Emma Brillhart

9/4/2024

We hired Amanda as both our birth doula and post-partum doula, and really enjoyed working with her. She was extremely professional, informative, and so helpful as we started our parenthood journey. The two pre-natal visits were great and made me feel more prepared for labor and delivery, and during labor she was a valuable member of the birth team for me and my husband. Having her help post-partum was also an excellent experience - she helped us navigate first-time parenthood struggles like breastfeeding, baths, and nail trims, and also let us have some time as a couple during an extremely hectic few weeks. Would definitely recommend Amanda!

Gabriel & Ellen

7/15/2024

Amanda was terrific and a valuable member of our birth and post-partum care team. She was knowledgable and very responsive to our questions and concerns. As first time parents, Amanda helped us parse what was important and what was "noise." She offered good recommendations for specialists that we consulted with during our baby's early weeks. Amanda's skill really stood out during the birth itself when she was a calm, empathetic and strong coaching presence. 

Allyson

8/7/2023

Amanda was a HUGE help in my birthing experience. She was always professional, calm, and confident throughout the process. She has a wealth of knowledge, which she shared before and after birth during our prep and postpartum appointments (which she perfectly timed out!). During labor, she kept me moving to help work through contractions, and she was especially great at directing me on how to breathe/push when the time came. She also helped keep the entire room as calm as could be—picking up on my cues as they changed throughout the day. She knew what I wanted from the experience and I continually looked to her for her input in the delivery room as decisions needed to be made. She has so much passion for doula work, and I will definitely be recommending her to pregnant friends in the future. 

Amanda

7/21/2023

Amanda was an invaluable support person throughout the pregnancy and birth process. This was my first time having a baby, and there was so much I didn't know. Amanda was there to help answer all my questions during pregnancy, which helped me feel more prepared and confident leading up to my due date. She has a wealth of knowledge and a calm, caring demeanor that helps you feel at ease.

Once the delivery day came, Amanda was by my side through the entire experience. She helped me cope with the contractions and physical challenges of labor, as well as the emotional. Amanda supported me through nearly 20 hours of labor, and when I had to go in for an unplanned C-section, she remained by my side the whole time. She was not only a huge support for me but also for my husband, who was navigating a new and uncertain experience. 

I am so glad we chose Amanda as our birth doula, and I highly recommend her to anyone who is considering hiring a doula.

Brianna Gaffin

3/9/2023

This was our first baby and most of our friends have had doulas for their births so we had high expectations. Amanda exceeded all those expectations and was above and beyond what we hoped for. She is professonal, kind, easy to communicate with and extremely knowledgable. Her experience is amazing, she's helped a lot of familys in the years she's been a doula. The hospital staff at Swedish in Issaquah all loved her. She helped us prepare for our "planned birth" then helped us when tough decisions or changed needed to happen in the heat of the moment. I couldn't have imagined a better birth story for myself and my daughter. Amanda helped me through the hardest part of the journey, breast-feeding, via her network of referrals to licenses lactation specialists and cranial sacral therapists. She helped make sure my husband and I were doing ok adjusting to life as mom and dad, recomendded setting up the flow of our home for making things simple, clean and easy and even helped me 6 weeks later on how to best use all my wraps to wear baby the proper ways. If we have another I will ask Amanda to be at our side as our doula again, definitely book her early as she is busy these days and only takes on a limited number of families per month to ensure each family gets the tender care they deserve. 

Bri

1/22/2023

I am so grateful for Amanda's support during my pregnancy, at my son's birth, and postpartum. Amanda met with us twice before delivery, answering all of our questions and providing us with information we didn't even know we needed to know. She was super responsive in communication and had some great suggestions for random baby stuff too! My birth didn't go the way I planned, but Amanda was so supportive and helped me get through a very quickly escalating induced labor. Her techniques provided me with physical comfort and her presence provided me with emotional comfort as well. Postpartum, she helped to connect us with a last minute overnight doula that was able to support us during our first week home, which was much more difficult than expected. She was an invaluable asset to my birthing team and I'm so grateful to know her. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a doula that's evidence-based, knowledgable, experienced, thoughtful, and kind!

Aaron Grad

1/2/2023

Amanda was exactly the help our family needed in an extremely difficult time, and we honestly feel that she's the reason we made it through the first months with our second child. Not only is she incredible with babies, but her past experience working with neurodiverse kids made her uniquely insightful about how to help our 5-year-old with autism adjust to life with a baby brother who NEVER stopped crying. Whether it was caring for the baby, playing with the older kiddo, doing dishes and laundry, or helping with dinner, she always know just how to help and make our lives manageable. Our baby also had a ton of feeding and health issues, and we leaned on Amanda's deep expertise and connections in the community, and just always felt better after talking things through with her. She is a treasure, and any family would be lucky to have her in their lives!

