Emily

3/19/2024

If you are looking for a doula, I highly recommend Dawne. Upon our initial meeting, I knew there was something different about her. She supported me emotionally and mentally throughout the pregnancy. She answered all my questions, gave me evidence based advice, helped me feel supported as well as seen and heard. My pregnancy was complicated due to several reasons: I was seeking a VBAC due to my first being breech positioning; further I was categorized as advanced maternal age and obese due to having a bmi of over 30. Dawne calmed my nerves about all of this. She was steady, nurturing and supportive. Any time I updated Dawne throughout the pregnancy, she was there for me. She made great recommendations: including downloading/purchasing VBAC visualization/success tracks which helped me immensely! She has empathy and a wealth of knowledge regarding pregnancy and delivery. When I went into labor, Dawne was there supporting my husband and me. When I felt unsure if I could do it, she was there, helping with pain measurements and helping me repeat mantras to help me through to my successful VBAC. I was in awe that I did it and I’m  not sure I could have without her. She then supported me through the early post partum days when I had questions. We are so thrilled to have found Dawne and I cannot recommend her services enough. She is a doula angel!

Katie B Coffey

2/28/2024

Dawne has been present for both of our births and we cannot recommend her enough. For both births, she was available by phone in Early Labor providing helpful resources for positioning and laboring at home. For our first birth, she was with us in the hospital for a considerable amount of time -- supporting us with decision making, maintaining movement, offering different positions, and emotional support during a long and tiresome labor. For our second birth, she helped us labor at home so that when we arrived to the hospital we were already complete and could begin pushing! Again, her support was invaluable and I attribute two wonderful birthing experiences to her care and expertise. I would highly recommend Dawne! 

Katie C.

1/19/2022

Dawne is a wonderful doula and I would highly recommend her to anyone seeking extra support during pregnancy, birth, and post-partum. We met Dawne late in our pregnancy and are so glad our paths overlapped. It was a great fit right from the start! Dawne has a wonderful foundation of experience, evidence-based research, and a caring personality that we felt very comfortable with having her help us with decision-making and the entire labor process. Our labor was quite long and Dawne helped us remain positive, resilient, and advocated for our birth preferences. Not only was Dawne a wonderful support to me (the mama) but she was also a great companion for my partner during the entire experience. I have only wonderful things to say about Dawne and can't wait to work with her in the future. 

Sarah McCluskey

7/11/2017

Dawn was absolutely amazing. With my second pregnancy, I was determined to have a VBAC. I had done all the research, and knew that the success rates were much higher if you had a doula. Dawn had attended many VBACs in the past, which was a big reason I chose her. When I met with her for the first time, I felt very comfortable with her and knew that it would be a great fit! She didn't force any of her beliefs or opinions on me, but helped guide me in my decisions.

Dawn volunteered to go to one of my doctor appointments so that she could meet with my Doctor, which I think was really helpful. When I went into labor, I stayed in contact with Dawn all day. She was always responsive, and offered great advice on how to cope with the contractions, what to watch out for, and when to go to the hospital. She met us at the hospital in the middle of the night and stayed by my side for the 8 hours I was in labor. She was so attentive and was such a good support system. My husband could barely stay awake, but felt confident in taking some time to rest knowing that Dawn was taking such good care of me.

My doctor was not on call that day, and the doctor on call was not pro-VBAC. She helped keep her at bay, helped keep me calm, and gave me the confidence I needed to push back on this doctor who was trying to scare me into a c-section. Amazingly, my doctor showed up on her day off at the 11th hour to deliver my son when she saw that I had been checked in to the hospital. Without the support of Dawn and my amazing doctor, I don't know if I would've been able to achieve my VBAC.

If I have another child, Dawn will be one of the first people I call!

Tobi Collins-Weingart

2/1/2017

Let me begin by saying that I do not describe myself as a crunchy mom. I sought a doula to help guide my husband and I through our first delivery. We didn't know what to expect! That's where Dawne comes in. Dawne is a treasure. A mother herself, Dawne provided support, education, and her genuine spirit in supporting our first delivery. She identified resources that I could read, educational opportunities, and supported our birth plan. I originally planned for a hypnobirth which Dawne has experience in supporting, but when the 18th hour of labor hit and I needed more medical intervention than I originally planned, Dawne was supportive and guided us through that process. I delivered my beautiful daughter the next morning. Dawne provided both prenatal meetings and postnatal follow up and support. I think one of the best things she brought was instilling confidence in my husband. Her presence and instruction during my birth allowed him to be a more active participant in this birthing of our daughter. I recommend Dawne to any family--first birth or last; home, center, or hospital; medicated or unmedicated. She can support it all. You, your family and your baby would be lucky to have her.

