Brittany

12/20/2023

Lauren is an incredible doula!

Without her, I wouldn't have been able to achieve the natural, uneducated birth experience for my first birth. 

She was informative during our prep sessions leading up to delivery, provided me with great recommendations on supplements, pediatrician, chiropractor, and preparation exercises. 

She was checking in with me for the first few hours of my contractions, and got to my house at 330am. We labored at home for about 6 hours, where she advised when to change postions, use the yoga ball, shower, or breast pump to either speed up pr dlpw down the process as we felt necessary. 

She offered support mentally and physically, options, and never made me feel uncomfortable in such an intimate setting. 

Once we got the hospital I was 7cm dilated and when contractions were more intense, she helped me assess decisions like breaking my water, going into the tub, etc. This was so helpful as I was so focused on getting through each contraction and she knew what my intentions and birth plan were from the start. 

When it was time to push, she was so supportive and even took photos as my husband helped deliver the baby, those moments will be with us forever. 

I was able to achieve the birth experience I've always envisioned because of Lauren's professional guidance and strong support. Thank you Lauren!!

Jeana

2/26/2023

Our experience working with Lauren went above and beyond our expectations. As a first-time mom, I felt quite nervous about giving birth. My husband and I decided to hire a doula to help guide us on our journey. My vision was to have a totally unmedicated birth and to feel as connected as possible to my husband. I was initially nervous that a doula might leave my husband feeling excluded, but our experience was the total opposite. 

I knew within moments of our initial Zoom interview that Lauren was the perfect match for us. She is incredibly open-minded, affirming, intuitive, and personable. Lauren made it her mission to figure out exactly what our vision was as a couple and had a remarkable way of quelling my anxiety around giving birth without even necessarily trying to do so.

Fast-forward to my birthing experience...when Lauren walked through the door to our room, I immediately got the sense that everything was going to be okay. She carries with her such an aura of tranquility. When the sensations got intense, Lauren was right by my side, giving me a massage, gently suggesting position changes, applying pressure to relieve discomfort, or just walking the room with me. She seemed to have the perfect sense of when to intervene, when to allow my husband and I to labor without intervention. 

I eventually opted to get an epidural, a decision that Lauren supported me on. Her encouraging words helped dissolve the bit of guilt that crept in, and I was soon back to feeling like a powerful, successful mama-to-be.

During the 3-hour marathon of pushing that I did, Lauren was again ever-present and ever-involved, gently encouraging me with every push. Her words truly helped me to keep going strong. 

I truly look back on our childbirth experience with feelings of nostalgia. The time spent in that labor and delivery room were absolutely sacred, and Lauren's involvement played a HUGE role in that. 

Adriana M.

5/4/2022

To say my husband was skeptical about having a doula would be an understatement. However, he supported my wished for birth, and in return I wanted a doula who would help make both of our experience what we wanted rather than what anyone else wanted. Cue, Lauren! From day one of our first virtual visit, she was asking about what we wanted and we needed, not imposing her own views on us or making us feel forced into a decision of any sort. I did decide to do an unmedicated labor, however I never felt like she was pressuring me to make this decision and I know she would fully support me if I had decided to do a medicated one. My husband and I made it clear we wanted a doula for physical support for me during the laboring process, and Lauren did exactly that. She constantly massaged me, had me moving in various positions, and provided comfort (in a very uncomfortable time) through her various interventions. I am so so grateful we had Lauren with us during this very personal and intimate experience, and she took amazing pictures of our daughter being born without us even asking. If we ever decide on baby #3, Lauren will be my first phone call! Look no further, she's amazing!

Natalie L.

9/4/2021

Lauren was recommended to me from my doula mentor and I am so glad she was my doula. She made herself completely available for questions, counseling, and guidance during my pregnancy. Our virtual conversations were perfect for helping me assess the changing stages in my pregnancy as well. As this was my first pregnancy she was perfect at helping me navigate my labor and delivery as well.

