Stephanie P

12/7/2024

After interviewing several doulas, I knew immediately that I wanted to have Marissa as my birth doula (FTM here). During our prenatal visits, she made sure to thoroughly ask my husband and I questions on our birth plan. She is honest, compassionate, and has a great sense of humor - which helped put us at ease. It helped us feel more confident going into the delivery, prepare for postpartum (ie support, lactation consultation, etc), and the process encouraged me to ask questions during the delivery! Marissa checked in often and was available to help answer any questions that came up. I had an incredible hospital team, but Marissa was a calming addition and helped us advocate for what we needed. I cannot emphasize how empowering it felt during and after the delivery of my daughter.

Melissa Nesbitt

10/31/2024

I cannot recommend Marissa and the Lemon Grove enough! She was such an amazing support throughout my first pregnancy. With Marissa's help and guidance I was able to better understand the changes that my body was going through, understand the kinds of questions I needed to ask myself and my care providers in order to create a birth plan, and help me grow my confidence in myself to make it through the experience!

Marissa made herself available to me throughout my pregnancy but especially during the final weeks of my pregnancy. She was always ready to jump on the phone with me to talk through my questions and concerns. I knew that no matter the question, Marissa would talk me through the facts and her perspective, both of which were so valuable to me.

Most importantly, Marissa made the experience fun for my husband and me. Humor and lightheartedness was extremely important to us and Marissa's ability to embed humor into our meetings and even the birthing process was so appreciated. 

I would recommend Marissa and the Lemon Grove to anyone who is considering working with a doula - you will not be disappointed!

Courtney C

9/22/2024

I am so thankful that I hired Marissa to be the doula for me and my husband. As a first time mom, there were so many things I didn't know about pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Our prenatal sessions with Marissa were incredibly helpful. She is informative, compassionate, straightforward and honest. We also attended a birth and breastfeeding class through her practice (the lemon grove), both of which were great. I can't imagine my birth experience without her. Our son had some trouble breathing at birth and since I had a c-section and was across the room when the doctors began caring for him, I couldn't really hear what was going on. Marissa explained everything that was happening to me while the doctors finished my procedure and stayed with me while my husband went up to the nursery with my son. I had to be in the recovery room for 2 hours before I could go see my son and Marissa stayed with me and kept me feeling calm and reassured. I would've been in an absolute panic without her. I truly can't imagine my birth experience without her. I highly recommend working with Marissa!

Shelby Carlson-Teasdale

7/22/2024

Marissa is the best!

With our first child we talked to 3-4 different doulas, but Marissa stood out from them all. She was confident from the beginning, and my husband and I felt very safe in her hands because we could tell she knew her stuff.

I have Epilepsy so for my I had a lot of nerves and anxiety going into my pregnancy.  A lot of “what-ifs” and fears.  I felt comfortable talking about everything with her and she did an amazing job at having me hone back in on what I could control and the power we have.  I held onto that throughout my whole pregnancy and it helped me immensely. 

The day of Marissa was there for our planned c-section because my daughter was breech and it was one of the most enjoyable days of my life (as enjoyable as a c-section can be at least…HA!) Her and my husband –as well as the wonderful doctors – kept me calm, cool, and collected the whole time until our daughter was in our arms. 

Postpartum she was there for me through all the ups and downs. I could go on and rave about my experience but I really just want you all to know how reliable she is. She knows me, she knows my husband, she knows my daughter, she is now part of our family. Since we don’t live around family, my husband now think of her as part of the small amount of people we trust to really be there for us if need be. She has her own newer family and does such an amazing job being there for so many others as well –she is so damn strong! We cannot wait to have Marissa there with us for the birth of our other children! We love you!

Nina

6/11/2024

My husband and I were so happy to have Marissa as our birth doula. From our first introductory meeting with her (before we chose her to be our doula), she was attentive, affirming, and attuned to our desires for my birth experience. Throughout my pregnancy, she checked in with us frequently, offered support and resources, prepared us for what to expect, and made suggestions as appropriate. 

What made me choose Marissa over other birth doulas I interviewed was her in-depth knowledge of labor and delivery practices at different hospitals and her know-how in navigating each hospital's policies and practices. I also appreciated that from the beginning, Marissa always included my husband in conversations and ensured that he felt comfortable and an equal part of the process (something I had the tendency to forget!). 

