Sarah rathamone

8/16/2023

Rachel is an exceptional birth doula who truly transformed our childbirth experience. From the moment we met her, she exuded warmth and understanding, making us feel immediately at ease. Throughout the journey, Rachel's ability to create an atmosphere of uniqueness and significance was truly remarkable. Her presence allowed us to be fully present, enabling us to embrace every moment leading up to the arrival of our beautiful baby girl.

Rachel's support extended far beyond physical comfort; she provided emotional reassurance and practical guidance that empowered us to navigate this transformative experience with confidence. In the delivery room, her calming presence and unwavering support filled the space with an abundance of love and positivity. It was evident that Rachel had a unique gift for fostering an environment of togetherness, allowing both partners to shine in their roles while welcoming our daughter into the world.

Our journey with Rachel was nothing short of extraordinary. Her dedication to making our birth experience uniquely special is a testament to her passion and commitment as a doula. Her ability to cultivate an atmosphere of love and support truly enhanced our birthing journey, allowing us to become the best versions of ourselves as we embarked on this incredible adventure of parenthood. We are forever grateful for Rachel's presence in our lives during this unforgettable time.

Natalie Qasabian

5/2/2023

Rachel was my doula for my first child, and while I can’t imagine having another one anytime soon as I’m writing this 2 days postpartum…I know I definitely want her there when I go through this process again. To say having Rachel on our team was integral to our experience is an understatement! She is so attentive to both mother and father during the entire process of labor and delivery. During labor she was incredibly attentive to my needs and was advocating for me in ways I wasn’t able to articulate for myself. Her experience and passion for her job comes through every step of the process from the prep sessions through her follow ups postpartum. Rachel worked incredibly with our OB during the final stages of labor & delivery. I truly believe she was put on this earth to help families welcome their children into the world in a peaceful way.  - Natalie Q

Vanessa

4/20/2023

Rachel is an amazing doula and I cannot recommend her services enough. When I found out I was pregnant, I was very anxious and fearful of birth as a first time mom. After speaking to Rachel for the first time, I knew immediately that I wanted her on my birth team. Knowing that Rachel was going to be there gave me so much peace of mind throughout my pregnancy and she always made herself available for questions and support.

During labor, she showed up to the hospital late at night on a rainy day with such a calm, yet powerful and loving energy that I cannot adequately describe. I was so happy to see her. She was there by my side the entire time and helped me get some much needed rest with her wonderful aromatherapy before 2 hours of active pushing. After being so fearful of birth and overcoming some potential complications during my delivery, I ended up having such a positive birth experience. I will remember my time at the hospital so fondly and will miss Rachel so much.

I feel so grateful to Rachel for everything and I don’t know what I would have done without her. She is an amazingly intuitive person who is so knowledgeable, experienced, and incredibly warm. I feel so blessed for the time I got to spend with her and cannot thank her enough for everything she’s done for me and my baby.

Jenna Ohayon

2/3/2023

Rachel was the perfect addition to my birth team. Throughout my pregnancy she was so supportive, answering any questions I had and ultimately supporting me in switching providers and finding the right pediatrician for us which was invaluable!

During labor she was so knowledgeable in how to best support me and guide my husband to best support me. She helped us decide when to get to the hospital and overall made us feel confident and like we were in the best hands. Her calm demeanor made all the difference to help me not freak out or get anxious. Throughout labor in the hospital (from 1 am - 7 am) she refused to take a nap and sat by my bed watching the monitor and making sure everything was going smoothly, putting essential oils around me, electric tea lights, and spa music so that I felt calm and ready to push. Once it was time to start pushing she coached me and was overall the best presence to have in the room!! 

My husband and I loved her and by the end of the experience she feels more like family. I would highly recommend adding her to your birth team!!! 

Paul Fisher

2/22/2021

On Valentine's Day, 2021 our son came into the world. Landon is our first child, myself and Victoria were excited but very nervous. The selflessness of Rachel was beyond words. I had heard through many friends that Rachel was an incredible Doula but never could I have imagined what I experienced. I watched Rachel comfort Victoria throughout the entire process. Prior to the birth and during Labor. I was a mess. Rachel's knowledge and calm nature was not only comforting, it was necessary. She stayed up all night with us at the hospital, talking to Victoria, comforting her, watching over her, keeping both of us calm. When a complication arose, she knew exactly what to do. Rachel made this experience, this journey one I will never forget. She was there before, during and after. Her love shined through, her knowledge made V and I feel, know everything would be ok. I can not put into words how valuable having Rachel with us was. I can't even imagine what the experience would have been without her. She is love, she is light, she is selfless, she is warm, she is an angel! God bless you Rachel! God bless you! I could never repay you for what you did for us! God bless you!!!  If you are having a baby, you don't have to this alone, turn to Rachel, you will then know, you will see the definition of what selfless is first hand. Knowledge and love mixed into this person. thank you Rachel! Thank you! 
Paul Fisher

