Jordan Beherndt

8/11/2021

My wife and I hired Christine during our first pregnancy in early 2021 in the third trimester.  We had another doula who had to cancel due to a family emergency and were lucky to get Christine with only a few weeks to birth.  As a first-time father, I was nervous about how to best support my wife during labor and be prepared.  Once Christine joined our team I felt immediate relief because she asked all the right holistic questions, was a great listener, and intuitively picked up on how to make my wife and I feel comfortable.  

On the day of labor, we went to the hospital around 7pm and Christine was there very soon after.  My wife had a bad experience with the nurse who kept messing up her IV (which ended up causing massive bruising) and wouldn't stop talking and blaming her for moving.  Christine made my wife feel at ease and helped us communicate to the hospital staff.  She helped me by guiding me through every step of the way - when to step in and help and when to sit back and give my wife space.  Her knowledge is impressive, and her ability to remain calm and add a little humor here and there was incredible.  

I'm so very happy that we made the investment in Christine and she is also a very good photographer!  We have a beautiful birth / infant album now that would not have been the same without her professional touch.  I'll be recommending Christine's services to everyone I can; she is the best!

Claire

6/14/2021

Christina was our doula during the birth of our first daughter. We were so great full to have someone walk us through what to expect, and even more greatful to have her as part of our team during a very long labor and delivery. Christina was always available to answer questions and checked in on us for weeks after our daughter was born. Hiring her was one of the best decisions we made for such a big life event.

Judy

6/14/2021

Christina was an absolutely amazing doula. We really could not have gone through my challenging L&D without her. During this pandemic time, she stayed connected with us pre-birth and even though we didn't actually meet until my labor day, I felt very comfortable with her and we had 100% trust in her. Her presense both felt like a sister and a professional at the same time which was exactly what I needed. She helped me process my difficult labor and set me up for a successful motherhood as we did not have any other family members around. She is also a talented photographer which is a great combo if you are looking to document your birth experience. I highly recommend her!!!

Sterling

6/13/2021

I absolutely loved and appreciated working with Christina. She helped me labor and deliver my 4th baby, and it was my very first time working with a doula. To be honest, initially I was probably more interested in her skills as a photographer to catch some candid moments of what we knew to be our last home birth, and those pictures are remarkable and will be cherished for years to come. However, her skills as a doula are INCREDIBLE and truly changed the course of my labor. For context, this labor was different from previous labors because active labor came around dinner time and my kids were still awake so I had a hard time getting into the relaxed zone that I aim for with every labor. Christina recognized this and as labor progressed after the kids' bedtime she urged me to go into the shower. (Actually, she brought it up a few times but I was resistant because I'd never liked it in previous births.) Thank goodness she encouraged me to try it a few more times, recognizing that I was struggling with the building intensity. It was a complete game changer for me. As she directed the hot water across my back, I was able to fully ground myself and sink into each contraction and work with them rather than resisting them. It was here that I clicked into the zone. It brought back a level of intimacy that has made my previous births so magical and special. Truly, I do not think I would have gotten there without Christina's expert guidance. I so appreciate her warm, strong, and positive presence. I highly recommend working with Christina. I will forever be grateful to her ensuring this last birth was such a positive one. 

Dana Fernandes

5/6/2021

Christina is a wonderful doula and my family and I were very lucky to come across Christina's profile and eventually hire her. She was very capable and confident in providing babycare and assisting me as I was recovering postpartum.

Being a second time mother, I knew what kind of support I required postpartum and Christina was able to fill my needs brilliantly. What I loved about her a lot was the fact that she is very respectful, tactful and able to take initiative as well as take a step back and take direction or just listen when I needed a listening ear. I enjoyed our conversations besides her  knowledge in newborn care and postpartum recovery. Even with our chats, she still had all her daily tasks done and to the highest of standard.