I would absolutely recommend Marissa to anyone in need of a birth doula and am happy to now call her a friend!  

Adriana Domingo

5/13/2024

Marissa made me feel so much more confident with my pregnancy and birthing experience. She was very easy to talk to and my husband and I felt extremely comfortable with her like we have known her for a long time. We appreciated her patience in answering our questions and for providing guidance without any judgement or pressure. I don't think I could have gone through my labor without her. 

Tracy

3/28/2024

I cannot picture my pregnancy, birth and especially postpartum experience without Marissa. To anyone on the fence about hiring a doula - especially Marissa - do yourself a favor and do it. Marissa is everything I needed in a doula; direct, compassionate, trauma informed, and SO knowledgeable. She’s someone you want in your corner for this phase of life. Working with Marissa was the best thing I did for myself and my baby! Cannot recommend her highly enough.

Alexandra Carter

2/28/2024

We had the privilege of having Marissa as our doula throughout the journey of welcoming our son into the world, and we cannot express enough gratitude for her invaluable support. From our initial meetings to the postpartum period, Marissa's warmth, expertise, and unwavering dedication made all the difference for my husband and me.

During our prenatal visits, Marissa took the time to truly understand our hopes, fears, and preferences, creating a tailored birth plan that reflected our wishes while also offering insightful guidance. Her calming presence and wealth of knowledge provided us with much-needed reassurance and confidence as first-time parents.

When the big day arrived, Marissa was a rock of support, both emotionally and physically. Her calming presence and encouragement helped ease the intensity of experience, while her expertise and support provided invaluable relief especially when things didn’t go as “planned.” She helped us stay grounded, present, and even laughing through the whole process. Having Marissa with us helped my husband and I feel empowered and confident through the birthing process.

Even after our son was born, Marissa continued to be a source of support and guidance during the postpartum period. Whether offering breastfeeding advice, emotional support, or simply lending a listening ear, Marissa's genuine care and compassion made the transition to parenthood smoother and more manageable.

We are forever grateful for Marissa’s unwavering support, expertise, and compassion. She played an integral part in our birthing experience, and I cannot recommend her services highly enough to expecting parents seeking a knowledgeable, compassionate, and dedicated birth companion. Thank you, Marissa, for being an invaluable part of our journey to parenthood.

Liz Chan

2/27/2024

We hired Marissa to be our doula for the birth of our third child. I have previous birth trauma and suffered through two back to back miscarriages. It was imperative that we found someone who could not only help us with the birth, but also understood our fears and concerns. Enter Marissa, she never made us feel silly or bad for having any type of concern, small or large. She helped us navigate our feelings and also helped us to communicate them to my providers. 

During the birth, Marissa was so helpful. She arrived at the hospital as soon as we said we needed her there, and offered unwavering support. She understood my intent on having a natural birth but also helped me see other options when I felt like I needed pain management. Marissa is definitely meant to be a doula! We are so lucky we are still in contact with her and are able to consider her a friend!

Alexandra Carter

2/26/2024

We had the privilege of having Marissa as our doula throughout the journey of welcoming our son into the world, and we cannot express enough gratitude for her invaluable support. From our initial meetings to the postpartum period, Marissa's warmth, expertise, and unwavering dedication made all the difference for my husband and me.

During our prenatal visits, Marissa took the time to truly understand our hopes, fears, and preferences, creating a tailored birth plan that reflected our wishes while also offering insightful guidance. Her calming presence and wealth of knowledge provided us with much-needed reassurance and confidence as first-time parents.

When the big day arrived, Marissa was a rock of support, both emotionally and physically. Her calming presence and encouragement helped ease the intensity of experience, while her expertise and support provided invaluable relief especially when things didn’t go as “planned.” She helped us stay grounded, present, and even laughing through the whole process. Having Marissa with us helped my husband and I feel empowered and confident through the birthing process.

Even after our son was born, Marissa continued to be a source of support and guidance during the postpartum period. Whether offering breastfeeding advice, emotional support, or simply lending a listening ear, Marissa's genuine care and compassion made the transition to parenthood smoother and more manageable.

