Mia  Gertsch Photo

Mia Gertsch

Cozy Doula LLC

Kirkland, WA Service range 20 miles

https://cozydoula.com

Birth Fee

$2000

Birth Fee

$2000


Birth Doula Experience

18 years and 200 births attended


Birth Doula Certifications

  • Pacific Association for Labor Support (PALS) - Certified Doula

Doula Training

  • DONA International-Approved Workshop, January 2019

Type of practice: Solo practice

Clients per month: 1 to 2

Attends hospital births? All Hospitals

Attends birth center births? All Birth Centers

Attends home births? Any Home Birth


Special Services Offered

  • Abortion support
  • Acupressure
  • Aromatherapy
  • ASL (American Sign Language)
  • Baby sign language education
  • Baby-led weaning
  • Babywearing education
  • Bereavement doula (pregnancy & infant loss)
  • Birth counseling for survivors of childhood sexual abuse
  • Cancer patients and survivors
  • Childbirth education services
  • Hypnosis for birth
  • Lactation consultant/counselor services
  • LGBTQIA+ Support
  • Reduced rates for women considering adoption
  • Satellite doula (for remote and rural clients)
  • Surrogates and intended parents
  • Virtual and remote doula support

Training Documentation

credential


Relevant volunteer or advocacy work

Certified Birth Doula. Certified Breastfeeding Specialist. I have Advanced training in When Survivors Give Birth, I specialize with birthing persons that have Anxiety, PTSD and Sexual or past Birth Trauma. Educated in Spinning Babies and other movement based labor practices. Hypnobirth Childbirth Educator.

Languages Spoken

  • English

Fee Details

Certified Birth Doula Services, Certified Breastfeeding Specialist Lactation Counselor and Personalized Hypnobirth Classes.

Service Area

Kirkland, WA Service range 20 miles

Certifications for Mia Gertsch

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Certification

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Client Testimonials for Mia Gertsch

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Laura

2/11/2024

Mia was such an invaluable part of our birth team, my partner and I could not imagine going through pregnancy/labor and delivery/postpartum without her care, kind guidance, and support. Mia is super communicative and has a way of making folks feel at ease. She not only helped us feel comfortable creating a birth plan as first time parents, but also supported us through the entire labor and delivery experience, meeting us at home so we could labor at home as long as possible, being our advocate at the hospital, and coaching me through the entire labor experience with exactly the right techniques and tools I needed in the moment. I look back at my birth experience with only positive memories because I felt empowered with Mia at our side. Not to mention, we're excited to now call her a friend.  When we are ready for our second little one, Mia is the first person I'm reaching out to! 

Becca Bourassa

1/22/2024

I can't recommend Mia enough. I had a traumatic first birth, and reached out to her for my second. As soon as our first meeting she helped me feel so much more safe and confident going into the second birth we had a truly positive experience. Mia's calming presence at the hospital made such an impact on my husband and I.

 Mia asked great questions about what feels like support. So that when the time came, we had a game plan. Having a flexible baseline to work from and an experienced teammate was such a comforting game changer.

Olivia Marrese

1/17/2024

Mia was absolutely phenomenal and made me feel so positive, optimistic, and empowered throughout pregnancy and birth. She is so easy to talk to and both my husband and I agree that she made a huge difference in our experience as first time parents. I genuinely can't image how I would have felt without her, especially through labor and the early postpartum days. The more I talk to moms who didn't have a doula, the more thankful I am that we found Mia and I would recommend her to anyone. 

Jeanna Wilkes

11/30/2023

We were so blessed to have partnered with Mia as our doula for the birth of our son. Right away she felt like family during our prenatal visits. She is extremely knowledgeable, organized and accessible. She also has an incredible amount of patience and never made us feel rushed.

Mia added a magic touch to our birthing experience and warmed up what could have been a cold hospital environment. Having her on our birthing team made myself and my partner confident that we were receiving the right care and asking the right questions.

With her wealth of knowledge she has amazing referrals in her toolkit and connected us with some key resources for lip/tongue ties, in-home lactation support, etc.

If we have a 2nd, I’d absolutely hire her again.

