LE

8/29/2022

My husband and I had an overwhelmingly positive experience working with Christina in Spring 2022 and cannot recommend her more highly as a birth doula. I gave birth at an academic hospital and Christina provided much needed continuity during multiple team shift changes. She comforted and reassured us when things did not go as expected, and helped me advocate for myself throughout a long induction. Her help with positioning after my epidural when our nursing team was busy elsewhere helped my labor progress and, I believe, prevented me from having a C section. She also took precious photos and made sure we were settled after our baby was born, and checked in about 1 month postpartum. She is wonderfully kind and professional. I would hire her again without hesitation!

Kristen Treegoob

8/18/2022

Warm, supportive, incredibly knowledgeable! Felt as comfortable and prepared as possible for my delivery. Really valued her ability to support both me and my partner. Wonderful guidance throughout my induction turned C/S and postpartum check in. Highly recommend!

Naomi

6/21/2022

I absolutely loved having Christina as my doula. It was my second baby so I wasn't sure if I would need one, but I am so glad I did. She fielded questions from me during my last several weeks which put me at ease, especially because I went past my due date and was dealing with a covid scare. Most importantly, Christina helped me have a really positive labor and delivery experience. I credit Christina with helping me understand when to go to the hospital and counseling me on different comfort measures while laboring at home. At the hospital, she was a calming and encouraging presence that helped both me and my husband. I really will never forget her support and would recommend her to anyone!

Amanda Stroup

6/3/2022

I cannot say enough about the wonderful experience I had with Christina as my doula. I’ve had other doulas in the past and Christina was hands down the BEST! From my opening conversation with her to see if she would be a good fit to our conversations post birth and everything in between, she was the epitome of professional, caring and supportive. Christina was the COACH I needed. She was in constant contact with me throughout early labor and helped me to make some crucial decisions before she even arrived at the hospital! Once she arrived, it was game time. And when the young nurse was trying to suggest that “maybe you’re just having some back labor”, she assured me “no, THIS is transition! Your baby will be here soon!” And sure enough, less than an hour after Christina arrived, our fourth child, Owen, was born! If it weren’t for Christina I don’t know that I would have been able to manage my contractions and keep him from coming out too fast! She helped me to realize my dream of an unmedicated “mostly”natural birth!

She was calm, constructive and compassionate! She was truly an Angel by my side! I have recommended her to several others and will continue to do so. And if God blesses us with any more children, I know who I want and need by my side!

Thank you Christina for all you do! May God reward you!

Kate Binder

6/3/2022

When I found out I was pregnant I knew immediately I wanted to have a physiological childbirth with no interventions. I knew as much as my husband supported me in that he could never coach/help me in the way I would need during labor since he had never gone through it himself. I made the decision to hire a doula and it was the best decision I ever made. Christina was INCREDIBLE. I would have never been able to achieve my goal had it not been for her guidance, support, coaching, etc. When you are in labor your brain shuts off and you go to such a place of focus you can't answer questions or think about changing positions, how you are breathing etc. Christina did all of that for me and it was beyond a blessing. I trusted her and she delivered. She helped not only to coach me through the labor but my husband as well. She would suggest when to change positions, recommended different breathing techniques, explained options to me, guided me through pushing, helped me with latching/nursing, the list goes on. My husband made a comment after the delivery that he would have remortgaged our house if we needed to in order to have her there. My doctor was so impressed with her that she asked for her information to share with patients because she said "you're the best doula I have ever worked with". My labor was 18 hours long and Christina was with us the entire time and she left at midnight to go help another family. What a truly amazing woman she is. I would recommend her and I will personally use her for every delivery I have. I can't thank her enough or say enough good things about her!

Laurie S

6/2/2022

I hired Christina as I had a was extremely anxious about labor and giving birth. Christina was calm, patient, and caring. She answered all my questions before-hand and helped my partner and I remain calm and informed throughout my labor and delivery. Post-partum she was available for questions and had helpful advice. I would recommend and use again. 

Kelsey

5/31/2022

Do you ever pack extra things for a trip as "just in case" items, knowing you probably won’t need them, but you carelessly toss them in your suitcase anyway? A cozy sweatshirt? A couple more hair ties? Just *one more* pair of shoes?  

This was my approach to birthing my third baby. “I don’t really need a doula, do I? I had one with each of my previous kids, so I’m a pro now!” 

Well, it really was a good idea that I packed those extra hair ties. 