Her personality is warm and comforting. She was extremely knowledgable, friendly, and professional. During my labor she was the perfect support for me and my husband. I ended up having a 4 day prodromal labor and in the early stages she made herself available by phone for coaching and when it seemed to accelerate into active labor she was with me and my husband for nearly 2 days. She was so sensitive to my needs. I was extremely emotional and in a great deal of pain. She was encouraging with her words and was our biggest cheerleader. She offered/recommended excellent comfort measures and was patient when I was in too much pain to try new things. 

When my birth plan did not go accordingly, she did her best to cheer me up and to help me along without focusing on what ddin't work out. I was originally supposed to birth in a birthing center but ultimately made the decision to transfer to a hospital. My labor experience was a nightmare in the hospital due to the hospital staff and Lauren did her best to help both me and my husband through it, always encouraging me along the way.

There is no way we could have done it without her. She was phenomenal in her care in and support. I will be eternally grateful for her being a part of my birthing experience and should I decide to have another child, I hope she will be there for me again. 

Tim & Amanda DuMont

6/10/2021

Before hiring Lauren, I had no idea what a doula even was. A friend of mine was working with another doula through DONA and referred me to Lauren. During our first "interview" conversation over Zoom, I immediately felt comfortable talking to her. She answered all our questions and really listened. Her positive energy and calm demeanor made our decision to hire her an easy one. We hired her when I was about 6 months along with my first baby. Although we didn't work together from the beginning of my pregnancy, I felt like I had known her for much longer. Since this was our first pregnancy, I was feeling a little overwhelmed with the amount of information I needed to obtain. Lauren was able to provide research, articles, and guidance every step of the way. The day of my labor, Lauren began texting with me early in the morning and continued to check in throughout the day. By late afternoon, she was at my house, and helped me labor at home until it was time to head to the hospital a few hours later. She never left my side and was amazing at helping me work through each contraction with counter pressure on my hips, massage, heating pads, and a portable fan. She was like the Mary Poppins of the doula world with her bag of tricks! Although my plan was to have a natural, unmedicated labor, unfortunately I had some complications, which resulted in an emergency c-section. Each time the doctor wanted me to sign off on something, Lauren calmly spoke on my behalf and helped explain the pros and cons of each decision. In the end, we made the right decision as the doctors and nurses saved mine and my baby's life. Lauren stayed by my husband's side and talked with him while I was in the OR. She came to see me in recovery, helped me nurse my baby boy for the first time, and called me the next day to check in. Once we returned home, she visited our house a week later to see how we were adjusting. She will forever be a part of our family. THANK YOU, LAUREN!

Elizabeth Schieffelin

12/9/2020

It's hard to describe just how incredible Lauren is as a doula, mom and person.  She radiates love and positivity. She has endless amounts of energy, which kept spirits high. Lauren went above and beyond in the birth prep - offering us resources ranging from birth classes to Spinning Babies exercises. She made us feel SO empowered. We really appreciated her process for creating a birth preferences document. Despite being so experienced as a doula, Lauren always maintained a beginners mindset. I was one week “late” and so appreciated Lauren’s encouraging messages when my anxiety levels as an expecting first time mom ran high. 

One the day of labor and delivery, Lauren REALLY showed up. Armed with her magical doula birth bag (with all the things - from a massager to birth affirmations to a diffuser), she came to our hotel room at 3am. She read the energy in the room perfectly, and slipped in gently. She guided my husband to do exercises with me. Her athletic background showed through in her abilities with comfort measures! She seemed to know exactly the right time to transition from one laboring position to another or when to offer a soothing remedy. She reminded me lovingly to sip water, snack, pee, and do all of the things I forgot about. She never once took the attention away from what was happening in my body. It felt somehow like Lauren was divinely guided in her approach to supporting us. We gave birth with midwives who were aligned with our vision for a low-intervention natural birth but I can see how she would be able to advocate had we been at a hospital. 

