Marissa Nakano

11/11/2024

Having Mirai as my doula was one of the best decisions I made for my pregnancy and postpartum experiences! She is calm, kind, empathetic, dependable, knowledgeable, and professional. Mirai exudes tranquility, which was exactly what me and my partner needed when heading into the unknown of birth and parenthood. She's an excellent listener and never once made us feel judged for asking those persistent new parent questions. Mirai made herself accessible via text and phone call 24/7 and if she knew ahead of time she would be busy with another client or another event, she let us know in advance. I would hire Mirai again in a heartbeat!

Chelsea Palmer

10/21/2024

Mirai was incredible to work with! From the initial education sessions to my actual birth, she was supportive, flexible, and a calming presence. My labor was close to 30 hours and Mirai came to our house to help with pain management and assess when we should go to the hospital. Once we got to the hospital, she advocated for me to get pain relief as quickly as possible while also reassuring me that what I was experiencing was normal and told me I was doing a great job. While I was expecting to have a vaginal birth, I ended up having to have a c-section. At that moment, my husband and I were in shock and pure exhaustion, but we were able to rely on Mirai to help us work through a completely different birth plan and experience. She did not only provide comfort to me but was able to help my husband understand what this meant and how my recovery would be different. After giving birth, my husband and I texted and went on walks with Mirai to process my birth experience as it had been one that we did not expect. Nonetheless, I gave birth to a very healthy beautiful baby and felt at peace through all of the curve balls and long labor because of Mirai. 

Sarah S.

8/4/2023

Mirai was exactly what I had hoped for in a doula. She was able to prepare my husband and I leading up to the birth by sharing information in ways that spoke to our differing learning styles so that we were ready for all possibilities. I was super thankful for this preparation because my birth turned out the opposite of what I had originally planned due to health issues. Despite those changes, Mirai was there through it all. A calm voice in the chaos, and a strong hand to hold. The birth was a whirlwind but some of my most vivid memories are Mirai being that steady presence, calming me and guiding me through it all. Everyone came out of the birth healthy, and I believe Mirai is one of the main reasons that we did so. 

Mia

1/21/2023

Mirai was a fantastic part of our birth team, and we highly recommend her. We ‘clicked’ with her as soon as we had our first virtual conversation, when she combined calm, expertise, and a self-deprecating sense of humor. During our prenatal visits, she was endlessly patient and data-driven as we worked through our many questions and anxieties, and helped me feel very prepared for the unmedicated birth I wanted. She helped us feel confident that we had thought through the key decisions we might face in the moment. She also helped me work through the rollercoaster of emotions I was going through in the final weeks of my pregnancy! At the birth, I ended up needing less hands-on assistance and pain management support from Mirai than I had anticipated because my labor progressed quite fast, but having her reassuring, encouraging presence in the most intense moments was so helpful, and in the end, she was the one who could tell I was starting to unconsciously push, and had to inform/persuade the incredulous labor nurses to call the midwife :) 

Overall Mirai was so thoughtful, organized, and kind throughout our birth journey with her - we’re so grateful to have had her support!

Ashley and David

10/14/2022

Mirai is simply the best. In our search for a doula, we wanted someone who we felt safe with, could trust, was experienced, and would fiercely advocate for our needs in either a birth center or hospital birth setting while supporting both of us. From our first consult with Mirai we felt instantly at ease. Throughout our time together Mirai helped us feel in control, safe, and totally prepared (almost over prepared!) for the birth of our first babe. In our prep visits she took the time to really get to know us, meet our needs, and explore all of our particular concerns. Her preparation and organization was apparent and helped the whole process go smoothly. During our labor experience, which was really smooth and positive, she skillfully and compassionately guided us through providing just the right amount of support for both of us. And after the birth, her check-ins, visits, support, and advice were so helpful as we figured our way through the first weeks of parenthood.

Mirai brings a particularly great skill set of evidence-based knowledge, humor, warmth, authenticity, and compassion that made our pregnancy and birth experience so much easier. We could not imagine our daughter’s birth without her! We are so grateful that Mirai was part of our birth team and wholeheartedly recommend her!

