Lauren

5/18/2023

It was truly wonderful to have Anna at my son's birth and I could not imagine going through the experience without her. My husband tells everyone he talks to that Anna is worth her weight in gold and that it was like having a doctor in the room with us the whole time. Anna came to the birth at 10am and didn't leave until well after the birth around 2am the next morning. She was present and engaged for the whole process, suggesting positions, offering support, relaying stories of past births that were similar, and guiding when I felt unsure. Her guidance was always open ended and non-judgemental of where we were at. 

My personal experience is more emotional than practical. Anna was the angel that watched over me as I became a mother. She made me feel safe and protected during the challenging moments, and made me feel glowy and focused during the beautiful moments. She took amazing pictures, which I thought I wouldn't want to see, but I now cherish how miraculous and incredible my body performed exactly as it needed to. She helped our family grow by providing all of the water and sunshine we needed. I will always feel connected to her for that and will always remember how she made me feel, powerful and capable and loved. 

Merrill Rudd

8/6/2022

Anna was such an integral part of the wonderful birth experience of our daughter and neither my husband nor I could imagine the experience without her. Hiring Anna was worth every penny. I feel truly blessed to look back on my daughter's birth as the most beautiful and wonderful experience of my life and I know that Anna played a major role in that.

Because I was interested in trying to labor without an epidural, both my husband and I liked the idea of having additional support focused on us. Our baby was born in March 2021, just as healthcare workers were getting vaccinated against COVID but the general population was not quite yet. We learned a lot from our prenatal virtual meetings with Anna, but she was such a warm presence and excellent leader that it was completely seamless to meet her in person for the first time while I was in labor! 

My husband loves having a job to do and Anna made him an integral part of the team so he felt needed, useful, and supported. Anna and I explored different positions and we ended up finding one that honestly gave me relief during contractions and used gravity to help the baby descend faster/more efficiently. Anna provided me excellent emotional and physical support allowing the nurse to focus only on monitoring the baby. Her knowledge, experience, and support guided us before, during, and after labor and we are so thankful for her amazing work!

Sarah Faulds

1/8/2022

I wasn't sure if it was going to be worthwhile to hire a doula because my very supportive husband and I had really "done our homework" in attending a birthing class and reading books about labor. However, we decided to give it a try. We are so glad that we did. I thought that having another birth support person in the room might decrease the specialness of experiencing this with my husband, but it was the opposite. Anna's assistance helped my husband to feel more relaxed and she gave him ideas of ways to help me cope through labor without medication, which was my goal. Anna's expertise and support was also what made the difference between me being able to deliver vaginally without needing an urgent C-section. Our little guy was in a difficult position and after 12 hours of making very little progress in dilation, it really looked like he was going to need some extra help getting out. Anna helped me try some new birthing positions and encouraged me that I could do this. It worked!  We are so thrilled with our experience with Anna and highly recommend her!

Maryam

12/14/2021

It is hard to believe that there was a time I had thought I didn’t need a doula. Anna’s participation in my birthing experience was so immensely critical and transformative. The space that she created, in careful and sensitive consultation with me, for me to give birth in the hospital resulted in a labor and delivery that dramatically exceeded my wildest dreams. I say this as someone who was very skeptical about there being anything good about labor—I had even joked beforehand that I would just like to be knocked out and have my baby handed to me on the other side. Instead, I got to experience something that I would seriously call magical, a passage, a transformation accomplished in sisterhood.

Anna brings her skillful training and experience to help birthing people prepare for delivery, to move through the process with dignity and joy, and to adjust to new parenthood with confidence. During our pre-labor meetings, Anna’s immense knowledge and thorough communication cultivated in me an invaluable trust in her. And her presence at my labor and delivery was as impactful on me as my own mother’s. In that space, she easily became my patient mentor, my gentle advocate, and my loving cheerleader. After delivery, she extended her support as I was finding my way through some pretty intense postpartum anxiety. She listened keenly and shared critical empathy and wisdom. After all of these experiences with Anna, I can say that she is the gold standard of what a doula can and should be. Don’t miss a chance to work with her if you can help it!

Robyn

11/23/2021

As first time parents, my husband and I were feeling completely clueless about childbirth and started exploring the possibility of a doula. We interviewed several doulas and upon meeting Anna we immediately felt comfortable with her and knew we wanted her to support us in this journey. 

Throughout my labor, Anna was a calming and consistent presence that helped me navigate such an intense and foreign experience and I am so grateful she was by my side. Anna was a wonderful advocate for both me and my baby, knowing what questions to ask, providing important context and differing perspectives which was so immensely helpful. Anna also provided support to my husband, instructing him on how to help me and giving him a much needed break at times. 