We are forever grateful for Marissa’s unwavering support, expertise, and compassion. She played an integral part in our birthing experience, and I cannot recommend her services highly enough to expecting parents seeking a knowledgeable, compassionate, and dedicated birth companion. Thank you, Marissa, for being an invaluable part of our journey to parenthood.

Tracy

2/25/2024

We couldn't recommend Marissa more! From the very first time we spoke, throughout birth planning (and birthing adventure) and our post partum visits, we received the highest level of care, guidance and support. It is hard to put into words our experience, because I feel as though she knew us before we even met her. She understood my concerns, supported my wants and needs for our delivery and provided me with care and understanding after our birth. 

Laryssa

2/17/2024

Our family feels so lucky to have connected with Marissa as our birth doula! We are incredibly grateful for her kindness and sincere care throughout the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period. Marissa is easy to talk to and exudes warmth and empathy; she has a true talent to make you feel empowered and informed. 

Prior to the birth, her questions and recommendations helped our family feel more prepared for our second child. I am really grateful for her foresight and thoughtfulness as we navigated this change in family dynamics.

It was always a real comfort to talk to Marissa. My emotions sometimes felt more intense during the pregnancy, and Marissa was a real source of calm.

On the day of our daughter's birth, my husband was unexpectedly unable to join me in the hospital due to an acute illness. It was hard being apart, but seeing Marissa walk into the birthing room was a joy! She supported me when my other half could not physically be there. It’s hard to put into words how grateful both my husband and I felt to have her in the room. She helped me change positions and move in ways that made this labor easier than with my first child. She also was able to make my husband feel like he was an active participant via video chat. Marissa also captured photographs of our daughter’s birth, thereby making the memories feel really permanent to both of us--even if we weren’t physically in the same room together. She also took pictures of our family of four in the postpartum period. Her photos are incredibly beautiful, and we truly treasure them! 

Marissa is an amazing advocate, warm and kind listener, and expert doula. We would choose her again every time in a heartbeat! Thanks, Marissa, for all your care for our family! You made a real difference in our lives!

Laura Headley

2/4/2024

Marissa is the best doula! We worked with her this past year and we felt so supported throughout my pregnancy and throughout labor and delivery. This was my second baby and I knew going into this pregnancy that I wanted the support of a doula. I had an unmediated birth and couldn’t have achieved this goal without Marissa’s support and education. She helped me and my husband understand expectations, learn strategies to support our goals, and how to support each other throughout the pregnancy. I can’t recommend Marissa and The Lemon Grove enough! You will be in excellent hands with her! 

Hannah

12/27/2023

We worked with Marissa this past year as our birth doula and could not have been happier with our experience! She was informative, helpful and dealt with all of my anxiety and spiraling as a first time mom who experienced a loss the year prior. She served as a voice of reason and reassured me when I needed it or had questions (I had a million). Marissa is also super friendly and has a great sense of humor!

During pregnancy, she helped educate us on what to expect. During labor, she reminded us of everything we forgot we learned (hip squeezes!!) and helped serve as a facilitator between us and our providers after I experienced a complication after delivery. Postpartum, Marissa was there again to reassure us during those tough first couple of weeks with a newborn and during recovery as well! She was always available via cell and responded promptly (of course, this varied if she was with a client at another birth)

Working with Marissa was one of the best decisions we could have made and we highly recommend her!

Melissa L

12/5/2023

I will be honest starting out I wasn't sure if I needed a doula.

It was my husband who felt like we'd benefit. His enthusiasm for a doula pushed me to search for one. I can say now, I am so glad that I got a doula to guide my birth experience, and that our doula was Marissa.

It was really important to me to find someone who had a great sense of humor *AND* knew when to ground and focus. Marissa balances these qualities, plus, leverages her public health background and clinical awareness that works well with medical providers. 

My birth story was unexpectedly complicated by pre-eclampsia, an induction, and an emergency c-section for failure to progress. I did not expect or imagine these things coming up, but things happen. I wasn't prepared, and Marissa was there to help us quickly adjust expectations and work through emotional and physical aspects of the situations we were in. She helped us advocate and stayed with us through to the very end. Our labor was 3 days, and she texted regularly until her arrival and after she left. I never felt alone. I hope you will never need the full extent of skill and calming presence Marissa offers, but, should things not go as expected, know you have someone with the exact bed side manner and grace needed to feel empowered in your birth experience. Four months out, I understand how her work set the stage for a more positive recovery after our son was born.

