Rachael

11/6/2024

We had a great experience working with Suzi. Birth is daunting, especially for your first time, and thanks to her, we felt so prepared going into our birth. We came out feeling so positive about our birth experience and wouldn't have without her guidance and support. We highly recommend working with Suzi if you can, you won't regret it! 

Tim Murray

8/11/2022

I cannot recommend Suzi highly enough. Not only did she provided invaluable support to me and my wife, but she also showed me how to how to be a better birth partner. Suzi gave us critical emotional and physical support that kept us feeling positive and safe.  
 
When things stalled, Suzi showed us moves and positions to help things along. When we were in the thick of it, she gave key reminders to do things like rest, eat, and drink water – all of which I think I would have completely neglected otherwise.

The prenatal visits and text support we received helped us think through aspects of the labour we hadn’t considered and better prepared us for the process. Postpartum, Suzi helped us master new feeding techniques and made us comfortable using our baby gear.  
 
More than anything, Suzi was a continuous source of support guiding us through the process – she helped us navigate the hard moments and shared our joy during the happy moments. I'm so glad she was there to help us, and I am eternally grateful.  

Bianca

4/10/2022

We loved working with Suzi and found a lot of comfort in her attitude and philosophy towards birth and postpartum. She provided the perfect mix of helping us accept that things can't always be controlled - but you can prepare and set expectations for your support people - and create an experience you can feel positive about when all is said and done. Thanks to Suzi, this was all true for us! Her postpartum visits and text support were incredibly helpful in guiding us in the early days and weeks of parenthood in particular. We would not hesitate recommend Suzi (and Voyage Birth) wholeheartedly!

Emily Cooper

9/11/2021

Suzi is an amazing doula and we knew it the moment we met her. A self proclaimed "birth nerd" her passion shines bright. During pregnancy, her weekly check ins always put a smile on our face. She was always on top of every doctor appointment or ultrasound, making sure to connect with us and debrief when needed. When complications in the pregnancy arose, she was right by our side every step of the way. We took Suzi's prenatal classes and she was incredibly thorough. I felt much more confident after the class, knowing I had tools to get through the birth. 

Suzi was an incredible support postpartum. Not only is she a wealth of knowledge, but she also has an amazing way of turning something hard into something hilarious. Looking back on those sleepless nights, I'm so thankful I had her support and her big heart to help us through the tough times. She is a beautiful bright light when you think you've lost your way. I can't recommend Suzi enough, she's a true jem. 

Alexandra Kenyon

9/3/2021

Suzi's arrival at our home during the night of baby's birth was a game changer. My experience of labour went from being uncertain & a bit scared, to confident & focused. Her expertise, coping techniques and calm voice gave me confidence that I was safe, allowing me to focus on the major event at hand. We laboured at home until I made the decision to move to the hospital and baby was born after 45 minutes in the birthing room. Suzi's continuous presence was impactful and undoubtedly contributed to the unmedicated awesome birth that we aspired to! I hope that she will remain in my life forever.

Masha Polikhun

8/22/2021

Katie and Suzi had such a positive impact on our birth experience. My husband and I are so grateful for meeting this team and for them becoming a part of our lives.

They care about your feelings, well-being, physical and mental state and do everything to remind you that you are the most important person at any moment while also supplying you with a ton of practical knowledge from their experience.

Their support during pregnancy, and especially during labor was indescribable. Katie was present during our birth and the help and care we both received during those 30 hours helped us to make all important decisions and get through this experience.

Choosing Voyage Birth was one of the best pregnancy decisions we made and was 100% worth the investment.

Andrew Chong

8/21/2021

From the first time Suzi visited our home, through the Jenn’s most intense moments in the delivery room, to the genuine interest they showed during Jasper’s first few days and weeks, we always felt empowered, safe, and cared for by her.

In the hours leading up to the birth, Suzi responded with calm, confidence, and expertise, throughout—with urgency when needed, and with encouragement to us when we just needed some clarity or focus. 

I know Jenn has said we could never have expected the delivery to go the way it did, and Suzi was an absolute stabilizing and strengthening force to her and to us. At the end of it all, we thought, there has never been a more ‘worth it’ investment than a doula.

Matt + Michelle

8/17/2021

A colleague recommended Suzi to us and now we recommend her to you! Suzi's exuberance, practical help, and sense of humour made her a terrific companion for the months of pregnancy, hours of labour, and haze of postpartum. We are grateful for how Suzi held our values as her own, knew we could when we doubted, and reminded us that we hoped to catch our baby—we would have missed that special moment otherwise. Suzi's support was above-and-beyond, from sitting on the bathroom floor to keep Michelle calm through toilet contractions to MacGyvering a plug so we could push in the hospital tub to giving up her own snacks for Michelle to eat after birthing to making a customised "Best Ways to Burp Your Baby" video—the list goes on! If you're looking for a cheerful, organised, and all-in doula, Suzi's the dream.

