Elke Stevenson

11/11/2024

We can’t say enough about Chelsey and her doula services!! We signed up with her a little later in our pregnancy, around 30 weeks, and still feel like we got the best service and experience with her! We hired her, along with a midwife she had never met/worked with before, and they were THE.BEST. birthing team we could have asked for. From the time she arrived at our house for our home birth, to the time our baby finally arrived at the hospital due to minor complications at home, Chelsey was there by my side through the whole experience and made me feel so relaxed and confident. I will never forget having her next to me in the hospital bed, cheering me on and helping me push my baby out!! It brings tears to my eyes to this day thinking about it!! Another awesome benefit she provides is a 2-day birthing course before your birth that helps you learn everything and anything about pregnancy, the actual birthing, and postpartum. As a first time mom, this was so helpful and beneficial. It came in handy during the home birth and then the final hospital birth mainly because we had to make tough decisions at the hospital and we were aware and already informed on the risks and benefits of each decision due to her classes!! She also always was available for any questions and concerns throughout the pregnancy, and that always took a weight off of our shoulders because we knew we had someone we could always go to. I know we will continue to be friends with Chelsey even after our baby’s birth. She is such a good person and truly cares about what she does. If we have another baby, we will DEFINITELY use her again!!

Courtney Merritt

11/5/2024

My husband and I were expecting our first child and decided early on that if I was to give birth in a hospital, we wanted to at least have the support of a doula. For this birth, I had specific goals in mind:

- Have a spontaneous, natural birth. My baby was 1 wk & 6 days past due. I really wavered during this time on whether I made the right decision on waiting. Chelsey’s support really helped me during this time.

- Labor as long as possible at home. Once contractions started I was anxious to go to hospital and I did, contractions subsided once I got there. Chelsey recommended I go home and labor there. Because I listened to her I was able to labor in the comfort of my home for the 26 hours before I gave birth.

-Natural unmedicated birth. If I would of stayed in the hospital I'm not sure this would've been accomplished.

With Chelsey’s help I was able to achieve all of these things. 

The day of birth, Chelsey met us at the hospital & was a great advocate for us, she was very proactive with keeping me moving. Without her pain management techniques I don’t think I could of survived hard labor/transition period. Chelsey’s hip squeezes are by far the best, these provided me with so much relief during this time. This is especially incredible because she had slammed her fingers in a car door earlier that day & was icing her poor fingers in between contractions/squeezes. Chelsey was so very committed to keeping me as comfortable as I could be during this time and I am eternally grateful. She helped me stay focused and even encouraged the guttural, beast-like-noises I was making. Chelsey took it upon herself to document our birth and took pictures as our sweet baby entered the world, these pictures will always be cherished.

I couldn’t have achieved the birth of my dreams without her.

Monica O’Brien

9/26/2024

My husband and I knew from pretty early on in pregnancy that having a doula was very important to us. We found Chelsey through a friend of a friend’s recommendation and wow, we could not have made a better decision. She was so attentive and caring from the moment we met for our consultation and even now as I’m navigating life post partum. She is so so informed about pregnancy and birth and on the rare occasion that a topic came up that she was less familiar with she was ready to do the research to help me. We also took her birth course and that was such a great experience as well. We covered so much crucial information that I honestly got emotional because the birth of my first child was becoming so real and not just something that would happen down the road. And I knew that without Chelsey and her class I would be completely lost. My baby came a couple days early but I was in communication with Chelsey the entire time. I went to the hospital for decreased movement and ended up getting admitted. I called Chelsey and we made a game plan. The next morning my water broke and so she got to the hospital as fast as she could and things were moving right along. I had some unexpected twists and turns in my first birth and honestly, it would’ve been so much more stressful for my husband and me without Chelsey there as a third party to walk us through risks and benefits and remind us of what we wanted for our birth. Not only did Chelsey support me but she was so helpful for my husband. She made him into the greatest birth coach and between the two of them I felt so loved and supported during the hardest few days of my life!