I'll add Marissa is great at offering prenatal and postpartum support by zoom or in her welcoming office. She is also an amazing photographer! We added newborn photos last minute and she was so accomodating. We were already comfortable with her, making the in-home shoot a breeze. I must be hitting some sort of word count limit by now, so I'll end here: Marissa would be a great addition to any family's birth experience!

Julie

8/8/2023

Marissa was our birth doula and we couldn’t recommend her enough. We first met Marissa when we were about half way through the pregnancy. During our first conversation she gave us some great advice about our delivery expectations and really validated a lot of my feeling surrounding my pregnancy.

After our initial conversation Marissa was a voice of reason for us and was able to give us some of the best advice we received during our journey. We met with her twice to go over our ideal birth experience. She was gave us the honest truth and was able to clearly explain a lot of common decisions that need to be made during labor. In addition to our conversations, Marissa was always available via text or for a quick chat. She also checked in on us as we got closer to our due date. Between the check-ins and quick chats, we felt incredibly supported with our plan. She helped us through a lot of tough decisions and made us feel confidence with whatever we choose to do.

When it came time to deliver our beautiful baby, Marissa was right there with us. I had a tougher immediate postpartum experience than I expected and Marissa sat by my side while my husband and baby were in the nursery. She talked through what had happened with me and helped me process everything. I will be forever grateful for all the encouragement, support and advice Marissa provided us. I couldn’t imagine the birth without her and will be forever grateful that she was our doula.

Sylvie

3/6/2023

Marissa kept us feeling safe, secure, confident and prepared throughout pregnancy, labor and delivery. Having Marissa’s support navigating this new experience was one of the best decisions we made for ourselves and our son. She helped us to consider so many things we hadn’t previously thought of as we carefully created our birth plan together. Every step of the way she led us to feel informed and empowered. She asked thoughtful and insightful questions as she guided us to think about what we wanted and needed during pregnancy, labor, delivery and postpartum. Marissa completely respected our wishes and values. Ultimately, she was an advocate and a friend. Marissa was also impressively organized and responsive throughout the whole process; she still checks in on us to this day. Marissa’s passion and compassion shined during labor and delivery – she was a beacon of calm, and seeing her by my side brought tremendous comfort. She encouraged me, and helped us to make sense of everything during such a vulnerable time. I truly believe that being a doula is Marissa’s calling. She is an absolutel angel. We are so grateful to have had her as our Doula. We could not be happier with our experience. Thank you, Marissa, from the bottom of our hearts! 

Alexis Nicolau

3/6/2023

Marissa is fantastic, and even saying that so simply feels like an injustice to the incredible support she provides to families prior, during, & after birth. I went into my birth so informed with her expertise. She helped my husband + i talk through the many different scenarios that can occur during a birth. I can say so proudly this was the most magical birth experience for myself & i swear it was (aside from my powerful body! ??) because of the many techniques advised/ suggested. We also utilized Marissa for post partum support & we truly felt the love & dedication she provides. We are so grateful & already plan to have Marissa as our doula for our next baby! XoXo

Tawil Contreras

1/6/2023

After learning the benefits in school, I always knew that when the time came to have a family, I wanted to have the support of a doula. We interviewed several doulas and Marissa was the best fit for us. She has extensive training and knowledge, which all shined through when we first met her. She is the type of doula who is data-centered, culturally sensitive, and inclusive of partners. This last part was important to us because my husband wanted to learn about the process and be involved. Throughout my pregnancy Marissa was incredibly helpful too. The last month or so was very stressful for us - having to make some changes and even switching hospitals a few times at 38 weeks!

She carried us through these times with compassion and the guidance we needed. During my long delivery she was literally at my bedside for hours, the whole time, cheering me on in the early hours of the morning when I was exhausted and felt like I couldn’t go on. Every time I look back at my birth I smile because Marissa was there supporting me, my husband, and my baby girl.

