Madeline

10/5/2024

We were fortunate to have had the expertise and support of Lydia-Carlie throughout our birth journey, and I cannot express enough gratitude for her help. During the prenatal period, Lydia-Carlie provided invaluable information and guidance, offering a comprehensive understanding (at a good altitude of information — not too much, not too little) of what to expect during childbirth and suggesting various laboring techniques. I used the labor techniques while laboring at home and believe it was more comfortable than it would have been without her tips. She also seemed highly supportive of varied choices during birth, and didn’t make me feel judged at all for wanting a medicated birth. When the time came, Lydia-Carlie was a calming and very helpful presence during labor and delivery. Her use of aromatherapy and breathing techniques while I was pushing made a big difference in managing my pain, and helped me regulate my efforts. One thing that made me really want to work with her while I was looking for doulas though, was that she is a massage therapist. I also have pre-existing nerve and muscle issues, and knew that during pregnancy and postpartum I’d *really* be craving body work. The (in-home!) massages from her both during and after birth was a real treat; I looked forward to these massages a lot and she was clearly really skilled as a massage therapist. (They were great massages, and this is coming from someone who gets a lot of massage.) Beyond her technical expertise, Lydia-Carlie gave me and my husband great emotional support throughout the entire process. Her calming presence and compassionate demeanor were really what we needed during such an intense and vulnerable time. I really recommend her — you’d be lucky to have her as your doula!

Jason Murray

7/13/2024

5 Stars

Lydia-Carlie was our postpartum doula for several weeks following the birth of our daughter. She was a steady and supportive arm right exactly when we needed it most, and I cannot express strongly enough how much she helped us in those first couple of months. Right from the beginning you could see visibly see my wife's shoulders relax on mornings when we'd realize "Oh, this is a Lydia-Carlie day," and everything would suddenly take on a less frantic tone just knowing we had backup on the way.

Lydia-Carlie has a depth and breadth of knowledge that was exactly the resource that we as new parents needed. I was initially wary of the entire idea of having a doula in the house for hours a day, right when I was trying to get used to the idea of our new, very needy roommate. My image was of someone who might be focused too much on a spiritual or esoteric side of parenthood and babies than what I thought we needed at the time. I need not have worried. While it's clear that L-C has the sensitivity and knowledge to engage on a wide variety of levels, she certainly recognized what I was looking for immediately and all of her help was solid, grounded in facts, science, practicality and empathy. But beyond that, her interactions with my wife, my baby and all of us as a family were warm, personal, positive and uplifiting. In addition to being knowledgeable and well-informed on exactly the issues we cared about, Lydia-Carlie has the insight to know exactly when we needed more help, more information, more advice on aspects of infant care that we were overlooking or overthinking.

Almost as a bonus, she's just an insanely good cook and my wife says she gives the best massages of all time. And she was great with our puppy.

Aya Williams

7/28/2023

Lydia-Carlie told us that SageFemme means "wise woman" in Haitian Creole/French. That's exactly what she provided (and more) in our first few months with our daughter. Lydia-Carlie was the second set of hands every parent with a newborn needs - from holding baby to cooking to laundry to playing with your toddler. And her massages truly nourish and heal. So she's more like a "wise super-woman" in our eyes! We are so thankful for the calm, wisdom, and love she brought to our home that helped us best take care of our little one. 

Maria

7/7/2023

Lydia-Carlie has been nothing but amazing as our doula! I decided to hire a doula after much thinking and realizing that to achieve my goal of having an unmedicated birth, I needed a support system in place other than my spouse. I searched for a Doula around 35 weeks of pregnancy. I felt rushed to establish a relationship with someone who would present at the birth of my daughter, and Lydia made that transition pretty easy! She is very easy going, mindful, and respectful. When we first met Lydia, she was very thorough in having us think what our birth wishes and visualize the birth, even though we are all well aware that birth can be an unpredictable process. She also had us think thoroughly about what support system we will have for the  postpartum period  which made us realize we were unprepared for and so it was nice that she reviewed that with us and we planned . In our birth plan, she never pushed any agenda with me and worked with me to create a plan for pain management that was most suitable to what I know helps me. 

