Bailey

5/1/2023

Angie of Two Ferns Doulas was highly recommend by a close friend of mine, and we are so grateful for the referral. This was the first baby for my husband and I. While we are good at doing research to prepare ourselves for new adventures, we felt it was important to seek extra support for such a big life change. This is in addition to the evidence-based research on the positive outcomes with doula support encouraged us to reach out for Angie's services.

Angie brings an incredibly calming presence to such an exciting and often stressful time of life. We felt well-guided during our prenatal visits, in preparing our birth preferences, and what to expect for labor, delivery, and postpartum. During labor, Angie provided hands-on comfort and support and taught my husband how to step in to help ease my pain during surges. She honored and advocated for my wish to labor with limited interventions, so I could maintain freedom of movement and nourishment during labor. While my labor didn't progress as I had hoped, Angie continued to support pauses with the clinical team to discuss my clinical picture and my preferred options for management. I felt embraced and respected by Angie and her approach. Both my husband and I agree that having Angie present for this major life event was the best gift we could have given ourselves. On top of this, she helped shape an emotional and physically demanding experience into a positive memory as we prepared to meet our baby.

Our postpartum visits were helpful in processing the birth and feeling supported after returning home with our newborn. In a strange way, it feels like Angie has molded a place for herself in our family, so I am grateful that she supports a "soft goodbye" where we can continue to reach out if needed and share updates as our little one grows.

Liz

7/15/2022

Angie was our birth doula, and she was absolutely wonderful! Since baby came several weeks early, the birth was filled with lots of surprises and decisions that we had to make in the moment. Angie was so helpful in talking us through the decision making process, helping us process, and finding resources so we could research each intervention and make the best decisions for us. Though the birth did not look exactly as I had planned due to the circumstances, because we were able to stop, think, and make decisions at each step of the way, I had an overwhelmingly positive experience and I look back on the birth with joy. I think Angie played an essential part in making sure we felt empowered and in control during our birth experience.

After the birth, Angie went above and beyond her role as a birth doula by supporting us through a difficult issue we had with one of our postpartum care providers. Though it wasn't in her job description to help us with this issue, she went out of her way to support us, validate our feelings, and assist us with advocating for ourselves.

Natalie

5/9/2022

I am deeply grateful for the time and support Angie provided to my husband and I during our labor and delivery experience, as well as the weeks before and after the birth of our son.

Angie was present for 20+ hours of my labor and delivery. From the moment she walked into the hospital room, she was a mindful, gentle presence that was constantly reorienting me to the moment and my needs. During challenging moments of slow progress, she was prepared with suggestions and recommendations for positions that may (and indeed did!) help things move along. She never pressed, only offered guidance. I truly believe it was thanks to her expertise and recommendations for movement and positions that my labor progress improved! Plus, she never ceased to pull something helpful out of her Mary Poppins-esque bag that proved - items for counter pressure, educational puppets, aromatherapy. You name it, she had it.

Angie’s kindness, authenticity and genuine care are woven throughout every interaction with her - whether it be text communication, pre or postnatal sessions or in the middle of the labor and delivery blur. If you’re considering a doula for your birth or postnatal experience, Angie’s your gal!

Kara & Brandon

11/8/2021

I could not begin to imagine our birth experience without the support of Angie. Angie is warm, knowledgeable, and a great communicator. Angie was very knowledgeable of the set up, birthing equipment, and processes at UW Medical Center - Northwest. She helped us advocate for ourselves when we didn't know we needed to. During the most painful part of birth, it was like Angie knew exactly what I needed, offering suggestions for different positions, counter pressure, an encouraging presence, and a strong hand to squeeze. She provided great support to my partner, reminding him to eat, explaining what was happening, and suggesting times for him to rest. After having a challenging and entirely unexpected birth experience, Angie provided supportive text check-ins and a reflective post visit to help us process and heal.  We are also extremely thankful for Angie's documentation of our birth, through photos and a written birth story. We HIGHLY recommend Angie if you are considering a Doula to support you through your birth experience. 

Kara & Brandon

11/8/2021

I could not begin to imagine our birth experience without the support of Angie. Angie is warm, knowledgeable, and a great communicator. Angie was very knowledgeable of the set up, birthing equipment, and processes at UW Medical Center - Northwest. She helped us advocate for ourselves when we didn't know we needed to. During the most painful part of birth, it was like Angie knew exactly what I needed, offering suggestions for different positions, counter pressure, an encouraging presence, and a strong hand to squeeze. She provided great support to my partner, reminding him to eat, explaining what was happening, and suggesting times for him to rest. After having a challenging and entirely unexpected birth experience, Angie provided supportive text check-ins and a reflective post visit to help us process and heal.  We are also extremely thankful for Angie's documentation of our birth, through photos and a written birth story. We HIGHLY recommend Angie if you are considering a Doula to support you through your birth experience. 

