Matthew

10/7/2023

We can't express how incredibly grateful we are to have come across Maine Doulas. Natalie is/was our Doula and she is an absolute dream support person. We took her hypno-birthing class (absolute magic - in a barn - in the woods of wolfe's neck), had her for in person birth support and many hours of newborn and postpartum care. She has an incredible calm and confident presence. She really listens and provides the most thoughtful and smart advice. She has helped all three of us in so many ways (and still is). During the labor her support was perfect. She knew exactly how to support Laura through every stage verbally and physically. She over delivered on every single aspect of care. We can't recommend her enough.

A few weeks after the birth we had a very rough day and we called her to talk things through. We asked for some overnight support in the coming days - her response - "How about tonight?" We would have never requested this type of immediate support. She truly cares for her clients and is a superhero. She has a real love and passion for what she does. She came within 4 hours of our text with two dozen eggs from her chickens. You will not find a better support person.

We love you Natalie!

Nora

6/17/2023

When we decided to work with Maine Doulas for the birth of our first child, we were looking forward to their help navigating labor and birth - something we didn't know much about! We got to know Natalie and Jessica through the prenatal visits, coming up with hopes around how we wanted the birth to unfold as well as setting realistic expectations, and frequently texting between.

While Natalie was in the room next door at the hospital during our birth, Jessica supported us through a very lengthy induced labor, with everything from counterpressure during my contractions to encouragement when deciding on epidural timing to taking special photos of our family immediately after birth. We are so grateful for everything she contributed to that long labor experience!

We have been working with Natalie and Johanna for overnight support and the comfort and ease that they bring our family is amazing! Navigating breastfeeding injuries, understanding if our daughter was gaining enough weight, improving our techniques for getting her back to sleep after night feeds, the list goes on... all this on top of the joy of a good night's sleep.

Everyone we've worked with from Maine Doulas has approached us with such warmth and knowledge and made a trying time for our family more manageable and supportive. We would recommend them to anyone!

MJ Sedlock

6/17/2023

Natalie from Maine Doulas was everything we could have hoped for in a doula experience for our first child. She was with us via call, text, and in-person visits from very early on in my pregnancy. It was a great source of calm to know that she was always available for any questions or worries that might come up. I knew I wanted a low-intervention, unmedicated birth right from the start and Natalie supported me in a way that made me feel confident and empowered to do that without fear or anxiety. On the birth day, my baby arrived less than an hour after I realized that I was actually in labor, which didn't give Natalie enough time to get to the hospital for the actual birth. But, her presence at the hospital after his arrival was still invaluable. We struggled to establish a breastfeeding relationship within the first 24 hours of my son's life. Without Natalie, I know that I would have have let the (well-meaning) hospital staff pressure me into supplementing with formula. But, Natalie's patience and reassurance gave me the confidence I needed to keep trying different methods of expressing/pumping and feeding until we were able to successfully get a good latch for feeding directly at the breast. I will always be so grateful that she made that possible for us. I had a birth/newborn journey in which I felt informed, prepared, confident, and empowered. Natalie's support was a huge part of what made that possible.

Medena and Alex

4/10/2022

Natalie was an incredible and invaluable support to our family when we came home with newborn twins. She helped us with feeding in the night, sleeping, getting on a schedule, cooking and food prep, and blending into our chaotic family life seamlessly (we also have a puppy and 3 year old who needed lots of attention!!)

We are so glad we had Natalie to help us. We had to manage difficult situations like help with latching, breastfeeding and tongue ties, all of which Natalie listened to my intuition and even came with us to doctor appointments. Stress melted away as she provided warm support, and helped me as a second time mom manage post partum anxiety with relaxation techniques and a supportive shoulder to lean on. She is so caring and friendly! She helped us so much!!! Thank you Natalie!!

Alexandra

12/14/2021

So grateful to have met Natalie and have had her support during pregnancy, labor, and post-partum.  She made all three of those stages/experiences so much more wonderful than they otherwise would have been.  By providing us with comfort and education (always non-judgmental).  And sleep !!! after our baby was born.  It's not an overstatement to say that Natalie changed our lives (for the better!) by dramatically enhancing the labor and early parenting experience, setting us off on a really good foot for early parenthood.  <3 her.

Lydia

7/27/2021

Natalie (and Jodi) are both incredible individuals. We met with Natalie and Jodi throughout my pregnancy and then Natalie attended the birth, as well as helped afterwards- all during a pandemic. I had an uneventful pregnancy, with an eventful end to the pregnancy. At every step, Natalie offered my partner and me the guidance we needed to feel like we were making the right decisions for our family. Without Natalie's support throughout the birth, I am certain that we would have had a lot more 'emotional processing' to do. 
After my child was born, Natalie was available via text and in-person to help us with everything from cloth diapers to improving baby sleep.  We have had success with every suggestion she has given! 
A doula is my number one suggestion for what you need for a baby. And we can not recommend Natalie enough!

Carly

1/7/2021

Natalie was truly the perfect match for our family postpartum. She was with us at night for almost two weeks after the birth of our first child and we wish we could have had her with us 24/7! During a pandemic, with no immediate family nearby, we needed support. We were immediately comfortable with Natalie and so was our baby. It was like we had known her for years. She was kind, helpful, nurturing, thoughtful, and best of all, perfect with our baby. It was such a huge relief to be able to get some sleep at night knowing Natalie was there. Natalie's help also gave us time to spend together as a couple to adjust to this new way of life. Having just moved into a new home, and welcoming a new baby, we had lots of change happening at once. Natalie's physical and emotional support was invaluable. We'll never be able to thank her enough! 