Catherine Dresner

8/7/2024

Chelsey hosted a fantastic birth class and we are so glad we decided to do attend! We are 2nd time parents, but appreciate how much we learned from her birth class. Our goal in attending was to learn relaxation techniques, exercises to prepare for labor and to feel ready for birth. Chelsey helped us achieve those goals. We learned about spinning babies, hypnobabies and other prenatal exercises. Due to some health issues, I do need to get an epidural and I appreciate that Chelsey was respectful of that and taught me techniques to deal with labor so I can at least delay my epidural. Chelsey was kind and informative! 

Catherine Dresner

8/6/2024

Chelsey hosted a fantastic birth class and we are so glad we decided to do attend! We are 2nd time parents, but appreciate how much we learned from her birth class. Our goal in attending was to learn relaxation techniques, exercises to prepare for labor and to feel ready for birth. Chelsey helped us achieve those goals. We learned about spinning babies, hypnobabies and other prenatal exercises. Due to some health issues, I do need to get an epidural and I appreciate that Chelsey was respectful of that and taught me techniques to deal with labor so I can at least delay my epidural. Chelsey was kind and informative! 

Brittany

1/25/2021

Before meeting Chelsey, my idea of a quintessential doula was a crunchy hippie who smelled like essential oils and shrieked when you said the word epidural like you mentioned Voldemort. I wanted a medicated birth, and because of that alone, I never thought I'd have a doula. Little did I know, a doula that is truly doing her job is supportive of whatever birth plan the mother wants. It is primarily her (or his) job to support the mother, including if she wants medication.

Chelsey provided me with valuable information to support my entire pregnancy, birth, and postpartum journey. She helped me with my diet, my baby registry, my mental health, and frequently checked in after my doctor's appointments. She educated me on what to expect during the birth so that I had less anxiety surrounding what I knew nothing about at the time. She also met with my husband and I on how he coudl help me through contractions at home before I went to the hospital.

While my husband would have loved to play the traditional role of my birth coach, he was extremely grateful that Chelsey filled that responsibility and took the pressure off of him. He was able to stay "above the action" and just focus on becoming a Dad. She was also able to take pictures that we treasure more than she could ever know. We went from thinking we would never be the type of people to hire a doula to bonusing her after my daughter was born, and that was my husband's idea. She was supportive of my birth plan no matter what that looked like, and she was sorely missed at my 2nd birth, which she would have been unable to attend due to Covid restrictions at the hospital.

If you're thinking of hiring a Houston area doula, waddle your way to Chelsey. You won't be sorry you did.

Madeleine

6/18/2019

Chelsey was a wonderful addition to my birth team, I got exactly the pregnancy and home birth/water birth I wanted. I knew instantly upon our first interview she was right for me. She stayed in touch to make sure all my questions, concerns and changes were being addressed throughout my pregnancy. At 40.5 weeks I worked to bring my daughter into the world she helped me stay comfortable and supported, especially when my labor stalled and I felt hopelessly lost and exhausted. She was the first to stay and last to leave during my many, many hours labor! If we decide to add another little one to our family, we will guaranteed to use Chelsey's services again!

Laura Diaz

10/19/2018

Chelsey and I go way back to our college sorority days at HBU so I know her passion for everything she does would shine in her work as my doula. From the first time I spoke with her about a doula's role in my pregnancy to our postpartum visit, she has been a wealth of knowledge for my baby and I. Going into my first pregnancy, I wanted a natural birth, but due to preeclampsia, I had to be induced at 37 weeks which honestly scared me...but Chelsey kept sending me tons of resources and checking in on me daily. When it came time for the induction, the plans changed, again, due to hospital policy, and Chelsey sent me evidence-based articles to help support my decision when I didn't agree with my OB's drug choice for induction. During labor, she kept telling me "five more minutes, you can do this for five more minutes" to encourage me to push through my contractions and assisted me into different positions to promote labor progression. She worked so well with the hospital staff and was such a blessing to have during my labor and delivery, especially since my husband and I did not know what to expect at all! She even took pictures immediately after the delivery of our new family- pictures that I still cherish and show to everyone. I couldn't imagine my birth without the love and support Chelsey gave to us! I HIGHLY recommend her and can't wait for her to be a part of our next pregnancy!!