Allyson

8/21/2021

I love Angie! This sums up my experience using her as a doula. If you want to know why, read on.

I was referred to Angie by my former doula, who was taking time off for the year as she had just had a baby. I wanted someone who was warm, listens to my needs and executes. Angie fit the bill 100%.

Angie was always quick to respond to my texts and emails as my pregnancy progressed. I was pregnant during stricter times of the pandemic, so our prenatal meetings were completed via Zoom. So, it was so nice to finally meet her in real life when I was at the hospital.

I let her know I was being admitted and she showed up quickly -- in about 20 minutes. My labor and delivery time lasted about 2 hours, so I was fairly quick. Angie stuck around for a bit and left when I determined I no longer needed her.

A few minutes after she left, there was a scare with my baby that caused her to stay in the NICU. Angie came to my home and helped me process all my feelings of guilt and sadness. It was like having a mini therapy session. Angie was literally my shoulder to cry on and was so encouraging.

When I had problems with nursing, I again turned to Angie. And once again, she lent an ear when I wanted advice.

I aim to be close to the people who I hire to help me through the most joyous times of my life. So, I'm proud to add Angie to this list. I don't know how I would have survived emotionally without her. She epitomizes to me what a doula should be. 

Kaitlyn

8/17/2021

When I was pregnant, I was interested in seeking a doula’s services to help guide me and my husband through the birth experience. I had heard how beneficial a doula could be in the delivery room, but I had no idea just how important and special that relationship would be. We interviewed with Angie at the beginning of my third trimester and I felt a connection to her immediately. I think I even asked her to be our doula before the interview was over. Angie has a warm and steadying presence, which is exactly what I needed. Angie met with us 4 weeks before we went into labor and helped us think through our birth plan and our hopes for the birth experience. We felt heard as she listened to our ideas, desires, hopes and fears. When the time came to let Angie know that I was feeling contractions, she helped us identify pre-labor and I was able to relax at home before heading to the hospital. At the hospital, her presence was felt immediately. I don’t think I let her or my husband leave my side throughout my long labor. Angie worked with my husband to provide consistent encouragement and love. She had great ideas to help me shift position or frame of mind when I felt discouraged or stuck. She also worked closely with our midwife and L&D nurse and she shared her knowledge to get me in better positions to help the baby move through the birth canal. She became the floatation device that helped me surf the waves of contractions and helped me over each hurtle of my labor. Angie visited our new family a couple weeks after delivery. She helped us process our birth story, which I found very empowering. She shared her perspective, pictures, and lots of love for the three of us. I cannot fully express how wonderful Angie was for us because a lot of our experience was felt on an emotional leve. But I can say that Angie was a wonderful fit for our family, and we feel beyond lucky to have found her.

Nicole LeRoux

7/7/2021

Angie is wonderful! She is an amazing, experienced doula that supported me and my husband tremendously. She was always available to us through pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. She brought a calming and reassuring presence to my labor and helped me achieve the kind of birth I wanted. She made me feel confident in advocating for myself and was an awesome support through a long labor. I would absolutely work with Angie again, I believe this is what she is meant for! 

Emily

10/19/2020

I'm so thankful for Angie & Leialoha. In the midst of a year full of changing expectations because of Covid 19, they stepped in as consistent sources of support in my third trimester through postpartum. In the days leading up to labor, I reached out many times and they offered insights to navigate the decision making process of deciding to get induction intervention or not. Angie supported me during the labor and helped me achieve the unmedicated birth that we had hoped for, despite my best attempts to devert those plans. :) She helped our care team prioritize our birth preferences and contingencies exactly the way we had planned it with her in our prenatal sessions.  I highly recommend working with this nonjudgmental, caring, and experienced team. 

Gavi Groberman

8/26/2020

We met with a number of doulas before meeting Angie and Leialoha, whom we immediately felt drawn to. Both Angie and Leialoha exuded a calm, gentle demeanor, and they both seemed to be very comfortable with the process of supporting us in the birth of our baby. We are Orthodox Jews and we found Angie and Leialoha to be very open and understanding of our cultural needs.

