Danielle Pfaff

12/6/2020

Anyone who is perusing Doula Match and comes across Laura Interlandi, please do yourself a favor and read her testimonials and description because if there is any inkling of "she seems like the one", I say YES YES YES! This woman goes beyond any doula I have ever had or known. She has so many gifts, skills, and ways of supporting you in the full spectrum of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum that I feel everyone should have the opportunity of working with her! I have learned so much from her with her wisdom of the physical, mental, emotional, psychological journey this experience takes you on and I'm forever grateful.  The depth of her care is like none other I have received. She knows what deep questions to ask to help you really get to the heart of your own feelings/intuition/knowing, she brings levity, community, and nourishment on all levels. She knows how to hold your needs and families needs with respect and kindness, she is well versed in all the variety of what can come with birth and healing and has crossed the threshold herself that I feel deeply held, seen, safe, and nurtured in her care. She truly is magic, a true wordsmith who always knows exactly what to say in the right moment and is a beacon of support, I could go on and on. I forever hold her near and dear to my heart and say go for it, reach out, see if she is the fit for you too. 

Scott Neves

11/16/2020

Laura is great, while giving her complete and total attention to my partner's care, she was somehow able to make me feel included and important through the entire process. As the one not giving birth, I would often be overlooked with some service providers. I really appriciated this. Laura must eat, sleep, and breathe this line of work, because her knowledge of every facet, of every phase of pregnancy, is nothing short of facinating. 

Laura goes above and beyond, and exceeded our expectations. Being able to have her at our side will certainly be up there in our decision matrix for having another child : )

Caitlin

11/13/2020

It's so hard to put into words what Laura's labour and postpartum care brought into my life. She gave me the space, care and support that I needed to love my baby and my partner, and myself, through the sometimes nightmarish, sometimes divine postpartum period. She was our fourth trimester mother, making food appear from what felt like empty cupboards, bringing laughter and delight into our sleepless and teary home, and parenting us as we became parents, bit by bit. Everyone deserves the kind of care that Laura brings to her work.

Finding the right labour and postpartum support is so deeply about finding a person you trust, connect with and feel safe with. For us, Laura was all that and more. She pushed us to talk about the postartum period during my pregnancy, to make preparations and think about things we never would have thought about (and were incredibly glad that we had!). She fed me tiny spoonfuls of honey during labour. She did things we found impossible, like keeping the fridge clean, and the laundry under control, and taught us how to baby wear. But she also just kept us afloat, a few days of coping, a Laura visit to put it all back together, a few days of coping, a Laura visit. Rinse and repeat. The foot rubs, the snack plates, the naps while she wore the baby (and made a roast chicken, and unloaded and loaded the dishwasher), getting to go for a walk on the beach with my partner alone. 

Laura is, quite frankly, magic.

Nicole Moss

10/25/2020

I can't say enough about Laura. She is an amazing doula and an amazing person. She contiunnauly knew what to say and how to support me, I always felt loved and well cared for. She was able to help me with breastfeeding, any newborn questions I had, with baby wearing, meal prepping, sitz baths, breast pumping, marriage and relationship reconnection, prenatal preparation and care and so much more. She made me laugh when I needed a laugh and let me cry when I needed to cry. I honestly feel blessed that I was cared for by such an amazing person. I would highly recommended Laura - she will go to bat for you and she will treat your needs as top priority. She'll even tell your neighbour to cut the chainsaw when you're in labour! True story.... 

Kristin

5/14/2020

Laura's confident presence and warm and welcoming nature put my partner and I immediately at ease when we first met her. She was a wealth of knowledge and support prior to birth and having her on our team had us feeling super confident and well prepared for birth. During our birth her warm presence and depth of wisdom helped to create a really beautiful and peaceful space. I am so grateful to her for her support as she had a lot of great ideas and recommendations during labour that helped me to birth my daughter safely and as gracefully as possible. I mean she literally held my leg in the side lying position as I birthed my babe into the world. Thank you Laura!
Laura delivered a healthy and delicious meal to us two days post partum complete with a rose she had cut from her garden. It is a testimony to level of care, nourishment and beauty she brings to the post partum space. Being able to call on her in moments of despair and uncertainty was invaluable. She holds such a loving space and has so much wisdom that she articulates without judgement or bias. I always felt heard and supported. Plus she is just a really cool and amazing human to be around. I so looked forward to the days she would arrive for post partum care. The connection, conversation, care and nourishment meant so much to me. Being in the post partum space can feel really vulnerable but Laura made it feel really comfortable and I felt really held by her in total confidence throughout it. I was so glad that I had that level of support from Laura in the post partum space as I orginally had not planned for it. So grateful for you and all that you do Laura. 