Emma DM

10/11/2023

I would definitely reach out to Mia again for labor support for future pregnancies! She was so involved throughout all stages of giving birth including preparation, day of, and settling in at home. As a first time mom and someone who had trauma from a prior miscarriage, I was anxious about giving birth. I eventually had a scheduled cesarean due to my baby's breech position, and Mia was there each step of the way to help ease our anxiety, guide us according to our birth plan, and also give us confidence as we entered each phase of bringing baby home. Mia's expertise in breastfeeding was also phenomenal and a big reason why I wanted to work with her. Breastfeeding was such an emotional and demanding rollercoaster in the first few days and weeks, and Mia's continued support was beyond incredible. It's really hard to put into words how helpful and caring Mia was, she was at our house waiting for us when we were discharged at the hospital and helped us settle in at home. She reminded us to eat and watched our baby so we could catch up on sleep. She taught us all of the breastfeeding and newborn tips! I could go on and on about how amazing Mia was. I am so grateful for Mia's support during our birth, she's an exceptional doula who goes above and beyond.

Kelly D.

9/30/2023

I was fortunate to have come across Mia with super short notice, one day before my scheduled induction. I was scared for the labor and delivery. Without hesitation, Mia was there for me despite of the distance, from Kirkland to Burien. She was readily available and assisted me every step of the way during labor and delivery process. Mia successful helped in delivering my baby and me safely via natural birth without epidural. She is compassionate, caring, selfless, trustworthy, and reliable. 

I am so beyond grateful for Mia’s support and expert knowledge that a doula performs. If anyone wants a doula, hire Mia and you won’t be disappointed. 

Carmen

9/26/2023

Mia was really amazing! Here is an incomplete list of all the things she did for us: 2 prenatal visits where we went over lots of useful information, answered all of my questions via text message both before and after birth, made a super nice and relaxing bath for me while I was in labor (complete with a bath pillow, bubbles, & lights), helped me know when it was time to walk vs. rest vs. use the birth ball (& etc. - all the other options for laboring), talked through all the options for being induced, helped me cope physically and emotionally with contractions, coached my husband in how to support me, made sure my husband was okay, helped us understand what the doctors and nurses were saying, took pictures of when baby was born, advocated for us when there was a small mistake made, comforted me, answered questions about breastfeeding, checked on us multiple times after the birth, gave us a super cute little gift, visited us at home postpartum and debriefed the whole experience...

There is probably more! If you want a doula who is experienced, knowledgeable, calm, non-judgmental, and comforting, I highly recommend Mia. 

Ruchi

9/23/2023

I have absolutely no idea what we would have done without Mia! We were truly blessed to have found Mia through a reference while we were interviewing doulas.  Mia was very patient answering any questions we had and made us feel at ease. We had three prenatal visits where Mia prepared us with everything we needed to know regarding the entire labor and delivery process, and assured us that it was ok if we did not remember anything on the day of, since she would be there with us right from the beginning, and that is exactly what happened.

We had a very long labor and delivery process (more than 48 hours), and Mia was with us throughout it. She helped us navigating through different decisions throughout and also helped with exercises and changing positions during active labor. Mia went above and beyond and prepared a spa kind of environment with tea lights, fresh scent diffuser for the hot bath that she prepared which was extremely relaxing.

Even post delivery, Mia being a lactation consultant herself helped the baby latch during breast feeding and taught us a few tips and tricks that were very useful. Postpartum, Mia visited us twice, once at the hospital and once at our home to make sure we were doing well ??

Overall, having Mia as our doula was the best decision ever and we are extremely grateful for all her help. Would highly recommend her to anyone looking for the best support they can get during pregnancy.

 

Heather Thiessen

9/19/2023

Mia was literally the best thing that happened to us (after of course the birth of our baby!) She has a plethora of knowledge and experience and is incredibly helpful with all things baby related. We immediately loved her fun, easygoing personality. We were really discerning about who we wanted to bring into the room for our birth as we knew each person would influence the feel and we knew right away that Mia would be both helpful and add to the the experience. To be honest, nothing we could say would do justice to the incredible person she is. If you’re looking for a doula, look no further.

Chaynade Montgomery

9/19/2023

I am a person that does research and a lot of it. I knew I wanted a doula and I knew the benefits that came with having a professional be there through your pregnancy, labor and delivery. I wanted support not only for myself but for my husband (partner) as well. For someone to be able to understand our needs and get to know us through our visits leading up to our delivery. I was looking for someone that I could ask any questions to, and they will have the knowledge and experience to provide an answer or a solution. We got this and much more with Mia as our Doula! 

My labor was very long, starting Friday night and not meeting baby until Tuesday the following week. Yes very long! She was in contact with us as contractions started and came over as soon as I felt we were ready for some help with positioning when the contractions became more difficult to breath through. And she didn't leave my side!