Katelynn Fisher

12/10/2022

We got to work with Marissa as a doula for the birth of our son. From our very first meeting we knew she would be a great fit to support myself and my husband through the labor and delivery process. As a first time mom I had a lot of fears going into labor. Marissa is highly knowledgeable, compassionate, thoughtful and has a confident and calming presence. She was always easy to access when I had questions and would regularly check in before and after the birth. She not only provided us with wonderful resources and helped prep myself and my husband in the meetings leading up to the birth, but was also such a much needed presence during a very long and unexpected labor and delivery. The birth of our son was far from how we originally had hoped or planned for. It was a birth that could have easily been traumatic, but having Marissa as part of our support team made the experience something I can look back on without deep negative association or regrets. We are forever grateful to have had Marissa support us in one of the biggest and most important days of our lives. I would hands down highly recommend Marissa and her expertise to anyone who is interested and looking for support! 

Mary

11/8/2022

If you are a type-A personality, who likes data and needs someone to tell them straight "how it is" you can't find a better doula than Marissa. She is not only knowledgeable, caring and has a great sense of humor, but she also is extremely  interculturallary aware and managed to navigate with ease culturally  and language specific moments, superstitions and beliefs. She really taught me how to be an advocate for my own healthcare descisions in the medical setting - something I will take beyond this birth and into rest of my and my family's healthcare experiences. The most amazing thing is also her flexibility and ability to make anything work. As I was admitted for my birth I turned out to be COVID positive, so she could not come in person . Despite that she managed to still truly "be there", giving play by play instructions when we asked , coaching when required and just support without judgment  when we needed it via phone and video chat. Her constantly reminding me that the important thing is not  healthcare provider comfort/ ease of work, but my comfort and what works for me made all the difference in those tough moments.

All in all having Marissa as part of my first childbirth experience was the best thing we did for ourselves as a family.

James

11/3/2022

Marissa is a awesome Doula and highly recommended her, I remember when we first video chatted with her trying to decide on a Doula, and after interviewing lots of Doulas, first thing I said to my wife was she the one and we were right. She is an amazing person and will always give you the right advice and advocate for you.

Emily Marrs

9/7/2022

Marissa is the kindest, most compassionate, and intentional person I could have asked for to be by my side throughout my pregnancy and birth journey. She was super attentive to all of my concerns, and offered many resources to work through any worries that might pop up during the process. Marissa was also incredibly supportive of my partner, ensuring that he was able to communicate his concerns, and this genuine solicitude was remarkably necessary and beneficial to our whole experience. 

Marissa truly listens to the desires of her clients, and she goes above and beyond her duties in all respects. When my birth location needed to change abruptly late in my pregnancy, she happily attended multiple hospital and birth center tours (many of which required a decent drive to get there) to help us talk through pros and cons and come to an informed decision. 

Marissa caters her support to fit whatever her clients’ needs may be, and this distinction is ardently apparent in every discussion and meeting with her, and it sincerely sets her far apart from others in the field. 

With Marissa’s guidance, support, resources, and recommendations, I can truly say that I had a wonderful, beautiful labor and delivery, and that I felt ultimately supported throughout the whole process of pregnancy and beyond. I could not recommend Marissa enough! 

Teavy

9/1/2022

There’s no words that can describe how much Marissa meant to us during this amazing time in our lives during our first childbirth experience in bringing our daughter into the world. We are beyond grateful for Marissa’s support and kindness throughout this beautiful journey. From meeting Marissa during the first virtual meeting, to our birth plan, to our delivery experience, every moment with Marissa had led up to the success of welcoming our daughter the best we can into our lives! Marissa was an integral part of our birth team that gained the trust of and worked with our nurses and midwife. She was holding one of my legs and worked alongside staff to ensure my vaginal delivery was possible, which was our end goal, to avoid a c-section, if possible. It’s amazing considering I didn’t even know what a doula was prior to all this, to now realizing how important the doula role is in a birth experience.We have such a beautiful story to tell our little girl when she’s older and we will definitely share how amazing her doula was! Thank you, Marissa, so much from the bottom of our hearts for all you’ve done for us!

Jenny Z

8/11/2022

We chose Marissa as our doula after meeting a few doulas. Our first impression was that Marissa truly uses a trauma informed approach to her care and I felt very safe with her. We are first time parents and truly had no idea what to expect. After the first prenatal visit, I remember thinking that one of the best decisions I made for myself and my future baby was to hire Marissa as our doula. We had so many questions and she spent hours responding each one of them and exploring our birth preferences without pushing us to choose one thing over another.
I had a difficult labor experience that ended being an unplanned C section. When the OB asked whether I wanted a C/S my first reaction was to ask Marissa her opinion. This is how much I trust her with our lives! I cannot recommend her enough!