Alice Raine

6/19/2022

We hired Amanda as our birth Doula and postpartum Doula. She was such a help to us during both of these occasions. As new parents and also as someone giving birth for the first time, I really had no idea what I was doing and during the day of our birth she was completely comfortable with helping me with my pain management and motivating me to continue. She was also able to collaborate closely with the nurse staff and were able to get them to help me feel more comfortable during labor. 

after labor, Amanda came to support us during postpartum about a few days later. She was a helping hand during the beginning weeks after our daughter was born and made it a lot easier for us to be able to maintain our physical and mental health. She helped tidy around the house, most importantly she gave us much-needed time to go for long walks while she soothe, fed and watched over our daughter.

Amanda is extremely kind, and always willing to help. She made it feel very comfortable to have her in our home. It honestly felt like having another family member there. We highly recommend Amanda for anyone's birth and postpartum experience

Jess

12/3/2021

Amanda is simply amazing. She's a perfect combination of professional and personal.  She always caters to your needs and preferences durning pregnancy and labor.  She’s extremely friendly and knowledgable. We would hire her again anytime!

Vanessa

9/25/2021

I can't express how thankful I am for Amanda and her support throughout my pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum journey. We had some unforeseen challenges with the home birth we had planned and ended up transferring to a hospital. It was a very physically exhausting and emotionally taxing 30 hours, and  Amanda was absolutely amazing. Throughout my entire labor she was constantly at my side, providing physical assistance as well as guidance and encouragement. When we had to transfer to a hospital, she was with us every step of the way and I believe it was her knowledge of positioning that helped us avoid a c-section. Not only that, but her support with breastfeeding after delivery was so crucial and all of her postpartum visits really helped us transition into parenthood. I would recommend Amanda in a heartbeat to anyone looking for doula support. She is wonderful and her services are so incredibly valuable to navigating the birth process. 

Sarah Blankenau

8/1/2021

I can't even begin to explain how helpful Amanda was to us. She came into our lives at pivotal moment and really helped us adjust to a being a family of four when our immediate family was unable to be of help. She connected me with resources for breastfeeding and postpartum therapy and was a friendly ear to listen to all of the ups and downs that I was experiencing. She did so many small tasks around our home that made our lives easier including cooking a few meals, doing laundry, washing bottles, rocking our little one, playing with our toddler, and giving us a chance to spend some time without kids every once in a while. My husband and I will always remember the huge contribution she made to our family in our time of need. I can't recommend her enough!!

Emily Benson

5/17/2021

We had a wonderful experience with Amanda. She was so supportive and helpful from the time we first connected through our baby's first few months! Amanda was amazing with on delivery day, working with the hospital staff easily, making us feel supported and that we had an advocate and another voice helping with some decisions. She was also so helpful with everything around delivery - helping clarify our needs, providing a non-judgmental and informed opinion as we navigated difficult decisions, and being a sounding board for us. I highly recommend Amanda and can't say enough great things about our experience. We will certainly be coming back again if we have another baby! 

Sara Cornish

10/12/2020

Amanda was a major factor in my smooth and uncomplicated twins birth -- her calming presence, smart and on-point coaching, and clear communication helped my partner and I navigate labor and delivery. For much of my labor, it was just three of us: me, my partner and Amanda. And I felt very comfortable with that, thanks to Amanda's poise and manner. The prenatal calls we had over Zoom prepared us well: Amanda was able to provide details that our birthing classes didn't touch on, and answer our specific questions about twin deliveries. Her postnatal visits were comforting and validating, and she gave us useful tips and resources to solve sleep and feeding related challenges.  I would definitely recommend Amanda as a birth doula, for a multiples or singleton birth. We are ever grateful for her partnership!

Stephanie

7/17/2020

Amanda has been an incredible and important resource for our new family. She is friendly and patient with us while helping us grow our confidence in caring for our newborn. She helped us with swaddling, our first bath, feeding and pumping advice and connection to other experts. As our baby has grown older, Amanda continues to be a huge help just getting the weekly chores done or giving us a chance to cook dinner, eat together, or just enjoy some time by ourselves. Amanda is always timely and thoughtful and we really enjoy having her help and experience in our home. 

Diana

7/7/2020

I hired Amanda as my birth doula and am so glad I did! My first birth experience was traumatic, and thanks to Amanda, I had a totally different, very positive experience for the birth of my second child. Her vast experience showed from our first online meeting. She talked me through my previous experience and helped me identify ways I could avoid the same issues again. She encouraged me to talk to my medical care provider about several issues and her encouragement really helped me get what I needed to be set up for a successful, empowering delivery. 

