Sharmaine Serapio

3/26/2024

*Prefacing my review by saying that I read through most if not all of Taryn’s reviews here on Google and on DoulaMatch.net and I 1000000% agree with every single word the other women have written about her. There’s honestly not enough words to describe how wonderful of a doula and person she is, but below is my “short” summary of my experience with her :) *

I chose to hire a doula for my second birth as I was very passionate to have a vbac (vaginal birth after cesarean). Research has shown that having a skilled doula can lower your chances of having a c-section in general and this was hugely important to me so I could be as fully functional as I could after delivery to be with my toddler too.

As I started to find doulas that could support me in this journey, I found Taryn, and it turns out she was a God-send. I mostly searched for a doula with vbac experience but to unexpectedly find one that was also a Christian was exactly what I needed.

She is highly knowledgeable about physiological birth and current hospital practices and she uses her vast birthing experience to support moms. Taryn worked well with my midwife team. When labour needed to progress a little more, Taryn was proactive in getting me into positions that would do so. She exudes confidence and calmness and provides a sense of peace in the birth room. Taryn ensured that everyone in the room knew and honoured my birth preferences as best as possible. She supported me even when I deviated from my birth plan and she made me feel empowered and confident to make those decisions for myself because she educated me and answered every single one of my questions.

If I could be pregnant all the time I would, just so I would get to work with Taryn as my doula! People talk about “labour must-haves” or “pregnancy must-haves”, and Taryn as your doula is at the top of that list for me!

Jana O’Reilly

3/25/2024

We are so grateful for Taryn’s support during our daughter’s birth. She was invaluable to us while our daughter was taken to the nursery and transferred to NICU. Thank you so much Taryn

Jennie G

3/14/2024

We searched high and low for the right Christian doula to support us during our pregnancy and birth. We were blessed to find Taryn. Taryn is a phenomenal doula and hiring her was one of the best decisions we made. She exceeded our expectations and supported us in more ways than we could have asked for. She is highly knowledgeable about all things pregnancy/birth/postpartum. We also hired her as our birth photographer which was a great decision. Most importantly, her love for her work is palpable. Thank you for everything Taryn!

Megan Bamgbade

3/13/2024

Taryn is a gem. It was really important to my husband and I that we had a doula who shared our faith as Christians. With birth being such a significant event I wanted to know that my doula would be able to support us not only physically & mentally but also spiritually. I went into my birth feeling educated and ready to make any decisions necessary, with a birth plan I was confident in. Taryn responded very quickly to all messages and calls. She was great with all the hospital staff and stepped in to ask questions or make suggestions when she could. She was encouraging, knowledgeable, and was a calming presence in the birth room. She knew when to step in and when to give space. You can really tell how passionate she is about her work! Highly recommend Taryn to anyone looking for a doula - we will definitely use her again!

Belinda Linde

3/11/2024

Taryn was supportive and encouraging throughout labour and delivery. She helped us decide when to go to the hospital, offered tips to help during labour and was readily available for any questions we had throughout the pregnancy. She radiates warmth and enthusiasm and you can tell she loves what she does! Thank you Taryn for supporting us through what can be an uncertain but exciting time!

Bethany

12/15/2023

Because birthing a child is such a vulnerable and intimate process, we were specifically hoping to find a Christian doula who shared the same worldview. Having a doula who shared the same worldview made me feel more comfortable having the things I knew would make me feel at ease as much as possible throughout my labour: Playing worship music, and prayer. I loved knowing that Taryn was there not only to support my husband and I emotionally and with whatever we needed during the labour, but through prayer as well. Knowing that she was interceding for us during our labour was powerful, comforting, comforting, and reassuring. I also loved that because we share the same worldview, I could easily share how I felt about parenthood -- mainly the challenges/santifying process that comes with parenting, and the beautiful honour of stewarding little ones and raising them to image who God is to the world. I loved hearing about Taryn's experiences has a mother as well.