She showed a genuine love and care for my baby daughter. She was always smiley and in good mood, something I definitely appreciated after a night of feedings and a lack of sleep or rest. She also established a good rapport with my 2-year old daughter who is not the easiest of the toddlers to handle during this time of transition for our family.

I couldn't recommend Christina well enough for your family as a postpartum doula. She is skillful, humble and hardworking and my only wish was we could have had Christina with our family for longer.

She will always be remembered as a person who greatly helped me and my family in the time of need and we wish Christina all the best in her personal and professional life. 

jessica

4/9/2021

Christina was wonderful. I knew as soon as we did the interview that I'd go with her. She was so organized and thorough. We did a prenatal visit and she texted me quite often to check in as the due date approached. She arrived at the hospital before we did on the day of the birth. Christina was able to help me through my natural labor by applying counter pressue and she also brought lots of props like a tens unit! She was also able to get some really amazing birth photos for us. I really appreciated how Chrstina stayed after the birth to help give me sips of drinks and bites of food. Even after our postpartum call, she continued to check in with me via text and provide resources to make sure I was thriving. I would highly recommend having Christina as a doula. I had a wonderful birth and recovery and knowing that Chrstina was in my corner really helped me through! 

Bre Shumann

2/7/2021

Christina was such an incredible support for my husband and I during our pregnancy, labor, & postpartum journey. As someone who has arthritis & Crohn's disease, I have a very high pain tolerance & I have a lot of experience with medical stuff. Because of this, a lot of people were surprised by our decision to hire a doula, but we both stand firm that it was the best money we've ever spent & the best decision that we made for our family. I ended up needing to be induced, & wanted an unmedicated birth of possible (but also being very open and knowing that it might not happen!). Leading up to the induction date, Christina was so helpful in easing both of our concerns about the induction process as a whole, & what the different options we had for a successful unmedicated birth. There was something so different..calming & comfortable..about talking through everything with Christina versus just the doctor. She is such a wealth of knowledge. When it was induction time, she stayed in close contact until we were ready for her to meet us at the hospital. Once she arrived, & labor really started to ramp up she was the voice of reason when our nurses tried to talk about drugs, she was the calm that my husband needed while watching me be in pain, & she was the support I needed when I ended up needing to have the epidural & eventual c-section after almost 2 days of laboring! After surgery, she was with us to make sure everything was ok, & stayed in touch throughout our time at the hospital. After we got home, she came to visit & was checking in our family in the most caring way. She still, 3 months later, is there to support us if we need her. We can't wait to work with her again when we (hopefully) bring our next little one into this world at some point. Christina is an amazing part of our extended family now, we can't thank or recommend her enough for everything she has done for us!

Erin Dunsmore

11/29/2020

We were expecting our third baby in September of 2020 and while we had never used the services of a birth doula before, the events of 2020 led us to explore all our support options. Christina reached out to me on a local Facebook group to help us find sibling support since our original plan of having grandma fly to us was out due to travel restrictions. Immediately I felt drawn to her warm, confident nature. We decided to hire her to attend our birth, both to support me and my husband, and to be backup support for me in case my husband was unable to attend. She communicated with me frequently during the remainder of my pregnancy, checking in and providing me a place to vent my anxieties and fears, and being a constant source of reassurance. Thankfully my husband was able to attend and Christina provided us both with incredible support. Despite not meeting Christina face-to-face until I was at the hospital in labor I felt like I knew her, and we had formed a strong relationship. She was an excellent support provider during my intense and fast labor. My only regret is not having a doula for my first two births! In addition, she took some beautiful photographs during the birth and immediately following, and those first images of our baby girl are a deeply cherished memento. I can not recommend Christina enough, she is a very special person and she played an integral role in our birth story. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you! 

