Sinead

12/14/2024

I’m a first time mom who gave birth to my son in December. Becoming a mom was the best decision I ever made in my life. Walking this road with Melissa was the second best. From the moment I met her, we immediately clicked. Melissa put me at ease with her calming and gentle presence. 

Melissa has expert knowledge of babies and pregnancy. During our pre-delivery sessions, we worked on movements and exercises to help prepare my body as I got closer to giving birth. She emailed me an excel spreadsheet with guides and sample videos for the stretches/movements, so I could easily practice. Melissa educated me on different options to include in my "birth preference list" without pressuring me one way or another. She also gave my support person tips and advice on how to support me before and during labor.

At the hospital (bonus: Melissa is very familiar with UW NW and their providers), Melissa offered a steady stream of encouragement and reassurance, and carefully monitored what positions for me seemed to be effective/supportive. She suggested, not commanded, positions throughout labor. She also followed my lead when I wanted something different. During active labor, she literally supported my body while I pushed, holding my legs and cheering me on for THREE hours. She also captured photos and videos of the whole thing. I don't know how she managed to do it all, but she is magic. Melissa also checked up on us, both in-person and via text, following delivery and discharge from the hospital.

For an experience filled with so much uncertainty, pain, and joy, Melissa made me feel seen, heard, and capable. I will forever be grateful to her for being a part of my life and my baby boy's birth story. I say this with the utmost confidence: You will be doing your mind, body, heart, and baby a favor by choosing Melissa to be your doula. 

Arden Keller

12/7/2024

My husband and I describe Melissa as worth every penny.

Having our first child we didn’t know what to expect. I in particular was particularly anxious and stressed about giving birth. After each meeting with Melissa I felt more calm and capable to give birth. She truly leaves space for whatever birth options that you’re interested in and will support your choice (epidural vs laughing gas vs nothing, hospital vs birth center etc)

Even with some things that did not go as expected I had an amazingly positive birth experience that I don’t think I would have had without Melissa.

In labor she was an amazing second support person. I would describe it to having an older sister/mom with you who knows A LOT about birth. The intake process at the hospital was overwhelming and after my water breaking and laboring at home for 16 hours to be only 1cm dilated resulted in needing to make a lot of decisions throughout the night. If it wasn’t for Melissa’s prep before going to the hospital and her support and ability to help summarize and reflect on my options my birth experience would have likely been very different. Throughout labor she knew exactly when I was having a contraction and jumped in immediately to give counter pressure or a massage. Her presence allowed my husband to rest without me ever being self alone.

After our baby was born Melissa helped get her latched for the first time and helped protect the golden hour while I was still so dazed after giving birth. Two days after giving birth latching and breast feeding was so painful and it was so helpful to have Melissa come to my home to help support breastfeeding.

My husband always supported me in getting a doula but didn’t fully get how helpful and amazing a doula is until after our baby girl entered the world. We now both fully recommend Melissa and would readily use her services again without hesitation or question. 

Celia Fredrickson

11/30/2024

Melissa was the best guide we could have imagined having throughout our pregnancy, the birth of our first child, and the unexpected ups and downs of navigating postpartum and life with a newborn. She is the ultimate example of someone doing work they were truly made to do - Melissa is so warm, knowledgeable, and most of all uses her unique skills to empower her clients. She has an incredibly calm and soothing presence, and working with her leading up to birth helped us to feel prepared to navigate the unknown.

Melissa's childbirth education and labor prep classes were fantastic and tailored to our goals while educating us broadly on how to navigate decisions along the way. The tailored prenatal movement and excercises she worked with us on helped me to feel my best throughout my pregnancy.

As first time parents, we had heard how helpful a doula could be; but it wasn't until we went through labor and postpartum that we truly realized what a gift working with Melissa gave us. Her physical and emotional support helped us navigate a long and challenging labor, keeping me moving into positions to support baby's progress, and helping both myself and my partner remain grounded and supporting us in advocating for ourselves through the different stages of labor and the decisions we faced along the way.

Melissa was also our sounding board postpartum as we faced different challenges than we anticipated - she continued to help us navigate the unexpected, provided fabulous support with our newborn as we were learning his cues and working on feeding, and generally was a reassuring and encouraging resource during those crazy and overwhelming weeks.

We truly don't know what we would have done if we hadn't found Melissa, and cannot recommend her enough to anyone embarking on the journey of bringing a new little life into the world!