Jessica Paige

5/13/2020

Laura connected with my partner and I immediately with her warm smile and respectful, supportive nature. Her passion for doula work is palpable and she showed nothing but the best of care thoughout our journey together. On the day of my sons birth, she was there from the beginning to the very end, making sure all 3 of us were comfortable, nourished and baby was nursing before she went home. During the first weeks of postpartum, she came to my home and cooked, cleaned, rubbed my feet, took my baby for a walk so I could rest and honoured my feelings. We were blessed to have her and would highly recommend her services. I could write more, you won't regret it!! 

Devon

5/11/2020

Laura is an incredible gem and her support during our second baby's birth and postpartum period blew past all expectations of doula care I could imagine. She knows how to show up and make people feel heard, seen, validated and comforted. At the same time, she'll make sure your fridge is stocked with the most amazing nourishing food, give you sleep, calm your fussy baby, counsel you, make you beautiful herbal baths, and just generally help hold down the fort during this overwhelming time.

Her extensive experience as both a doula and Mom of 3 really shine through. Often, I felt like my world was chaos and had no idea what to even ask for to make it better. Laura would swoop in and work her magic, somehow able to see what was lacking, understand my needs and help guide me in the right direction in a totally non-judgmental loving way. She really goes above and beyond to provide care. For example, instead of just slapping a sandwich together, she quickly set our patio table up beautifully and served my husband and I a restaurant quality lunch made from my grocery scraps in the fridge so we could have a much needed "date" together.

Her wisdom about taking time to deeply nourish and care for yourself and really seeing and supporting one another has helped me far beyond our time with her. I cannot thank her enough or recommend her more highly!

Joshua Akow

8/2/2019

Laura was amazing to have present before, during, and after the birth of our son. She helped both of us understand what we could do to help prepare for the birth as well as prepare for post-partum (which was something neither of us had thought of until she had mentioned it). She was the right balance of attentive, and respectful of our space. Laura was a huge help in making sure that both myself and my wife were properly cared for during and after the birth. She was always willing to make time for us, as well as go out of her way to make sure she could answer any questions or concerns we had concerning the pregnancy and birth. She is an outstanding doula and anyone would be very thankful to have someone as knowledgeable, kind and fun to share the birth of their child with. I would recommend her to anyone who is looking at doula services in a heartbeat. Thank you so much for everything you've done for Kim, Finnley and I!

Christine

7/3/2019

The first time we met Laura we connected in a way that only twin moms can understand. Without saying a word she knew...knew that I needed a big hug, encouragement, and lots of support. 

I was suffering from postpartum depression and struggling with my new twin babies. Laura helped me regain the tools I needed to see the joy in the smallest of moments as well as the every day routine. She helped me learn to smile again, laugh, and enjoy my babies. She was someone I could talk to about anything and she was always there to listen and help. 

Laura helped prepare meals, made sure I ate properly, and helped with the household chaos. She gave me time... time to be me, time to relax, time to sleep, time to regroup. She also taught me skills for caring for my twins and helped me set up a routine for them.

Most importantly my babies love her. She has a warm magnetic personality and genuinely cares for all of us. Even my 2 year old would gravitate toward her and be so excited to see her. Laura is amazing. I highly recommend Laura for a postpartum doula! 

Alexandra

2/28/2019

Laura is first and formemost a dear friend and having her at the birth of my second child was nothing short of a blessing.

We were so lucky to have a person of such deep integrity, honesty, kindness, humor and grace as we navigated the tricky terrain of second time pregnancy and birth. 

We felt supported and held so tenderly and knew that Laura was there for us whenever and for whatever we needed. It gave us space to breathe and enjoy the process as opposed to trying to keep a million balls in the air by ourselves. 

