Morgan

3/7/2024

Wow! What would we have done without Suzi!? We cannot thank Suzi enough for giving us her undivided time and attention over the course of my 2nd pregnancy and birth. The knowledge she shared with us throughout the process eased our minds and allowed us to focus less on fear and more on the concept of following our own intuition. A mother's intuition! 

Suzi made her self available via all channels as needed (calls, texts, and in person). 

It was a goal of mine to birth our second so unmedicated in every single way possible. If truly unmedically necessary - I wished for no interventions whatsoever. My wish came through thanks to all that I learned from Suzi (and our son simply waiting for NOBODY)!

Suzi arrived at our house about 5-10 minutes before we decided it was time to leave for the hospital. I had a very quick labor, and despite living 2 minutes from our hospital, our son was born in the front seat of our car directly outside of the L&D hospital entrance. He was caught by Suzi!!!!!! She gently and calmly talked me through what she was seeing and gave me guidance without being forceful. 

I will never forget this birth or the bond that we shared with Suzi. We would love to have at least one more child, and we will absolutely be working with Suzi as a friend and doula in the future! 

Erin Delgado

1/23/2020

My husband and I hired Suzi for the birth of our son.  She was an incredible support both prior to and during my labor.  I had a lot of anxiety about going into labor; I wanted to have a natural birth but I was scared that I would not be able to do it.  We went through our birth plan with Suzi and I felt confident and secure that she would be there to advocate for what I wanted during labor.  Suzi really helped me to stay calm during labor; she had a wonderful ability to go between calming and reassuring that everything is fine and getting “in my face” when I needed the extra motivation and encouragement to keep going towards the end.  She is compassionate, gentle, and kind.  Thanks to Suzi’s help, I was able to have the natural birth that I really wanted to have.  We would 100% hire her again.  

Jacqueline

1/5/2020

We hired Suzi for my second pregnancy/delivery and would definitely hire her again. I truly appreciated her accessibility, her proactive check-ins, and her words of encouragement. I had a very fast delivery and she was with another client and didn't make it to my birth (though did send a back-up doula who was also great!), but I still feel as though hiring her was money well spent, simply for the support, encouragement, and guidance during the prenatal and postnatal periods. Hire Suzi if you are looking for a doula who is compassionate, empathetic, non-judgmental, and reassuring.

Eileen Barnes

1/1/2020

Suzi has a servants spirit and a calm and loving demeanor.  I enjoyed meeting her and talking over my birth plan.  She is extremely knowledgeable and was able to answer my questions and calm my fears. I received bad news at a routine appointment on the day I reached 40 weeks. My baby’s heart was having deccels and he appeared to be struggling. We had to go into the hospital that evening to be induced and discovered that he couldn’t handle the stress of labor. We had to go in for an emergency c-section and found out his cord was too short to be born naturally! As I never reached active labor Susie was not able to coach me through the natural birth I had planned for. But, she was constantly communicating with my husband and I by phone giving encouragement and advice and ready to come as soon as she was needed. I wish I hadn’t needed a c-section but life is full of surprises. My husband had a rough time and was almost at the point of breaking down when our baby was doing so poorly and we had to make a decision within minutes to go in for surgery. Suzi really comforted him and helped him calm down. Without her calming words and advice I don’t think he would have gone into the surgery room with me. As it was, he was able to be with me and see our son born and help me when I needed more pain medication and couldn’t speak to ask for it. I really love Suzi and appreciate all she did for us before the birth and during our scary time in the hospital. Births are overwhelming and you won’t regret having a supportive and calming guide to help you through your journey regardless of the type of birth you end up having. With Suzi you don’t just get a doula, you get a friend who truly cares about you and your family. She will help you to get the best experience possible. I’m so happy I found her just when I needed her. 

TB

12/28/2019

That was the icing on the cake for me.  How sad to go out of your way to try and make a husband/ first time dad feel guilty for being focused on his wife and the well being of his unborn baby.  At the point I was a 7.. I then quickly went to a 9 and it was time to push- I had already experienced the contractions, had already ended up needing medical iterventions.. the last thing on our minds is to let Suzi ( who is over an hour away) know that I am at a 7.  In fact, my husband texted Suzi after I had started having contractions and was at a 5 that there was no need for her to come ( Which I later found out is when the berating texts started).   We had to make a lot of medical decisons during my labor and delivery and the day's following- the last thing we needed was to be scolded by a person we put our faith into, a person who did anything but what she had promised.

