Serena Zygar-Croff

11/14/2023

Melanie is an amazing doula and I feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with her. She was our birth doula as well as our post-partum doula. She provided such compassionate support and I felt like I was in such good hands. I felt completely heard and validated at all times and she helped me to feel so much more comfortable with what was happening while we were at the hospital. Sometimes in labor, a lot has to happen at one time and during those quick moving times, Melanie made sure I knew what was happening and why. She made sure that I felt like I had a voice in the process and that I was able to make the most informed choices. She is a very skilled doula and is great at knowing when to give space and when to be proactive. She is an expert in working with newborns as well and I felt so comfortable with her in my home and the intimate space that comes with the post-partum time. She would always reassure me about things I was feeling worried about and would also validate my concerns. She was always so prompt and on-time and impeccably clean. I fully trusted her to take care of our newborn and it helped to be able to actually rest when I needed to. I would highly recommend working with Melanie! She is relatable, knowledgeable, grounded, and compassionate. I feel that my birth experience as well as my post-partum experience was greatly improved by having Melanie as our doula. 

Anna Knutsen

8/26/2023

Melanie was absolutely amazing! We were lucky to have her as a birth doula and then a nighttime doula for a few months post partum.

During our Zoom meeting, I already felt a great connection with her and I'm so glad we got her!

At the hospital, she was a great advocate for me. Whenever I had to make a decision, she made sure I understood my options fully and was never rushed or pressured. We had one nurse who was less than helpful, but Melanie stepped in and everything went smoothly. Having her with us made the process so much less stressful. We are so thankful for her support.

As a nighttime doula, she was a baby-whisperer! I wish I could settle the baby as quickly as she could. She helped with folding a bit of baby laundry and doing the baby dishes. Whenever we needed ideas or advice, she was very knowledgeable and had great referrals if something was out of her wheelhouse. She was always supportive and happy with whatever we chose to do.

I slept very deeply whenever she was here (I think that speaks to how much I trusted her) and she truly became part of our little family. And as a bonus, she was so patient with our nervous, barky pup!

If you ever have the chance to have Melanie, don't hesitate. She is the best!

Britnee Bauer

8/23/2023

We hired Melanie for six nights the first three weeks our son was born. She was the exact support we needed. Melanie is a baby whisperer. Our son slept longer stretches when she was here. She helped me through breastfeeding and engorgment issues. Was a friendly voice at night through the numerous wake-up's. While she was there she helped with laundry and meal prep as well. Overall, I would have hired her for many more nights if money was not an issue. I highly recommend her to support your new family!  

Abby A.

8/2/2023

Melanie was our doula for my 2nd child. I didn't have a doula with my first child and can absolutely say that Melanie was a huge part of the reason my 2nd labor and delivery went so smoothly. I had a lot of concerns and worries from my first birthing experience. Melanie was patient, listened, and offered her input in a calm and caring way. I was induced and it took a long time for me to go into active labor. Melanie had helpful suggestions for trying to get baby into the right position- so much so that I am convinced she helped my labor progress thanks to some of the positions we tried. She also provided little candles and aromatherapy for when I was laboring in the tub, which was a nice touch. I got an epidural and Melanie also had great ideas for positioning when I had the epidural. Ultimately, Melanie was not only a part of our 2nd child's birth, but also a part of my own healing from a traumatic first birthing experience. I can't recommend her enough!

Aaron Brethorst

1/6/2023

Melanie was our night doula from the day we brought our son home from the hospital to just before his two month 'birthday'. She was a wonderful and invaluable part of our lives for these two months, and I genuinely cannot imagine how we would have managed without her. 

Melanie comes with a wealth of experience, but is very respectful of parent's preferences, choices, beliefs, and practices. I appreciated that I could always ask for her opinion, but she never suggested that her perspective was the only correct one.

Melanie was highly reliable, communicative over text message, and a real delight to work with. We'll miss her, but I know that other families will benefit from her skill, kindness, and passion for this work.

Samantha Muscat-Scherr

1/5/2023

Melanie was our birth doula in December 2022, and I would recommended her with the highest praise to anyone who has the opportunity to work with her.

