Nikki

1/12/2022

Hiring Rachel as a postpartum doula was one of the best investments that I could have made.  With a young toddler at home and a high likelihood I would be needing a c-section, I knew I would need all the help I could get.  Knowing I would have her there to help during my recovery gave me great peace of mind.

When we met, it felt like talking to a friend.  It was nice to get real mom advice. She was so helpful with whatever we needed.

Rachel was always very responsive to emails and texts and is a good communicator.  She is punctual and professional.  She is covid-conscious.

Rachel helped to make our transition to life with two under two so much easier. Any family would be lucky to have her as their doula. Highly recommend!

Sigrid L.

10/20/2021

Hiring Rachel Dunn to be my doula was absolutely one of the best decisions I made for the
recent birth of my baby. She provided excellent support, care, knowledge, and was very
responsive. Rachel is very professional and extremely thoughtful. My husband appreciated
that she was keen on learning and staying current in the field. If Rachel didn’t know the answer
to a question we had regarding childbirth, she didn’t hesitate to find it out! Her work exceeded
our expectations.
Having been through some challenging experiences herself, Rachel was very compassionate and
worked hard to help me prevent problems with the birth. She noticed something potentially
concerning and encouraged me to inquire about it with the doctor, which I did, and got more
monitoring. I ended up having a smooth birth, and I attribute much of it to Rachel’s continual
support before and during the birth. She was always there for me when I needed it and had
great advice at every turn. If you’re looking for a terrific doula, choose Rachel! I am forever
grateful that I did.

Michelle Gokarakonda

7/19/2021

Rachel Dunn was a great fit as a postpartum doula for our family after the birth of our second child. While we had hired a birth doula for our older son's birth, working with Rachel was our first experience working with a postpartum doula. I can say it was a very positive experience and we are very thankful for the help she provided us. We would highly recommend her to anyone in search of a doula.

Rachel met all of our postpartum needs.  She was communicative and answered all our questions when we were looking for a postpartum doula and throughout her work  with us.  Rachel was very responsive to emails, text messages and phone calls.  She also had a lot of good advice for me and the baby that I found to be insightful and very helpful even as a second time mother.

Upon starting her services she quickly made connections and established rapport with everyone in my family.  Rachel and I quickly connected over our prior birthing and postpartum experiences with our first children.  We often chatted about other shared life experiences, interests and hobbies during our time together.  Rachel also spent the time getting to know my older child and worked to support him as he transitioned from being an only child to having a sibling. Rachel was great with our baby. He really enjoyed the time he spent with her.  

Rachel was very adaptable and flexible to what our needs were.  We started off each visit checking in with each other and going through schedules and tasks that could be completed during her time with us. She was always willing to support us in whatever we needed help with.  I ended up returning to work from my maternity leave sooner than I anticipated and Rachel was there to support our family through that transition. It takes a village to raise a child and we are grateful that Rachel has been part of ours!

Robie

6/12/2021

Hiring Rachel was one of the best decisions I made for my first pregnancy and birth! Living away from family and friends, I instantly knew that I wanted to hire a doula, and immediately connected with Rachel's supportive nature and pragmatic approach to the whole experience.

Our interests and values aligned, and she knew just exactly how to support us. I can't speak enough to the common sense approach to everything she did or said and the education behind it. I always felt like we were learning from Rachel and that we were in control of what is, in all reality, an out-of-control situation. While my OB had the medical side of things covered, I was so grateful to be able to text or call Rachel about any questions or concerns I had throughout my pregnancy – she was always very responsive and provided so much assurance with her wisdom and guidance. Having her to call in the highly stressful times as we got closer to my due date was invaluable.

On the day of Owen's birth, Rachel was incredible. She remained calm, positively energized, and present the whole time. Throughout my entire labor, she was my voice of reason and common sense when there was so much 'newness' going on around my husband and me. She was my advocate for any questions and decisions that came up with the medical team so I could focus on my baby's delivery. When things became incredibly difficult or painful for me, she quickly provided pain management options aligned with my natural birth preferences and positive words of affirmation.

My husband was also so grateful to work with Rachel. We both agree that having a doula with you during pregnancy and delivery means you have that extra and essential layer of support, emotionally and physically- not just for mom and baby, but for dad too!

Once our little Owen had finally arrived, we realized that we had done everything right for him – starting with asking Rachel to be our doula. 

Meg

1/14/2021

Rachel has been with us since our son Ethan was 4 weeks old and I’m immensely grateful for the kindness and support she’s given us. Asking for help with someone unknown felt foreign but when I think of our time spent together, she feels like family coming to help out. She was so quick to learn what we needed and it felt easy within the first week of having her join us. I wanted help around the house and also someone that I felt comfortable being myself around and my kids for an extended period of time and she treats us as friends.

Rachel has a very warm and genuine personality. She was extremely helpful along this journey as I was exhausted and could hardly form sentences most days. She anticipated our needs by the second visit and immediately gravitated towards tasks that help me get through my day and bring me joy, like making sure she left me with a clean and organized house. Being a mom of three, I’m constantly learning and growing through parenting and there are days where I felt like I had no clue what was needed, but she was right there, helping me and giving me information and suggestions in a non-judgemental or forceful manner. She would help around the house with washing baby bottles, pump parts and with doing laundry and folding clothes, handling our dishes, organizing areas of our space that needed a good edit, refreshing the house, prepping veggies and meals, and helping me switch between needs of all three children with as much ease as that sounds. 

Hiring reliable support with Rachel was a game changer. She is an excellent postpartum doula and has so much valuable information and knowledge, being a Mom of two and navigating their development. Above all else, she listened to what we wanted and heard my struggles without fixing or casting judgment. My husband and I truly believe that having her support has made all the difference in our ability to parent and provide for our family in a successful way.

Stephanie L.

1/14/2021

I'm in my first pregnancy and due with twins. I was honestly on the fence about getting a doula at all -- I just wasn't sure what to expect -- but I've really enjoyed working with Rachel. She is extremely responsive and reliable, and always responds to my questions both quickly and with a lot of depth. She is compassionate and understanding and has always been accepting of my birth preferences. 

Rachel has answered lots of my questions both from experience and from knowledge (including tapping into her network). Sometimes these are questions related to the medical options available at birth; other times they have been logistical (what do I pack in the hospital bag? what do I need for postpartum?); and other times they've been even broader, beyond what a birth doula per se is likely expected to answer (how do I think about finding a nanny?). I've really appreciated her help and insights across all these topics, and in pure Rachel form, she shares her knowledge with compassion, and without any judgment or any agenda.

During COVID, Rachel has gone out of her way to make me comfortable, including driving to meet for a socially distanced walk and doing everything possible (including offering to be virtually available or meeting me at my house during early labor) when the hospitals are not allowing additional support persons. It is not an ideal situation for anyone but I appreciate her flexibility, creativity, and willingness to do what is possible.

As an additional source of recommendation, my partner has commented on how comfortable I am talking to Rachel about anything, and how she can keep me engaged for long periods. I agree!: I always intend to respect her time but we do often end up chatting for a while, and she has always been available and open to our needs.

I would wholeheartedly recommend anyone looking for a doula to reach out to Rachel! She is insightful, helpful, reliable, and compassionate.