After the baby came, she stayed with us to help with breastfeeding and so that we could all process the birth. We really felt like we were all on a team together. I cannot imagine having gone through this experience without her. Lauren, THANK YOU! We are so grateful for you. You are absolutely living in your purpose and make the world a better place.

Carly Bickoff

12/5/2020

We are so grateful to have had Lauren by our side during the birth of our baby. I agonized for weeks about whether to have an elective C-section or try for a vaginal delivery, based on a small risk factor that I had during my pregnancy, and ultimately I chose to deliver via C-section. In interviewing various doulas, many tried to push me to deliver vaginally and did not hear my concerns. This was not the case with Lauren - she heard me out, validated my decision, and was with me during the entire procedure. She was on my side completely, which was exactly what I needed in making this tough decision, and her love and support was tangible throughout the entire experience. Lauren was also extremely helpful postpartum. She made sure I was comfortable, advocated for me the entire time, and stayed as long as I needed in the hospital. She came to our home as soon as we arrived back at our house, as my husband had to step out for a few hours and I was nervous to be alone for the first time. Her energy was so calming, loving, and supportive - exactly what you want during any type of delivery. We are looking forward to working with her again!

Lynette Tkacz

10/9/2020

Lauren is amazing! I don't know what we would have done without her. From the moment I found out I was pregnant I knew I wanted to have the support of a doula during labor and delivery. Then the pandemic hit and I wasn't sure that would be able to happen. I didn't contact Lauren until the hospitals in NJ started allowing doulas again in addition to the one support person allowed. At this point I was already 35 weeks pregnant. She was available and met with us right away. Both my husband and I were impressed with her warmth and her knowledge. Over the next five weeks she was so supportive. She checked in with me after all of my appointments, answered my questions and offered great suggestions. During labor Lauren was at my side the entire time, physically supporting me through each contraction, keeping me hydrated and encouraging me each step of the way. She also helped guide my husband in ways to support me. Then the two of them helped me through FOUR hours of pushing. Lauren advocated for me the entire time. She was such a steady, calming presence. Because of her, I was able to have the natural birth I wanted. Lauren also has a fantastic network of other professionals such as chiropractors, pelvic floor therapists, lactations consultants and photographers that she can put you in touch with as needed. Lauren is a lovely, kind, supportive and encouraging soul and I highly recommend her if you are looking for a doula. I've already told her that I'll be booking her immediately the next time I get pregnant!

Megan Aguilar

7/8/2020

Lauren was such an amazing asset to our birth team. We hadn't originally planned to work with her (we had another doula confirmed) but are so happy it all worked out the way it did. Lauren was very proactive in testing out different techniques that would soothe me during labor and transition. At the time I swore she had 20 hands. She never left my side unless it was to grab an ice pack or make sure we were well hydrated. When we arrived at the birth center, she hung up all positive birth affirmations, set up essential oils, set up candles, dimmed the lights and turned on some relaxing music - all the things I needed. I would highly recommend her! 

Diana and Chaim

6/14/2020

Lauren invests her whole heart and soul into her work and goes above and beyond for her clients. I engaged her late in my pregnancy and only worked with her for a few weeks before I delivered, but I knew right away that I would choose her as the one support person I was allowed in L&D at the hospital. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, that meant I could not have my husband there. But despite the stress of the situation, I felt safe and supported with her by my side.

Alongside all her other commitments with family and clients, Lauren made herself extremely available for me throughout our work together. She quickly intuited my style and tailored her support to my preferences. For example, she quickly figured out that I'm a very evidence-based person, and took upon herself to send bullet-point summaries of all the research she had combed along with links to relevant studies to answer my many questions.

I had an extremely challenging VBAC and Lauren stayed by my side throughout a 13-hour labor without so much as a break for food or the bathroom. The whole time, she just kept telling me I could do it even when I didn't believe I could make it another minute! I could not have achieved my goal of an unmedicated, natural birth without her by my side.  In short, she was amazing and I'd recommend her to anyone!