Jessica Kiely

11/18/2020

We had an absolutely wonderful experience with Christina! Our daughter was due in April, so right as things got really intense (for the first time) with the pandemic. We didn't even decide to have a doula present until a couple weeks before my due date, and as soon as we signed on to work with Christina, she was a daily source of support. She would check in a couple times a day to just see how I was feeling and if there was anything we needed while we waited for our daughter to make her arrival. She let me vent my frustrations, and we also knew that she would be there, safely, for our labor and delivery in whatever way made the most sense when the time came. As it turned out, my labor was fast and furious, so Christina met us at the hospital and it was only about a half hour later that the baby was born, but through that final stage, she was so helpful! She kept track of things that we couldn't (like the fact that the baby was born just a half hour after we arrived), she took some amazing photos, which wound up being so important for us to have since family and friends couldn't visit right away, and she stayed until she could be sure we were settled, we had eaten, and baby had started nursing. She checked in several times over the next couple of weeks and helped make sure I had the long-term mental health support I needed as well. I cannot recommend her more highly!

Helena Evich

10/13/2020

Christina was an absolute godsend when we were in the early weeks of parenthood. In addition to being extremely knowledgeable and a joy to be around, she was just so SO helpful. She helped troubleshoot daytime sleep issues, bounced a cranky baby so we could rest, magically washed and folded all the laundry, cooked delicious food so we'd be stocked and even gave us play ideas (who really knows what to do with a newborn anyway?). All of the sudden our house went from chaotic newborn zone/being in shambles to dare I say it peaceful and put together - or at least as peaceful and put together as a newborn home can be! :) My husband isn't really the type to get why you'd have a postpartum doula, but he 1000% understood after we'd had Christina at our house. I CANNOT recommend her enough. 

Arla Ewing

9/28/2020

I had a great experience with Christina. She kept in touch with me from the beginning and continued to follow up after the birth. At the hospital she brought a tens unit which I found helpful in distracting me from my contractions. She was also very attentive during the labor ensuring I was comfortable as possible and had everything I needed. Her photography turned out to be absolutely beautiful and a precious memory I will always treasure. Thank you Christina!

Alma

9/28/2020

Christina is a superior doula and birth photographer. I hired her to attend to my third birth and she’s the second doula I’ve had. Christina went above and beyond consistently and you can truly tell that she is passionate about birth work. I am also a loss mom and I felt like Christina really understood my birth trauma and helped me navigate my issues with delivery and remain present and positive while in the room. Prior to birth, Christina stayed in touch and would follow up to find out how appointments went. I felt like she became a close friend! During birth, Christina managed to lead the room but not dominate - she provided excellent comfort measures before I got my epidural and she deftly guided me through the pushing stage with a sunny side up baby! At the same time, she was expertly documenting my labor and delivery, taking pictures that I can only describe as “moving.” Post partum, Christina again stayed in touch. Her in-person visit was a huge relief - she played with my toddler, let me nap, she even cut up our watermelon! I wholeheartedly recommend hiring Christina for your doula needs.

Cody

8/29/2020

I highly recommend Christina as a doula and a photographer. 

We were late to find a doula due to uncertainty around the pandemic and the number of support people a person could have. Christina was very accomodating despite the short time frame. We had a few Zoom conversations and lots of texts to make sure we were on the same page with my birth plan. Christina went above and beyond finding us additional resources and information about sibling doulas, etc. 

Christina was extremely communicative but in an unobtrusive way. She allowed us to guide the process with regard to the amount of input and assistance we needed. She was a great advocate at the hospital and had lots of suggestions for positioning and coping strategies. Christina was very pleasant to spend time with during my extended labor and both my husband and I were very comfortable having her there with us the entire time. 

She took photographs for us after the birth and did a lovely job. While this wasn't something I thought I wanted, I appreciate having some professional photographs to capture my daughters first hours in the world. Christina was very professional as a photographer and very unobtrusive. She was very good at balancing the role of doula and photographer. Anyone would be lucky to have Christina and her diverse skill set. 

Our family is complete, however, if we were to add another child, I would gladly have Christina as a doula again.