Taryn has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to prenatal, labour, and postpartum. She offers extensive time to discuss your birth plan and go over all of your informed choices. Because this was our second birth, we requested to not go over everything as thouroughly, and appreciated that she let us choose what we wanted to go over, and how in depth we wanted to go with each decision we were to make.

On the day of our labour I updated her with how I was feeling, and despite me not thinking it was time yet, Taryn camped out close to our home. I am so gratefuly that she and my husband followed their instincts / her past experience to have Taryn nearby, so that when I wanted her to come, she was only a few minutes away. During the labour she was great at advocating for my requests, particularly my request for calmness / quietness in the room. We would highly recommend Taryn to anyone looking for a doula!

Kai meinders

11/9/2023

She was really helpful. I loved having her support. I will be using her again for my next kid

Chauntel Watts

8/16/2023

Taryn felt like a friend from the moment we first met with her over Zoom. We had a wonderful experience with a doula for our first child's birth, but that doula moved out of town before our second pregnancy. I wanted to have a doula again for our second child and knew upon meeting that Taryn would be a perfect fit. She was available all throughout my pregnancy for any questions and would check in often to see how I was doing. Our prenatal appointments (both over Zoom and in person) helped my husband and I both to feel confident, educated, and supported going into the labour. My first labour was 24 hours, with an epidural and 2 hours of pushing at the end. Going into this second birth experience I was hoping for a shorter labour and the ability to be more present during the experience and not overwhelmed by anxiety and pain. Taryn was so supportive and encouraging when developing our birth preferences, and I felt very empowered to trust myself and my ability to bring my baby girl into the world. My labour ended up being VERY quick - I was texting Taryn in the morning on Mother's Day and let her know I was going to get a midwife check around 11:30am. She rushed over to the hospital and thankfully arrived in time for my short labour and delivery of our baby girl at 2pm. I am so grateful for Taryn's positive encouragement during the birth and in the hours afterwards. She stayed at the hospital with us to make sure baby girl latched well, to get my husband and I food and drinks, and to make sure we felt rested and comfortable before she left. Our birth experience was so amazing with Taryn's support. I will be recommending her to all of my friends going through pregnancy and postpartum! 

Sydney Gorden

8/16/2023

Taryn was amazing throughout my pregnancy, labour and birth.

As someone who has had severe mistreatment by the medical feild Taryn made sure I felt safe, heard and respected. She also ensured I had all the information in order to make informed decisions.

She answered all my crazy pregnancy questions and my partner has recommended her to everyone he can because he found her to be an amazing asset. He felt supported and appreciated having someone to guide him in ways to help and support me.

We sing Taryns praises anytime we can and already have her as our #1 must have when we go ta have baby number 2. She is worth her weight in gold and I know my pregnancy, labour, and birth would have been much different without her.

If you want someone to offer guidance, kindness, have your back, and do it all with an amazing sense of humour stop looking, you've found her!

Lucy

6/16/2023

We had planned to do a nat birth at home, but ended up having an emerg csection. For the time we were home, it was nice having Taryn there for support. She gave us some space, while being available when needed. It was a blessing to have her help at the hospital. After not progressing much after 24 hrs and being in extreme pain, I got an epidural. Taryn was understanding of that and cont. to be encouraging. Shortly after, the nurses & midwife noticed that my baby's heart rate was dropping (likely from distress from how long I was in labour). After being told I would have an emerg c-sec, I was shocked bc right before that I was told I was 9 cm dilated. Of course, I understood that this was to rescue my baby and that's more important than anything. Not only did Taryn encourage& reassure me during this extremely difficult time, she prayed w/ me for God to protect my baby & keep him alive. Before finding that out, we thought there was time for my husband to get some of our belongings from home. Thankfully, she called him before leaving the hosp, to see me before getting into the OR. After our precious baby boy was born, my husband held him&did skin to skin. When I regained consciousness, Taryn was there by my side, and showed me pics of my baby as he was in the Nicu w/ my husband. Then she switched spots w/  my husband and went to be w/ baby while Eric(hubs), came up to be w/ me. We're grateful that our boy was never left alone w/ someone we didn't know. Thankfully, he was healthy and able to come up with us to our room shortly after. After getting settled, Taryn gave us privacy as a family to enjoy our baby while still being available over text/phone if needed. A few days after, she stopped by let me vent about the L&D and ppartum. If we still lived in BC, we would 100% have Taryn as our doula again! We were so grateful to have her. She was so encouraging, knowledgeable, compassionate, etc... Definitely worth it having her there! 