Rachel

10/18/2024

I hired Melissa about halfway through my second pregnancy and I couldn't have made a better choice. I had a very difficult birth and postpartum experience with my first child so was looking to do everything I could to ensure I had the birth and postpartum experience I wanted this time around. Melissa listened to everything I experienced and came up with a custom movement plan for me to follow to ensure my body was ready to give birth again. I planned for a home birth and Melissa was in full support of this plan and fully confident that I'd be able to do it this time. Leading up to my birth Melissa was regularly checking in and providing suggestions for different movements that could help get labor going and just being a calming sounding board, which I definitely needed. I ended up having a precipitous birth and Melissa's calm confidence during the most intense moments of my labor provided exactly what both my husband and I needed at the time. She was the one who suggested the final pushing position that allowed for the most progress and lead to my child being born successfully at home. Post birth she was by my side making sure I was taken care of, and just lending her support and knowledge. I would highly recommend Melissa as a doula - we couldn't have done it without her. 

Vidhi Goel

10/10/2024

If you want a rockstar Doula by your side who deeply cares and knows what she is doing, Melissa is your person. 
melissa makes sure to meet in person for her sessions if she can and it makes a huge difference to build a connection. 
Each session with her is enlightening and like therapy! She helped us become confident with our birth plan and guided us through all our fears and anxieties. She made sure we are always equipped with great resources and tools. 
birthing never goes according to plan and that's when you need someone to guide you through the twists and turns and let's you see beauty in everything. We are so grateful and lucky to have had Melissa by our side! 

Nelly Kahehu

10/9/2024

I had a wonderful time with Melissa as my doula. I went to the hospital because I had a headache and my blood pressure was high. The midwives decided to keep me and induce me. I communicated with Melissa through the whole process and once the induction process began. And I got to 5 cm she came to the hospital and stayed with me until after my baby was born and I was out of the postpartum recovery room. She spent the whole night helping me get into different positions every 30-45 minutes to help my baby come down and for me to dilate even more.She was a vital part of my care team, I could definitely not have done this without her. Melissa did everything possible to help get baby in a good position but I eventually had to get a C-section. She literally held my hand through the procedure and was there supporting me and my partner. She took very candid pictures at the birth of both me and baby. She kept me updated on what was going on.She checked in on us every day and came to see us once we got home to help with making sure that the baby was latching on well and I was doing okay. I would definitely recommend her to anyone looking to have her as your doula. She definitely knows what she's doing. You can trust her to guide you through the most sacred journey of your life. 

Thank you Melissa Tuton. 

Molly McGill

10/4/2024

Melissa is incredible!! I knew it’d be important to have a doula for my home birth and I can’t imagine going through the experience without Melissa by my side! The support she provided both during my pregnancy and during labor far exceeded my expectations. Melissa is incredibly knowledgeable and really helped me prepare physically & mentally for my first unmedicated birth. I truly loved our time together – her warmth, kindness, knowledge and sense of humor was exactly what I needed to complete my birthing team. She is incredibly genuine, cares deeply and is the ultimate hype woman ?? Melissa played such a pivotal role in making my home birth a magical experience and I’ll be forever grateful to her. She’ll be the first person I call if I’m fortunate enough to have another baby!

Hannah W

8/20/2024

It’s hard to put into words how important Melissa was to our birthing experience! She is such a warm, genuine person and everything she did before, during, and after our birth helped to make us feel prepared, empowered, and deeply cared for. During our birth she worked hand-in-hand with the nurses and doctor to help align care to my birth plan as much as possible and then to offer information and encouragement when it was time to change the plan. She stayed calm and engaged during the high stress moments and her words of encouragement and creative, quick thinking with the position changes allowed me to avoid a c-section after hours of pushing. Even though I only knew her for a few months before my birth, it felt like having a close friend (with a ton of birth knowledge!) by my side. I debated hiring a doula at all and I am forever grateful that I did and that I chose Melissa. I would recommend her to anybody considering a doula and would absolutely hire her again for any future pregnancies!

Rajwinder Kaur

10/26/2023

Melissa Tuton is superb! She started coming home in my pregnancy and she has been the best! Right from the beginning she makes a person feel comfortable and cared for. She listens and makes you feel important. She is also very knowledgeable and has many years of experience and Has good recommendations. She is so thoughtful! That truly helped me during my pregnancy and postpartum.
Thank you melissa 
I also really appreciate her experience and knowledge.