Marianne

1/25/2021

Suzi’s energy and excitement about helping me become a Mom was evident from our first intro call to our latest text. This is a woman who loves what she does, and was my champion from pregnancy to early motherhood. Her regular check ins meant I always had the chance to ask questions/express my fears and never had to hold back. After our daughter was born at home she took care of all the things we weren’t thinking about because we were so amazed with this new wonderful being in our home! Her sense of humour and ease to laugh makes her a pleasure to be around, and she balances that well with real-talk when the situation warrants. I would recommend Suzi and Voyage Birth to anyone considering a doula!

Andor Geller

1/23/2021

As our birthing took way longer than expected (50h!), Suzi jumped in as backup for Katie. At this point, Katie and I were exhausted, so it was her spending time with my wife in the recovery after the C-section. The transition was smooth and her excited nature the perfect company for my darling after the birth. Thanks

Paul Forster

10/15/2020

We were a little hesitant to sign up for Voyage Birth's pre-natal class, but after speaking with Suzi and Katie we decided to join the virtual 4-session course a few months before our due date. My partner and I were super impressed with S&K's general knowledge and approach to the course. They really do care about their clients and we are so happy that we signed up so that we were better prepared for the birth, knew about all sorts of different scenarios and outcomes, and had a plan in place. It was also great to know that S&K were there to support us over the next several months.

Fast forward a few months, my wife went into labour and Suzi came and met us at our house first, and then joined us at the hospital for the next almost 2 days! Honestly, the amount of support and guidance that Suzi provided throughout the whole birth (which was a roller coaster) was so amazing and helpful. As a (now) dad, the whole experience was a little overwhelming and I surely wouldn't have known what to do without Suzi having been there to help us understand everything that was going on and to make sure we both felt comfortable. I'm grateful to have had Suzi's help throughout the whole experience, and she has visited us now a couple of times back at our house to check in and make sure that baby and mom were doing well. Thanks again Suzi for all of your help, we really appreciate it and would highly recommend you to any of our family/friends!

Diane

9/26/2020

Suzi is amazing. The level of support and care she provides is beyond anything we ever expected. She is so passionate about her doula work and it truly shows. 

In the weeks leading up to delivery, Suzi checked in on me often, normalizing my feelings and reassuring me about my fears. During labour she anticipated so many of my needs. She got right down on the ground with me to look me in the eyes and tell me I could do this. And after our daughter was born, she stayed and supported me through a repair - and the decisions I needed to make to endure it. A highlight was when she encouraged me to think of my ideal post-delivery victory meal, and then she helped us order that food delivered to the hospital, and fed it to me while I breastfed my daughter for the first time. 

Highly recommend Suzi (and her partner) to anyone looking for amazing support before, during, and after birth. 

Amanda D.

9/22/2020

Suzi was meant to be a doula. Her assertive yet gentle approach helped made our birthing experience truly magical and memorable. She was very hands on and attentive to my needs even before I was aware of them. It was difficult being pregnant let alone giving birth during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the main challenges that stood out was not having our family by our side during the big day. I always envisioned having my mom and sister with me, but given all the restrictions, that was not possible. My husband and I were grateful to have Suzi there; her presence made up for their absence because she felt like family. My gratitude is boundless because she, alongside her doula partner, acknowledged my fears, reminded me of my strength, and to trust my body as a woman and now mother. We will forever be thankful for Suzi's impact on our birthing story, and hope that other families are fortunate enough to experience the same. 

Elyse

9/15/2020

Suzi and Katie provided us with incredible support before, during and after the birth. There were many moments when I was honestly floored by how amazing it was to have their support, from having a sounding board for making decisions and getting the peace and reassurance we needed, to clarifying for myself what my hopes were for the birth, to help processing difficult news, to books I could borrow that would help me prepare mentally and emotionally, to having someone to document and then debrief the experience with, to continued support after our baby boy arrived. Thanks to our conversations with them ahead of time, my husband and I felt so safe, respected, free and cared for during the birth, and it was a more positive experience than I could have even imagined. Many, many thanks to Suzi and Katie!

Anna Pelloni

1/31/2020

Suzi was such a God send with the birth of our second child. I went into the pregnancy with a lot of strong emotions that weren’t addressed during the previous pregnancy. Suzi made space for them and dedicated such time and energy to make sure I worked through their depths pre labor. She also agree to our unusual request: dinner with our family multiple times, balloon animals, you name it Suzi provided it. She effortlessly support me and my husband while being such joy to not only during the birth but also the development of our child. She was the encouraging voice that gave me strength to preserver through the last moments of pregnancy and labour and delivery. The days leading up to our little ones entering the world was filled with her knowledge and reassurances for both my husband and me. I am eternally grateful for her calm encouraging presence, patience, and general gifting in this area.

