Matthew C.

1/31/2021

Just today, carrying our daughter through the park, I told my wife how much I miss having a call with Jennette to look forward to, now that our daughter has reached a later stage in her development. Though I knew having a post-partum doula would provide us important support, I didn't understand how essential it would become, particularly when our meetings with Jennette were all over Zoom and email. Wasn't the doula supposed to, I don't know, show us magic tricks in person to help the baby go to sleep? It turned out that Jennette's insight was so reliable that meeting with her video-self was  just as effective as meeting her in person (and it turns out video is great for conveying sleep tips!) Jennette, from our first call, quickly turned into an essential member of our daughter's early days. Her approach normalized many of our concerns, but also put them in perspective and helped us approach them from a new angle. She always knew the right way to question what we were thinking, thoughtfully and constructively. She helped us understand our daughter and our life with her in a way I don't think we would have realized on our own. We can't recommend her enough; she'll become a crucial part of your week. Jennette definitely shines a light through the fog and uncertainity of new baby life!

Abigail Myers

12/14/2020

We truly appreciated Jennette's support!  As first-time parents in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, we loved having a lifeline in Jennette's attentive care even from a distance.  I felt comfortable asking any question, and confident in her responses.

Jennette really helped me understand that there is such a wide range of "normal" when it comes to babies and it's often hard to know what the "right" answer is; techniques, philosophies, etc. can vary quite a bit and still be perfectly healthy and loving, and a baby can be doing lots of different things at different stages that are totally fine and nothing to worry about.  In that way, she helped ease my fears about needing to follow any particular parenting dogma and focus on a few things that really mattered to me.

I've written so far about what makes Jennette a great talker, but she's also a wonderful listener.  Knowing that my birth experience (an unsuccessful induction followed by an emergency C-section for which I had to receive general anesthesia) was not what I'd imagined, she encouraged me to share my birth story and my feelings around it with her.  I have distinct memories, even in the hazy newborn days, of how cathartic and clarifying it was for me to be able to share my birth story, and I have Jennette to thank for her kindness and openness that set the conditions for me to share it.

Emily Gordon

5/28/2019

I had an excellent experience with Jennette, who came 3 days a week for 2 weeks to provide postpartum services to me and my daughter Naomi when she was 3-4 weeks old.  I didn't really know what I was looking for, but Jennette was great at anticipating my needs and Naomi's when I was struggling to make it through the day with a baby and a puppy and a slow c-section recovery.  Every time I nursed, she would take Naomi after to change her and then soothe her.  She is a very effective soother and was so sweet with Naomi.  She also changed all her diapers, which was a very nice break for me.  She encouraged me to nap each time she came and made that possible.  She did household chores like taking out the trash, running the dishwasher and putting away dishes, assembling some gifts we had received but hadn't had time to look at, chopping vegetables, and doing laundry.  And she brought me breakfast in bed while I nursed, which was a really lovely luxury.  One of the areas she was most helpful in was teaching me how to pump, as well as providing me with advice and resources for some breastfeeding issues I was having.  In general, it was such a relief and wonderful help to have such a knowledgeable, warm, and non-judgmental person here with us for several hours a day.  Jennette was also interesting to talk to, was very cool with my hyper puppy, and has sent me several follow up emails with more resources since we parted.  Would highly recommend!

Kate Williams

7/2/2018

Jenny was a wonderful source of information during the first three months of our son's life. She was always able to provide us with trusted resources that weren't the same things we had seen everywhere else. She's also incredibly kind and nonjudgmental, so we always found her emails very encouraging during some trying newborn times!

Alana Hartman

12/1/2017

I honestly can't tell you how many times Jenny saved my sanity in the first few months of our little one's life. We live on the West Coast and received digital support from Jenny through FaceTime and her regular emails. It always seemed that just as I was about to spin into a total panic, I would find that I had an email waiting for me from Jenny that somehow knew exactly what I was going through. She was able to normalize my experiences, give thoughtful suggestions to address challenges we were facing, and help me to see the light at the end of the tunnel during the early days. i was able to feel her calm steady wisdom even from thousands of miles away and it was a saving grace. In our family she's pretty much a postpartum doula wizard, and we will always be grateful!

Sarah Gaskins

8/11/2017

We used Jennette for long-distance post-partum work after our first son was born. She sent us weekly emails that were absolute life-savers. She provided useful and organized information which saved me from going down the rabbit hole of googling every little thing. I loved her tone and style, which were always professional, kind and understanding. She was also available by phone and text to answer questions, listen and lend support. I would highly recommend Jenny to any expecting mom--she really helped put me at ease through some of the hardest and most exhausting weeks of my life.

Frances Northcutt Green

2/29/2016

Jennette was such a great help to me during my "4th trimester"!!! When I was searching for a postpartum doula, I bookmarked many profiles; Jennette was the first person I reached out to and interviewed, and after meeting her I knew I didn't need to look further. My husband and 4 year old met her and liked her too. I emailed with 2 of her references and their feedback was very positive.