Furthermore, I do not think Suzi is a bad person. I think she was probably overwhelmed or overbooked, dissapointed in herself and simply took her stress out on us.

I could sit here and write about how sad I am and how horrible my birth exoerience was, but instead I am so grateful for Suzi, or lack of Suzi for that matter.  Through this experience my husband and I grew closer than ever, our love for God and appreciation for life is so strong, and I am more empowered than ever for the birth of our next child.

TB

12/28/2019

I thought it was  bizarre that Suzi left without any clear instructions or plan should I dialate more or something unexpected happen.  This was my first time being pregnant, our first baby, our first time with this whole experience and we were both a little nervous and left unsure of what to expect after she left. I trusted Suzi when she told me she would be there to support me and be there to help me work through contractions.  Now looking back I wish I did not put so much trust into another individual i barely knew- and going forward I will not make it a point to empower and prepare myself even more. 

I quickly dialated about an hour after Suzi left, I started to panic, some complications arose ( that I now believe were about 90% stress and onset anxiety induced), but Suzi was the last thing I was going to worry about at this point- this was the birth of our first child- we are not responsible for Suzi's actions, which I found to be pretty selfish.  From there my labor and delivery were very stressful, I was prepped for an emergency C-Section- the uncertainity of the whole thing was absoutley terrifying- but through the Grace of God, my husband, and my mother- I was able to persevere and safely deliver our baby.

After giving birth, visiting our baby in the NICU and resting- I ased my husband if Suzi had ever reached out to him. He then showed me the series of texts in which Suzi was scolding him for not letting her know when I reached a 7 and yada yada.  She sent paragrpah's upon paragraph's berating and blaming us for her not being there and blaming my sweet husband for the lack of Her presence during the birth.   

TB

12/28/2019

Suzi was referred to us after the doula we were initially interested in working with was going to be out of town during our baby's due date.

It pains me to write this, but our expereince with Suzi was Very Dissapointing. Leading up to the birth of our first child, we met with Suzi a few times and she had us fill out a birth plan and talked about the benefits of using a doula ( one reason being that it would be must more cost effective than an epidural). To be completely honest, we had no idea what to expect when working with a doula, but it just felt a little silly to drive 40 min to meet with someone for them to ask how I was feeling each time and go over my borth plan.  but we were confident that a doula was primarily to hep with the labor and delivery.  She painted this beautiful picture  of being by my side, supporting me through my birth, helping me work through contractions through massage and other natural means, and coaching my husband and I to work as a team through labor.  I was so excited for the birth of our baby and I felt so empowered knowing that I had both my husband and Suzi in my corner. ( and extra confident I would be able to fufull my dream of a natural birth should any medical personel suggest any unnecessary medical interventions).

Upon arriving to the hospital I was dialated to a 3.  Suzi then told us that it was going to be a long day and it would be best if she went home to get some rest and told my husband to call her when I was a 7. Now, I know all births progress differently, but wouldn't I already be having intense cnotractions dialated at a 7.  I went into labor on a Monday and we were delivering our baby downtown Chicago and Suzi's commute to the western burbs was at least an hour, if not more during rush hour traffic. However, she was the professional and we trusted her.