Laura at this point is like family. 

What we experienced as a family being helped over the threshold and guided through the process of becoming a family of five will remain with us forever. She is full of love and every single conversation, recommendation, check in, hand hold, deep hug and eye meet was just confirmation of that love and that we were in the safest hands.

There are not words to recommend her highly enough! 

kaleigh smith

9/10/2018

Laura was both birth and post-partum doula to me during my second pregnancy. With ease and expertise, Laura built a partnership with me and my husband, preparing us for the birth of our identical twin boys (mono-di) and for all the exciting changes that would impact us and our 2.5 year old daughter. She guided and nurtured us with clear conversations, insights and advice. Without her we would have been completely overwhelmed. I cannot recommend her more highly.

As birth doula, she gave us confidence through example, prepared us for birth, organized our home, stocked our fridge with quick food, reminded us that we were going through one of life’s most awe inspiring events.

As postpartum doula, rescued us when we were exhausted. She nourished us, sent my husband off for bike rides so he could recharge, forced me to nap. She was my daily companion through visits, texts and phone calls.

As a person, Laura is a natural caregiver and a badass twin+1 mom herself. She’s a combination of mother, sister, nurse, adviser, friend. When my twins were in the NICU I was confused and terrified. Laura was the one person who soothed me by listening, by letting me ruminate on NICU details like temperatures, weight gain and by gently guiding me away from fearful Googling towards positive thinking. Laura gave me permission to be scared and to own that birth is a massively intense experience. She helped me cope with the physical and psychological changes. I can remember crying, alot. I can remember feeling confused at all the emotions. Laura validated them and then celebrated that birth had made me open to these emotions and had deepened my connection to my children, husband and self.

Everyone would be lucky to have Laura as their doula. I can not imagine my twins’ birth and those early weeks without her.

Zain Hoda

5/16/2018

Having Laura as our doula was an amazing process. During our first pre-natal visit, we talked through how the first birth went and all the factors that went into ending up with a c-section the first time around. My wife expressed her desire for a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Caesarian). Laura really took the time to get to know us, our desires, and our limits. She has an uncanny ability to explain things from both a scientific perspective as well as a more spiritual/new age perspective. After the meeting, she shared a Google doc with us of helpful resources, which was a wonderful way for us to all be aligned in our thinking and expectations for birth partners.

Labor ended up starting about two weeks early and it was helpful to be able to call Laura periodically as her labor progressed at home. The contractions started far apart and got closer together but we had no idea if they were intense enough to be considered active labor. We spoke to Laura on the phone to check in and get some reassurance about when to go to the hospital.

Once we got to the hospital is when we were super glad that we had Laura there with us. A lot of time spent even in active labor is spent alone so Laura’s presence when a contraction was happening every few minutes was critical. As intense contractions were happening, she was having my wife focus on me while Laura was giving massages or hip squeezes. In between contractions, she was suggesting different positions to try.

My wife didn’t think she could labor for as long as she did before taking the epidural and there’s no way that I alone would have been able to get her to the point at which the natural delivery would have been successful. Most people think that after a c-section, you must always have c-sections and a lot of times that is true. There is no guarantee that a VBAC will be successful but ours was and I believe that having Laura as our doula was a big factor in the successful delivery!

Mahrukh Hoda

5/1/2018

Laura did an amazing job as my doula! She brought a lot of positive energy to my birth experience and helped keep me positive as well when I was in pain and having contractions. She wasn’t pushy at all and very respectful of my decision to take the epidural so that I could get some rest after having contractions for a day and a half. While I was in labor, she helped me breath through it and pressed down on my lower back which helped a lot with pain management. She also gave me a back massage and brought her own scented oils which helped me relax and remain calm through labor. After the birth, Laura came over with breakfast, made a broth for me to help with my recovery and also showed me some stretches that I could do at home. She also gave me a post-partum massage which was also great! And, gifted me a mom related poetry book that she contributed to. Having Laura’s support during labor had a huge positive impact on my birth experience. Laura did a lot more as my doula than I had expected and comes with a wealth of knowledge on pregnancy and birth so I would definitely recommend her as a Doula to others!