Erin Wilson Finlay

5/17/2015

Having gone through a very traumatic c section with our first daughter, we knew we wanted to do things differently with our second. Our hope was for a VBAC. We did a lot of research and decided it would be best to hire a doula to increase our chances of a successful VBAC. We met with several well qualified doulas, but knew immediately when meeting Dawne that she was a perfect fit for us. She is kind, compassionate, knowledgeable, and we shared the same beliefs about healthy living. We had several very informative meetings with Dawne before my due date. Unfortunately our hope for a VBAC did not happen due to several complications. Dawne was in constant communication with us, offering kind words and support. Our daughter was born healthy and that is really all that matters. Dawne encapsulated my placenta, which was great. Not having done this with my first, I noticed a big difference in milk supply and overall mood. She came for post partum visits, with yummy lactation cookies and great breastfeeding and baby advice. Even though our birth wasnt as planned, Dawne was a wonderful support to us during the entire process.

Donna Kuo

1/15/2015

Hiring Dawne was the best decision we ever made when I gave birth to my first. So naturally, we hired her again for our second child. Dawne was very supportive with my decision to do an unmedicated birth. I had gestational diabetes with my pregnancy so I ended up getting pitocin, but I was able to labor without an epidural.  Without Dawne, I definitely wouldn't have been able to do it alone. She was hands on and helped me be calm and relaxed.

Ashley Rothweiler

6/10/2014

From the first time I met Dawne, through the preparation of our birth, my labor and delivery and even until today 4.5 months after my birth, my experience has always been absolutly amazing!

I can assure you that you won't be disappointed if you hire Dawne, she cares a great deal about her clients, she goes above and beyond to make you feel important and involove your signafant other in the creation of your birthing plan. The time leading up to my birth and during my labor she was respectful of our families wishes and did her best to help us  reach our goals.

My labor progressed very quickly and intensly and I was not able to follow my birth plan how I planned, but my decision to have an epidural was the right choice for me and ultimately I gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Dawne stuck by my side the entire way, never passing judgement and continually kept my birth plan in mind so we could still try to incorporate as much of it as possible. During my labor she worked with the nurses, gave my husband a break to run out to get our bags, massaged my feet and other general support. While pushing she took some priceless photos of our son being born! Before she left for the night, she helped with breast feeding and establishing that first latch. I also hired Dawne to encapsuate my placenta and make raw smoothies, she brought the smoothies to my home fresh multiple times and made the cutest package with instructions for taking my placenta pills.

I feel very fortunate to had as my doula and have apprecaited all of her advice and support as I transitioned into motherhood. You won't regret hiring Dawne, good luck mama!

Tracie Bergeron

4/24/2014

Dawne was an integral part of our birthing team. Her prenatal meetings were informative and reassuring. She gave us several exercises to help us turn our breech babyand answered all our questions with thoughtfulness and in terms we could easily understand. She was always available via text email and phone. During a long, arduous labor she was our rock; encouraging to me and reassuring to my husband. She employs many comfort measures, and worked well with the hospital staff and doctor. She helped is establish breastfeeding and delivered our encapsulated placenta pills promptly. I cannot recommend dawne more highly!

Lindsay Simon

4/23/2014

Hiring Dawne was the absolute best decision when it came to the delivery of our baby boy.  As someone dedicated to natural childbirth, I felt having a doula was a necessity for both my husband and myself when we were in the hospital and luckily we found Dawne.  Well into my third trimester, my baby had not dropped and was measuring big.  Dawne was incredibly helpful and patient with my concerns and fears.  When it came time to deliver, I was 1 week past my due date and my cervix was still high and closed.  We ended up having to induce with pitocin and Dawne helped me labor unmedicated for hours.  She was absolutely amazing - she is a tiny thing, but was holding and hugging my big pregnant self during each contraction as I was literally leaning on her for support.  Unfortunately, I was not progressing much and eventually we decided to go with an epidural.  I was initially disappointed in myself and apologized over and over to Dawne, who was nothing but understanding and gracious.  She understood exactly what I was going through since she had a similar experience with the birth of one of her own childern.  She let me sleep for a few hours (providing me with a lavendar scented eye mask to relax) and then came back into the room with us when we discovered the baby was face up.  If he did not flip, we would have to have an emergency c-section.  With every contraction, she and my husband were pulling my body into all sorts of yoga positions, pushing pressure points, you name it.  All that work and that baby flipped on his own and was delivered safely afterwards!  Postpartum, she was and continues to be a great source of information and even better, friendship.  Her passion for this line of work is evident and her dedication to her clients is very clearly a priority and a joy to her.

Bethany Hanson

1/7/2013

Dawne was a great supporter of my birth.  Dawne stayed with me through a very lengthy labor and helped me interact with the hospital staff and make decisions that supported my birth plan.  She also included my husband in the birthing process and made us feel very connected and present.

I whole-heartedly believe that if Dawne had not been my doula my birth would not have been the one I had hoped for.  Dawne, and her kindness and expertise, kept me focused on my labor and helped me to obtain an inner strength I did not know I had.

