Kirsten Sullivan

1/30/2014

I am so glad that I had Kalea as my doula for my birth at Puget Sound Birth Center! I met her when I was 34 weeks pregnant. She patiently listened to all of my hopes and concerns about labor. As my due date approached (and then passed) she sent encouraging text messages checking in on me. I love how excited she was for my birth. It was as though we had been friends for a long time. When my contractions started, Kalea was ready to spring into action, first giving me support over the phone and then meeting us at the birth center. She was an excellent support person through my 18-hour labor. When I needed coping methods, she was there offering the birth ball. When I wanted to rest, she was there quietly by my side. When I was tired and whiny, she was there to comfort and encourage. When I was nauseous, she magically appeared with a bowl for me to throw up into! She was also great at keeping my husband involved in my birth and never overshadowed him. She filled a bowl with cool washcloths so he could put them on my forehead and brought him the juice and water that he fed to me. I didn't think I wanted a birth photographer, but I cherish the candid photos that she took of my labor, including one of my daughter just seconds after born.

After the birth, Kalea visited me twice and helped me with my questions about breastfeeding and newborn care. I really appreciated the time to talk about my memories of the birth and the intense emotions that came up in the first week postpartum. She always found just the right reassuring words.

Kalea has all the qualities needed in the doula: she is knowledgeable, reliable, intuitive, friendly, energetic, and compassionate. She can adapt to all of the unpredictable aspects of labor without missing a beat. And she has a great sense of humor which contributed to the enormous joy of my daughter’s birth day. I would recommend her to any woman who wants a steadfast friend for the incredible journey into motherhood.

Jen Bowman

1/7/2014

Kalea came to us by way of referral. I wanted a doula to support my desire to have a natural child birth free of epidurals and interventions if at all possible. My husband thought a doula was going to be some huge expense for someone to just keep me company during labor, but in the end, he really appreciated having a pro there by our side so he could focus on comforting me and the doula could do all the back rubbing and breathing coaching.

We met with Kalea when I was about 26 weeks pregnant and we hit it off with her. We found her to be extremely professional, easy going, and technically qualified for the role of our doula. Her background and expertise as a labor and delivery nurse set her apart in our minds. She met with us a couple times to discuss our birth plan and concerns for delivery, and she followed up regularly in the last couple weeks to see how I was feeling and made suggestions for speeding up the early labor process.

Once my water broke and we went to the hospital, I was so glad to have a doula by our side. Being first time parents, you're not sure what to expect and do (especially dad), so it was great having a calm person in the room with you. We delivered at a hospital, which was great and their nursing staff was wonderful, but I'm still glad we had a doula and we'd do it over again next time.

I beleive having a doula and an unwaivering focus to deliver naturally made it possible for our little bundle of joy to arrive in a faster manner than if I were to have interventions and pain killers. We would recommend Kalea to anyone looking for a positive birth experience with a doula.

Jennie Minkus

12/20/2013

Kalea was exactly what I was looking for in a doula; knowlegable, calm, supportive and energetic. Kalea's labor and delivery background provided us with a sense of security.  From the very first pre-natal visit, she made me and my husband feel comfortable and and we saw that she was confident in her abilities. Kalea's presense at our birth made such a difference to me. She not only offered me physical and emotional support and encouragement, but she also supported my husband throughout the entire time. Kalea remained with us throughout our 30 hour labor, and then stayed a few hours after the birth until we were moved to postpartum and not once did she lose her amazing positive energy. Kalea also took lots of pictures for us during the birth! The time when I needed the most support was during the postpartum period, and Kalea was there for me, offering three postpartum visits (inclduded in her services) and then additional visits as my postpartum doula. She helped me transition into new motherhood and gave me the reassurance that I needed, all while treating me more as a friend then as a client.

Thank you Kalea for all your help and support, I reallly couldn't have done it without you and recommend you highly!