We came with a plan for any outcome and she made sure we were in the best position possible to make decisions as they came up. Not once did I feel like I didn't have the support I needed because she was there the whole way. Hiring Mia was the best decision we made for our pregnancy journey, and I can confidently say that without her and how she deeply cares about her clients, I would not have been able to get through the difficult moments and decisions we experienced.

Thank you so much Mia! You are the #1 choice and for our second we will be needing you again!

Matthew Montgomery

9/7/2023

For the guys.

 

Mia is worth her weight in gold. She not only helped my wife during her pregnancy but also looked out for me to make sure I was eating and getting some kind of rest. When we first scheduled an interview with her she told us to also schedule at least 3 other doula interviews before hiring her. Which is unheard of when you are doing a sells pitch. We did what she asked but found her to be the best fit for us. Mia is an extraordinary hard worker on Saturday night when my wife was having her contractions she was here all night from 9pm to when they spaced out very far apart at 11am from their we rested at home until sunday night when they picked right back up but they were still far apart.we called mia back at 9am on Monday to help us out with the work that us guys, yes us have to do to make our wife more comfortable during a contraction. By 2pm we headed to the midwife place for delivery. From that day to the following morning at 7am she was there by our side helping in every way imaginable. And by the way she did not sleep. She helped my wife and me WAY more then the midwifes. (The midwifes were helpful but it's hard to compete with mia.) From 7am we needed more help so we left for the hospital. Mia was right along beside us and was there to make sure the doctors knew what was going on and our plan. Our son wasn't born until 10pm Tuesday night. And Mia was there for everything. I am extremely glad we picked Mia because if it wasn't for her idk if I would of had the energy to keep going or to be able to drive my wife safely to the hospital. 

Guys you won't be disappointed she is going to be our only doula from now on. 

Gloria

7/21/2023

Having Mia around has made a world of difference! She predicted miso kicking off labor. She carried me through 4.5 centimeters dilation. By that point the epidural had zero slow down to the labor process and that was my biggest concern of getting epidural.

Thanks to Mia I really had the best of both sides: I experienced labor which I really want to (what do they mean by it’s the most pain one can experience??) and the process was still pleasant that on day two I feel like I can do it again ??.

Thirdly, all the movement Mia made me do helped baby into the right position which makes pushing very fast.

If we are having a second child I’m going to have to get her help again ??%! I’m going to recommend Mia to everyone I know who's pregnant. 

Pallavi

7/19/2023

I could not have imagined a better birth experience without Mia! As a first time mom I was feeling unprepared and was scared of the unknown. Hiring a doula was the best decision I made and I could not have asked for a better one. Mia was there every step of the way, from informative prenatal visits till beyond birth when we needed her at the hospital. 

She was very easy to talk to, knowledgeable and kind. She was quick to respond to any questions we had over text/emails, and did not hesitate when we asked her to help us during early labor at home. She was super involved in the birth process. The hospital staff was there and doing their job efficiently but having one more support person who has your needs in mind and reminding the staff of them made a huge difference. 

She was a familiar face that we could turn to and ask any questions and wasn't in a hurry to go back to some other work when we needed her. I definitely felt supported and cared for during birth and Mia took most of the stress away from me and my partner and let us enjoy the process of our first baby being born!

Lucy

6/5/2023

Mia was such a joy to work with before, during, and after delivery. She was kind, knowledgeable, helpful, and calm. Even though my labor and delivery were long and challenging, she made the experience so much better for me and my husband. She made the hospital environment more relaxing and offered words of encouragement and humor, suggested positions of comfort and Spinning Babies strategies to help our daughter turn. She communicated kindly, openly, and confidently with us and the rest of our birth team. It felt like I was truly cared for while she was there. After the delivery she stayed with me and held my hand while I had my stitches and she even checked in on me after we went home to make sure I was doing well. I would 100% recommend her. We are eternally grateful for her support! 

Lily stone

5/1/2023

Mia has be the most amazing support person throughout my pregnancy, birth and postpartum experience. She has a wealth of knowledge as well as being nurturing when you need it most. My birth wasn't easy and It was so beneficial to have someone who knew my preferences and supported me though labor. She is super responsive even if you text her in the middle of the night about a worry about your little one. 11/10 would recommend Mia to anyone I know! 

Alexandra Slivka

3/28/2023

I could not imagine having a better doula / coach for my first pregnancy than Mia! She guided us through the last trimester of our pregnancy, a seamless natural unmedicated birth and the weeks following baby's arrival. 