Mimi Lien

3/15/2018

As soon as my husband and I had our first meeting with Laura, I felt immediately at ease...  she had just the right blend of humor, groundedness, and mindfulness, and I knew right away that I wanted to have her in the room as our birth doula.  As first time parents, her presence was just as important for my husband as it was for me -- we knew nothing about the birth process, and it was amazing to have someone have our backs.  As parents of twins, it was particularly amazing that Laura is also a mother of twins, and has extensive post-partum doula experience...  I feel like we got the best of both worlds, as we were able to talk about both the birth and post-partum issues at the same time, which for twin moms is key!!    I cannot say enough good things about Laura -- her presence simply made everything better.

Kathleen Samstein

4/11/2017

Laura was gentle, present and wise in her support of my transition into motherhood. With lightness and humor she helped change the energy in our house when lack of sleep and the fear of how to care for a newborn seemed overwhelming to me and my partner.
Her knowledge in providing physical comfort for my healing body was key in helping me process my birth so I could relax and get much needed sleep. Education and support with breastfeeding and baby wearing were tangible skills that were literal game changers.
I can't even begin to touch on my gratitude for the emotional care she provided. Becoming a mother can feel isolating and lonely. Through Laura's help I was able to find space to feel more like myself and laugh and smile through this journey.

Jennifer Sbrocchi

3/6/2017

Community Blessingway Testimonal

When Laura invited me to the community blessing way I wasn't sure what to expect. This ended up being one of the most memorable days of pregnancy. Holding sacred space with other women who were already mothers or about to be mothers helped me feel secure in my future role. Expressing my doubts was freeing and your thoughts and advice gave me confidence. To this day, I look at the beads we strung together as a reminder to let go of expectations. The only thing that made this day even better was having my own mother sitting next to me experiencing this beautiful ritual."

From my mom, "The blessingway was a very emotional experience that I shared with my daughter and the other moms to be. I got to see how strong and brave my daughter was and how much pregnancy is truly a blessing and powerful experience for all women."

Ari Taitz

2/28/2017

Simply put, Laura was amazing. Within the first few minutes of coming to our home, Laura seemed to know exactly what to do to make our lives easier and get the family through a very difficult time. She immediately helped my wife with loving support, was an incredible resource for us to better care for our baby and a wonderful calming presence in our home. Before we hired Laura i didnt even know what a post partum doula was. Now, I tell everyone how essential a doula can be. I'm so grateful that we met her and had the great fortune of getting her help and support. I recommend her strongly to anyone with a new baby.

Lauren Clark Taitz

2/23/2017

I just wanted you to know that you were the MOST Important part of my postpartum recovery and healing and I can never thank you enough for being my biggest cheerleader. I will never, ever forget that. Your babies are so lucky to have you as their mama. I learned so much from you about parenting and womanhood and salad dressings and LIFE. For as long as I live I will never ever forget your kindness. You are truly one of the most special souls I have ever met!

Jordana Jacobs

9/26/2014

When Laura arrived at my house after we brought our son home from the hospital, I felt saved, like a rescue worker had arrived.

There was food, there was cleaning, there was practical help, there was nurture, there was an amazing backrub that I am still deeply grateful for. All of this was necessary because I was breastfeeding around the clock, quite sleepless, recovering, unable to fix myself a snack, incapable of anything except holding my tiny son against my skin and feeding him. Laura enabled me to give my son the primal attention he needed during those early days. I was, for a time, freed from mundane tasks like prepping snacks and giant challenges like figuring it all out.

While I might, in other circumstances, feel self-conscious about accepting help, accepting backrubs, accepting someone in my kitchen, I felt, simply, good. Laura is generous of spirit, has more than her share of wisdom, she is empathetic and understanding and I luxuriated in these traits when I needed them most.

Becoming a mother is all-consuming those first few weeks. I will always be grateful to Laura for being a source of help and joy as I went through that physical, emotional, and spiritual transition.

Carol Cho Lev

9/23/2014

I feel like everyone should have a post partum doula. My first 3 months was such a struggle as a first time parent and a baby who didn't stop crying for 3 months. I don't know how I could have gotten through that tough time without Laura. From brining me nutritous snacks and drinks when she visited, to a sane ear to really providing the knowledge and information we needed to get through an amazingly tough time. Highly reccomended. Thank you Laura