Halle Baltes

4/11/2023

As my husband and I prepared to have our first child, we were far from family and intimidated by the challenge. We were unable to find an in-person class to prepare for childbirth. So, it became very important to us to find a doula who could educate us and support us through the birth process. Lori met with us several times before the birth to help us formulate a plan, learn pain management techniques, and reduce our anxieties. With Lori’s help, we felt much more prepared for the labor and delivery process and were able to approach the delivery with confidence.

On the day of delivery, Lori joined us in the middle of the night. She and my husband worked together to maximize my comfort, advocated for me to the nurses who had a tendency to wander away, and created (to the extent possible) an atmosphere of relaxation throughout my labor.

Seven weeks after I delivered, I developed mastitis symptoms. I reached out to Lori for advice – she was able to give me great input.

Overall, my doula experience was fantastic, and I would highly recommend Lori to anyone who wants the support of an experienced birth coach and lactation specialist through their pregnancy and labor.

Jinji

1/31/2023

My husband and I are very glad and grateful for Ms. Lori. She was able to accommodate us even though we made a last minute decision to have a doula. She has been an amazing support for us especially being that we are military and don’t have family around to help at the time of due date. She was very informative and reassuring which made us very confident as we approach the upcoming birth. The knowledge and guidance she shared with us made my labor and delivery such a smooth and wonderful experience. She was there with us the whole time, she advocated for us, and she tracked every single event for us. A few days after we got home, she took the time to come by to check on us. One of the best things she did for us too, is that we went over the chain of events to remember how everything happened during labor and delivery which made our experience extra special.

Allison Kamm

4/25/2022

Working with Lori is and was great! She was quick to respond when my husband and I reached out to her to schedule her or ask questions. She would provide helpful guides that we could print out, or provide videos that we could watch. When things did not go as planned for feeding our newborn son, Lori helped us get a plan and system in place for cleaning and sterilizing, as well as pumping. We felt very secure to have her watch our son while we did other things around the house or slept the first few days home. She would also reassure us when caring for our son, or would show us certain techniques or provide helpful ideas or tips. We will definitely work with her again and will recommend her for those looking for a Doula. Lori made our first experience working with a Doula  easy and a joy.

Ava Song

7/30/2017

We had our first child via natural virginal birth without epidural. The little one was 10 days past due day and born just an hour before the scheduled induction. Can't believe we accomplished almost everything on our birthing plan - certainly could not have done it without Lori!

We are super glad that we made the decision to hire a doula and Lori is amazing! The pre-labor consultation sessions are very helpful and asserting. She also met up with us couple times more to check up since our baby was over due. When the contractions started kicking in, Lori was quick in responding and guiding us through the process. She came to our place to help me set up the right mind set and exercise to speed up the dilation. My dilation stalled when we got to the hospital and Lori helped us through different positions to get it back on. She also helped us to ask for the Nitro gas as we tried every technique to ease the pain and speed up the process. There was no nurse at the room when I was in active labor and we had to ask three times to get the doctor. While the excruciating pain seemed to be endless, Lori's voice brought me calm and control. I pushed for less than an hour and I can still remember her words during those challenging moments - "don't let the air out from your mouth, let it out from your bottom"!

Lori was with us pretty much all the time from 4pm, when the contraction was every 15min, to 6am the next day morning. We definitely recommend any first time parents to get a doula, especially those who are trying for natural delivery. And we highly recommend Lori if you are thinking about getting one!

Jessica Fox

3/16/2015

My husband and I were told that you if you don't hire a doula, you don't know what you're missing. We took the plunge by getting Lori, and we didn't have an ounce of regret! She is such a calming presence when you need it most at such a major life event! My baby was 2 weeks late and I had a scheduled induction. It was dragged on at the hospital as we waited for a room, and Lori was not only a trooper throughout all the downtime, but she maintained a positive attitude the whole time. Since it was an induced birth, there wasn't a lot she could do until it was go time and contractions got intense. She knew exactly what to do and when, and had the perfect touch and way of getting me through. I just loved my prenatal and post partum visits with her too because she knows her stuff so well and is so easy to talk to. Loved Lori and would do it all over again with her!

Anne

3/16/2015

Heidi d'Esposito

8/19/2014

We couldn't imagine the birth of our first child without the help of Lori.  My husband and I were so relieved to have her knowledge and support during such a special and emotional time.  In addition to her prenatal and postnatal home visits, she was with us from the early stages of labor in our apartment and never left our side until our daughter had latched and started to feed after her delivery at the hospital.  Eventhough our birth plan didn't go exactly as we had hoped, Lori supported us 100% as we had to adapt to the unpredictable journey of labor and delivery.

We HIGHLY recommend Lori!

Kasey Powers

3/21/2014

I'm so glad we chose to use a doula for this birth. Lori was with us through the long wait in the hospital when my water broke but contractions didn't start. She was awesome duiring my fast and intense labor. I had contractions fro about 5 hours. Through that time Lori and my husband used massage and ice packs to help me through the contractions. Lori kept talking me through with positive affirmations that I could have the unmedicated VBAC I wanted. And I did! She was a calming influence, hands on and exactly what we needed for our birth experience.