Even before going into labor, I was impressed with the way Melanie communicated with us. She listened empathetically when we told her about history and preferences, and seemed really well informed about the birthing issues that concerned me. I got the sense that she had great respect for the medical staff she worked alongside, but at the same time wouldn't be afraid to assertively advocate for our needs.

These were the qualities that gave us the confidence to invite Melanie to be at our son's birth, and she more than lived up to our expectations.

As first time parents, having her there made a HUGE difference to our experience. She asked questions I wouldn't have thought to, helped with coping strategies, and suggested ways for my husband to assist. All in all, she helped support us in a way that made labor way less scary than it could have been.

Thank you, Melanie, for being there for us at such a momentous time for our family. We feel lucky to have met you!

Katie Mraz

12/29/2022

From the first interview we had with her to the postpartum visit she provided us after our baby was born, Mel's professionalism, confidence, and depth of experience were on display. We selected Mel after interviewing her because we perceived her to have a warm yet deliberate nature - one that would both comfort and guide us during the main event - and this completely came to fruition. Her values in affirning all birth experiences were also really important to us. During our pregnancy, she shared and discussed resources with us that prepared our minds and hearts for the birth experience. Our birth experience at Swedish First Hill was extremely positive, and Mel was a major part of making that the reality. Here are a few reasons why: Mel validated our concerns as they arose throughout the active labor stage. She made absolutely certain that we knew what our options were and that we felt empowered to make informed decisions, drawing on some of the resources we had discussed long before this moment. She stepped in seamlessly to assist with my pain management with contractions. Her intimate knowledge of the labor and delivery floor meant that she could easily track down more pain management props, fill my ice water, get us snacks, find the midwife or nurse, etc. The hospital team and her worked together with obvious respect. She was warm and easy to talk to during the less intense moments of labor. And perhaps my favorite piece of all: she had the impulse to take photos of us right as our baby entered this world, providing us with some of our most cherished snapshots of the whole process. Mel stayed in touch with us after we brought our baby home, and came over to provide some insights about sleeping and swaddling a week or so after we had begun to settle in. Without a doubt, having Mel with us through this process is one of the best decisions we made and I would recommend working with her to anyone planning to give birth. 

Helen

12/7/2022

Melanie was a wonderful night Doula for our newborn. We were in desperate need of support at short notice, and Melanie was unbelievably empathetic and caring. She earned our trust very quickly (which is not so easy to do as new parents) and was able to learn the ropes of our situation. She helped settle our daughter, feed her during the night, cleaned bottles and pumping parts, and even helped with some rehab exercises our daughter had to do for a medical procedure. Melanie was highly dependable, arriving on time, and responded to communications quickly. She was effortlessly flexible, including collaborating through the apps we were using to track. We cannot recommend her enough. Thank you, Melanie!

Heather

10/17/2022

We were so glad we had Melanie's help during birth and the few weeks after. It was one of the best decisions we made, and I would not hesitate to do it again. Melanie was knowledgeable and communicative from the start, and I instantly felt comfortable and supported. My goal was for an unmedicated vaginal birth, but over the course of 48 (!!) hours of labor, a lot did not go as planned. Melanie's support through all the twists and turns was so incredibly helpful, from helping with comfort and positioning, explaining different options and experiences she's had with other births, advocating for my preferences, and just being a helping hand and source of stability the entire time. We trusted her completely and ended up asking her for some extra help after our baby was born, which was so wonderful and crucial as we were getting established as a new family (including helping us get much-needed sleep!). My highest recommendation!!

Celia

10/11/2022

We are so glad that we chose Melanie to be our doula for the birth of our son. She was professional and knowledgeable throughout the entire process and we appreciate that she regularly checked in on us leading up to the birth, while at the hospital, and after we returned home. She supported both my husband and I during a long labor, and she helped us remain calm and make informed decisions. She assisted with breathing techniques and pain management, and also advocated for our needs during the entire process. It is clear that Melanie cares a lot about the families that she supports and we are so glad that we worked with her. We highly recommend her to anyone searching for a doula!

Marissa Morgan

10/9/2022

Melanie made me feel confident going into labor after we met her and she coached me on her methods for pain relief and strategies for labor. She provided me and my husband tips, hints, and guidance ahead of labor to prepare us and then enacted upon them in the moment while I was distracted by contractions. Her presence in the delivery room was calming to me and was a great partner to me, my husband , and the on staff care team at Swedish Hospitals. 