In my overconfidence, I forgot that every birth is truly unique, and so after 8 hours of stalled labor, my husband and I were relieved to be able to rely on the expertise of our doula Christina as we texted and talked by phone about strategies to jump start labor. When we asked her to come to the birth center shortly after I was induced with castor oil, she was there promptly. She helped in ways that I didn’t even know I needed. She helped me stay calm with verbal cues and helped with pain management with back rubs. She struck a balance of compassion and professionalism. She didn’t over-empathize, but she also wasn’t cold. If we were to have any more kids, we wouldn't think twice about hiring Christina. She was worth so much more than extra hair ties.

Chrissy Q

5/30/2022

She was awesome! Absolutely the reason why my labor (natural, unmedicated) went as smooth as it did. She kept me calm, supported my husband, and knew details about what was available at the hospital that we would not have known. It was also clear she had a good report with the nurses and midwives. 

Stacey Boyer

9/8/2019

I strongly recommend that you hire this exceptional woman to facilitate your birth experience!  

I am a second-time mom.  Unfortunately, I did not hire a doula to assist with the fairly traumatic birth of my first child.  As a result of that first birthing expeirence, I was left with feelings of fear, helplessness, and inadequacy.  I honestly did not believe that I had the strength or ability to have a birth without medical interventions.  

When I became pregnant again, my husband and I sought additional support for labor and delivery.  We interviewed doulas and discovered Christina after she attended a few of my friends' births.  We found her to be very knowledgeable and experienced. 

During the prenatal period, Christina listened to my fears, provided me with helpful information, and clearly gave me a picture of what she would (and would not) do as a doula.  She was always responsive.  I worked in conjunction with her and my provider to develop a natural induction plan when past my due date.  

During labor, Christina got to the hospital quickly.  She had many techniques (e.g., movements, breathing strategies, pressure points, etc) that I had not tried during my first birth experience.  She requested equipment that I did not know was available (i.e., a squat bar).  She was able to identify what I was good at and what was working for me v. what was unhelpful.  I hit two mental walls and she helped me move through them.  She also simultaneously supported my husband and found ways to allay his concern that she might usurp his crucial role during labor and delivery.  Most of all, Christina's calm and confident demeanor made it possible for me to realize my own strength.  With her help, my husband and I were able to achieve the healing birth experience that we so desired and needed.  

Melissa Thomas

7/16/2013

I cannot express how grateful I am for Christina who helped me through my labor with my first baby girl born almost 4 weeks ago.  I had a plan for a peaceful, natural birth and wanted to keep calmness in the room and stay focused on my main goal while being present in my mind and body.  Christina helped me remember all of these things and whenever I felt too exhausted, she would say the right words to help bring me back to being present and focused on the end result, my baby!  Christina kept a calm voice and was so helpful through the entire experience.  I felt supported by Well Born Baby Doula team throughout my pregnancy, any questions I had were quickly answered and the information they provided was all very useful! I really feel that I had the perfect birth and I am so lucky... but I must give so much credit to my team of people who helped me through, Christina was amazing and my birth would not have been nearly as peaceful and guided as it was without her. I am so happy that I found Well Born Baby and that she helped me through my wonderful labor experience. I have felt very supported afterwards with her as well and I look forward to going to the mommy mornings that she leads so I can keep in touch! I can't say enough wonderful things about Christina and Well Born Baby, what a fabulous team of women who really care about moms and helping to nurture a beautiful birth experience.

Michael and Kassie Jennings

7/8/2013

Christina is really great! My husband and are very glad we had her as our birth doula. The birth that she attended was actually our second child. Some things happened with the pregnancy and birth of our first child that made us want to look into some non-traditional options when I got pregnant again. I had high blood pressure near the end and was eventually induced just past my due date. The ob I used decided to break my water but gave me no warning as to how much more intense contractions are after the water has broken and I ended up requesting an epidural. These were all things that I hadn't wanted going into it. For my second pregnancy, we ended up choosing The Birth Center for my prenatal care and were planning on delivering there as well.  We hired Christina as our doula and told her all of our concerns. She assured me that she (and The Birth Center midwives) would work to make sure that I was much more involved in the decision making this time around. As it turned out, some of the same things happend with my second pregnancy that had happened with my first, but the experience was different because Christina made sure that I understood each step of the way what my options were and what the medical reasons were for needing to deliver at the hospital, why it was better to let the midwife break my water rather than increasing my dose of Pitocin until it broke on its own.  With her help I was able to breathe properly through my contractions and relax between them and make it through a very intense labor without an epidural. She also helped me get started with breastfeeding. My husband says it was great not to feel like the entire job of labor coach was on him and to have her there giving him ideas and suggestions of things he could do to be more helpful to me.  Basically, hiring Christina was worth every penny and if we found ourselves expecting again, one of the first calls we would make would be to Christina to see if she was available!