Liz & Tom

9/20/2022

We highly would recommend Mirai to anyone looking for a kind, caring, and attentive doula for their birth, for both mom and partner.

As we prepared for our first baby’s arrival, we searched for a doula who we could trust to support and advocate for us in both a birth center and hospital setting-- someone who would not only offer me (mom) support during labor and birth, but who would also provide my partner (dad) helpful guidance, too. We are so lucky to have found Mirai! From the very beginning, Mirai was flexible to meet our specific needs. But more than that, from our first session together she turned our feelings of anxiety into ones of confidence and excitement. Mirai has a trusted, calming presence and is very easy to talk to-- important characteristics for such an intimate activity together.

Mirai pays close attention to your needs and tailors her approach accordingly. Her style is to discuss with you all of your options, and while she is willing to offer her recommendation if needed, she actively helps you make your own decisions.

During our prenatal visits together, Mirai answered our many questions with informed, evidence-based answers and prepared us to think through the types of scenarios we’d encounter. This also helped her to know how best to advocate for us when the time came. When I finally entered early labor, it was helpful to have her readily available to answer quick questions and remove any doubt (there is a lot of it at that time!). And during active labor, she guided us into the best positions to move baby; her grounding touch during contractions made a world of difference; and she made sure that dad was taking care of himself, too. Last but not least, during our postpartum visit, Mirai helped us process our birth experience together to a degree that I don’t think we would have been able to do on our own.

We feel so lucky to have had Mirai at our first birth.

Mel

7/14/2022

The search for a doula is like finding a trusted friend that you can be vulnerable with and share all your concerns, hopes and weird questions. Mirai was introduced by another doula-friend and I could not be more pleased with how my doula-dream team came out. As a nurse and having some familiarity with the birthing process I wanted a doula that knows their stuff. Mirai is that perfect balance of compassion and evidence-based knowledge – and this is difficult to find. She practices patient-centered care, uses trauma-informed and inclusive language and made me feel at ease. I asked hard questions and Mirai always seemed to have the latest data that informed her recommendations. She is gentle in her advice and is all about shared decision-making. Moreover, I trusted her to make the right decision with my partner if there were ever a need. 

Mirai and team went above and beyond for our prenatal care and when we ended up having a home delivery. Mirai came to debrief and provide comfort in what had transpired. Her support during postpartum and specifically with discussing breastfeeding are conversations that made me feel comforted in a difficult time. I had received so many different opinions on lactation and Mirai met me where I was and in her “caring approach” offered suggestions and made me feel good about my progress with our baby. 

I believe Mirai has plans to continue her career in birthing and I would recommend her in any role or capacity she possesses at the time you call upon her. P.s. she is now a trusted friend.

Bennett Collier

4/30/2022

Mirai is amazing! She was so flexible and understanding of our needs right from the start. Our prenatal visits were thorough and extremely personalized. We talked through every element of what we wanted our birth to be like and she offered a variety of suggestions based on her experiences. She was beyond supportive during labor and has been incredible during postpartum, too. Mirai is such a light and I highly recommend working with her!

Siobhan

4/29/2022

Having Mirai as my doula was absolutely one of the best decisions I made during my pregnancy and postpartum journey. She was unconditionally supportive all along the way, and helped me navigate a variety of questions and challenges from start to finish. With her help, I went from being completely overwhelmed and not knowing where to begin, to putting together a wonderful birth plan I felt great about. She was a fantastic advocate during the birth, engaging hospital staff about my birth preferences and working excellently with my partner to provide me with amazing hands on support for both the unmedicated and medicated portions of my labor. She is warm, understanding, and a great listener, and acted with wonderful attention and care. I was initially very fearful and apprehensive about the birth, which seemed like it would have potentially more interventions than I was comfortable with, but with Mirai's help, I was able to transform the experience into a beautiful and empowering labor and delivery in which every intervention was absolutely appropriate, necessary, and evidance-based. My son, a large baby, was delivered healthy, safe, and is now thriving. Her postpartum support was also invaluable and as a new mom, I really benefitted from the guidance, reassurance, friendship, and of course, the helping hands she provided. I couldn’t be more grateful for her expert help and calming presence. She made my son’s birth a wonderful and treasured experience!