Julie Flis

11/9/2017

Celeste was just amazing. She came over on extremely short notice for her first shift, which was overnight shift on my first night home with my daughter. We had originally scheduled day shifts starting a few days after I returned home from the hospital but I became extremely stressed/overwhelmed once I got home from the hospital so I texted her that evening and she came right over (in a snow storm too!). I was having trouble relaxing and breastfeeding and Celeste helped me position myself and my daughter to get comfortable and relaxed so I could nurse her. It was such an amazing relief to have her there on that first night to help us and so I could get a little rest and recover from my C-section. Her day shifts that followed were just as wonderful. She cared for my daughter while I slept, she cooked nourishing meals for my family and myself, cleaned, stopped at the store to pick up groceries, and of course was a source of much needed advice. Her calm and nurturing demeanor was such a blessing to our family!  Her Doula services far excedded my expectations and I would recommend Celeste to anyone seeking Doula services! She's the best!

Ciera Bies

8/30/2017

We hired Celeste to provide labor and birth education as we prepared for a non-medicated birth. During our initial phone contact Celeste was warm, friendly, and excited to understand our needs. This continued as we met with her informally to plan. She came to our home to conduct the class. Her in-home labor and birth education was tailored to our needs and concerns. Additionally, she provided us with information about topics and areas we had not anticipated or been aware of. Celeste provided more than a lecture, she was interactive and experiential in her teaching style. She showed various techniques to help both myself and my husband in the new experience of labor and birth. She helped us to reflect on and develop a deeper understanding of each others needs and expectations in this process. She is very effective at non-judgmentally exploring this topic while encouraging autonomy and empowerment in those she works with. I would highly recommend her for anyone seeking a doula to educate them on labor/birth for partners or individuals.

Me ME

11/8/2016

I initially chose to have a doula during my second childbirth experience after the first didn't go quite as I had hoped.  I learned about Celeste from an aquaintance who recommended her.  I had also learned about the SEM doulas, and they had been highly recommended as well.  I went ahead and met with both Celeste and SEM doulas and was impressed by both of them. My gut instinct was to go with Celeste, though, and I'm very satisfied with my decision.  I'm not sure what exactly about Celeste put me so at ease, it could be her experience, her true faith in the childbirth process, but ultimately the difference I saw in her was that she really believed I could do this, I never once felt that she doubted my ability to birth exactly the way`I had hoped to.  Celeste had a fairly thorough prepartum process, and it was all very pleasant.  If I had one thing that was only slightly dissatisfactory I would say it was response time for emails and texts prior to birthing time.  Celeste was prompt in her response to me when I did ask for her presence when we ready to go to the hospital and she also prepped me the entire day, offering me exercises to help my daughter get into the best position to birth.  Upon arrival to the hospital Celeste helped me to tune into my own body and block out all the other commotion in the room.  She offered me drinks and even snapped some priceless photos of the birthing process in progress.  Afterwards she stayed to take care of me while my husband went to get our other daughter, she kept me company and relished the birth and baby with me while I relived the moments over and over.  Additionally, she even dropped off my placenta to be encapsulated by her colleague!  Thanks Celeste for a wonderful experience, I might have to do this all over again!

Andrea Soler

10/3/2016

She is a very kind and experienced doula. She is patient and tries to fullfill all your wishes. As we have no support from our families. We are happy to have her. Thank you for your support. We appreciate it.

Pamela K

3/30/2015

We hired Celeste for the births of our middle and youngest sons, who were VBACs at home. I was hesitant about the “need” to have a doula, since we were planning a home birth, but I can’t imagine my births without Celeste there. It was worth every penny. I knew from the moment I met Celeste that I wanted her on my birth team. 

My first VBAC labor was 44 hours long. My second VBAC labor was 22 hours long. For both births, Celeste kept in touch by text or phone and came as soon as I felt I needed her (if not sooner).

Celeste was great about observing and anticipating my needs. She seemed to instinctively know exactly when to hold my water bottle up for me, when to put a cool wash cloth on my head, when to gently massage me. She made great suggestions for keeping labor moving, from taking me for a walk, to encouraging me to try different positions, to reminding me I could get in the birthing tub, etc.

Celeste held my hands as I squeezed the life out of her hands, pushing both of my VBAC babies into the world. If I had wanted my husband to fill this role, I have no doubt she would have facilitated that. She is very careful not to make a husband feel displaced. In my case, I just found myself being the most comforted during labor by her calming, quiet, reassuring demeanor. My husband was glad it worked out that way, as he was quite satisfied with his role of being able to show his support and comfort in a way that was comfortable for him, without worrying about needing to “read my mind” the way Celeste was able to. It also gave my husband the chance to take pictures, video and really watch in awe as his sons were born. He valued her role in our son's 2011 birth and fully supported hiring Celeste for the second time in 2014.

I regret that we won’t be having any more children, because it means we won’t be able to hire Celeste again. I can't recommend her enough.