Mina

3/18/2024

I can’t imagine what my birth would have been like without Katherine. As a first time mom I really didn’t know whether I absolutely needed a doula or not. I didn’t know what I was walking into and was unsure about the cost and commitment. I can say now that it was absolutely the best decision. Katherine was pivotal in my ability to have an unmedicated labor. In the end I was able to have exactly the kind of birth I had been hoping for, and without her I’m not sure that would’ve been possible. Five hours into active labor, Katherine noticed a pattern in my contractions and suggested a series of positions to help re-position the baby. Thanks to her suggestions, my water broke and within an hour I had my baby in my arms. My partner and I both feel so lucky to have had Katherine in the room and along for the journey with us. She was a calming presence who also knows how to get the job done. She listens, respects all of your preferences and advocates in a non-confrontational and supportive way. 

Matt & Megan

3/6/2024

Katherine was absolutely amazing, we could not be more grateful she was our doula. Having her there was as helpful for my husband as it was for me, as nagivating the pregnancy and delivery process was new to both of us. She was knowledgeable, compassionate, and helped guide us every step of the way, making sure our needs and preferences were heard by the hospital. She was a calming presence to us during moments of anxiety and helped us understand our options when things got overwhelming. We feel very lucky to have met Katherine and would recommend her to anyone looking for a doula. Thank you Katherine!

Carina

10/8/2023

I honestly do not know how it would have been possible without Katherine. I was persuaded to get a birth doula by a friend, but I wasn't sure how it was gonna help. And boy was I wrong. We had a long, difficult, first delivery and hiring Katherine is the best decisions I've ever made. Being our first child, there were so many unknowns, shocks, and unexpected. Katherine was there for us every steps of the way to provide not only knowledge and her experiences, she quickly became a comfort for both myself and my husband when things got very emotional and difficult. Looking back I think her support allowed us to deal with all emotions that comes with a first difficult delivery. I highly recommend hiring Katherine as your birth doula. 

Diana

9/25/2023

She was amazing. Deciding to have a doula but have Katherine be my doula was one of the best decisions. She is amazing. We were so fortunate to connect and work with Katherine. She has a calming and reassuring presence which is exactly what we needed.
She is easy going, extremely knowledgable, and very caring. She was always available and made me feel supported and empowered throughout my pregnancy and labor.

She listened attentively and really took the time to learn more about us and our concerns. During labor, she coached me through the pain and through all the decisions. She was great about working with the medical team and navigating the countless hours of labor as well as post labor. I don't know what we would have done without her. I cannot recommend her highly enough to expectant parents seeking a doula who goes above and beyond. I am forever grateful. 

Hanna

9/18/2023

Katherine Smith is a dedicated, knowledgeable, personable doula. Hiring her was the best spent money for my husband and I. Once we decided on Katherine being part of my birth team, she was available via text or call 24 hours a day. I felt relaxed knowing she would definitely BE THERE for my birth, unlike some doulas who work as part of a team or have so many clients every month. She gave us peace of mind, confidence, and support throughout our birthing journey. Katherine took the time to meet with us in person before the birth to understand and help us prepare our birth plan and practice some techniques for pain management. I felt immediately comfortable with her - she has a very calming, nurturing presence and a sense of humor. 

On the birthday, Katherine was 100% present, by my side, for my 16 hour labor. I truly feel I could not have stuck with my goals for an unmedicated birth if it were not for Katherine's guidance and support. Throughout active labor, Katherine provided verbal, physical, and emotional support. She was amazing at holding a sacred space for me and my husband, too, knowing when to offer ideas and when to step back. 

Upon request, Katherine was able to take candid photos during labor, a short video of my child's birth, and photos of those first precious moments as I held my baby boy for the first time. I will cherish these forever. It also allowed my husband to be fully present with me during the toughest part of labor.

Postpartum, Katherine visited me a few times to check on me, give me a chance to process my birth story, and offer helpful advice for breastfeeding. She even baked me delicious lactation cookies, which my husband enjoyed too :) 

Birth is a wild ride, no matter what yours looks like! It is an incredible experience that every mother deserves to enter into feeling supported and able. I am so grateful Katherine was there to help me access my own strength to welcome my baby.

Dani Bradley

9/14/2023

Hiring Katherine as our doula was the best decision. As first time parents, we were grateful to have someone to discuss all of the possibilities and options when it came to labor and delivery. Unlike my OB's appointments, Katherine's prenatal visits never felt rushed. We spent a lot of time talking about our thoughts and concerns, asking questions, going over labor techniques, and making a plan for birth. When labor started she came to my home and provided gentle support and reassurance. She came to the hospital with us and continued to encourage and coach me throughout the course of the labor. When presented with the need for interventions, Katherine was very knowledgeable and was able to help us make the decisions we wanted. After the birth, she would message us periodically to check on us. She visited me at home about a week after the birth to see how we were adjusting and answer any questions we had. Since things during labor didn't go how we would have hoped, and I ended up needing an emergency C-section, she really helped us process our feelings about the birth as well. We had another visit about a month postpartum. It was nice to feel the continued support even after the birth was over. We will definitely be working with Katherine again when it's time for baby #2!