KatieRose Taulbee

10/7/2022

My husband and I loved working with Melanie as our doula during our son's birth. Melanie is organized, calm, caring, and attentive. She met with us before his birth and helped us think about the parts of our birth experience that we're important to us. She stayed in fantastic touch as we neared his due date and offered suggestions and support as we passed his due date.

During labor Melanie helped my husband and I work though painful contractions and was a fantastic advocate and sounding board as we were faced with medical decisions and challenges. Her presence in the delivery room gave us confidence and provided much needed care and support (it really does take a village).

Melanie checked in with us several times after we were back home and we really appreciated knowing we had her as a resource during those first few weeks. 

We are so glad we got to work with Melanie she helped make our birth experience a positive one! 

Brianna Yelle

8/14/2022

We worked with Melanie as both a birth and post-partum doula. We were so lucky to meet Melanie just a week before our baby was born and are thankful that she was able to be flexible to support our earlier than expected delivery. In the hospital Melanie assisted with pain management positions and breathing techniques. Once my delivery transitioned to an emergency c-section Melanie ensured that I knew what was going on and consented to the decisions that needed to be made. Throughout, she made sure my husband felt informed and involved.

Once we were at home, Melanie provided post-partum services for 5 nights over a few week stretch. We looked forward to the nights when Melanie would come over as we not only got extra sleep but we also learned a lot from Melanie's expertise such as how to soothe our son after a middle of the night feeding. I really appreciate Melanie's flexibility with scheduling which allowed us to adapt appointments to best fit our baby's evolving routine.

Melanie was the third member of our parenting "team" and her constant positivity and encouragement helped us gain confidence as brand new parents. She is a main character in our birth story and the first couple of months of our baby's life! 

Joss

5/20/2022

From the very beginning, I knew we were in great hands with Melanie. She was our overnight postpartum doula for seven weeks, and her support was invaluable. She is proactive, knowledgeable, trustworthy, flexible, kind, thoughtful, and above and beyond supportive. She was always on time (usually early) and super conscientious, always wearing a mask, washing hands, making sure our newborn was safe, offering to pick things up from the store, cleaning bottles, etc. We were able to hand her the baby when she arrived, and she took care of everything overnight so that we could get some much needed rest. We trust her like a family member, and it really made all the difference in helping with recovery. We would absolutely hire Melanie again, as both a postpartum and birth doula. She’s amazing!

Amy Anscher

2/23/2022

My husband and I were given the most amazing gift imaginable—a night doula for six weeks. We didn't even know they existed! We did some research and were referred to Melanie. We were so so lucky to find her. We were immediately comfortable with Melanie staying with our newborn (and our 2.5 year-old in the room next door). She fit right in with our laid-back family. Melanie also went above and beyond on so many occasions—for example: she picked up baby wipes for us while she was at Costco and brought us fresh home-baked goods on multiple occasions (a loaf of challah on Shabbat, and a loaf of  chocolate chip banana bread, which she made vegan for my husband)! Melanie is thoughtful and kind and we miss her (and not just because we are back in newborn reality at night :-P). We would recommend Melanie with high esteem and would hire her again in a heartbeat.

Anna Sweeney

10/11/2021

Melanie came to our rescue at the last minute. We had a postpartum hospitalization and needed help at night with our baby while recovering. She arrived on very short notice and was great with our baby, professional, and kind. We were able to catch up on much needed sleep while knowing our baby was in good hands. We'd definitely recommend Melanie for postpartum and doula needs. 

Amanda safille

10/10/2021

Melanie was incredible. She answered my calls at all hours of the night and helped me as needed. She was patient, educated, reliable and knew her stuff. I suffered with post partum depression and she had all the resources to help me. I would have been lost without her and this was my fourth baby! First or fourth she's worth having!

Robin Jamison

9/12/2021

Melanie helped us out after the birth of our third child.  Having a newborn is such an emotionally and physically  exhausting.  Melanie anticipated my needs, before I even knew what they were.  She texted me several times before she even came to our house to work, to check up on me and see how I was doing.  She was great with my older children.  She was able to give them the attention that they needed at such a sensitive time as well.  I highly recommend her.