I had a difficult labor experience that ended being an unplanned C section. When the OB asked whether I wanted a C/S during my vaginal birth, my first reaction was to ask Marissa her opinion (not even my partner). This is how much I trust her with our lives! I cannot recommend her enough!

Lauren Meran

7/16/2022

When Marissa first came to our house, we were clueless. She patiently walked us through the birthing process and what to expect in the hospital. She laid out the pain management options clearly and with her guidance we felt prepared and confident for the birth of our son. In the hospital she championed our decisions and helped us navigate communications with the nurses and doctors. Marissa made us feel supported and safe. We were very grateful for her services.

Anna McClintick

7/6/2022

From the first time I “met” Marissa for a consultation virtually, I knew she was who I wanted to work with. She has a calm demeanor, a wealth of knowledge and really knows how to provide support and guidance. I instantly felt comfortable with her. She really helped my husband and I navigate our way through preparing for my first birth and baby and having a “plan” but being open to the fact that even the best plans don’t always play out they way we expect/want them to. We went into labor and delivery with the goal of healthy baby and healthy mom, and the hopes that it would go the way we ultimately desired but the understanding of being open to alternatives. From prepping the birth plan/wishes to helping us understand our options and alternatives, as well as advocating for all of that, Marissa made it all seem less daunting. When it was finally time for labor and delivery, Marissa was an incredible support to myself and my husband. She helped us navigate through all of the challenges/changes along the way. When I had a less than favorable reaction to a medication, she helped me from slipping into a full blown panic attack. She provided physical and emotional support working through my contractions, help deciding on next steps m, and made sure I felt validated and supported through the whole process- and it was a long process haha It was truly amazing because it felt like we’d known Marissa for a long time and not just a couple of months. I am so incredibly thankful to have had Marissa there for the birth of our son, and the support she has provided pre and post-partum. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Chantel

6/15/2022

We cannot recommend Marissa enough!

We immediately felt at ease with her during the interview process, and knew that she would fit our needs because our brains think very similarly.

I had a number of fears going into birthing at a hospital (even though I knew it was the right choice for us), and Marissa worked through each one with me with love and compassion, to help me feel at ease with our decision. We are very happy with the choices we made with Marissa‘s help!

She was also a great help for my husband, because we wanted to make sure that he was also supported through this process. She helped us have some thorough discussions during the process that helped us both feel like we were supported and heard during a time when we felt choices had to be made quickly.

We ended up needing an unplanned C-Section and it was a huge relief for both of us to have Marissa there in the operating room. It was comforting to see her calmly go through the steps needed because she’s done this so many times before. Just seeing that calm helped me out (even though it probably didn’t look that way to her since I was crying the whole time #hormones #sleepdeprivation ??)

Her help postpartum was also invaluable! Processing all the thoughts and feelings afterward was a huge help. I also had a fear of some postpartum depression since it seems to run in my family, so it was yet another comfort to know we had someone looking out for that. Since that wasn’t an issue, we got so many projects done with her help! Any kind of organization is now known as “House Tetris” ??

Short version - Hire Marissa!

Avery

6/1/2022

Marissa was a wonderful support to me and my husband before, during, and after the birth of our first child. She is knowledgeable, calm and caring. She would listen to all my thoughts, feelings and fears and fully respond to everything with love. She would tell it like it is and make me feel heard, I never felt placated or invalidated. She cares about both parents individually and as a team, which really helped us both feel supported. Her experience with a variety of different kinds of births was incredibly useful and allowed me to have a lot of information for decision making. I had to have an early term scheduled C-section and Marissa helped me process that undesirable change and suggested to me many options I still had to make my birth experience one I enjoyed and felt I had some choice over. Her assistance in making our birth plan was invaluable. Her warmth and easy demeanor made her wonderful to be around and really helped keep all the craziness involved with having a child much more fun and easy to deal with. My husband and I are both so happy we had Marissa as part of our team.

