Stephanie

10/2/2024

We were so glad we hired Elsie to be a part of our birth story for our daughter Rose. Elsie was calm, dependable, light and brought so much chill energy to my 22 hr delivery. She looked after both me and my husband making sure we had what we needed both emotionally and physically (from the small to the big things) to get through one of the most special, but also challenging days of our lives. Elsie made sure we had space from the medical staff to advocate for our birth plan and make decisions as a family without being rushed even when things didn't go as planned. She helped with different birth positions and teamed up with the nursing staff to help us through. Elsie was the friend that we needed that day & she was also so helpful afterwards visiting postpartum and checking in our physical and emotional well-beings & that of our daughter Rose. We are so grateful we had Elsie. You won't regret having her as your doula!   

Kait

6/25/2024

TLDR: Hire Elsie. You won't regret it. She is the calm friend + advocate you want/need.

My husband + I still talk about how different the delivery of our second baby was compared to our first (traumatic for everyone), and we give so much credit for that to Elsie. Elsie has this chill and calm vibe, so even in the moments where I would have usually been swearing, crying, or scared her calmness was able to ground me in a calmness I never expected of myself given our traumatic + stressful first delivery. 

She took the time to get to know us, the story of the first delivery, our worries, fears, hopes, etc. As well as what would help not just me, but also my husband as he carried some fears from the first time around. I know husbands can often get ignored or their feelings + thoughts get written off as irrelevant but this was still a highly emotional thing for him too, + I wanted to make sure his concerns and hopes were heard as well. 

She never pushed anything on me + always asked what I wanted. And with that, she never had this air about her that "she knew best" and I needed to just listen to her. Which was great because I wanted to feel as though I had some control over this delivery, I didn't want to be told to do certain things or made to feel what I was hoping for was silly. For example, Elsie remembered that sometimes when I'm hurting I don't want to be touched. So she made sure to ask me before using counter pressure during contractions. She also knew that I hoped to hold out as long as possible before getting an epidural + helped me work through different alternative pain relief methods that helped get me closer to the pushing stage w/o medication.

Running out of space - She is amazing. All we could have hoped for in a doula

Jessica

8/25/2023

Elsie was a very calming presence during my labor and delivery. She covered for my initial doula who had to attend another birth. We met her in the middle of the night during active labor and she stepped right in to help me with comfort meaures and help my husband participate as well. We used different positions on the floor and bed with counter-pressure, as well as hydrotherapy in a tub. Elsie suggested labor positions while cueing into my needs to help me find the best ways to cope. Her words and actions were very calming and encouraging, which helped me progress through labor without using pain medication. I'm so glad Elsie was a part of my baby's labor and birth.