At my delivery, she helped transform the hospital room into a calming, empowering environment. She advocated for me and reinforced my preferences and brought up my concerns with medical staff. When I went through transition and thought I couldn't keep going, her unwavering, intense support helped me to draw inner strength I didn't even know I had. She captured moments on camera for my family that we will cherish for a lifetime. She stayed with my family after the birth which really helped me bond with my baby and make sure I got the care we both needed. I highly recommend Amanda's service. She is a guiding light of positivity towards a successful birth experience!

Her post partum support is incredible as well. She came by just when I needed some outside perspective on a handful of issues, including support ideas for my toddler, breastfeeding, and sleep issues. She suggested I talk to my medical provider about some issues as well, which helped me get medical help that I needed. Amanda is extremely knowledgeable, patient, kind, great with kids, and incredibly supportive! 

Liora

5/20/2020

I feel very fortunate to have had Amanda by my side during and around birth. She was calm, supportive, intuitive, and endlessly patient throughout the whole process. While her steady presence during labor was absolutely invaluable, she also tactfully found opportunities to step back and encourage my husband to participate within his level of comfort.
 
Although the birth of our daughter didn’t unfold as I thought it would, Amanda helped make the experience more beautiful, positive, and joyful as I could ever have hoped. I am forever grateful to her for giving us the best possible start as a family of three. I highly recommend Amanda to all parents-to-be!

Karl B.

5/18/2020

Bringing on Amanda as our Doula was a total game changer.  As soon as we started working with her, she provided a wealth of experience and much needed guidance for bringing our twin boys into the world.  She was integral right from the start, helping us set up a birth plan and getting us thinking about how our labor might go, including showing us strategies we could use to help make the process more comfortable.  It was on the twins’ birthday that Amanda truly stood out.  Our labor did not exactly go as planned – we ended up needing an unscheduled C-section – but Amanda was right there at our side the whole time, helping us with our decisions and assisting throughout the entire day and well into the night.  I could not imagine the experience without her!  Amanda is warm and kind and you can tell that being a Doula is a special passion of hers and something that she is sincerely excellent at doing.  I, my wife, and our twin boys whole heartedly recommend Amanda and her Doula services.

Emily Allen

2/20/2020

We were on the fence about hiring a doula to begin with, but decided to explore and meet a few. After meeting Amanda, we knew she was the best fit to support us through this major event. Amanda is confident, calm, knowledgable, and supportive. We were so happy to have her guidance throughout the end of pregnancy, during delivery, and after our babe arrived. Amanda came to our house for two seperate meetings before birth to discuss birth preferences and options, provide information, listen and encourage. During the birth she worked seamlessly with the nurses and doctors, speaking up at the appropriate times when we were faced with decisions or options, and never leaving our side. It was so comforting to know she was there for us during our entire birth. Afterwards, she came to visit two times to check-in. All along the way she was responsive via text messages, offering resources and references when needed. If you're on the fence about hiring a doula, I'd say to just go meet with Amanda, hear about her approach. You won't regret your decision and you'll find that she is the person you'd like in your corner during birth!! We feel very fortunate to have had her guidance and support!

Katie Morris

11/20/2019

My husband and I decided to hire a doula for the birth of our second child after the traumatic birth of our first. With our first, we felt like we didn't have an advocate in the room, and as things progressed outside what we had been prepared for in our hospital-sponsored birth class, we were scared and completely out of our depths. We wanted to make sure that we wouldn't have another similar experience this time.

I lined up four interviews - Amanda was the first and I was most excited to meet her after reading her profile. We chatted on Skype and I immediately loved her, so much so that I canceled the other three interviews and signed her contract the next day. She was so kind, honest, and confident. I knew that she would be the advocate I needed.

We met with Amanda twice before the birth: once to talk about ourselves, what we needed from her, and our birth plan, and a second time to check-in and go over "what if"s (this included what would we need from her in the event of a c-section).

The day of the birth went completely not-to-plan. The baby's cord was crushed by the contractions causing her heart rate to plummet. In her distress, she flipped right-side up and began to descend down the birth canal feet first. This resulted in an emergency c-section, during which I hemorrhaged and lost about 1/3 of my blood. My husband and newborn daughter left shortly after her birth to get out of the cold OR. Without Amanda, I would've been alone. For over an hour, she sat at my head, rubbing my temples and keeping me calm. As I lost blood, I began fading in and out of consciousness, and each time I awoke Amanda would update me on what was going on, tell me how much time had passed, and relay any questions I had to the surgical staff. She was more of an advocate than I had ever imagined, and I owe her a deep debt of gratitude. Hiring her will be the best decision you make in your birth plan - it was for me!

