Brooke Gamas

11/11/2024

They most patient, kind, educated and warm person/doula you'll ever need leading up to birth and throughout the whole process. Thank you Michelle for being a part of my team and I'll be reaching out again if we have more kids!

Olivia

5/16/2024

Having Michelle as our doula made all the difference in my experience of labour and giving birth. I often tell people that I wouldn't have made it through without her support and companionship through my labour. From providing reassurance with encouraging words, to helping me put my underwear back on after getting out of the bath, she was such a gift and buoyed me up when I felt like I was getting to the end of myself when labour felt long and difficult. Practically, after a couple nights of not sleeping, my husband was able to sleep and be present for the birth of our daughter because Michelle was there when he couldn't be. Michelle was "non-anxious presence" embodied.

Roxana Diaz

2/25/2024

You are the best doula ever! Me and Martin can’t thank you enough for everything.

Michelle’s support definitely helped make the experience more calm, comfortable and empowering. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to anyone looking for additional support.

Daniel Cooper

2/18/2024

I truly can't imagine going through the birth process without our doula, Michelle. Michelle supported me (the birthing partner) to do as much as I was capable of doing to help, and stepped in to help herself when we needed it. I think the most remarkable thing about her skills is that she lets the birthing person and partner direct everything and is completely attuned to your needs. It is like having an experienced, calm, competent and compassionate member of your team at all times. Truly a gift. Can't recommend highly enough!

Megan Huizing

11/27/2023

Michelle’s presence and expertise were what quickly convinced me and my wife to hire her for the birth of our first baby.  From the get go, we appreciated Michelle’s warmth, humour and relatability - it was easy to build rapport with her and we felt welcome to be our whole selves with all our quirks, worries and questions.  

Fast forward to my speedy labour and delivery, Michelle was unable to initially attend to us as she was at the hospital supporting another expecting family.  But she communicated with us in real time via text, and her backup doula Jessica attended to us quickly and proficiently.  

Michelle did attend / support us after finishing up at the hospital in the early hours of the morning.  I was in the throes of active labour at home, not fully cognizant of my surroundings.  But I’ll never forget the minute Michelle arrived; I felt a safety that we fostered in our home visits return.  Her presence is truly special.  She fostered in me a sense of autonomy and ownership of my body throughout labour and delivery, and spoke words at just the right moments that made me feel safe during the intensity of labour.   She snapped a few incredible photos of me catching my baby girl, which will forever be cherished.   As if she needed to do more, she went out and bought my favourite snack post delivery.  We just love her!!  My wife and I are so incredibly happy we worked with Michelle for this most special time in our lives.   

Chelan Wallace

9/6/2023

We are incredibly glad to have had Michelle as our prenatal class instructor, doula, and now our friend. ?? Holding space is the perfect name for her care because she respects your choices, while informing you with evidence-based information and equipping you with very helpful tools for a smoother labour experience. During labour, I appreciated her guidance for positions, using the birth pool and TENS machine, all of which I’m certain lessened my pain and fear. Without her, I’m sure we would not have been able to successfully have an unmedicated home birth. It was thanks to her patience and firm encouragement when needed (and as I had requested) in my moments of doubt and struggle. Plus she guided my husband to know how to best support me, which made such a difference. She brings humour, joy, calmness and a comforting touch as well as a depth of knowledge and experience. From her classes we felt prepared, empowered and understood. Her values and approach in class materials aligned with our desires for a natural, non-fear-based and feminist birth experience. We learned how to navigate and discern through the complicated medical system and make our own decisions regarding medical interventions, “failure to progress” and how to assess benefits vs risks. It’s so special to have our baby’s first moments captured by her intimate photography. I can’t imagine our birth experience without her! You will love having Michelle on your birth support team. Five stars! ??????????

Caity McDaniel

5/23/2023

Michelle was so incredibly supportive. Personal, professional, knowledgeable, caring, informed. We were so thankful for her support and intentionality throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, and highly recommend her services.