Liz Thompson

11/12/2013

I couldn't imagine giving birth without Kalea's support (yes, she's that good!). She's super knowledgeable and incredibly relatable... making her the perfect person to keep us centered and focused during labor. We met with Kalea a few times before our due date and felt like she was able to answer all of our questions in addition to helping us draft a birth plan that addressed our needs and preferences. She was incredibly helpful in the recovery phase, staying with us a few hours after the birth of our son to help us get started on breast feeding and by helping us process our birth experience. She met us at our home a few hours after we returned from the hospital and helped ease our anxieties about being brand new parents (which some additional support in learning how to swaddle and change diapers, etc.). If you are looking for a knowledgable, personable, energetic yet calming person to be your doula, then we highly recommend working with Kalea.

RoseEllen Spindler

10/18/2013

Mom: We hired Kalea for the home water birth of our first child. With her help, I was able to have my almost 8 pound girl at home after a 10 hour labour, with aboslutely no complications.

I really appreciated how she spent as much time as I needed during our prenatal visits. She provided great support via text message in early labor, and was here within an hour when I asked her to come in active labour. She really helped me both physically and emotionally throughout labour, both talking me through my fears, and providing a hand to hold. She stayed much longer than she had to after the birth, and even helped my husband take down the birth tub! She did THREE post-partum visits, which I just thought was amazingly above and beyond, and was so appreciated because we just moved and have no family or friends in the area.

She also expertly encapsulated my placenta, which has really helped balance my emotions, and is giving me a huge milk supply boost. I can't imagine my birth without Kalea, and if we ever have another baby and we're still in this area, I would absolutely hire her again. She treated me more like a friend than a client, and I was totally comfortable with her the whole time. She also quickly provided the documentation we needed to have her fee reimbursed by our FlexSpending account through my husband's work, AND took some beautiful photos of the birth. All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better doula, I whole-heartedly recommend her!

Dad: I found Kalea to be indespensable! She helped me keep my focus during my wife's labor. I knew that without her guidence I would forget to eat, drink water or rest and burn out worying about my wife during the earlier parts of labor. She went above and beyond my expectations by staying much later after the birth to ensure we were comfortable and secure in our home. She even snapped a few pictures at our request to preserve the moment for us! I would recomend Kalea for any expecting couple!

Sara Lukas

7/19/2013

Kalea was an incredible resource for us and I don't think I could have stuck to my birth plan without her. To begin, after my first meeting with her I knew she was someone I would want to have around during labor. She is upbeat and positive and has an attitude that energizes everyone around her. Many times during the labor her energy kept me going. Additionally I had a few surprises (what labor doesn't!?) and Kalea's medical knowledge kept us calm and really helped us make decisions and feel secure with those choices. For my husband and I it was invaluable having a doula that had also been a labor and delivery nurse because we wanted someone to help us interrupt what the midwives and nurses were telling us. Mostly, my labor was long and difficult, not just for me but for Kalea and my hsuband as well! I needed a lot of back pressure and both of them were exhausted by the end. Kalea kept up her amazing energy through the whole labor, never abondoning me for a moment. She must have been exhausted, after sleeping on the floor of the hospital room with me the night before, but she never let it show. Over-all I would highly recommend Kalea and will definitely be asking her to be my doula for my next birth!

David Lukas

7/11/2013

Kalea was incredible. From the time my wife's water broke to when our son was born 33 hours later, Kalea was with us basically the whole time. It was a bit of an uncommon circumstance because my wife had PROM (premature rupture of membrane), but she didn't go into labor on her own even after 24 hours of waiting. This combination of circumstances is fairly rare (only about 2-3% of pregnancies). Kalea's clinical experience as a labor and delivery nurse was invaluable through some of the decisions we had to make, as was her support through the whole process.

In addition, my wife had a very painful back labor. At every contraction, Kalea and I had to push hard on each side of her pelvis to relieve some of the pressure on her back. Kalea was a rock star through the whole thing. I don't know what I would have done without her.

Kalea is professional yet very easy to talk to. Her directness is refreshing, and her background and knowledge gave us a lot of confidence in her. I can't recommend her enough.