Stacey Yoder

1/28/2020

"Suzi is an amazing doula! Suzi was exactly the support we needed during the birth of our second birth. It was our first time giving birth overseas and at this particular clinic. Her familiarity with the clinic was invaluable. It was very apparent that she is passionate about the birth experience and that comes across in your demeanor. Both my husband and I can attest to Suzi ability and knowledge. I wanted to complete childbirth naturally with no medication. Suzi was helpful in educating us in what to expect in the weeks leading up to the birth, the childbirth process itself, and what to expect postpartum. Due to circumstances that couldn’t be helped we ended up with a C-section. Suzi stayed with us during and after the surgery and provided support. Suzi was a great cheerleader. The birth of our son Creed, was an emotional moment in our lives and it was the support of Suzi and her knowledge that helped make it a positive experience. Her presence during the birth of our son was a tremendous help. I’m so glad she was with us during this life changing experience. We highly recommend her!"

Emily

1/21/2020

Of my 4 very different birth experiences, #4 was hands down the best in large part thanks to the wonderful support of my doula, Suzi. My 3rd baby was a very hard delivery physically and emotionally so I really wanted to make sure delivery #4 was different.On top of that, for this 4th baby, I was in a new place, with an unfamiliar medical system and wasn't sure what to expect from the hospital I had chosen.

The support Suzi provided both leading up to and during labor was invaluable; she took what could have been a very difficult labor experience, and turned it into something empowering and beautiful. Before labor, she provided emotional support as together we talked through my expectations and fears about labor. During labor she deftly read the situation to determine what was most helpful - verbal coaching, physical support, or running interference with the doctors and nurses so that I could focus on labor.

I experienced tearing with all 4 of my babies, but with the 4th it was the least severe. And I attribute that entirely to Suzi's ability to coach me through some breathing as the baby was crowning.

Suzi's praise of my achievement and love for my little girl and me post-birth are sweet sweet memories that I will cherish forever.
I would highly recommend Suzi's birth support services to any one!

Janelle

1/9/2020

When I went into labour for the first time I was surprised by many things. That in itself was a surprise since I’m a midwife and familiar with the mechanics and emotions of birth. I was surprised by my intense need for privacy. I wanted people there... so long as they were in the other room. In light of this it might have seemed superfluous to invite my doula friend Suzi, in addition to my husband, mother, and midwife. After the tumult of my labour’s brought my son into the light, I felt such a cascade of emotion. Relief, elation and thankfulness mingled with worry, weakness and uncertainty.

From the aftermath of birth I have an enduring memory: washing the sweat and pain off my skin. I could barely do anything for myself, and the person who was there with me was Suzi. She washed, and clothed and encouraged me through every moment of “letting go” of labour, and it is such a beautiful memory. I was being taught a motherhood lesson ; embracing vulnerability, leaning into support, allowing my hard work to be recognized and praised. Suzi, who had earlier seen and respected my need for privacy, now poured out the care and attention which are so natural to her. She was my doula, shining in her ability to let me shine.

Zach

1/9/2020

Our first daughter was also our first baby to be born abroad. My sister- in-law flew out to Cambodia to be our doula for this birth. Unfortunately, our daughter was not ready to be born while our sister was still around. Suzi became our back up doula. She had big shoes to fill, but she did so with grace. Her calming presence reassured me that all would be fine. This gave me the confidence to focus on my wife as she brought our daughter into the world. Suzi was thoughtful in giving me breaks so I could eat and rest. Suzi and I were like a team supporting my wife as she labored. At one point when the doctor came in to check on Noelle, she said confidently, “It looks like all is well, let me know if you need anything.” Suzi was a vital member or our birth team and I wholeheartedly recommend her to any couple looking for support and encouragement during their birthing time and after!

Noelle

1/9/2020

Suzi was with us for our first hospital birth. I’m not sure I could have done it without her. She was a peaceful presence and a source of encouragement. She offered helpful suggestions and supported my husband by giving him breaks and bringing food. She made sure I remembered to stay hydrated and rubbed my aching hips and back. She advocated for me when it was time to go in the delivery room. She trusted me and the process of birth. This helped me to trust my instincts and let my body do its work. I’m so thankful Suzi was with us during that sacred moment of bringing our first daughter into the world. She truly understood how important this time was and helped us guard and record those precious moments with our daughter. She also took our very first photos together.