Lucia

8/20/2020

Having Natalie from Maine Doulas by your side through pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum will make you feel calm, reassured, confident, better rested and more peaceful through the incredibly important time of bringing a new child into your life. I cannot imagine my experience without her. Natalie is so intuitive and experienced. She will not only respond to your needs as they arise but will be consistently three steps ahead, foreseeing what you and baby will need in the future. I simply cannot recommend her highly enough. I entered the experience thinking of doulas as birth coaches and I now see our doula as an integral part of our village. Natalie has a quiet, calm, strong presence which is incredibly grounding during the entire birth experience. Additionally her hyponobirthing class, even though virtual during covid, was my guiding star through labor and birth (I remarked to my partner after one of the more painful induction experiences "It really works!!" realizing I had been skeptical until that point). Natalie was everywhere at once from birth support to photographer to baby care- All I can say is she is magical and you want her by your side throughout!!!

Virginia

8/11/2020

I'm so grateful to have found Maine Doulas during my pregnancy. Natalie was my doula during and after the birth of my daughter and I truly don't know how we would have survived without her! She was a supportive, calming, and knowledgable presence during labor and continued to provide support afterwards, proactively checking in during the difficult newborn phase and always happy to answer our questions. Five months later she is still as helpful and supportive as ever. I can't recommend Natalie highly enough!

Ben

8/10/2020

Natalie saved our lives!  When we found Natalie at Maine Doulas we had exhausted all options, including a different sleep consultant.  We were past the point of exhaustion, had lost all confidence in our ability to be parents and thought we had the worst baby EVER. Things were so bad at our house: our baby wasn’t sleeping more than an hour at a time, had to be held constantly, cried hysterically the minute he was brought into his nursery, had 2 ounce bottles all throughout the night, and on and on. We were hesitant to make yet another investment toward improving sleep but we are so glad that we did.  Natalie traveled from Maine to Vermont to help us and from the minute she showed up we were at ease knowing we made the right choice.    

By the time she left, 72 hours later, we knew we had a baby capable of sleeping through the night and taking quality naps.  

Natalie didn’t just disappear after our 3 nights together either.  She was there for us by phone, email or text whenever we started to panic and doubt ourselves, she offered pep talks and confidence boosters and helped us think through what our baby was really needing from us.  We know how much of an investment this is (especially if you have already tried everything else like us) but it is 1000% worth it with Natalie at your side!  It’s been 5 months since Natalie left our house and our baby is still sleeping 11-12 hours at night and just made the transition from 3 naps to 2.  Natalie set us up with all of the tools we needed for the future before she even left our house. 

Natalie is kind, compassionate, knowledgeable, and supportive.  We apologize for the lengthy review but we cannot say enough good things about Natalie from Maine Doulas.  If we decide to expand our family in the future we will without a doubt call Natalie again!

Lauren

8/6/2020

Natalie was a life saver in those early nights with the newborn. I always felt that our baby was in great hands when we were sleeping. Natalie was considerate and flexible with our wants and needs. She was a calming voice of comfort when I was in that sleep-deprived, emotional state at the beginning of our baby's life. I cannot recommend Maine Doulas enough!

Meg LeMay

10/7/2016

My heart overflows with gratitude for Natalie Grammer of Maine Doulas who helped my partner & I have the beautiful birth we had hoped for. Not only did she support me emotionally leading up to nirthing day, but the incredible Natalie was our HypnoBirthing instructor. She showed up to our home after my first 6 hours of active labor and her firm hands and calm voice gave me the confidence to get to 9 hours before we finally left for the hospital. She was with me for nearly every surge applying relieving counter pressure or offering ice to my forehead sometimes simultaneously. She supported my birth partner and helped me to understand hospital jargon without it being overwhelming. And in a moment I will never forget she invited me to go deeply inward to a place where I arrived at profound trust in myself and in my body. I don't know if I'll ever be able to replicate that self trust in my meditation practice or elsewhere but it is one of the best gifts I have ever received. Thank you, Natalie. I am blessed to have had you as my doula!

Liz Warfel

10/19/2015

My husband and I considered using a doula for some time before we decided to. Since this was our first pregnancy, we had no idea what to expect during childbirth. We wanted to make sure we had enough help and support to get us through the process. I was initially hesitant about adding someone to my support team thinking that my husband and I could figure things out on our own. Looking back now, I can’t imagine giving birth without Natalie there. Her calming presence, support and encouragement throughout the whole process were incredible. She had an amazing way of relaxing me through her words and hands, providing counter pressure, massage and comfort whenever each was needed. We can’t say enough of how appreciative we are that Natalie was there to help us through this amazing process.
Thank you Natalie!!!!

Shiva Darbandi

1/25/2015

Natalie is extraordinary, and I cannot imagine having had a better experience. She has a calming prescence that instantly put my partner and me at peace, and she went above and beyond what we expected.

During her routine visits she expressed a geniune interest in the pregnancy and any concerns we had, and her expertise was always able to guide us to a solution or approrpriate reference. Natalie is incredibly knowledgable and well connected, so we knew we could always count on her for advice. She is open minded and never judgemental, proceeding with a gental smile.

The doula hip squeeze that she performed during my labor was magical. The entire experience, thanks to guidance from Natalie, was unlike what I had thought. She also checked in on my partner before, during, and after labor to make sure he was feeling comfortable. She made sure he ate and took breaks. From the moment we met her, and even now, we felt that there was someone watching out for us and helping us navigate a world in which we had very little prior experience.

Natalie checked in on us several times after the labor, and it was the support I received then for which I will never stop being grateful. If we choose to have another child, our first step will be to contact Natalie. I cannot imagine what the process would be like without her.

Anyone who is able to work with Natalie through pregnancy and during labor is an incredibly fortunate individual. She has been an extraordinary force, and we will never forget how much she has helped us.