Lila Rambo

6/15/2023

We decided to work with Katherine as this was our first pregnancy and I was having some blood pressure concerns that were leading to increased monitoring, talk of induction, and just general stressful moments for us.  My husband and I both immediately felt comfortable with Katherine from the first zoom meeting, and were so happy to have her in our corner leading us through this process.  As the monitoring increased, so did the medical jargon, and Katherine was incredibly helpful at talking us through potential routes the midwives might want to take depending on how the pregnancy progressed.  In the end my water broke naturally and I was able to labor without interventions.  She was very communicative by phone while we waited for contractions to pick up during early labor, and once things really progressed she quickly made it to the hospital where her confidence and experience in birth really showed.  She was crucial in helping coach me through the latter stages of labor and was instrumental in helping me fulfill my desire for an unmedicated birth.  My husband was able to pick up lots that she was doing and be a stronger partner for me in the moment, and I felt fully supported through the whole process. 

It was a fast and furious labor/delivery, and we can't imagine having done it without her.  I had some complications post delivery that could have been a lot more scary, but Katherine was able to translate information coming from the nurses, midwives and OB to help me feel like I was in good hands and stay composed throughout that process.  

From when we first decided to work with Katherine through to now almost 8 weeks post partum, it has been so clear that she cares deeply for this work and genuinely wanted to do everything she could to help me realize my birth goals.  We cannot recommend her highly enough! 

Silke

6/12/2023

Katherine supported us during the birth of our first child and her guidance and knowledge was invaluable!! She is truly awesome and super nice, too. I highly recommend her. Her calm demeanor helped me stay calm. If we have another child, I would want her there again! 

Lauren

3/20/2023

Everybody deserves a Katherine! 

My goal was to have a confident empowered birth experience without medical interventions. As a first time mom, I had no idea of all of the twists and turns that could come up!

I was exhausted when labor started, and the intense near immediate launch into active labor was nothing like the gradual start I had been preparing for. On top of that, my water ended up breaking with lots of meconium in it before we got to the hospital. While at the hospital, for a period of time, my care was switched from the midwife team who felt like partners in my birth experience to an OBGYN who was used to being the authority and directing people on what was best for them. It was overwhelming and scary to try and navigate labor while being exhausted, worrying about the safety of my baby, and dealing with hospital politics.

Without Katherine’s expertise, empathy, and guidance, my 43 hour labor would be marked by those negative emotions. But Katherine helped me navigate each twist and turn with confidence! She helped me ground myself- reminding me to breathe, relax, and move as I experienced each wave. She guided me through countless positions to encourage my body to open and help my baby descend. She made space for me to pause and consider my comfort level with different medical interventions so that the decisions I made were from a place of courage and not anxiety. She expertly guided the other members of my birth team to help facilitate an environment of safety. And most of all, she cheered me on and encouraged me before, during, and after labor and reminded me how amazing I was (which is something that everyone giving birth deserves!)

Katherine’s support and guidance was the difference between a traumatic birth experience marked by fear and uncertainty to a birth experience where I felt confident and empowered through all the twists and turns.

Micah

3/6/2023

Katherine exceeded everything we could have hoped and asked for in a doula and we cannot imagine going through the journey without her. The birth experience is a tremendously emotional and intense journey for everyone involved. As a partner/support person, you read about the importance of a doula and how much value they bring to the birth experience, and you hope the person you work with can bring steadiness, knowledge, and peace where you and your birthing partner feel nervous and unsure. Katherine is the embodiment of everything you want in a doula. She is kind, knowledgeable, empathetic, understanding, and an advocate. Our birth was longer than we expected and with all the ups and downs, turns, shifts and decision making, she was by our side and in our corner. She made us feel empowered, safe, and secure the entire time. You just know when someone is truly genuine and puts their heart into what they do - and Katherine was that and gave everything she had to welcome our little one into the world. The support we felt before, during, and post partum was so incredible and we have felt seen, heard, and cared for in the best way. We would highly recommend Katherine to anyone going through this incredible journey. 

Sydney

7/5/2022

We were unsure if having a doula was a good idea for us as we were researching the idea of it. After finding Katherine, we knew we would be in good hands and should move forward with her. She provided wonderful suggestions (in a very professional/non-pushy way) before, during, and after the delivery. Katherine helped us advocate for our needs during our stay in the hospital and reminded us of those when things became stressful. She created a good relationship with the hospital staff and our midwife even commented on how great she was! While she is very laid back, Katherine was great at being direct when needed during labor and providing helpful feedback as appropriate. 