Anna and Dan

5/13/2020

Giving birth during a pandemic gave us a lot of uncertainty. Despite constantly changing policies Lauren was always well informed and able to  help make decisions and talk things through. With care and compassion she helped to guide us to make the best choice for our family and we were so glad to have her as our doula! Lauren was an invaluable resource for us during my pregnancy. Hire her!

Keren and Dave

1/30/2020

I knew in the first minute of our initial conversation that Lauren was who I wanted by my side during this process. She had such a calming presence over the phone, I felt confident she could help manage my anxiety. Lauren far exceeded our expectations.  She arrived at our house at 2am, right when my labor entered the height of its intensity. She used all kinds of coping methods for the next 6 hours while my contractions were 3-5 minutes apart. She encouraged me to make all the decisions on my own and supported my choices.  She was there to offer her insight but not to interfere. She then stood my our side for the next 12 hours at the hospital until our daughter safety entered the world. My husband and I would have been at a total loss without the aid of Lauren. We credit our positive labor experience to her and are forever grateful for her guidance.

Marisa

1/25/2020

I cannot day enough wonderful things about my experience with Lauren giving birth to my son. The most important thing to note is how well Lauren listens and retains information about your wants and needs. She came to the birth prepared with everything she needed to help me execute the birth I wanted. Lauren was patient, responsive, present, a source of constant support. She believed in me when I absolutely did not believe in myself.

Because of her, and solely because I listened to her coaching, I was able to deliver without medication. That was so important to me and she made sure it got done! She took my needs very seriosuly and advocated for me in the hospital during and after labor. It was a beautiful experience through and through. 

C. Marsh

1/21/2020

We were beyond happy with the care and support from Lauren from start to finish. My hired doula was unfortunately unavailable when my labor started and I’m so thankful she sent someone as loving and qualified as Lauren our way.

Although we had never even spoken, she stopped everything and met us at the hospital and gently eased right into the labor with her calming nature as everything was progressing. To say I was relieved when I saw her walk through the doors as we were waiting to be brought to the room is an understatement...we introduced ourselves, hugged, and she went to work at providing care that instant, helping me find comfort through my fast progressing contractions, and did not leave my side from that moment on.

She not only provided constant care and support, but was helpful in offering suggestions to move things along and was advocating for me the whole time. My husband and birth team all raved about her genuine and truly helpful care afterwards in the following weeks each time we reminisced about the day.

Although I did not personally hire Lauren or ever even speak to her before I went into labor, she was able to make me feel as though we had an established warm relationship like she’d known me through my whole pregnancy and knew exactly what type of labor and birth I wanted and she provided exactly the kind of care and support I'd want from my doula. We were so happy she was apart of such an amazing day for us and will absolutely be keeping her in mind for the future.

Sarah Wang

9/1/2019

We recently used Lauren for the birth of our first child which was a marathon (talking 24 hours), all night long event but despite some obstacles we ultimately avoided a c-section (my main goal). Lauren stuck by us through the entire event which was an emotional rollercoster ride of decision making, delays and shift changes. She was extremely positive and non-judgemental (super helpful for my skeptical but sensitive personality). She helped me rally after a challanging encounter with the on call OB which I think was one of the main reasons I was able to deliver without a c-section (to give you context I'm super petite). She provided warm emptional support, a wealth of knowledge, massage and encouragement which was irriplaceable. I highly recommend her services, especially for someone like myself who was quite nervous about the whole experiance (especially after doing too much research). She is highly positive and is passionate about what she does. 

Oscarina Duarte

8/21/2019

CALMING- that is the word I would use to describe Lauren! She has a peaceful presence to her that is the ideal spirit needed in a doula. My husband and I would have been lost without her calming guidance as we labored at home and later in the hospital. Lauren provided both emotional and physical support throughout my pregnancy and most importantly, in the hospital. It is thanks to her that I was able to experience the birth I imagined and held it together to welcome a beautiful baby boy while laboring and delivering without medication. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support in one of the most important days of our lives!