Esra

5/19/2023

Michelle went above and beyond in taking care of me and my husband before, during, and after the birth of our first baby. The visits we had prior to the birth really prepared us to think through our hopes (and fears) about the birth of our son. They also helped us get to know each other. We felt so comfortable and at ease with Michelle. Within minutes of her arrival at our place, I felt like I had known her for years. I went into labour 2 weeks early. Throughout my 60 hour labour, she kept me and my husband calm and as comfortable as possible. She always seemed to be where we most needed her when we most needed her. Without her encouragement, sense of humor, wealth of knowledge and experience, I wouldn’t have had the birth that I wanted. Anytime I felt like I was moving from pain to suffering, Michelle had a trick up her sleeve to take the edge off and keep me focused on the present moment. She held my hand for hours and brought me the best tasting peanut butter sandwich I’d ever eaten after I gave birth. She knows BC Women’s in and out and has experience with many of the staff, nurses, and midwives. She will be your advocate and remind you that you have time to make decisions. I felt safe and fully myself with Michelle. Not to mention, she’s a talented photographer and took gorgeous photos of my labour and birth. Seven weeks in, I’m not in a rush to think about baby number 2, but I know Michelle will be by my side whenever that day comes.

Saskia Rocha

4/2/2023

The single most important thing I did for my labour journey wasn’t just hiring a doula, it was hiring Michelle.  She took the time to get to know my husband and I beforehand- what was important to us, what we hoped for, what our fears were- so that she could support us to the best of her ability.  She brought helpful tools for pain management, helped keep us rested and fed over the many exhausting hours of a two day labour, made sure we didn’t have to worry about the post-home birth cleanup, and was there to guide us through the postpartum process.  Most importantly, Michelle helped me to understand every part of the birthing process and supported me in advocating for myself and trusting my body when things were uncertain.  I can’t stress enough that without her my journey would have looked very different, and I am incredibly grateful for her and her gentle guidance.  After my birth experience, which I would call empowering, I would strongly encourage any birthing person to hire a doula especially if they are hoping to birth at home.  Better yet… hire Michelle.

Blythe Kingcroft

2/13/2023

Michelle is the best! She took care of the things we didn't want to worry about (a birth pool, laundry, homebirth clean up—seriously the place was spotless!) so my partner and I could just focus on labour and its aftermath. She asked great questions leading up to birth, normalized all fears with informed but non-anxious responses leading up to and during birth, helped us know when to call midwives, and took direction really well. She knows her stuff! She also captured some amazing moments with her camera! She was also really great with my toddler leading up to and in the weeks after labour, which felt super important to me.

Naomi

10/27/2022

Michelle was a phenomenal doula. I was so nervous to give birth to my first child as I didn't know what to expect and wanted to make sure I could advocate for myself in the process. Both my partner and I felt so much more secure and confident having Michelle there. My birth experience was SO positive, she took some stunning photos after our son was born and even brought some treats in her postpartum visit. I would recommend Michelle to anyone. She brings a good balance of humour and warmth to guiding you through the labour and postpartum experience. Thank you again, Michelle!

Julie

9/15/2022

I recently had the pleasure of working with Michelle as my doula for my first child. She was wonderful to work with, answering all of my many questions throughout pregnancy. My husband and I had a few prenatal classes with her and felt very well prepared for labor & delivery. During early labor, Michelle came over to check on us and met us at the hospital when I was induced. She was an excellent coach for my husband during delivery, and we are so thankful she was with us for the birth of our daughter! She came over for our postpartum visits and was kind enough to drop off a few items we needed during our feeding journey as well. I would absolutely recommend Michelle as a doula! 

Maayan Kreitzman

8/18/2022

My partner and I hired Michelle for both her birth doula and postpartum services. During the education sessions at home before the birth, Michelle made us feel comfortable and gave us confidence about the choices we were making. She was by our side throughout an almost 30 hour, grueling (but very safe) home birth with a first baby. She was next to me for almost every contraction, anchoring me to a sense of being cared for and held, which was incredibly important as I went through the most intense and painful experience of my life. She also gave confidence and reassurance to my partner during the whole labour. After the baby was born, she made us feel comfortable at home, tidying up, making food, and taking photos. Knowing that sheets were being changed and laundry put in piles made a difference. I will never forget how amazing the plate of snacks Michelle made me tasted after over 24 hours of just drinking tea with honey! In the weeks following the birth, Michelle was a helpful resource and a continuing source of confidence for us as first-time parents. She answered questions, for example, about breast milk storage, and soothing a fussy baby. Michelle is one of the few people we feel 100% comfortable leaving our baby with in his first few weeks and months!

Michelle combines warmth and good humour and is a compassionate and empathetic person. Talking with her after the birth and processing our experience with her felt so right because she was with us for so many hours and had an intimate understanding and intuition about what I had gone through. Michelle will always have a special place in my heart for supporting me through my first labour and being a witness to every part of it.