After 36 hours of labor it was determined that I needed a c-section and I was feeling very nervous. Anna was able to calm me down, explained everything to me in detail so I knew what to expect and ensured I felt prepared going into surgery. Thankfully Anna was able to accommodate us into the operating room and captured so many photos of our baby's journey into the world, photos that I will cherish forever. As I think back to the day my son was born, I will always be grateful for Anna's expertise and empathy and for being by my side during such a profound moment. Thank you Anna

Sarah Novotny

6/3/2021

As a first time mom during the pandemic, I knew that my husband and I would need support beyond the medical team so we decided to hire a doula. As we were interviewing different doulas, Anna immediately stood out to us. She provided us a lot of information and many resources even during the interview. After we hired Anna, she was a wealth of information throughout my pregnancy and was there to support us every step of the way. Anna provided me with daily exercises to help prepare for birth and was there for all my questions. As we approached the birth, Anna helped us develop our birth plan and provided invaluable support as some complications arose. When the day came, Anna was there to help us achieve our desired birth plan. Without her compassion and support, we would not have been able to have an un-medicated delivery and we would have been much more stressed. She was the perfect addition to our labor team. Even two months after having our son, we remain in contact and I know that if I need something, she is there. If we are blessed with more children, Anna will be one of the first people we call as I would not want to give birth without her, she is a true blessing.

Phoebe Wright

7/18/2020

Having Anna be a part of the birthing process was easily the best decision we made regarding the entire pregnancy. She helped us understand what to expect on the the birth day, and though this process we were able to prioritize what we wanted out of a birth. Anna coached me through the labor process, and she made sure my spouse was an active member of the birthing team. Without her, there's no way I would have been able to do an unmedicated birth. After the birth she was the most helpful person we encountered regarding breastfeeding. Additionally she was and continues to be a valuable resource for any baby/birth/breastfeeding questions. Her passion for being a doula is apparent from the first minute you meet her. It was very comforting having an experienced, calm, familiar person during the birth.

We couldn't recommend her more highly. 

Laura Tarbutton

3/27/2020

We had a wonderful experience working with Anna and we would (and have) recommend her to others!

Anna enters into the engagement without judgement or bias, truly open to making your birth experience as close to your vision as possible.

We chose her because of her level of confidence, emotional intelligence, interest in us as individuals, and professionalism. We wanted a doula because it gave us comfort to know that we’d have someone who we were familiar with and knew us well with us throughout labor and delivery. She was very helpful in working with us on our birth plan and knowing our options as well as thinking through hypothetical situations and choices that might arise. 

Given the situation with Covid-19, we were even more grateful to have her at the hospital since our parents were not able to join us.

Thanks for everything, Anna! We loved working with you.

Roxanna Tirado

2/25/2020

Anna is an amazing doula and she was a great person to have with us during the birth of our son. She has an encouraging and understanding persona that was extremely helpful during the craziest times of our birth. She knew the hospital very well and help us navigate everything from pain medication management to ordering food. She made us feel so comfortable and taken care of. I recommend her 100%! 

Rakhee Pinjala

1/27/2020

Working with Anna was the best decision that my husband and I made. We had to find a doula last minute (like pretty much two weeks before delivery) due to major procrastinating on both our sides. I interviewed her with my mom and she was honestly such a great addition to the birthing team. I was anxious going into a last minute induction but having Anna there to facilitate and talk me thru things was the best. She was very informative, helpful with advice before, during and post partum. It was Anna that identified my baby's tongue tie and suggested a lactation visit. I had no idea breastfeeding was going to be so hard but having Anna drop by pp was awesome. During delivery without her my husband would've been more frazzled then he was and I probably never would have labored in the tub and that accelerated labor which was phenomenal. Anna was punctual, communicative and reliable, a perfect addition for us all. 

Marin Bogert

1/23/2020

Anna was a true gift to me and my husband during our son’s birth. My labor did not go as planned and I was so grateful that Anna was right there to help and encourage me through the unimaginable pain. It is so important to feel cared for during labor and her infallible support is indelible in my memory of the overall experience. Any new mama would be lucky to have Anna Doula on her delivery team!” - Marin Bogert

Mahriah Dye

1/12/2020

I would highly recommend Anna as a doula. It's hard to put into words exactly what sets her apart, but there's definintly something special about her. I think she has a confidence to her that makes you feel confident in yourself. She makes you feel like you are capable and competant and that your birthing experience will be positive! She listens to what you want and what is most important to you and helps support you in the way that you want. I had a great birth. This was despite the fact that very little went the way that I had planned. (But, I had also planned for nothing to go as planned, so there you go.) I felt very positive and very empowered by the experience and I believe Anna's support was a key part of that. I felt like she speaks clearly and candidly without overstepping and helps guide you in explaining or exploring how you feel about different options. 