I can't imagine my birthing process without Dawne there.  She was a perfect and necessary team member.  I would reccommend her with no hesitation.  Her knowledge and calmness are invaluable.

PH

11/22/2012

During my pregnancy, I questioned several whether or not I really "needed" a doula. About a month before my due date, I decided I wanted someone who was experienced to be my advocate. Choosing Dawne as our doula was one of the best choices I made.

From the first phone call I made to her, she put me at ease. We talked about her services & what a doula does & does not do & she encouraged me to call around to make sure we would be a good match. She even offered to give recommendations, which I thought was very honorable.

I set up an initial meeting to talk about her experiences working with my OB & our hospital. She assured us that she would be my advocate and make sure our wishes were conveyed & respected. As my due date approached, Dawne followed up with us almost daily to make sure I was doing OK. I had some complications in the last 2 weeks & Dawne was a wealth of knowledge & resources.
Dawne was at the hospital from the very beginning of my induction & stayed until the baby was born almost 24 hours later. Simple acts like talking to us, explaining things in a non-medical way, & showing my husband where to apply counter pressure to help me get through each contraction were what made me glad she was there with us. I thought she was very prepared & professional with all kinds of tips & tricks to use, but without being pushy. She was very good at following my lead & was supportive about what I was & was not ready for.

After the baby was born, Dawne kept in touch with us to see if we were doing OK. I had some problems breastfeeding so I called Dawne to see if she had a recommendation for a lactation consultant & once again she came through for us. She even attended the consultation & brought us a batch of delicious lactation cookies & other goodies!

I highly recommend Dawne to anyone who is looking for a doula.
 

Katrina Le Fan

8/17/2012

 Dawne was such an asset in our birth experience and I highly recommend her. My fiance and I had our first baby girl on June 30, 2012. Although we signed up for a birth class, we both missed a few in the series and were not as prepared as we would have liked. My labor started late in the morning on June 30. We called Dawne who had us time contractions. I found labor much more painful than I had anticipated and we decided to head to the hospital. Dawne met us there as I was being checked in for admission around 3:30. At 6:35pm, our daughter was born. It was a chaotic three hours but Dawne was a force of calmness in the room. I was panicked from the pain and my fiance was panicked from my reaction. While he was searching for medication for me, Dawne stayed by my side and helped me through. Not only is she extremely knowledgeable about pregnancy and the childbirth process, her presence is something that can't be learned. She has the proven ability to calm down a terrified first time mother progressing quickly through labor. With Dawne's help, I was able to relax enough to have a natural drug-free birth, albeit not by choice. Dawne and I had discussed my birth plan to minimize interventions, however when I found myself demanding an epidural at admission, she didn't make me feel badly about it. Instead she helped me pull myself together as I struggled through the next couple of hours. When that epidural didn't come in time, I was terrified but Dawne coached me through the pushing and we managed to get the baby out quickly. In retrospect, having Dawne as our doula was the single most beneficial decision we made for our birth. She is a light - she is motivation, knowledge and calm all bundled up. I couldn't imagine having a better doula by my side and will absolutely use her services again. 

Lydia Makone

7/4/2012

Dawne worked with me as my Doula in February this year. Her dedication and commitment were above board. This was my first pregnancy and I had made a decision to have a medication free natural birth. Dawne honored that decision and worked tirelessly with me to make the pain bearable. She knew what to do, from massages, to the birthing ball, to the shower, walks, squats-she just did an awesome job of managing the pain. I had a lengthy labor and Dawne was by my side from 4pm wednesday evening to past 5 pm thursday evening when my baby arrived, thats over 24 hours! She worked extremely well with the hospital staff and best of all with my husband, guiding him on what needs to be done. I had  terrible back labor and Dawne did an excellent job of massaging me and showing my husband when and how to do it. Until today I can still hear her soft voice reassuring me that all is well and my body was made for this. I know for sure that my desire to have a medication free birth may not have been realised if Dawne had not been with me all the way. She is an excellent Doula and as I said her dedication and committment are above board. Most of all I am amazed at how well Dawne worked with me notwithstanding the fact that I was a non-paying client. I had met her before at a child birth preparation class but we had not really worked closely together. She was referred to me afew minutes before she came to be with me on wedenesday evening. Her level of preparation and dedication on such short notice and on a volunteer basis is more than words can describe.

Donna Kuo

6/20/2012

 Dawne was an amazing doula! She is very kind hearted and will answer all of your questions and concerns. I don't think I could have gone through labor without an epidural if it wasn't for her. There was a time where i wanted an epidural, but Dawne helped me through the pain.She was a great support system for me and my husband with full of knowledge!  I am so grateful and happy to have hired her and would hire her again in an instant!

Yuliya Volkhonovych

6/16/2012