While I felt very supported as the birthing partner, I also know it was a huge relief for my husband to have someone there to ask questions of that he knew had the time and space for him. She was able to guide him in how to support me during the labor.

We would recommend Katherine to anyone looking for a calm, supportive, knowledgeable person to support a family during a birth. 

Brittany Gutierrez

5/31/2022

Katherine was exactly the support I needed for my birth. I cannot imagine the experience without her! She helped me use so many different coping mechanisms during labor. My midwives even commented to me about how much easier she made their job because she was so hands on and in tune with what I needed. She was a trooper, and stuck with us through a very long labor. My husband and I both were so impressed with Katherine and would 100% recommend her. 

Emily R

3/16/2022

As first-time parents, my husband and I were understandably nervous about having a baby.  I've heard of plenty of negative experiences and I didn't feel like I had enough knowledge of the process to feel completely comfortable about it. There are so many unknowns about having a baby and I didn't want to have a negative experience due to my own ignorance or inability to ask for what I want or need.

I looked for a doula for several reasons: to help me with the physical pain/exhaustion in case I didn't want or wasn't able to get an epidural for whatever reason; to calm my nerves by having someone experienced in childbirth that I felt had my best interests in mind and could answer my questions; someone who could help my husband feel more involved instead of being unintentionally pushed to the side; and to have someone who has given birth and can boost my morale and mood and kind of help be my cheerleader when I needed it, among many other reasons. So basically, I needed a Super Mom.

After interviewing several doulas, I pretty quickly felt the most comfortable with Katherine. I'm so happy I chose her and I couldn't have asked for a better childbirth experience. She met with us twice before to go over our questions/expectations and teach me coping mechanisms for pain and twice afterwards to help answer questions about taking care of the baby. When I ultimately went into labor early in the morning, she was at the hospital very quickly and was a huge help for me to cope with my back labor and helped to flip my son, who had unexpectedly decided to turn himself face-up that morning. The combo of Katherine, my husband, the nurses, and the doctor all working together so well had such a positive effect on the experience and I couldn't have asked for it to go better than it did.  

Thank you so much, Katherine, for helping make the birth so amazing. We would unreservedly recommend her to anyone searching for a doula.

Brittney Y

11/28/2021

I reached out to Katherine after friends and medical professionals suggested that a doula might be a helpful resource for the birth of my first child. While, initially I was unsure if I needed a doula, I can happily say post-birth that hiring Katherine was one of the best decisions my husband and I made.

Katherine is clearly passionate about supporting women and their partners through their birth experience. She quickly became a trusted confidant; someone I felt my husband and I could easily talk to.  Katherine listened attentively and helped us vocalize any preferences we had for the birth and suggested great questions that we may want to ask our healthcare provider. She took the time to get to know us as individuals and a couple, which is so important when you are hiring someone to support you through a very vulnerable event such as giving birth.

When it came time to give birth, Katherine was the first person I called to talk through what I was experiencing and the timing for when I would want to head to the hospital. She was a calm and reassuring voice in what was a very intense and rapidly evolving situation.

One of my initial hesitations about hiring a doula was that it would take away from the birth experience that I wanted to share with my spouse. That was certainly not the case.  Katherine was a resource to me and even more so to my husband. Her and my husband worked as a team to support me through labor. 

Even after our postpartum visits, Katherine has continued to stay in touch and be a resource as we adjust to life as new parents. Her support has been invaluable and I’d highly recommend her to other parents.  I’m looking forward to staying in touch with her for years to come!

Kwan

11/16/2021

We found Katherine via glowing recommendation from a class, and we couldn't be grateful enough. She worked with us to turn a 42 week pregnancy this October '21 from a nightmare to a beautiful memory. She met us at every plot twist and helped us adapt to each new rising situation. My husband and I kept telling her during and afterwards, that we couldn't have done it without her.

Not only was she communicative, but her understanding, lack of judgement and positivity kept me sane. We texted back and forth with any problems or questions we had, and she always replied with a bevy of resources.

During our actual hospital experience, she helped us advocate for ourselves above the hospital's tumultuous staffing shortage. Her experience showed when she helped me with various positions, stones, and massages through the active labor. And she continued to provide that experience after the birth as well, checking in with us every couple of days and working with our postpartum doula to make sure we were supported.

We cannot recommend her enough. Thank you thank you thank you Katherine! Our new family is so grateful!

Jacky Paige

6/3/2021

With my first pregnancy I was nervous going into labor. Katherine talked me through what to expect about the different stages of labor and listened as I explained my fear of pain and how claustrophobic it makes me feel.