Aman

3/23/2023

We cannot thank Taryn enough for the support she has provided. She is funny m, kind and super easy going. She made my and my husbands birth experience very positive. I'm so thankful I used you as my Doula!

thank you for making it all so easy for us! 

Annaëlle

2/8/2023

My experience with Taryn was very short but just what I needed. I contacted her last minute at 36 weeks pregnant, in need of more emotional support for the birth of my  baby girl n2. It was tricky because I had a planned C-Section during the Christmas holidays but there was a possibility that Baby would arrive earlier. Our first talk in a video-call felt right to me. She was immediately available and open. Listening to my story and needs and sharing her experiences and knowledge with me. I felt unterstood and supported from the moment we connected. I was going through a difficult 3rd trimester with depression and anxiety, I was exhausted and drawning in my sadness and negativity some days. Taryn had the enthousiasm and positivity I needed. Respecting my feelings and gently giving me tools to re-orientate my thoughts towards the beauty and happiness of my daughter's upcoming birth. I am so gratefull for that.

In the end my daughter came without appointment. We called Taryn around 2am from the ambulance and she rushed to the hospital as fast as possible. She arrived only a few minutes after my daughter's birth by emergency C-section and she was there with my partner when I opened my eyes. She handled nurses and doctors for me, asking all the questions to have the full story and making sure I am confortable. She stayed with me and Baby while my partner had to go home to organize things. We talked and laughed, she kept that positivity going even after a scary heavy birth experience. After her visit at home, as I was asking for it, she sent me a written report of my delivery based on her experience, well detailed and timed. 

I deeply appreciated her availability and presence in so short notice. Our experience together was very brief and intense but fully filled my needs.
Thank you Taryn for your ability to transmit your strength and positive dynamic, you are definitely right for this beautiful profession. ***

Ariel

1/26/2023

With this being my first ever pregnancy, I had a lot of fears and anxiety about childbirth and the post partum period. Taryn helped educate and comfort me with the process which really made me feel supported and heard. Although my labour process was hard, Taryn was there to help me with everything I needed and kept me calm. She ensured my partner and I were hydrated and nourished during our childbirth journey and gave me the strength I needed to bring my beautiful baby boy into the world. If it wasn't for her love, amazing energy and positive attitude I don't think I would of been able to do it. She truly is a god send and I would highly recommend her to anyone in need of a doula. Thanks again for such a beautiful experience Taryn! 

Kayla Gragasin

1/25/2023

Taryn was amazing. This is my first baby as I am a young mom. Having a doula was one thing that I would recommend to everyone! She helped me feel comfortable in every way possible, especially with pre planning before birth too. She created a bond which created trust between one another! 

my water broke around 6-7am and she's the very first person I called. 

she called me throughout the day seeing how I was progressing and how I was feeling. Which also was great. I felt supported.

once I arrived at the hospital she was the first person to meet me! 

during labour she made sure I was comfortable and I knew she was right there every step of the way.

thank you so much Taryn! I couldn't have asked for a better birth!!

Grant and Jodie

10/30/2022

Bringing our son into the world was the best and most amazing experience. We loved every minute of it and it was a big thanks fo Taryn who created such an uplifting, encouraging and fun atmosphere throughout our journey. She guided us through all our questions and held our hand through the delivery. There was never a beat missed. She had such an incredible energy for all 40 hours of labour and stayed right to the very end with her infectious smile and warm energy. Thank you Taryn for being apart of our story, we won't ever forget it. 