Mia Guo

4/13/2019

I enjoyed working with Amanda very much. We had an appointment discussing my birth wishes and what I expected for fhe birth experience. She discussed a lot of the good points that I don't even realize that I needed but very important to have a good birth experience. At that point, I’ve already taken the childbirth class, but looking back, the points she brought up to the discussion prepared me very well for the real child birth process. The most benefits that I have received is that she gave perfect solution to the potential problem that I might face. Throughout the actual birth process, she managed calm me down when I had fears and doubts. She worked very well with my husband and met our needs for support without us saying what we need at that moment. Her calm and warm personality made both of us enjoyed working with her as well. She took pictures within my comfort level and also written a memo for the birth experience. I did not know how much I would like those beforehand but now I’m so thankful that she did those. If you want a smooth, enjoyable birth experience, she is the one to work with since she will make the whole process enjoyable your own experience with right support at the right moment without you even notice or had to ask for. Her postpartum support was excellent as well. I would highly recommend her to anyone I know.

Samantha

4/10/2019

I cannot begin to explain the positive difference Amanda made in my pregnancy and birth as my doula. Beforehand, we had an extensive prenatal appointment where all concerns were addressed and Amanda really took the time to understand what we wanted out of the birth. Throughout my labor Amanda was a constant support, and seemed to always know just what to do or what position to change into to make me more comfortable. At our prenatal meeting we talked about how I was practicing hypnobirthing and wanted to try for an unmedicated birth. Although she was unfamilar with hypnobirthing at the time, by the time I went into labor she had gathered resources that aligned with our practices so that she could help us in the perfect way. I had an extremely long labor, and Amanda not only was a huge help to me, she was a huge help to my husband and mom, allowing for them to step away at times while she took over being my support. She stayed alert and helpful throughout the entire time, and stayed for an hour after Baby was born so that she could support the first breastfeeding and the first hour. We had an awesome follow up appointment one week after the birth, where even more resources were given to us. By far the best decision when planning for birth was hiring Amanda as our doula!

Nicole

2/18/2019

Amanda was extremely professional and cared so much for my family and I. She took into consderation her schooling (of course) and her personal experiences, which helped shape how she treats and cares for her clients. She asked questions that I never even considered and helped to advocate for me when I felt uncomfortable or didn't know that I could. I was a 2nd time mama when using Amanda's services so I had already experienced a birth. I had a good idea of how I wanted my 2nd birth experience to go and Amanda helped to execute it perfectly! My birth experince the 2nd time around was quite different than my first (not using a doula) and I couldn't have asked for a more peacful and easy birth! She helped me to relax and keep things in perspective no matter what came up - big or small. I am naturally anxious so this was very important for me. Amanda asked questions throughout the entire experience and reminded me of things I wanted from this birth experience (per our pre-birth meeting). It was also super helpful that Amanda was taking notes and data (and I love data!) during the entire process which was both helpful to me and the hosptial staff at times.  During labor, it's as if things are happening so fast and there are a good deal of serious questions from staff and family. It was nice to already have a plan in place before getting into the thick of laboring! She also took pictures of my babys birth which I will cherish forever! What ended up being most helpful for me wasn't necessarily the birth (although of course I needed the help!) but it was the before and after support that she provided. I can't recall how many times I leaned on her for support or direction in further care and she was ALWAYS there! Postpartum is such a difficult time where support from another mom/doula is so crucial and special.  I cannot say enough good things about Amanda's sevice but I will forever recommend her and use her services in the future! 

Lindsay Kienzle

11/21/2018

My husband and I were so incredibly lucky to have Amanda as our doula!  After losing our first baby at 21 weeks, we were not interested in attending classes or doing much research (wanted to avoid over-stressing myself) and Amanda was able to easily guide my husband and myself through the entire labor process.  She met with us mutliple times to prepare and then after the birth as well.  Amanda met us in the hospital at 4:30 in the morning after I had been texting with her in the middle of the night.  She does a wonderful job of not only coaching, but advocating for us without being pushy at all!  Her help with coaching through the pain and telling my husband how to help me was huge!  She worked wonderfully with the nurse and doctors.  I will absolutely use Amanda again as my doula and hope she'll be available.  I am happy to serve as a reference for her if anyone has any questions.  Her calm, soothing personality is perfect for this career!  I trust her not only as a doula, but a wonderful mother!

Sarah Hakala

11/20/2018

Amanda was my doula for the birth of my son in September 2018. She provided the most unbelievable physical and emotional support throughout my labor and delivery. She kept me calm, encouraged me and advocated for me. She also helped me with postpartum doula services, when I was anxious, scared and stressed as a new mom. Her help was invaluable to me and my family. I could not have gotten through the experience without her! I highly recommend Amanda George-Ray Doula Services.

Sarah Hakala RN, BSN