said I didn’t want something she wasn’t pushy at all. She had just the right amount of involvement to help me feel that I wasn’t alone but to let me set my own pace. After my daughter was born Rachel stayed to help me with breastfeeding and she came by a few days later to check on us at home. Overall I was very impressed with her skills as a doula and I can’t thank her enough for helping me during one of the most important moments of my life!

Amanda Kilibarda Gutierrez

8/8/2016

My husband and I did a private class with Rachel just over a month before the birth of our first child. Rachel has a great personality and is clearly passionate about her work. For us, Rachel was a good fit because we appreciated her balance between what I'd call the hippy dippy elements of preparation (let's talk essential oils and empowering mindsets!) and getting down to the brass tacks (this is what is going to happen to your uturus, and this is what the doctors in a hospital are going to ask you to do if there are complications). I find that some people are too heavy on one side or the other and leave you without a complete picture. I'd definitely recommend Rachel to other mamas that are looking for balance! She also was super helpful in recommending other resources and services that we had questions about - books, placenta encapsulation, chiropractic, etc. She also did a great job of teaching us about the role my husband could play as my support person during labor - giving him specific tips and instructions that he could use. Overall, I felt much more calm and confident in achieving the birth we were hoping for based on Rachel's advice. We welcomed our daughter to the world two weeks ago and things went beautifully :)

Jessamyn Lopez

5/5/2015

We found Rachel through Birthways. The nutshell version is that we adored her and credit the beauty of our birth experience to her influence. We cannot recommend her highly enough!

Rachel was amazingly supportive and knowledgeable at all of our pre-birth meetings. She was thoughtful in listening to our concerns and addressing them in a way we could both understand and apply to preparing for the birth of our daughter. If we ever had questions she was justa  text or phone call away and always responded to us within the hour, if not sooner.

The morning I went into labor Rachel responded to our texts and phone calls immediately and when the time came, was at our house in under 30 minutes. I labored at home for a few hours with her and her help and support made what had previously been an uncomfortable experience incredibly bearable. She coached my husband in ways to help me labor so he could be part of the experience.

When we got to the hospital Rachel continued to be wonderful with the coaching. My husband wanted to deliver our daughter so Rachel stayed up with me and coached me through the contractions. We were fortunate in that our daughter was born within 90 minutes of arriving at the hospital. Given the speed of her arrival I’m so glad we had Rachel there to help us navigate the birth experience.

Our post-partum meeting with Rachel was also great. We struggled with the nursing relationship and found her suggestions and input to be very helpful in that area. We were sad when we realized it was our last meeting with her! If we decide to have another child Rachel will be the first call we make!

On an entirely personal note, Rachel has a wonderful sense of humor and is one of the most nurturing people I’ve ever met. You can’t go wrong with her as your Doula!

Lauren Kolb

4/13/2014

I found Rachel through a recommended list of doulas from the SCH Midwives.  From my first contact, she was extremely sincere, responsive, and approachable.  She had just signed on with Birthways, and I had initially wanted to work with someone unaffiliated, but I liked her professional knowledge and warm, caring personality so much that I quickly knew Rachel was the doula for us.  Birthways was easy to work with, and basically just took payment and provided a contract.

Beginning in our initial interview and continuing into all our interactions, Rachel was truly a support we would have never wanted to go without.  Her knowledge of all types of birth scenarios was quickly evident.  I had some strong concerns about this birth after a difficult c-section with my first son, so I really needed a doula who supported VBACS.  Rachel was so excited to provide support--and her enthusiasm and knowledge put so many of my fears and concerns at ease.  She helped me (and my husband) talk about our past experience, heal from the difficult parts, and prepare for various labor situations both mentally, physically, and strategically (with regards to a hospital setting and getting the birth experience we desired).  At times I felt like we were getting a much needed counseling session as an added bonus.

I had a very long, painful back labor.  Rachel arrived early on to our home and stayed with me for the almost 24 hrs until our son was born.  She had SO many tricks up her sleeve to try to turn my son into a more favorable position.  She endured my moans and wanting to give up, and she was the exact support my husband and I needed to labor at home as long as I could.  I honestly think I would have had a repeat c-section had it not been for Rachel.  During the birth and after, she even snapped priceless photos that I found later.  I 100% recommend Rachel!

Margaret Roth

8/28/2012

I had essentially 2 doulas. Rachel was one of them. Her and Jean switched off, and the next time I have a baby (if there's a next time, its pretty unlikely) I'm saving up NOW so I can hire them both. They were both phenomenal in different ways but the combo was JUST right. 

Rachel was very intuitive in the sense that she just knew that pain was one of my "panic" hot buttons- that when i'm in a large amount of pain, i turn into a whiney pain in the butt (my words! not hers!) and she was able to talk me through it and got me to vocalize correctly (low noises LOW!!!)  instead of howling and screaming which was what instinctively I wanted to do, but what would have been the worst thing for me. 

At one point, when I needed a break from labor, Rachel had my husband rub  hands while she rubbed my back with some sort of massage cream that smelled wonderful. It actually slowed down my labor for a bit and gave me a break to be able to continue. She also put some sort of essential oil- i don't know what it was, but it was citrussy and it was wonderful while I was in transition because I kept throwing up- and it helped me NOT smell my own puke! 

She also was able to get multiple photographs of just after and the end of my labor- i'm seriously going to treasure them, I keep looking at them because they are so beautiful!  I don't have any from my son's birth like this, and I kept saying to my husband "i want labor pictures, i want baby covered in gross gunk pictures" . Well, i have a TON of them and I can't stop looking through them.