Claire Vargyas

12/2/2019

The birth of our son and my post-partum recovery would have been a lot different if I didn't have Suzi by my side. Suzi educated me and my husband about the benefits of having an unmedicated birth and she opened our eyes to a whole new perspective on the birthing process and different options we had. She taught us how my husband would coach me through labor and delivery and she was always available throughout my entire pregnancy for my questions and concerns. She was proactive and genuinely concerned about each step of my pregnancy. I ended up being 11 days overdue and Suzi was able to walk me through the process of having to be induced, which was very scary to me and not something I wanted to happen. We were still able to achieve our goal of not getting an epidural but I know for certain that if Suzi was not by my side this would not have been the case. Her calming yet strong presence is exactly what my husband and I needed to get through the birth of our son. She knew exactly what I was thinking and feeling throughout my pregnancy even when I did not have the words or energy to express it myself! She educated my husband and I on the process of labor and delivery, breastfeeding, and so many other things that I would not have known about without her guidance. She helped my son latch immediately after his birth and coached me on breastfeeding before and after his birth. She helped my husband be apart of the birth of our son which is something I will never forget. She was always available and quick to respond and she always answered my questions with such concern and care. She is professional yet so approachable. She genuinely cared about the physical and emotional well-being of myself, my husband and our baby. She empowered me and encouraged me every step of the way. We are forever grateful to Suzi for helping our son start his life with his best foot forward and for the way she cared for myself and husband! 

Lisa Evans

10/17/2018

My husband and I loved Suzi as our doula. She was such a huge encouragement before, during, and after birth. She met with me before our son came, and I felt safe to share not only my hopes but also my worries. When I went into labor she was such a support to both me and my husband and empowered him to be a support to me as well. She was such a good coach through the contractions and I felt like she knew how to help me recenter and focus when I started to lose concentration. She gave great coaching cues, and knew exactly where I was at in the labor without me having to tell her. She was such a comforting presence and I felt taken care of throughout labor. She is such an advocate, and helped my husband and I enjoy the first moments with our son, and helped him latch. She gave me some good nursing pointers right away. She didn’t leave us until we were completely settled. Postpartum she helped my husband and I with a lot of questions and is such a wealth of knowledge. She checked up on me and continued to follow up as we learned how to read our son’s cues. Her help was invaluable to us before, during, and after. We are so thankful for her and the help she gave us, and recommend her 110%!!!

Anna Dammann

10/7/2018

Suzi helped me to have an incredible birth experience from beginning to end. I had been hoping to have a completely natural birth, and I do not believe I would have been able to achieve my goal without Suzi by my side. She supoorted me through each contraction and helped my husband and I stay calm and capable throughout my labor. i Could not have asked for better support. We feel incredibly blessed to been connected with Suzi through our Bradley Method Birthing class. If you are planning a natural birth or simply want some extra support through your labor, Suzi has an incredibly calming and loving demeanor that will enable you to move through labor with confidence. She is a wealth of knowledge and is able To assist you in ways that are as unique as you and your baby. Every momma is different, but somehow Suzi knew Exactly what we needed! We could not be more grateful to Suzi!

Sarah Norris

8/15/2018

We could not be more grateful to have had Suzi at our birth! Suzi began her amazing support and communication weeks before our birth. She came to our home when I went into labor and did not leave my side for over 24 hours. I felt her comforting presence and yet it was never about her. She anticipated our needs and remembered little things we said at our initial interview such as helping keep my hair looking nice and making sure my husband got food! Two feelings that stand out with Suzi are comfort and trust. After supporting us in hours of labor and pushing, Suzi was there for my husband as he had to make difficult decisions for us to transfer from a planned home birth to a hospital. Suzi supported both of us physically, mentally, and spiritually before during and after the birth. She interacted so well with both home birth and hospital care teams. We also got to meet Suzi's back up doula who was also an incredible comfort and support as we made decisions to receive an epidural and eventually go in for a C-section. We look back on our long difficult birth, full of twists and turns and are at peace with every decision and outcome, many thanks to Suzi being there for us!  We've told all of our friends and family how great she was and are happy to tell all of you as well!

Jennifer Slusarczyk

5/2/2018

It was awesome having Suzi as support. While I didn’t get the birth I wanted she was there after my c section to help out and give my husband a few hours to get out of hospital. She was there for the emotional time of getting through grieving process of not having the ideal birth. i Would highly recommend her for anyone’s birth experience!

Danielle Mcdowell

4/16/2018

Suzi was a wonderful help during my labor and delivery. She made pain reliving suggestions and was a huge support of my husband and I. It was never about her. Her goal is to help provide you the amazing birth story you hope to have to the best of her ability. She wants to create a space of bonding and intimacy for the husband and wife. Having my husband and suzi made it possible for me to have an unmedicated birth of our baby boy. She will be the advocate of your birth plan and truly cares about her clients. I highly recommend her!