Martina Menzies

9/29/2022

Taryn was the absolutely most incredible doula we could asked for! Right from the beginning, she was incredibly energetic and positive and knowledgable with everything and made my husband and I feel entirely comfortable with our first baby. One of our favourite moments was when we got to the hospital when I was in labour and the first person we saw was Taryn and it made us feel like we were at home. She was our cheerleader throughout the entire experience and really there for my husband and myself while I was in labor. I would recommend Taryn to anybody looking for a Doula and I've already done so with many of my friends. Our favourite things about Taryn were that she normalized so much of what we were going through when we had absolutely no idea what would happen and what was happening. She was incredible!! 

Ariana

9/24/2022

So thankful to have had Taryn as our doula! She spends quality time to ensure she knows your plans,wants, and desires and will advocate those for you at your birth! She also doesn't pressure you into doing anything you are not comfortable with, which was a huge must for me. Total bonus that she is also a fellow Christian mama, which changes the game in a birth space to all be worshipping Jesus together ♥? 

Stacy

9/20/2022

This was our first pregnancy and my husband and I wanted to have a doula as an extra member of support and resources. In our consultation with Taryn, we knew she was the person we wanted. She has an easy going personality, is kind and thoughtful, has a wealth of knowledge, and made us feel so comfortable in the first interaction.

During labour, Taryn made sure both my husband and I were comfortable, hydrated, and understood everything the doctors and nurses were telling us. Our birth plan was not at the forefront of our minds but Taryn was there to advocate for us and ensure what we wanted happened. I have allergies that affect my care and I didn't realize that I wasn't given an allergy band, and I discussed my allergies when I came in, Taryn was the one who noticed and asked the nurses for an allergy band. All these details, Taryn was there so that my husband and I could just focus on each other and baby. In a time that I was in pain and so scared, Taryn was there for support and guiding us through the process, ensuring I was as comfortable as could be and that my pain was being managed by non-medicinal and medicinal interventions. Having Taryn was that piece of the process that we are forever going to be grateful that she was a part of.

We also had Taryn photograph our labour and delivery. She said she was our doula first and photographer second, and not once did I feel she was our doula second. She was able to do both but ensuring she was our doula first. She captured so many special moments of myself, between my husband and I, of baby, and our family. I am so glad we asked her to do photos because I have beautiful pictures to look back on.

Ashley Campbell

9/19/2022

Taryn was great all threw my pregnancy. She never made me feel stupid for not knowing things and was very knowledgeable when asked questions. She is very very personable and we were very comfortable with her right away. My husband was very nervous being a first time dad and Taryn helped to ease most of his nerves about the birth. I didn't get to have her there with me for the birth as I was rushed into an emergency c section BUT if it wasn't for Taryn I wouldn't have gone to the hospital at all. I didnt think anything was wrong when it totally was and Taryn caught it and sent us to the hospital. We are very very greatful to have an amazing baby boy. He and I are doing great thanks to Taryn sending us to get checked out. Things would have gone much worse if she hadn't been our doula and sent us! She did many photos after he was born with family and loved ones which I know will be amazing! Then we also did a newborn photo shoot later and it was easy and stress free. Even when our boy was fussy it didn't feel rushed. We definitely felt so cared for threw everything we did with Taryn and are very greatful for all her hard work! I will be recommending Taryn to anyone who is looking for a doula! We are forever greatful to her! 

Carmella

9/18/2022

Taryn was a wonderful help during my labour!  She was second hands for my husband, advocates for my birth plan, the best she could safetly.  Taryn recommended the tens machine at the right time, and had other "goodies" to help me along with my wish for a labour without pain meds.  I would definetly hire Taryn again :) 

Natallia

9/17/2022

If you are looking for a doula with a bubbly cheerful personality, who is passionate about what she does and listens to all your preferences and wishes without pushing her own opinion on you, you don't need to look more, Taryn will be a match for you, your partner and your baby.