-Avery and Charlie

Allie S

5/9/2022

Being a first time mom I was so unsure and scared of what was to come throughout my pregnancy and birth. Marissa made both myself and my boyfriend feel more than prepared and comfortable. She was avalible & still is avalible anytime throughout the day or night. She coached me on how to advocate for myself throughout the whole birthing experience. I truly believe the reason I had such a positive pregnancy and birth was because Marissa was apart of that. She was our doula first but a friend second & that is something that I hold dear to my heart!

Janhavi and Vivek

5/6/2022

We had a wonderful experience with Marrisa. She was a huge support pre, during and post birth. Not only was she a constant support for me, she was also very aware of my husband's needs and we really apperciated her a lot for that. 

I had a long prodermal labor and my birth journey did not go quite as expected. Through it all Marrisa was right there just a txt or phone call away. She was always very prompt on f/u with me after my appointments and always addressed any concerns I had pre/post my appointments. 

At the hospital she championed for me and made sure my needs were met. Having her by my headside was a very calming process. Also knowing that she was there for my husband gave me a lot of comfort. 

Our postnatal visits with her were really really helpful. She was very prompt to add perspective to my baby blues and also provide resources for me to seek help. She was instrumental in gettng me in touch with my current therapist. Even though our contract was  limited to 2 postnatal visits, she has checked up on me periodically after, gotten fellow mamas in touch with each other to share experiences, provide and facilitate a community for new parents and birth partners

Me and my husband are first generation immigrants and having Marissa on our side gave us a sense of family. 

To top it all off she is an execllent photograper and captured some really beautiful moments of our baby's birth. 

So glad we found her!! 

Ally

1/18/2022

I highly recommend Marissa!

1)  Marissa provided contstant text and phone support (even at 2am!) from day 1.  I would often text her at 2am worrying about something and she would respond.  She also helped both my husband and me, which was so important because birth partners need support and reassurance too.  

2)  Marissa coached me through not only birth, but also through the ups and downs of life that came during pregnancy.  Everything from "I have a cold and feel isolated" to "How will I get the house organized?!"

3)  Marissa helped me better navigate my healthcare providers.  I am someone who very much believes in and relies on medical establishment. I work in the healthcare space and liked that Marissa had experience working with a healthcare practice.  Marissa helped me navigate a standard of care that was right for me.  I am typically pretty good at advocating for myself, but it was nice to have someone else there to help me better craft my points and educate me on the options.  Ex 1) I was armed with all this research, ready to go into the doctor's appointment and have a lively academic discussion.  Although interesting for a scientific conference, Marissa reminded me that this is about me and my care, not what the medical society treatment guidelines should be.  She helped me better format my conversation to the doctor, to start with what I wanted to do and what was right for me personally. Ex 2) I was induced & not even a day in they wanted me to stop solid food.  With Marissa's encouragement, I advocated for myself multiple times and finally got the doctor's approval to have saltines.  It sounds like the smallest thing, but it was what I needed to keep going.

5)  Marissa encouraged self-care, especially postpartum.  It was nice to have someone say - go get a massage!

Rosa M.

1/12/2022

Marissa was the piece we didn’t know we were missing to make Emma’s arrival as smooth as possible. We hired Marissa a month before my due date and hired her after our initial call because I felt heard and super informed after our chat. She was incredibly prepared for our meetings with visual aids, information, and even gave us homework to help us. I felt comfortable enough to choose an unmedicated natural delivery because I had Marissa on my team. However, the week of my due date a c-section was recommended. At that point I felt that I wouldn’t be able to benefit from Marissa’s services and thought of asking her not to come to the hospital. But I am glad I did ask her come. Marissa sat with us in the hospital while I was prepared for the OR and anesthesia. She advocated for me with my medical staff and helped my husband and feel informed through every step and also distracted us a little with lots of laughter. She encouraged me and helped me feel prepared not only for the procedure but also to receive my daughter. Post delivery, Marissa has helped us connect with other professionals in the area to help us with Emma’s development. Would 100% recommend her services.

PD/SL

12/30/2021

It was a pleasure having Marissa in the lead up, birth, and post birth of our daughter. She was a wonderful source of support throughout the experience. She stepped in at the hospital when we needed her to, and was always there to answer questions and put us at ease when needed. Marissa did a great job of creating a relaxed and supportive atmosphere and we are so happy to have shared our experience with her. Thank you Marissa!