Joan

7/20/2024

I had a fantastic experience with Olivia. Olivia was my doula for my very first pregnancy, and I found her to be warm, helpful, reliable, and altogether a wonderful support. She was always willing to work with our quirks (for instance, my husband and I are very information-hungry; Olivia provided anything we asked for, and did extra research in support).

Olivia visited our house three times before I went into labor, and brought along helpful materials for preparing for the birth, including guiding us through a birth plan and showing us a video of an unmedicated birth, which I had never seen before and found especially useful in visualizing what I was preparing for. When I went into labor, it was so comforting knowing that she was only ever a text or a phone call away, and she came over to our house yet again to keep me company in early labor while my husband got a couple of hours of well needed sleep. I think having her to rely on helped me do the bulk of my labor at home -- I got to the hospital at 7cm dilated, and my daughter was born only four hours later. I had an unmedicated birth, and it was a phenomenal experience. When things got tricky in the afterbirth (my placenta got stuck), she was there to hold my hand in the OR while my husband stayed with our baby. I was so grateful for her presence. 

All in all, I highly recommend Olivia as a doula -- I would absolutely hire her again. 

Kaya

6/18/2024

Olivia is approachable, knowledgeable, and warm and spent so many hours getting to know me (and my partner) in the months before my birth. I had so many questions and she patiently answered them all. I felt way better about going into labor knowing that Olivia would be there by my side throughout. As a trauma survivor, I fully trusted Olivia to advocate for me if the need arose. 

I was diagnosed with preeclampsia at 40+4 and had to be induced. When labor finally really started, my baby was wedged in an unideal position that triggered an overwhelming urge to push when I was only 4cm dilated. Ultimately, it was Olivia who saved me from needing a C-section. Over the course of 3-4 hours she did spinning babies techniques with me to get the baby correctly positioned and allow me to fully dilate. 

I ended up pushing for a very long time. For hours, Olivia physically supported me so I could continue to make progress even as I got tired, once again averting a possible C-section. 

Then there was the breastfeeding support. Olivia came over a few days after the birth when we were still struggling with latching. She offered validation and support and stayed with us for hours until we were latching better. Olivia was back at one month and once again helped fine-tune our nursing technique. It's now been 4.5 months and we're still EBF, bb is growing like a weed, and my breasts are (basically) pain-free. 

I cannot recommend Olivia enough. In my case, there were a series of situations where her support and expertise made a huge physical difference in the outcomes for both me and my baby. But even if everything had been as smooth as possible, I would have wanted Olivia there. I knew she was in my corner and that she would provide the physical and emotional support I needed. The little twinkly candles that she brought to create a peaceful atmosphere in the delivery room was just a lovely bonus.