Jessica Miller Johnson

7/22/2018

My home birth midwife recommended Chelsey as a good doula for me in my 7th month of pregnancy. When I went into labor, Chelsey went above and beyond my expectations of her as a newly trained doula. She was so intuitive, and knew exactly what I needed when I needed it without me having to say anything at all. I remember her speaking my birth affirmations to me and quoting bible verses I had picked out to focus on. The support I felt from her was 110%, and I can't imagine my birth without her now. Even my husband was amazed at how helpful she was, and he is very hard to impress. I will definitely be using Chelsey again when we choose to expand our family in the future! She has become an integral part of my birth team!

Mashaal loya

4/25/2018

I knew Chelsey before she became a doula, so she was not there for my birth, but Chelsey has been incredibly supportive and resourceful throughout my entire pregnancy and post-pregnancy! Anytime I had a question or concern regarding my pregnancy or the baby, she was my go to person to get all of my questions answered. She not only helped answer all my questions via phone/text anytime of the day, but she also always sent me supporting documents and articles that I could look over to further give me confidence in the answers she gave me. She truly cares in helping moms feel comfortable and happy with whatever decisions they want to make. I am confident to say that any person who reaches out to her will not be disappointed with the help they receive! Even after I had delivered my baby, Chelsey was always there for late night baby and breastfeeding questions! She helped guide me in the right direction on the nights I was so close to giving up! I found her support so helpful!

Matt Krapf

3/22/2018

My wife and I recently worked with Chelsey Hernandez and I must say WOW!!  I had never met Chelsey before and the first time was when we were in the labor and delivery room.  Chelsey came in calm, cool, and relaxed and stayed that way for the next 18-24 hours.  Chelsey provided much support, wisdom, knowledge, strength, ideas, and communicated very well with my wife and I throughout her entire stay.  She was a breath of fresh air and I feel so blessed to have had her in the room with us during our delivery.  Her constant positive support and continual reassurance on how good a job my wife was doing, was amazing to witness.  I was doing everything I could to help out and be supportive, and I feel like I did a great job, but it was definately so important that Chelsey was their with us.  Words can not express my thanks for having her in the room with us and was definately the Coach we needed.  She was a trooper!  Checking different resources, recommending different ideas, and referring back to her training.  She was a great support to not only my wife, but also to me.  She coached me through some different aspects and gave advice on how to help my wife.  Chelsey also was able to give us suggestions on what questions to ask our nurses, as well as explain different medical terms we were not familiar with.  She was prepared mentally and physically!  I told her a few different times that we would not have been able to do this without her help and guidance and I still feel the same today, 2 weeks after the birth of our beautiful daughter.  Thank you so much Chelsey for being a part of this amazing experience and forever putting an imprint on our lives.

Deanna Krapf

3/21/2018

My husband and I had the benefit of working with Chelsey as our Doula for the birth of our first daughter. I was able to meet with her ahead of time to discuss our birth plan and our goal to deliver as naturally as possible. Chelsey also had experience with The Bradley Method from her own delivery which was important to us. Unfortunately my water broke early and we had to start adjusting our birth plan from there. Chelsey was very helpful in discussing the options given by our doctor and letting us choose how to proceed. During the labor process, I found the extra support to be crucial to the process. Chelsey helped coach my husband in ways to provide counter pressure and other support as my contractions increased in intensity. When presented with pain relief options from the nursing staff, Chelsey helped provide clarity and remind me of potential effects on myself and my baby so I could make an educated decision on how to proceed. She was with me through the actual delivery process and was able to assist me with helping the baby latch for her first feeding. I am so grateful she was there to help us. While my birth process didn't go as planned, I felt I was able to make adjustments with less compromising than I could have done on my own.