Kinga

6/21/2019

For me and my husband hiring Lauren to be our doula was single most important decision that allowed us to have natural unmedicated birth that we dreamed of. She is incredibly warm, approachable and down to earth, at the same time, if needed, she will be a gladiator fighting for you and your baby. She is extremely knowledgeable and takes time to get to know you and understand your needs. That’s exactly who you need in the delivery room! 

Lauren allowed us to be better prepared for the labor. She helped us get through it and welcome our precious baby to this world. She also followed up with us multiple times to make sure that all of our questions were answered. It was a true pleasure to have her on our team. I don’t think that we would be able to achieve our goals without her help. 

Yevi

5/6/2019

We hired Lauren around 20 week mark. That gave us time to get to know each other before the big day. Lauren was very helpful during interview, meetings and follow up emails, phone and text. She loves her job, and cares for moms, babies, families and labor.

My labor was medically induced due to cholestasis  at 38 weeks.   Day of induction my body was not ready. Lauren checked on me after cervidil was in at 8pm for a couple hours. I asked her to come back at 2am when my body overreacted to cervidil, and  I asked for it to be removed, knowing it will still continue to work since it has been sitting in my body for 6 hour. She was there when my water broke, and we celebrated this natural milestone in the middle of medically guided process. (Lauren also cleaned the mess). Now the nurses were at hospital very nice, but they went babysit you 24/7. I still felt superweak, so it was great to have Lauren with me.

In the morning dr put pitocin. I was 50% effaced and 0.5 dilated. Dr was grumpy that cervidil was removed early, but I knew my body, and Lauren and me had a positive attitude. Pitocin started working soon, and I asked for epidural. I had to wait 1 hour to get it. It was an hour from hell. During that hour Lauren applied comfort measure of counter pressure on my back. Then epidural went in, and it was manageable. Pitocin and epidural worked very quickly, about 6 hours, and then I pushed for 1 hour. I got natural tears and also asked for a little extra cut because baby was not going through. Lauren stayed while I was stitched afterwards and got baby on my skin.
My husband was at labor when I registered and came back in time for pushing. He was very helpful, but he also was able to save his stamina, and provide care for his dad who lives with us. Thank you Lauren from my husband, my baby, my husban's dad and my parents (who knew I was in good hands and were able to not be anxious about anything!)

Regina

3/29/2019

We were on the fence about hiring a doula for the birth of our second child, but we're so glad we decided to work with Lauren.  From the beginning, she was warm, positive, and engaging.  She made us feel like she was personally invested in me having the labor that I envisioned.  Lauren was available to answer all of our questions before labor through email, text, and calls.  The day of our daughter's birth, Lauren went out of her way to meet us at our midwife's office for a check and then was waiting for us at the hospital when we arrived.  She never left my side, always looking for ways to support me through each contraction (while also hydrating me and giving me energy boosts with honey and apple sauce).  Lauren was positive and encouraging the whole way through!  After my daughter was born, she stayed with us another couple of hours to make sure that all was well.  Postpartum, she was able to share contact information for lactation consultants, physical therapists, etc. and checked in many times on the progress of my recovery.  I would absolutely recommend Lauren to any family looking for support during pregnancy and delivery.

Fonda Kosmala

3/21/2019

Hiring Lauren to assist in the birth of our daughter was one of the best decisions my husband and I could have made as first time parents. Lauren has a very warm and welcoming personality. My husband and I immediately felt at ease talking to her during our first meeting. Lauren answered all of our questions and gave us very helpful advice. When I went into labor, a bit earlier than expected, Lauren met us at the hospital immediately and was there every step of the way. During our hospital stay, Lauren ensured that I was well taken care of and anticipated my every need. Lauren provided constant emotional support and helped us remember all of the techniques that we went over in childbirth class (which are all pretty easy to forget when in the throes of labor) and talked me through every contraction. My husband and I both are forever grateful for Lauren and would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone looking for an amazing doula. We look forward to working with Lauren again in the future.