Cue the most painful labor! As soon as I met Katherine at the hospital I was in a great deal of pain and felt very panicked. I wasn’t dilated enough for a room yet but my labor pain felt very intense. Katherine helped keep me out of my head. We played music, we walked around (which I wouldn't have been motivated to do on my own but her encouragement and coaching to help my labor progress really helped). She must have rubbed my lower back for two hours during that time but it was what I needed! She gave me small goals to focus on between contractions which helped me not to panic. Her coaching got me to my room and desired epidural. I felt supported all the way. 

With my second birth, I was giving birth to twins. It was a rollercoaster pregnancy and I had no idea what to expect of my labor. I wasn't as worried about pain as much as I was wanting everything to go okay. Katherine was so good about reminding me to relax my body during contractions when I was tensing up which made all the difference in my labor progressing.

The twins were born quickly and healthy so an hour later when the twins got checked out and their breathing was labored they were admitted to the NICU. That was the most emotional time of my life. To have labor go so well and fast and then to have my boys suddenly be gone was excruciating. Katherine was there for me so my husband could update me about the twins. I'm so glad I had Katherine there to listen and comfort me or I would have been broken-hearted and alone. 

I can't say enough how vital Katherine was to my births. They're just synonymous, my births and Katherine. I highly, highly recommend her service.

Jacky Paige

6/2/2021

With my first pregnancy I was nervous going into labor. Katherine talked me through what to expect about the different stages of labor and listened as I explained my fear of pain and how claustrophobic it makes me feel.

Cue the most painful labor! As soon as I met Katherine at the hospital I was in a great deal of pain and felt very panicked. I wasn’t dilated enough for a room yet but my labor pain felt very intense. Katherine helped keep me out of my head. We played music, we walked around (which I wouldn't have been motivated to do on my own but her encouragement and coaching to help my labor progress really helped). She must have rubbed my lower back for two hours during that time but it was what I needed! She gave me small goals to focus on between contractions which helped me not to panic. Her coaching got me to my room and desired epidural. I felt supported all the way. 

With my second birth, I was giving birth to twins. It was a rollercoaster pregnancy and I had no idea what to expect of my labor. I wasn't as worried about pain as much as I was wanting everything to go okay. Katherine was so good about reminding me to relax my body during contractions when I was tensing up which made all the difference in my labor progressing.

The twins were born quickly and healthy so an hour later when the twins got checked out and their breathing was labored they were admitted to the NICU. That was the most emotional time of my life. To have labor go so well and fast and then to have my boys suddenly be gone was excruciating. Katherine was there for me so my husband could update me about the twins. I'm so glad I had Katherine there to listen and comfort me or I would have been broken-hearted and alone. 

I can't say enough how vital Katherine was to my births. They're just synonymous, my births and Katherine. I highly, highly recommend her service.

Laura L.

5/26/2021

I had an incredible birth experience thanks to Katherine!

To be perfectly honest, I was terrified of labor! Even though I took some courses, I had no idea what my personal experience would be like. I didn't realize it could be beautiful and calm!

Katherine was supportive, calm, and empowering every step of the way! It was like having an experienced coach by my side. She had great suggestions for pain management and supported my desire to go without pain relief for 19 hours until I finally changed my mind. As soon as I asked for pain assistance, she rallied my nurses immediately.

Having a doula also helped my experience with my healthcare providers. I feel like they treat patients differently when you have a professional in the room by your side. 

I had one of the resident doctors come in while my doctor was out and she tried to pressure me into having a C section because I was I labor for 25 hours. Katherine calmly told her we would wait to make any decisions until we speak to my doctor. Upon my doctors return, she told me there was no need for a C section, as I was progressing just fine and both myself and my daughter were doing great! If Katherine hadn't been there to speak up for me, I might have given in and had an unnecessary C section.

I delivered a few hours later with no complications. It was an incredible experience and I am eternally grateful for Katherine! I've even enlisted her services for my second child, who is due this summer!

Buu

5/26/2021

Katherine helped us through all 3 of my deliveries and I don't know what we would've done without her!!  Each delivery was different in its own way and in the midst of the pain and chaos, it always seemed like she could read your mind on what you needed.  With my first delivery, I was scared and nervous and she was my voice to the nurses for my needs.  She knew exactly what to say to motivate me to get that big-headed baby out.  With my second delivery, the back pain was excruciating and I second guessed my plan to go natural.  I'll never forget her gentle touches that helped me through it.  My third baby came fast and in fact, she was more ready than the nurses and doctors (doctor wasn't even there!). All in all, everyone needs Katherine for these really special moments in life.  And not only did she help me, it took a lot of relief off of my husband and parents.  I would recommend her to anyone (and their families) who want to make the most of this joyous (but perhaps chaotic and unpredictable) event!