Briana Brant

7/6/2013

Christina Duff is a wonderful doula. She is extremely professional and knowledgable, but also sweet, friendly, and incredibly supportive.

We worked with Christina and Well Born Baby for the birth of our son, in 2011, and again for our second son, in 2013.  She greatly improved my birth experience both times.

Her calm coaching and guidance during the births helped me to stay focused and I think that it shortened my labor.  She also supported my husband and taught him to apply "counterpressure" during labor which helped immensely in handling labor pain.

She taught me to breastfeed my baby, and was there to support me via phone, email, and home visit with whatever i needed.  Christina is also a mom of 3, and her sharing her experience has taught me a lot as well.

Her fee is very reasonable for the support she and Well Born Baby offer.

Her support really helped me transition into motherhood.

I have and will continue to recommend Christina to my friends and family.

Susan Felhoelter

7/2/2013

Christina Duff gave me the labor and delivery with my second child that I wish I could have had with my first. If only I had known about her back then! I had a challenging delivery with both children, but the difference between the two experiences was night and day thanks to Christina. She was calm when I was terrified, soothing when I was frazzled, confident when I was overwhelmed, and, above all, she just made me feel like I could do it. My goal was to have a natural childbirth and, even though I ended up needing pitocin for a failure to progress, she helped me achieve my goal. I delivered naturally with no epidural, primarily thanks to her strong support.

She has so much experience with labor and delivery; she has seen it all. She understood when I just needed encouragement and when I needed her to take charge. Honestly, she anticipated my every need and was there to meet it. I was able to focus solely on the job of delivering the baby, since she was there to worry about everything else.

If I decide to have a third child, she will absolutely be there right beside me!

Molly Steinberg Howard

7/2/2013

Christina was amazing. Working with her was wonderful. I could not have given birth naturally without her help. In my opinion she was invaluable and I would never give birth without her.

It's hard to put into words how wonderful my birth experience was.

My water broke at 11 am and I called Christina right away. She kept me calm and told me what to do. She encouraged me to shower, eat, etc because she said that once I got to the hospital, if my water had broken, they would keep me there no matter what. I was able to keep in contact with her the entire time. She asked me questions to gauge how far along my labor was. She kept asking me if I wanted her to come and join us. On the way to the hospital, I was able to text her the whole time.

I was at the hospital for about an hour before she got there, which was my decision. About 15 minutes before she got there, I felt like I wouldn't be able to handle the pain. Once Christina got to the hospital, it all changed. The way I handled the contractions and the way they felt were completely different and manageable.

Once I got into the L&D room instead of the evaluation unit, I was able to get into the shower. Christina stayed with me the entire time. This was really helpful, because at one point, my husband had to leave the bathroom to sign paperwork. Knowing that there was someone to stay with me made it a lot easier for him. The farther along I got, the more instruction she gave.

Once I was ready to push, my husband and Christina held my hands. She gave me instructions on how to push and even the nurses commented that I wasn't pushing like a first timer. I ended up only pushing for 20 minutes which was amazing. After my son was born and I had time with him, my husband was able to hold our son while Christina helped me deliver the placenta. She then stayed afterwards until my son latched and started feeding.

I am so glad I hired her and I wouldn't change a thing!

Christina Nicolosi

7/1/2013

Christina made hersela available throughout my pregnancy to answer user questions and concerns about everything from pregnancy symptoms to registry items for my shower. She also provided me with information and resources to help with turning a breech baby mine was) and increase my AF level (mine was low). Ultimately, my baby was stubborn and never flipped, but Christina helped me to prepare a birth plan for a C Section that was as natural and personal as one could be. She helped try for skin to skin in the OR anfm for breast feeding in recovery rather than after the baby's bath and trip to the nursery. We were successful with the latter and the hospital allowed Dad at least to have skin to skin with the baby. Christina calmed my fears about a c section and has been fabulous post partum as a resource for nursing and other baby questions. She's even been helping me find other mommy friends! Christina also led my child birth education class and that was great, preparing us for all potentiainterventions and even pain management techniques through massage. I would absolutely use Christina again as a doula when we try for a VBAC this time around. Ger wealth of knowledge, experience, and resources are phenomenal!