We hired Taryn as our birthing doula and a photographer for our first pregnancy. Looking for a doula we really wanted to have somebody who could play both roles as I wanted as few people in the room as possible, but also wanted to capture these first moments once the baby has arrived.

Taryn started to support me long before the labour started. She was always there several minutes away with the reply for any question that I had. She shared learning materials, videos and inspiring birth stories to minimize my fear and prepare me for labour as much as possible.

My labour started in the hospital with the induction and Taryn wasn't even on call for me yet as it was a little bit early in my pregnancy still. But once we called her, she was there within an hour and a half. I had quite a quick labour and an epidural, so the main support Taryn provided was related to cheering me up, helping me concentrate and making sure the atmosphere in the room is exciting and happy.

And on top of that, we got beautiful pictures that we will cherish all our lives.

Ruta

9/17/2022

I am very thankful for Taryn I am really thankful for Taryn for assisting me during the pregnancy and birth!

I am a newcomer in CA. I came here during my pregnancy. That means I really needed not only technical information but the emotional help as well. I had a huge fear to take a birth. Taryn helped me to deal with it and be ready. My birth went well but it took so long! I was earlier in the hospital regarding some emergencies. Taryn visited me before my labour starts a few times. It was unexpected and super supportive. She was dealing with the hospital nurses and also was a great help for my husband. Thanks a lot for everything! especially for your very good humor and positivity??

Stephanie

9/17/2022

taryn is amazing in everyway ?? she didn't know me at all , but she reached out to me and was at my daughters birth via C-section for me cause my partner couldn't be there and I was super nervous about the surgery but she is very supportive & loving ??she was there for me before , during & after my daughter was born , I was in recovery and she was right there making sure I was okay and had everything I needed and went to check on my daughter in nicu when I couldn't ?? I highly recommend her for a doula to anyone ?? can't thank you enough taryn your my life saver ! Xo 

Amy Dhatt-Dherari

5/12/2022

I intially was looking into hiring a photographer for the birth of my daughter, however, the second I spoke with Taryn we clicked instantly, and I wanted to try this doula thing out! It was by far one of the best decisions I had made during my pregnancy! You will be blown away by her work from her professionalism, organization, promptness, passion, kindness, loving and beyond caring nature.  In addition, her photography work truly speaks for itself.

As a doula, I found Tayrn to bring a very dynamic role to her services,  both from her schooling and personal experience in raising her three beautiful children.

What I valued most about Taryn was that she never pushed anything on you, she gave you information for everything, was honest, upfront, and allowed you to make your own informed decision and was your biggest supporter.

From a photography aspect, the pictures she took are honestly my most prized possessions & they will take your breath away! Her imagery captures a raw & natural feel, & the pictures instantly take me back to those intense but euphoric moments of getting to hold my baby girl in my arms.

During the delivery, Taryn was never in the way, but had an effervescent way of checking in on my husband and I, while at the same time, being professional yet very friendly with the staff. She had a tonne of equipment with her to help make my birthing experience easier & she really does think of everything! We had made a birthing plan together & made sure my wishes were taken care of that day.

Some people are destined for greatness, and without a doubt, Taryn is one of those people.  She was truly put on this planet to be a doula and birthing photographer.  

Emily Hatcher-Wall

3/10/2022

Were does one begin? Taryn has been one of my biggest rocks since my teens so not only is she just pure gold in general it is a complete honor to have had her as our doula she is 100% professional calm at all times and stands strong for your wishes to be met she is just the best all around I highly recommend her i feel very blessed and honored to have her by our sides couldn't ask for a better soul sister , photographer and best of all doula to bring our precious angel into this world best doula anyone could ask for you need a doula she is most definitely your gal!