Nidhi and Rohan

12/11/2020

Rachel has brought such a positive birth experience for my first child. I personally wanted to labor at home as much as possible. Rachel helped me relax through my contractions and I dilated to 7cm at home in less than 5 hours. I had a long pushing phase and Rachel was there to support me and my husband throughout my delivery at the hospital. She was in constant touch via texts and calls prior to labor to make sure how are we feeling. She was in touch with us after the baby was born too making sure my baby and I are doing well. Highly recommend Rachel

Shazi R.

12/21/2019

It's hard to put into words how amazing our experience with Rachel was.  I was very nervous about childbirth and needed support as a first time mom.  We found Rachel on DoulaMatch and after meeting her in person, we knew she was the right fit for us. Rachel is experienced, professional, easy to work with, straightforward, warm, and understanding. She quickly became an integral part of my birth team - I texted her frequently and regularly after doctor's visits, when I had questions about my body's changes, when I had difficulty making decisions, and when I needed emotional support. She was more supportive than any friends or family, and she was my backbone when I felt weak. When my feet swelled to the point where I couldn't walk at the end of my pregnancy, Rachel came to our home and showed my husband how to massage the pressure points.  She had a family function the same night, and instead of staying with her family, she was in my living room massaging my feet. Then, when it was time for labor, Rachel was on call the whole 2 weeks that I was late. When the time actually came at 3:00 a.m. she responded to my text immediately and showed up within a half hour. Just amazing. I know for certain my labor would have been more difficult without Rachel by my side. There were times I didn't think I could continue, and Rachel was there with her bag of tricks & tools to keep me going. She specializes in aromatherpy - when I was nauseas, she would dab a little bit of a special scent on my ear or forehead to help abate the sickness. When I was in severe pain, she would dab a little bit of another scent to help me through it.  She was my strength, my voice, my strongest advocate & she has now become a part of our family.  There is a closeness and loyalty I feel towards her that I cannot put into words.  I can't recommend her more highly - she's brilliant & genuinely cares. We are both so grateful to have found her.

Esther J.J. G

2/5/2019

Rachel is a great doula that I highly recommend. For me, she was a great source of support emotionally and an advocate, exactly what I needed as a first-time mother during my delivery at Cedars-Sinai hospital. She has this special capacity to love and be there for you as a woman, it’s hard to explain but her empathy, compassion, as well as knowledge and up-to-date professionalism in labor, techniques in breathing, relaxation, as well as encouragement and training, are exceptional. She was exactly the person I envisioned having next to me, in such a difficult time where I really felt out of control. She guided us (myself and my husband) all through the pre-birth and delivery and even after, and her strength, experience, a no-nonsense behavior but also her caring smile and smooth caressing hand became a soothing mechanism. I loved having her support us. My husband also, who was initially hesitant on hiring a doula in general, not only he did not regret it, but was SUPER happy we hired Rachel.

Esther Anderson

9/1/2018

Having chosen Rachel to be our Doula gave us such peace of mind and confidence going into labour. Rachel was so knowledgeable and we really trusted her felt very comfortable with asking for her advice on certain matters when it came to our birth plan. During labour she exceeded all our expectations. She went above and beyond to make me feel as comfortable as possible. She has a beaytif calming energy that made it such a beautiful experience for both my husband and I as we welcomed our son. We wouldn’t have another baby without her! Thanks so much for such a wonderful experience and the beautiful photos. Howard, Esther and Forest xxx

Sara Jacinto

8/21/2018

Rachel was fantastic! We are so happy we had her for our first baby!

Her support before delivery was great and having her at the delivery made all the difference. When things didn't go exactly according to plan, Rachel was a wonderful partner, caring not only for the new mom to be, but also for dad and grandma.

We look forward to having her as our doula again.