Jennifer Caviglia

7/1/2013

Christina Duff of Well-Born Baby was fantastic. My natural intervention free birth was side-tracked by my 10.6# baby (I couldn't get him out) but I still had an amazing experience. I had a c-section that she explained and advocated for and we went in completely at ease.  Christina was extremely helpful with breast feeding and also took care of my anxious husband thru the whole process. I would highly recommend!!!!

Kaitlin Barry

7/1/2013

Christina was a wonderful, wonderful doula. My husband and I moved to the Philadelphia area four weeks before my daughter was born.  I was nervous having to get a new doctor so late in the game since I had planned to deliver at a birthing center in my previous city and was not able to get into a birthing center at the last minute where I currently live.  Hiring Christina as our doula allowed us to know that we would have a true advocate with us during the entire birth in a hospital setting.  Christina was positive, upbeat, and lowkey the entire few weeks leading up to labor.  She gave me great resources when I was close to two weeks past my due date, including an at-home visit from a wonderful acupuncturist who helped re-kickstart my labor after it stopped.  Christina immediately met me at the hospital when I arrived 5cm dilated.  She walked with me during labor, gave me strategies to help keep my contractions progressing, talked me through each wave of pain when they got stronger, and more.  I went into labor on a Friday night at home, arrived at the hospital Monday morning and unfortunately after my water was accidentally broken my daughter turned to a posterior position and had still not descended by almost the next day even though I was fully dilated.  When the doctors assured me that a c-section was the most important next step, Christina gave me every assurance I needed to feel comfortable with that outcome.  My husband and I had planned for a natural birth but more than anything, wanted a positive experience.  I feel that Christina's support and affirmation helped us keep my daugther's birth a positive experience despite the unplanned surgery.  Christina stayed until I was stitched up and back in my hospital room and her follow-up in the weeks after was essential (including an outing to the playground with our kids!). I would whole-heartedly recommend Christina to anyone.

Sarah Agran

7/1/2013

Christina was an amazing support. We got along right away and enjoyed our sessions prior to the birth as a time to work through any questions we had and concerns about how to make our birth experience as close to what we wanted as possible. I was gestationally diabetic with a big baby and we were not sure whether or not we would end up having access to a natural birth but wanted to try. Christina had a big network of related services to help support us. When labor began I did not worry about making my husband the sole support for my labor journey (something I think is overwhelming for anyone), instead Christina was there to rub my back and suggest alternate positions. When heart rates went a little wild, Christina was a voice of experience next to the monitor to reassure me that everything would be ok. When after 15 hours of natural labor, our experience ended with a c-section we were at peace that we had done everything possible. My dr even let Christina stay in the room to provide much needed support to me after baby and daddy left the room. She made breastfeeding right away seem as easy as falling off a log. Afterward, I loved the new-mom support that wellborn baby connected me to. We plan on trying for a VBAC with our next baby and Christina will definitely be a part of the team. I can not say enough good things about doulas in general and Christina specifically.

Erica Schafer

7/1/2013

Having Christina / Well Born Baby as our Doula was one of the best decisions I made during my pregnancy. Our son is 4 months old and my husband still raves about how amazing Christina was and how we have to have her for baby #2. Christina was calm, prepared, knowledgeable and most importantly, supportive throughout my pregnancy and labor. She was there to answer any questions I had and made me feel prepared for child birth.

Christina was AMAZING with pain management! She knew exactly what to do to naturally ease a lot of my labor pain. She also showed my husband how to best help and support me. She was always one step ahead and seemed to know just what I needed. At the same time, she was not overbearing at all - Christina was very respectful of the fact that giving birth is a very intimate time.

Throughout the ~17 hours she was with us she never seemed to get tired! To sum it up, we would have been lost without her! Christina was an essential component to our birth experience and I am SO thankful for everything that she did for us.

Xandra O'Neill

7/1/2013

My husband and I were both so grateful to have Christina's support leading up to and during the birth of our daughter. My husband was initially wary of having a doula, but as soon as we met with Christina, he started to shift his opinion, and he was so glad to have her there supporting us both. "I could not have talked you through that in the way that she did," was one of the things he told me. Having both of them there with me gave me the comfort that I needed to focus on the work of birthing my daughter. I also think that having Christina there allowed my husband to experience the birth of our daughter more fully. It was a beautiful and empowering experience, and I thank Christina for helping to make it so.