Umalkhier Osman

12/13/2019

Hi

Anna is an amazing person and incredible Doula. Anna helped me understand what was going on and walked everything with me during labor and especially in delivery. Because I was having my first baby I was nervous and scared. Anna made sure I was calm and ready to meet my baby. Anna's great massage,advice and her great personality helped me go thru delivery, labor and recovery. She's also very resourceful and helped me answer all the questions I had after my baby was here. From breastfeeding to keeping my baby girl calm.I learnt so much from Anna. I really appreciate everything you have done for me! Thank you!!

Sara J

12/2/2019

Anna was there for the things we needed but didn’t know we would. She provided the calm, collected energy that helped me to tackle all the unexpecteds that arose during my sons delivery. We met her a little late in my pregnancy but it didn’t take long to feel comfortable with and trust her. She provided reassurances and information that our doctors simply don’t have time for. I love the time she took to see me postpartum; she was instrumental in my success with breastfeeding. She is.a part of our journey and we are so thankful for everything she did. 

Mary Ann

11/25/2019

Anna is an amazing doula. We hired her early on during my pregnancy with my first baby. She met with my husband and me several times and listened to our concerns with compassion and provided constructive advice for how to prepare and what to consider when the day arrived. One of the really helpful pieces of advice was to practice J breathing during the final months of pregnancy. When the day arrived, she helped us problem solve and ask for more time in the hospital before adding potosin to the process. She was with me the whole time so my husband could get rest (which was needed with a 24+ hour labor!) Throughout our months with her,  she never expressed any judgement and was really great at asking questions to get us thinking and preparing. She also gives the best hugs during contractions and keeps everything calm, she's the best!

Natasha Costello

11/23/2019

We are forever grateful that Anna chose to work with us for the birth of our daughter!

Like many expecting mothers, my birth plan changed dramatically. We went from planning for an all-natural childbirth to a necessary planned cesarean section, because my little one was in a breech position with the cord wrapped around her neck.

Anna was an incredible resource, helping us explore all the other options while making me feel empowered and safe to make the best decision for our family.

With her guidance, we felt happy and relaxed going into our daughter's birthday. I had the best birth experience, and I will cherish it forever! For me, knowing what to expect and having her there to guide us made me feel safe, reduced my anxiety, and made me truly able to have a positive birth experience.

Anna was with us every step of the way through our daughter's birth, and her postpartum support was also a beacon of light in a very confusing time! 

To the expecting parents reading this review: People are going to have a lot of opinions and advice for you, much of which can be unsolicited. Anna will help you filter out the noise.

I felt comforted knowing that Anna had the years of experience with a range of births to guide me through my very first birth.

We would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone we know expecting! 

Kristin

11/22/2019

Anna is an excellent Doula! She is knowledgeable, caring, warm, considerate and passionate. I always felt comfortable in Anna's presence. Anna helped me to establish a positive mindset for my birthing experience, by empowering me. I truly believe this helped me in the delivery of my baby. She helped me to take control of my birthing experience, and followed my birth preferences which ultimately led to a positive outcome in the end for me. I highly recommend Anna to all mama's out there. 

Amanda Cuevas

9/15/2018

Anna DiCicco was one of several doulas we had planned to interview for our upcoming birth. She was the first doula we interviewed, and felt an immediate connection that compelled us to cancel our interviews with other doulas and move forward with Anna. It’s hard to put into words how fortunate we are to have Anna’s love and support throughout this transformative event in our lives. Anna conveys a sense of confidence, strength, and peace that manifested in the way that she cared for us before, during, and after the birth.

Before the birth, she helped us recognize our priorities, prepared us mentally and spiritually, and communicated with us in a way that assured her support. During the birth, she followed our lead by request, providing the space and freedom to handle the situation at hand, but she intuitively intervened when the time was right. Anna is highly adaptable to any situation, and particularly sensitive to the needs and preferences of her clients. After the birth, Anna made sure we were getting all the support that we needed, and was genuinely interested in our well-being and transition into parenthood.

Overall, we couldn’t have asked for a better experience than what we had with Anna, and we highly recommend Anna to anyone embarking in their new life journey. We greatly look forward to working with her again when we’re ready for the next baby!