Andrey Zavoloka

2/4/2018

Rachel has been an amazing doula for us. It was our first birth and she made the whole experience very smooth by guiding and supporting both my wife and myself. Rachel tought us various practices and technics to make the labor and the birth easier and even enjoyable experience, while stearing us from common mistakes the first-time parents do. Being a foreigners not familiar with the US hospital system we appreciated Rachel's advice and navigatuon throughout the whole process starting from laboring at home, then hospital admission, laboring in the hospital and finally in the post-partem. We are very grateful to Rachel and highly recommend her as a doula. When we going to have our second baby we defenitely will work with Rachel again.

Andrey & Anna

Michelle McCue

11/26/2017

I had a wonderful experience with Rachel as our doula and could not have imagined my birth experience any other way.  My husband and I are both transplants in LA and our families would only be able to come visit after the birth.  This was for our first child and we were very nervous about the child birth process.  Rachel met with us various times prior to discuss our birth plan and answer any questions we had.  Rachel has a very calming demeanor that puts everyone in the room at ease.  She also exudes extensive knowledge about the birthing process both from her own child births as well as the countless births she has assisted in.  The night I went into labor was 3 weeks earlier than our due date; Rachel came over to walk with us so that we didn't show up to the hospital too early/out of fear.  I am so glad we labored at home for a while and really honed in on the way to work through the contractions which later set the stage when I went to the hospital and had many others around.  During the hospital birth Rachel was extremely supportive to both me and my husband.  She helped give me the voice I needed when some of the doctors requested I give our baby formula or sugar water rather than wait some time for me to try and breastfeed to get glucose levels up.  She coached me through trying to breastfeed for the first time and I successfully restored the baby's glucose levels as needed.  I cannot imagine how our birth experience would have been without Rachel.  I 100% recommend her as a doula and will definitely be asking her to join us for our second child whenever that may be.  She continued her support after the birth checking in on both me and the baby.  She captured a lot of candid moments during the labor and sent us a video she made afterward that we will cherish forever.  I cannot say enough good things about our experience. I feel so fortunate that Rachel was our doula!

Connor McCue

11/24/2017

I am so thankful to have had Rachel be part of the birth of my first child.  From the initial meetings and development of our birth plan, I quickly felt comforted by her calming demeanor and experienced input on various topics and laboring techniques.  In the weeks leading up to labor, my wife and I would frequently communicate with Rachel on group text whether she was just checking in to see how everyone was feeling, or if we were reaching out with questions.

On the official go day, my wife started texting her just past midnight thinking she may be in early stages of labor.  Rachel came to our home in about 20 minutes, realizing the signs of labor.  I initially felt panicked being woken up at 1am to learn it was time, but as soon as Rachel came over I felt at ease and was able to focus on supporting my wife both physically and emotionally.

With Rachel's guidance, my wife was able to labor in the comfort of our home for a couple of hours before going to the hospital.  At times I felt unsure of how to support, but Rachel encouraged me to provide counter-pressure during contractions.  Having this "simple job" started my involvement in labor.  By the time we got to the hospital, we had eaten, showered, remembered everything in our overnight bags, and safely arrived at a perfect time.

At the beginning of pregnancy, I did not have any idea what a doula actually was, but was happy to find one solely on the fact my wife was interested in one.  As I sit here now, I can't imagine having our baby girl without Rachel's help along the way.

I highly recommend Rachel Soumekh for anyone seeking a doula in the West Los Angeles area.

Devorah Ben Zaken

7/14/2017

I've been using Rachel Soumekh in the past four and a half years total of three deliveries (natural NO epidural!!)

She's being really great and super professional! Her gentleness and knowledge  are Beyond you could expect - she knows all hospital rules and she will make sure everything goes smooth and right including calming down the husband and reminding all small last details before leaving to the hospital!

My labors usually very fast but she knows the exact timing when you should leave to the hospital so you won't get there too early and spend too much time there! I went through lots of pains because I didn't use epidural and thanks to her amazing guidance I was able to go through this successfully!

I truly don't know what I would do without her! If I could rate here, I would pick 10 stars!

I promise whoever will use her services will be very satisfied.

I would recommend her to my family and friends and anyone who seek a good experience before, during and after labor time!

Devorah Benzaken

Andrea Gershman

7/3/2017

Rachel far exceeded our expectations. I had a lot of fear going into the birth and after, but through her calm energy and in-depth knowledge of the birthing process, she helped me feel more confident and at ease. She is the most loving, gentle, and patient woman. As soon as we told her I started contractions, she immediately came to our house, bright and early, with a big smile on her face, so excited for us. I labored at home for 22 hours, and throughout the whole experience she was so supportive and on top of everything that was happening - she was constantly on the whole time and she knew how to guide me and keep me calm and relaxed. Everything she suggested and encouraged us to do made it all better.