Linda Gue Lly

1/17/2014

We hired Lori in a last minute decision to have a doula present at our birth- it was the best decision we made!  Meeting with her before the birth gave us an immediate sense of relief knowing that she would assist and be a knowledgable, calm presense during a new experience for us.  Experiencing the birth of our first child is something we prepared for as much as we could but Lori helped us feel calm throughout the entire event.  Unfortunately I was not able to labor at home as I had intended but Lori appeared at the hospital at the perfect time.  She brought her ball which was a huge help to me during my all day labor.  She helped us understand the things that were happening and never made us feel like our decisions were "wrong"- in other words she was supportive to anything we decided and experienced.  She had different methods to help endure the labor and assisted me with every move I made.  Her encouragement and help during the pushing phase were vital and got me through the hard parts.  She even helped by talking to our family that was waiting patiently for news throughout the day.

I feel like we don't know what we would have done without Lori- she was a pleasure to work with and a big part of our positive birth experience.

Shana

1/8/2014

I knew that Lori Rose was exactly the type of person that I wanted by my side during labor from the moment that I met her.  Knowledgeable, non-judgmental, kind, thoughtful, perceptive, and helpful but not in an overbearing way.

She let me lead the way during my labor and was a consistent and loving support all the way through.  She helped me achieve the perfect labor/birth and I was thrilled that my daughter was born into a room surrounded by strong, talented women...and one very stunned dad!

Paige Walker

12/2/2013

Lori was my doula for the birth of my first child. I was extremely afraid of the whole process initially and Lori was able to calm my nerves. She has a very calming presence and is very knowledgable about birthing options. She was very flexible with regard to our meetings prior to going into labor. Once I was at the hospital Lori helped distract me with music and stories and helped my husband feel need and comfortable. We loved working with Lori!

Alicia W

12/2/2013

There really are no words to describe how amazing Lori was. From the first time I met her, her warmth and nurturing nature really came through. She was supportive, visiting the hospital with us, providing amazing referrals and just checking in all throughout my pregnancy. My birth didn't go exactly as planned but she seamlessly switched gears to help us manage and really helped to keep us both calm. I loved her honesty in explaining procedures I'd being going through, how to prepare myself but definitely letting me make up my own mind about what I wanted. Her suggestions for different ways to handle the contractions was absolutely wonderful and without her I wouldn't have been able to handle the procedures (cervidil and pitocen) for as long as I did. She also gives great middle of the night backrubs!

Brielle Maxwell

7/28/2013

Lori Rose is an excellent addition to any birth team! Lori made it possible to get through the contractions without epidural as I planned for a natural hospital birth.

To begin with, I didn't even get to inflate my birthing ball. I had planned on walking and being mobile during labor. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I went through labor in bed attached to monitors and administered pictosin. Lori was there to assure me that there were other ways to deal with contractions and achieve the birth I wanted. She stood on look out for the waves and when they started getting stronger she helped me get ready, in advance, to ride them out. She knew the exact touch that I needed.

From start to finish, Lori was there to help me believe in myself. I began to think that an epidural versus the rest of the night overcoming more of the same or stronger was looking good. My doula assured me that the last few centimeters could hit the fast forward button and it could be through it all in no time. She promised she would suggest the option, if she saw the waves taking me over. Instead she brought out all that I had left in me, I was holding my baby girl and thanking my doula with all my heart.

Lori Rose is the best. I have no other birthing experience to compare her to, but when I do, she is going to be there, even if I have to travel around the world to make it happen!

Christine Moran

7/15/2013

If your looking for an amazing doula look no further! Lori was a life saver during the birth of my twins May 25, 2013. She kept my husband and I calm before and during the birth, made several visits to my place prior to labor. I was on bed rest for 12 wks and she was always positive and insightful.  Lori has lots of knowledge about the field and I wouldn't hesitate in recommending her to others and if I had another child I would use her again. I know I will keep in touch with Lori for years to come.

Moraima Garcia

6/14/2013

Hiring Lori was one of the best decisions we made during our pregnancy. She was exactly what we needed, helped us relax and experience labor without having to worry about anything.

We wanted to maintain our sense of humor and she was game, we laughed and made jokes about everything and in all the hours of labour at home we never felt she was a stranger.

Lori recommended some very useful positions to ease contractions and knew when it was time to go to the hospital, she alternated with my husband to help me during contractions  and supported both of us at all times.

I firmly believe that thanks to this relaxed environment and to moving around a lot during early labor I was able to achieve full dilation with contractions 5 minutes apart, making it unnecessary to have an epidural and having a really easy labor with only an hour or so of pushing.

I would recommend a doula and Lori in particular to anyone that wants a better experience of labor and delivery. I will definitely call her again for my second child.