From the very beginning, Mia was a wealth of knowledge and patiently answered all our questions no matter how big and small. She had practical actionable advice at every turn and offered incredible referrals for all our needs (PT, massage, night nurses) and baby's needs (breastfeeding, digestive issues, etc). 

Labor and birth were incredibly seamless thanks to Mia's tact and thoughtfulness. She gently guided and nudged me through the process and provided an incredibly comfortable space. 

We were incredibly lucky to work with Mia and could not recommend her enough!

Ellie Chapman

3/17/2023

Highly recommend Maria - she was our birth doula for both of my daughters and could not speak more highly of her. She has a great calming presence, is very knowledgeable and a true asset in the delivery room no matter what your birth plan is. We loved working with her and would do it again in a heart beat. 

Serena

1/22/2023

Do yourself a favor and hire Mia as your doula right now. As a first time mom, I thought having a doula in the delivery room would be a good idea. I figured she would help advocate for my birth plan and guide me through my contractions - basic stuff. But in actuality, Mia was my lifeline, coach, and saving grace through my entire labor, delivery, and first few weeks as a new mom. You can prepare all you want, do the research, and attend the classes, but there's nothing quite like having someone who's seen it all and helped countless women make this unique transition. Mia's was the shoulder I leaned on as I recovered from my delivery and learned how to breastfeed. She is a wealth of information and even responded to my 4am texts to reassure me and give me tips and guidance. In summary, my birth and recovery experience would have been incredibly scary and far more difficult had I not had Mia there by my side. 12/10 would recommend. Get her while she's available as she takes on only 2 clients per month so that she can give her undivided care and attention to each mama.

Kelsey and Nikhil K

1/15/2023

It is difficult to put into words all the ways I am grateful to Mia for supporting my husband and me through the birth of our first child.

From the first conversation we had with Mia, we knew she was different- we appreciated her candor and immense knowledge from her many years of experience as a doula and lacation consultant, but also her own experience giving birth to her three children. Mia always had a calm and collected demeanor, while also being straightforward and supportive about when to speak up and ensure my voice would be heard. Maybe most important was that she would meet us twice before my birth and twice after. No other doula offered to spend so much time with us prior to the birth and in the end, that time was so important for me to not only get to know Mia, but also get to know my future baby!

Mia came to help me set up my breast pump, she taught us how to swaddle, she showed me how to latch a baby onto my chest.. she came and made sure I knew what I needed to feel ready beyond even just discussing my birth plan (which we did, extensively!) When the baby was born and I needed to start breastfeeding, not only was she there to help, but I knew what to do thanks to her guidance beforehand. It was invaluable to me feeling prepared and confident. I had no doubts thanks to Mia's support.

During my birth, Mia was the epitome of supportive. She came to our home and guided me through each contraction, helped us ensure we got to the hospital when it was the right time (and not too early, which we probably would have done otherwise) advocated for me when they tried to have me labor in an uncomfortable position, and maybe best of all- created a moment of calm in the midst of my transition contractions, an incredibly scary and stressful moment. With Mia's help I had a safe, healthy and unmedicated birth. 

If we have another child, I will most certainly be making sure Mia is by our side again. THANK YOU MIA!!

Courtney Evans

12/16/2022

My husband and I are so grateful to have had Mia as our birth doula. She is so knowledgeable and truly helps you to advocate for yourself and for your experience. I don't think our labor and birth would have gone as smoothly if she hadn't had been there. She is calming and really helps put you at ease. We highly recommend Mia if you are looking for a birth doula!

Urvi Gogwekar

11/21/2022

We hired Mia to help us with our first baby. She is extremely helpful, friendly and approachable. Being first time parents she helped us make birth plan, exercises to help ease labor. She patiently answered all the questions and doubts we had. She is always willing to help out for any questions you may have even post delivery. Mia is extremely flexible and helps you make the right decisions and walks you  thru the different scenarios one should thinking of. During labor she was the guiding light and gave me the perfect directions while pushing. I cannot recommend her enough! Thanks Mia for all the help, you are an angel!

Allison L

8/14/2022

We chose Mia after about 6 other Doula interviews and we are so glad we chose her!  Mia was just what I needed for the surprises birth and the hospital threw at us.  She was reassuring when I needed it and focused on me when the hospital staff was overworked and unable to give me the attention I needed.  She also was my biggest advocate when she knew something wasn't right and helped me take the steps I needed.  Mia was our angel watching over us during a difficult and natural labor. She is amazing in every way and I can not recommend her in every way.  She is truly committed to the birth, before and after, and now our family.  She gave us all the attention we needed and continues to visit and answer calls and texts. 