We were in communication with Angie when my contractions started, and she joined us at the birth center for what ended up being a very quick birth. Angie had the perfect balance of being supportive and hands-on while remaining very calm and nurturing. We found her support so helpful, even though we had a midwife, assistants, and my mother there. Toward the end of labor, there were a few minor complications and Angie made sure that I was aware of what was happening and consented to any actions the midwives were about to perform. After birth, Angie helped me start breastfeeding and took pictures for us as requested.

During the postpartum period, Angie and I kept in touch. As I struggled with breastfeeding the first few weeks Angie was very helpful and supportive as a listening ear and with suggesting different ideas/resources. We looked forward to our postpartum meetings with Angie and Leialoha; the meetings gave us a chance to touch base in person (our choice, they offered to meet virtually as well) to talk through how things were going.

I look back at my birth as a positive experience, and I feel that having Angie's support really helped make it so.

Liz Dawson

8/22/2020

Angie was a phenomenal guide through my son's birthing adventure.  Without pause and with full support, Angie joined us at Evergreen when I was transferred into the care of their midwives from a planned homebirth.  We really appreciated her knowledge and skill in (spinning babies and other) birthing positions to help and encourage the baby to orient and navigate under my pelvic bone.  Angie was encouraging and dedicated to helping me through my entire, 24+ hours of labor that she was present for.  Without Angie's support and guidance,  I likely would have laid in the hospital bed discouraged, overwhelmed, and without knowing what I could do to better help progress my labor.  She also helped guide me in asking appropriate questions about the various medications that were offered, so I was educated in deciding whether or not to accept those medications throughout labor.  Reflecting upon my birth, I feel as though Angie encouraged us to fully explore all options, which left us with no regrets about the birthing decisions we made. Thank you, Angie!  We look forward to working with you again next time!  TLDR: 10/10 would recommend.

Alyssa E.

8/21/2020

Choosing Angie to be our doula for the birth of our son was without a doubt one of the best decisions we made! Before the birth, we discussed our strong preference for a natural birth without medications, unless I decided that I really needed them. Angie arrived at the hospital early in my labor, but I was already tired and felt that labor resources were starting to dwindle. At this point in time, the nurse was recommending we try some pain medications and, despite all of our prior planning, I was so tired I was seriously considering it. Angie's arrival was perfectly timed and she was able to help us slow down the decision making process and really consider all of our choices. Ultimately, I was able to proceed without the meds and never looked back. Angie’s presence was incredibly calm and supportive for both my husband and myself, which helped create the calm, confident atmosphere we really wanted in the birthing room. She was a dedicated listener, continuously provided support and encouragement, and facilitated me trying different positions based on my preferences. She truly helped us achieve a birth experience that we were so incredibly happy with and proud of!

Chunn T

10/13/2019

When my husband and I first met Angie, her calming presence and the way she explained things made this a natural connection for us. She was able to answer our questions, suggest things we should consider, and took the approach of supplying us with information rather than making decisions for us. Really awesome :-)

When we met after that, we dove into ideas for what our birth plan would be. She helped provide insight into questions we had, even sending us updated information (researching questions we had) after we met. Speaking of which, she was incredibly accessible over phone. We kept a group text going where she'd send us answers to questions, as well as just checking in on us as our baby's due date approached.

The doula's work with a backup doula, so even during a brief period when Angie wasn't going to be available, she made sure that we had coverage. It was a smooth handoff to our backup doula over text, and then a smooth return when Angie was back.

During my labor, we worked according to our plan, including some time my husband and I wanted to spend at home (on our own at first). When we were all together in the labor room, Angie powered me through every up and down of the labor process. The difference in my ability to navigate the contractions before and after Angie's presence were night-and-day. She knew how to help me embrace and power through each contraction. She knew how to help reposition the baby as I dilated further and reached "pushing" phase. She helped my husband rotate in and out of supporting me, as well as watching for his well-being. She kept track of the process as well, which was an extra sweet touch for us to read after the birth.

I started with a goal of having "as natural as possible" of a labor. Angie was there for me every step of the way to make this goal a reality. Truly impressive work, and we're forever thankful to her! :-)

Salina

5/19/2019

Angie was very helpful to us during our first couple of weeks as parents. She chatted with us, helped around the house, gave tips for nursing, and held baby so mom could nap and shower. She was fantastic! 