Not only was she a big support for me, but also for my husband. She knew how to talk to him and encourage him, empowering him to be by my side, and how to. Her presence just made everything better. Rachel empowered us as a couple and from the beginning we felt so strongly in our team of three - we worked through each contraction together, led by her gentle guidance and support. She brought in a spiritual energy to the experience, making it so much more meaningful and deep.

Her support and respect for my decisions when we got to the hospital were crucial. She made sure at every stage that we were fed, well hydrated, and feeling positive. She was the calm energy all throughout the labor, delivery, and post partum process. She even documented our entire day by taking pictures at every stage, unbeknownst to us! It was so special to see the photos of our experience. It’s the little things and kindnesses that she did that made my rather difficult birth better.

She stayed with us for 40 hours - and didn’t let up with her support, her calmness, and her certainty. We truly felt her deep care and love all through out the process. To us, Rachel is the epitome of what an amazing birth support should be.

Shulamit Viner

7/3/2017

Having been pregnant with my first child, the unknown was daunting. Rachel's patience, serenity, and care helped me set my fears aside. She gives you the sense of trust and she's always there for you. Her vast knowledge of pregnancy and birth was extremely helpful throughout my pregnancy. It was a safe feeling to know that I had someone available at all times and I was able to text her when something was happening that was new to me. From the moment my water broke to when I gave birth, Rachel was there by my side like an angel - calm and reassuring. My mother was moved as to how Rachel's presence at the birth made such a difference. After the birth, Rachel was continuously checking in on me to see how I was doing with the healing process. I can't express how helpful Rachel was to me before, during, and after birth. I can't imagine going through it again without her.

Rachel Zehden

6/27/2017

In November 2016 our daughter was born. She is our first baby and I was a very nervous pregnant women. Rachel was just amazing from the very first time I picked up the phone and called her. She took all my questions and concerns very seriously and made me feel safe and secure. I could ask her all the questions that I had and also my husband learned so much from her. She made sure that he knows how he can help me best. During pregnancy, and at the day of birth. I don't know how people deliver baby’s without Rachel. She made our birth experience just the best thing ever. We figured out a great birth plan and Rachel made sure that every detail was followed. Both my husband and I (and I believe my daughter too), were so happy and thankful to have Rachel with us. I highly recommend her, if you want to have a wonderful birth experience. I hope I can have her for my next pregnancy.

Hadar

6/23/2017

Rachel, as my doula, made my birth experience an empowering and calming experience.

She was caring, warming and realy sensitive to my feelings, even when I didn't show them.

My peace of mind was her first priority.

Rachel was there for me all the way to the birth and even after. Available all the time, 24/7, for questions, concerns and emotional support.

I strongly recommend her as a doula and as a friend (:

Thank you, Rachel.

Esther Naor

6/23/2017

Basically RAchel Soumekh was like my birth angel! I don't know how I could've survived my giving birth without her by my side.  She was supportive beyond the job description, she really goes all the way to take care of you.  when you are in such a vulnberable position, you need someoen with that caring, that consciousness and warmth.  She also really knows her stuff, not only tu support the birthing itself, but also how the hospitals work, how to talk to nurses and doctors, how to help you get what you need from them in a smooth way.  Her follow up was also amazing.  I Recomend RAchel to all my friends and will probably use her again too.

She is a doula with care, love, consciousness and knowledge, what better mix! I cannot stress enough how much I recomend her.

Michelle Obadiah Galoob

6/22/2017

Rachel Soumekh was my doula for all 3 of my children. I could not have done it without her. Her calm presence, her care, and her love helped me during all my births. She was there from start to end, and for my first child, that meant she was with me for almost 36 hours! Not only was she a calming presence for me, but also for my husband. Rachel empowered me and really helped remind me to breathe. She really made the whole experience such a pleasant one. She also followed up with me after each birth, to check on me and baby, which I found very helpful.  I would highly recommend Rachel to be your doula. Her care is exceptional and her qualities rare to find.

Adi BenYaacov

6/12/2017

I don't think anyone can hope for anyone better then Rachel! She's been with me during 4 birth's guided me and supported me through the process from pregnancy though nursing and thanks to her help and calm energy I was able to give 4 natural birth's. I am truly grateful for having her by my side and I can say loud and clear that I could not have done it without her!