When I went into labor, she was very calm about it and we made a plan to meet up at the hospital where I was set to deliver.  As my husband was dropping off the car, I kept being in labor with strong contractions every 3 minutes and honestly if it wasn't for Lydia there to help get through the contractions until I was seen in triage, not sure how I could have made it. She has a calming presence which I think goes a long way when you are in the thick of strong waves. She came prepared with our birth plan and was able to speak on my behalf when I was't able to. Because she knew techniques that work for me to deal with pain, she was quick to whip out these things (heat pads, counter pressure, reminding me to breath, and coaching my husband). She was like mama bear, watching out after me and making sure that I was being cared for. I am planing to have her be our doula for our next baby :D! 

Eleanor Crane

6/19/2023

Lydia-Carlie was a fantastic postpartum doula for us! She was very helpful in many practical ways, most of especially in doing meal prep--she's an excellent cook! She also supported us by caring for the baby so we could sleep and with a bunch of other household tasks. She was also a deep emotional support for both my husband and I, as we were both struggling with some depression and  anxiety. Lydia-Carlie always listened to us, spoke with deep empathy, and stayed late to help us make a crucial decision to call in some family support to stay with us during a particularly difficult time. She also helped us out a few times with making other connections within the doula community to find some nighttime support, which we would have struggled to find on our own. Lydia-Carlie is exactly the kind of person you want in your corner during the emotionally fraught time of bringing a new baby home, and she helped my husband and I get to a much better place for ourselves and our family. She's caring, joyful, and gives *great* hugs. And if that's not enough, book a massage while you're at it! :-)

Michelle O.

5/18/2022

I knew I wanted Lydia to be my doula. There is a presence that she brings to the table that is incomparable to anyone else, not just as a doula, but as the beautiful human that she is. As my birth doula she played a vital role in the success of how I navigated though my pregnancy, labor, and postpartum period. The birth plan we came up with was vividly thorough and a key component of that success. Her ability to see me, my partner, and my baby as the complex humans that we are made me feel seen. The way she held space for me, and all my big emotions, made me feel heard. I was validated with everything I chose to do, and nothing was the wrong choice. I appreciate her from the bottom of my heart and soul and cannot wait for her to be present at the birth of my next child, and every one thereafter.

Jennifer Dickson

7/9/2021

Lydia-Carlie has such a powerfully warm essence, spending time with her feels like being enveloped with the most loving hug. It was truly an honor to have her support my partner and I through our transition into parenthood. She is insanely knowledgeable about the human body, pregnancy, and postpartum care. She integrates generational knowledge passed down from her Haitian roots and has a unique sense of the body from her background in massage therapy. Did I mention she is extensively trained in massage therapy (what pregnant woman wouldn't love a massage)?!

In regards to my birth experience, Lydia-Carlie helped us to create a plan for a natural birth, and when my little human decided to stay put in a breech position, she then helped with a new birth plan centered around my cesarean. She is caring, attentive, direct when necessary, and has a special love for pregnant women and new little babies. I sing the highest praises of her love and support through my birth journey, and couldn't imagine having another baby without her guidance.

Laura Ellis

6/2/2021

I cannot recommend Lydia enough as both a doula and a massage therapist. Not only did she support with a lot of information and planning before my birth (including a very succinct and organized birth plan) but she was also unshakably there for me as needed during a 52-hour labor with two surgeries directly following the birth. She was a support not only to me but to my husband during an incredibly scary and stressful time (especially in the midst of COVID). I did not expect her to still be there when I came back from surgery but she had remained there with my baby boy and husband and had helped secure donated breast milk for my baby boy while I was in the OR.
She has an amazing ability to know what a person needs to hear or feel during the birthing process. Her ability to massage and touch during the birth process allowed me to remain without an epidural for a large portion of my induction. She provides a comforting and calm presence that as a highly anxious person I desperately needed. She also had a steady and positive way of not letting me give up so that I could reach my birth goal. During the pushing phase of my labor, hers was the only voice I wanted to hear.
Lydia is a super kind, respectful, helpful, and nurturing doula and person and I think anyone would be very lucky to have her. She also loves children and makes an excellent post partum doula. I would hire her again for any other births I may have in the future