Shaherose

5/18/2022

Working with Mia is like having an empathetic coach to guide, support, and train you for labor and delivery. She spent an incredible amount of time with us, above and beyond what we imagined to getting tune with what was important to us, and then supported that fully. The skills she taught us not only helped us during labor but will be useful for us for every medical decision going forward! She is incredibly responsive and remembers every detail.

You can tell Mia is passionate and dedicated to her craft and her clients. She’s always growing and learning new skills and tools and she took the time to connect with us on a personal level. I would highly recommend Mia to any family! 

Jaimie

2/15/2022

I was referred to Mia by our midwife at Overlake Hospital in Bellevue. From the outset, Mia was professional, knowledgeable, and compassionate. In particular, her online profile made it clear that she worked with "birthing persons with anxiety, PTSD, and trauma," which was an excellent fit. I had had a severely negative medical encounter that made the prospect of birthing in a hospital stressful and daunting. However, Mia's diverse experience and non-judgmental approach made it easy to open up to her in order to identify my triggers, practice self-advocacy, and create my birth plan. 

From asking nurses to silence medical equipment alarms to requesting a flesh-colored hospital sock to cover the IV port in my arm to encouraging me to listen to my own body rather than defer to someone else, Mia made sure that I knew that I had choices and exercised them. Her evidence-based approach and training in hypnobirthing allowed me to imagine, and have, a natural, unmedicated birth far better than anything I'd been led to expect from others’ birth stories. I can genuinely say that the beauty of meeting my daughter in this calm, supported way healed a lot of my medical PTSD. This is absolutely due to the care that Mia took to empower me and my husband with practical techniques that allowed us to handle this life event with confidence and as a team.

Mia works with hospital staff rather than against them, and she knows when to step forward or hang back in terms of personal support as well as medical advocacy. During both pregnancy and labor, I felt absolutely safe and trusted her to guide me through circumstances--incl. an induction at thirty-seven weeks--that would have otherwise overwhelmed me.

Hiring Mia felt like a gift that I gave both to myself and to my family, and this continues to be the case postpartum. I'd highly recommend having Mia in your corner. In my husband's words, our experience with her was life-changing.

Sara

12/13/2021

Working with Mia was amazing. It was recommended to me to get a doula but I really had no idea. Doulas are so critical for labor/births. But Mia had the extra care. From meeting her before hand to texting her with lots of questions. To having to be induced- she was there. I really did not have a birth plan but Mia helped me figure out what was truly important to me. She comes with her Mary Poppins bag- it makes it nice. She had things that helped with labor or items that my support person forgot. She set up a relaxing bath for my labor. She helped during some trying times and was there to support me along the way. She also gets along well with hospital staff.  You will not regret hiring Mia! 

Deliana

12/10/2021

Mia was the best fit for our family. She was so nice and easy to work with. She brought a lot of calmness and clarity to the process. She gave me really good pointers about pumping and breastfeeding so that there wasn't as much guesswork when the baby arrived. She also had me and my husband clarify our birth plan to each other, pointing out things we may have missed. Based on that plan she advocated for us when labor came and I was pretty much out of it. 

She made herself available through phone and text the whole time she worked with us. I leaned on her a lot the last few days of pregnancy when you just want the baby out. She calmed me down and helped me focus on the end goal. 

Having her by my side was so reassuring and ultimately one of the best experiences of my life.

 

 

Louisa

12/7/2021

Having Mia be part of our birth team was the best decision that my husband and I made in our birthing process. We did not even think about hiring a doula until we took our parenting class in the third trimester, and leared about all the benefits of having a doula. We suddently realized the vastness of what we did not know about labor and caring for an infant and realized how much we could use the additional support of a doula. I feel so lucky that we were still able to work with Mia, despite our procrastination. Mia has a refreshing openness and warmth that made it immediately comfortable to share such an intimate life event. At every step of the way Mia was a wealth of knowledge and support and I don't know how we would have done it without her. My only regrets are not taking Mia's advice sooner (about doing a full inversion during labor, about eliminating dairy to help my little guys milk protein intolerance, etc...). Mia greatly exceeded our expectations before, during and after birth and I cannot recommend her highly enough!! 

Birth Availability for Mia Gertsch

= Available. Calendar last updated: 03-04-2024