Melody Li

8/3/2022

Michelle was such a gift to have at our birth in addition to her visits pre and post partum. Her chill, calm presence and knowledgable help gave me and my husband so much peace during the process.  There were many decisions that I had to make during labour about interventions etc.. Michelle walked me through the pros and cons and helped me choose what was best for me and my baby. 

When she wasn't holding my hand and coaching me through labour she took some amazing photos! About a week after our baby arrived, Michelle visited and gave some much needed attention to my three year old daughter while I had a nap. You will not regret hiring Michelle as your doula!

Karla Josiah

4/2/2022

My experience with Michelle was amazing ! From the moment we met she was very supportive, she was willing to go the extra mile taking her time to answer my questions or even visit me to offer her support. She paved a very comfortable relationship in which I could ask anything and she would answer me best way she could and even sending me more resources to offer more clarification. She was keen to respect my decisions as well as encouraging me to make informed decisions . I had a very wonderful experience and would definitely recommend working with her as she is very caring , supportive and shows utmost respect and professionalism.

Christina Taylor

3/19/2022

Michelle was an incredibly supportive and wonderful doula. As a single Mother her guidance and support were very appreciated. Michelle and I had meetings and visits prior to my delivery. She answered all of my questions and concerns prior to labour and made herself available to me 24/7.

When my labour eventually started at home she arrived immediately after I contacted her. She was patient and supportive and beside me at a very trying time. She helped me in the bathe and did pressure point massage that made my labour barable at home. When it was time to go to the hospital she was by my side. Even when things got really stressful and painful for me she was a calming force.

When my baby started having heart decelerations and the medical team recommended an emergency C-Section Michelle was very supportive of my decision to have the C-Section. She helped care for my jewellery and came with me to the surgical theater in the middle of the night. When my baby was delivered with an initial adgar score of 2 Michelle supported me and reassured me I had made the right medical decision for me and my baby.

My baby quickly recovered from the stressful delivery and got an Apgar score of 9. Michelle took photos at my request and assisted me to breast feed my baby boy while I was frozen from the chest down. When we were transfered to the maturity ward Michelle assisted and was a great support.

After 3 days I was released from the hospital with my healthy baby boy. Michelle came over to our apartment and brought food. Michelle did my dishes and did laundry and assisted with cleaning and caring for my baby. I entrusted Michelle with my debt card and she did shopping at my request.

Michelle was a great support to me prior to, during and after my delivery. I would not have been so poised and prepared had it not been for Michelle. Words can not come close to explaining how much her help and involvement positively impacted my family.

Adriana Ayala

3/16/2022

I am so glad I had Michelle with me during my birth <3!!
I had a very emotional and exhausting birth but having Michelle by my side made me feel I was safe. She is the sweetest person, my family doesn’t speak English and she was so kind to use a translator to communicate with them about what was going on. My birth didn’t go as planned, but she was so patient helping me understand everything the doctor and nurses were saying. Thank you Michelle for your kindness and being with us during the most important day of our lives, my family and I appreciate it a lot <3

Daryn Wright

1/1/2022

Michelle was my absolute hero, both during my birth and during my post-partum period. She was able to provide my partner and I with valuable knowledge and insight about the birth experience and how we could prepare ourselves – having this support leading up to the birth made me feel so much more confident. I can't imagine going through labour without her there! She provided counter pressure to me with every contraction, all through the night, and was there to help my partner care for me and make me feel like I could do it. Even though the birth didn't go according to my plan – I had planned a home birth and ended up needing an emergency cesarean – she was there through all the unexpected ups and downs. She even went back to clean up our apartment so it would be tidy when we returned from the hospital, as well as brought us soup the day after the birth. Hiring her was truly one of the best things I could have done for myself for this pregnancy, and I would highly reccomend her doula services!

Leah G

12/18/2021

I'm so grateful to Michelle! I'd had a challenging time both pre and post partum, and Michelle's help has been invaluable to me and my family. She was absolutely **magical with my toddler- allowing him to feel particularly special and loved during his time while adjusting to having a new baby sibling. This meant so much to us. I don't know how I'd have done it without her. Days with her visits were the best ones of my post partum period. She's kind, knowledgeable, present, compassionate, and an overall lovely soul. Was a joy to have her and forever grateful! <3