Jamie and Kevin Young

4/14/2019

My husband and I hired Angie Doulas for the birth of our son in March 2019. During our first meeting, her calming presence was instantly apparent and made us feel extremely comfortable. The conversation was easy and I left that meeting confident and excited to have Angie as a part of our birth story.

Angie was extremely passionate and helpful, willing to answer any questions throughout my pregnancy. If she was not able to answer my questions, she was honest about her skill set and offered referrals when needed.

During our pre birth meeting, Angie came very well prepared with material that helped my husband and I talk through aspects of birth that we had not yet thought of. Her knowledge was very helpful for our relationship, and as first time parents, allowed us to discuss how to handle possible scenarios. 

When Angie arrived to our birthing room, a calm energy was immediately evident. She was encouraging and helped to capture photos of our son’s arrival, which we had requested. 

I am so thankful that we found Angie and would recommend her to anyone looking to hire a doula! 

The Youngs

Denise

4/9/2019

It was such a relief having Angie around to help me the first month after the birth of my baby. My husband went back to work after 1 week and I was overwhelmed with taking care of a newborn by myself while still trying to figure out breastfeeding and doing it all on very little sleep. Angie was a calming presence and knew exactly what to do. When she came over she would take over for a few hours which helped me get some much needed rest. She washed and prepared bottles (I ended up deciding to exclusively pump), fed my baby, changed her diaper and carried her around for naps. My baby loved her - she never cried when Angie was around. I also learned a lot from her like tips on baby wearing and general knowledge on caring for my newborn. Not only did she take great care of my baby but she also cared about my well being and always asked how I was doing. She is definitely in the right profession! I would highly recommend Angie to anyone who needs a little extra support during their 4th trimester. 

Jessica D

1/2/2019

Angie was an amazing help all through our birth process. Our birth ended up not going how we had planned at all, but Angie was a strong, reliable, caring presence through it all. She never left my side through all the changes and troubles. She helped me find confidence with in myself to keep pushing through everything. I don't imagine I could've gotten through the birth of our son if she hadn't been there encouraging me. She helped our older children feel included and helped my husband through all the rough times too. She has a lot of tricks and techniques that were very helpful, and her approach to birth was just what we had in mind. We will definitely be calling her when we have our next child!

Amy T

10/23/2018

I can’t say enough about how pleased we were to have Angie as our doula. Angie was such an invaluable and amazing presence during our birth, and I know her support helped me to have the natural birth I wanted.

In our initial meetings Angie was open, very approachable and inquisitive. She really took the time to get to know us, our dynamic as a couple and our expectations for our birth and her role in it. Even though ours would be the first official birth she attended, we felt confident that Angie was the right doula for us.

Angie is intuitive, creative and nurturing. During labor, she had a great sense of when to suggest something new to help me cope, whether trying a new position or providing verbal support when I needed a boost. She also worked really well with my husband as the two of them coordinated their efforts to support me. Angie really has a calm yet empowering presence to her, that really put me at ease and made me feel secure.

The birth of our son was an amazing experience, and Angie played a huge role in it. We really loved working with Angie as our doula and highly recommend her.

jennifer DuBois

6/1/2018

When I had my first child, Angie was a constant source of information and support.  I was so overwhelmed, nervous, sleep deprived and unsure of everything.  She was there for me to ask a thousand questions and for reassurance.  She also wore my son in a Maya wrap for hours so I could rest, do chores or take a shower.  Not only was she very supportive of me, but she genuinely cared for my son which made it so seamless to ask her for help.  By the time I had my second child, two years later, I  no longer lacked confidence or general knowledge about babies- I was much more relaxed about all that.  However, I was more overwhelmed because I had a toddler that was very active and at times a danger to himself and a brand new daughter- so two in diapers and totally reliant on me.  Angie made sure I was taking care of myself.  She loved to hold the baby, my daughter, but was still invested in my toddler son as well and she made it all easier.  She is a great nurturer and is passionate about motherhood, friendship and the 'village' it takes to bear and raise children.  It is not like you could not make it through on your own by why would you if you don't have to?  Everyone should have an Angie!

Elise Lister

4/29/2018

After the birth of my fourth child, Angie came over and took care of me: creating and protecting the space I needed to take care of myself: taking care of light housework in the fashion I needed to feel at peace, holding my newborn while I showered and took time for myself, offering a listeing ear and allowing me to just be without feeling like I needed to be hospitable or treat her like a guest or visiting family member.  Angie was an extension of myself- my third arm- she matched the intensity I needed and kept things rolling so I could be fully present with myself and my children those first vulnerable days of postpartum.