Jennette and I scheduled 3 hour visits as needed from week to week. Here are some of the things she helped me with:

Breastfeeding support
Helping me give baby her first bath (I had forgotten so much since my first child!)
Helping me take baby out in the stroller for the first time (my first real walk outside post-c section)
Caring for baby while I showered or napped
Laundry
Picking up groceries or pharmacy items
Returning my library books :)
Bringing me water/tea/snacks while I rested
Helping me organize the nursery
Reading books/playing with my older child
Meal prep
Dishes
Washing bottles etc
Being a supportive listener for all my worries, perplexities, and concerns :)

Jennette also sends regular emails to her clients with perfectly timed information about infant development, sleep, feeding, soothing- I would read her messages over and over both because they covered exactly what I was curious/worried about and because the tone was so warm and comforting! After our visits, she would email me follow up information on topics we had discussed, such as articles on co sleeping or YouTube videos showing feeding techniques. Jennette is calm but energetic, laid back but organized, very knowledgable herself but also well prepared to point you toward additional resources as needed; she can connect you with overnight doulas, IBCLCs, massage therapists, etc. Her rate is also very reasonable! Last but not least, I appreciated how she has a nice clear contract form and payment schedule.

Ivan Manolov

2/27/2016

We had a wonderful experience with Jennette and would highly recommend her services as a postpartum doula. She helped us in the two weeks after our baby girl's birth. Her availability was great, and she was able to come on the days and at the times when we needed her to. Firstly and most importantly, she has a very calm, soothing, caring personality, so we felt very natural and comfortable letting her hold and take care of the baby. She helped us with a thousand little things we weren't skilled at as new parents, such as different holding positions, bathing the baby, figuring out the carrier and putting the car seat on the stroller, etc. She would also do light housework at our request, such as doing the dishes, taking out the dog, etc., and also offered to cook for us. Every day during the first 10 days or so she would send us an e-mail with various discussions and tips about what mom and baby were going through, tips for taking care of the baby, concerns that parents have, etc. - and those e-mails were personalized to us based on things we had been discussing with her. These e-mails contained very useful information and served as a basis for additional discussions and learning when Jennette would visit us the following time (plus she always answered our queries by e-mail also, and was quick to respond; we still reach out to her with questions, and she is very responsive). She was supportive of our choices, but also did not hesitate to respectfully explain best practices on any issue. Bottom line, we had a great experience with Jennette and would definitely recommend her.

Youngna Park

2/19/2016

We had a terrific experience working with Jennette! She gave us confidence that we'd be supported wih breastfeeding and all the early challenges of having a newborn even before our daughter was born. She sends daily emails for the first 8 days (and more at subsequent developmental milestones) that are so, so helpful when you're unsure about what's goin on with your new baby. I emailed Jennette tons of questions about sleep, spit-up, fussiness, breastfeeding, growth spurts, spit-up, and always got prompt and thoughtful answers back from her. She always had great (and reassuring) recommendations for us without being prescriptive about what was going to work or not.

It was really confidence-boosting to have Jennette available to us in the "fourth trimester," both for her knowledge as well as for her gentle hand with our daughter. We'd recommend her to anyone!

Susie Xu

10/22/2015

I absolutely loved working with Jennette Selig! She is exactly what I needed after having my son, Nolan. As a first-time mother, I had a lot of questions and felt very unsure of myself. Jenny was not only informative, but she was supportive, not judgmental, and gave me the confidence I needed. One of the things I really appreciate about Jenny is that she didn't try to pressure me into any particular model of mothering. She gave me informed options and a lot of great resources so that I could make smart decisions - whether it was about breastfeeding or sleep training. I've kept in touch with Jenny and still ask her for advice and she's always been quick to respond and offer help. I can't thank her enough or give her a stronger recommendation.

Jessi Arrington

6/16/2015

Dear Jenny & Birth Sweet Brooklyn,

This is just a note to let you know that the casserole you prepped for us turned out delicious! Having your guidance during these first two months of our Dottie Mae's life (and even before) has been such a source of comfort. Your knowledge and holistic approach have alleviated so many of our new-parent worries. I know we are a happier and less stressed family than we would have been without you. You are providing an invaluable service to people who truly need you, and I'm so proud to call you a friend. Thank you for being an important part of this most precious time for us.

Sincerely,

Jessi, Creighton and Dottie Mae

Emily Kagan-Trenchard

1/2/2015

I worked with Jenny as a post partum doula when I had my second child. He was born via c-section when my daughter was just 18 months old. Jenny was a huge help with so many aspects of getting back on my feet. From helping me get my daughter from daycare (since I wasn't allowed to carry her) to helping me cook, do some simple hourse chores, and remember to take care of my self. She was in indespensible, wise and very comforting presense in those first few months.

Any time I had a question Jenny got back to me with well researched answers, drawing not only from her extensive collection of  great books and websites, but also from the huge network of other parents she's conencted to. She is an amazing resource for all kinds of parenting info, not just for infants and post pregnancy help.

Molly O'Rourke

8/20/2014

We feel very lucky to have worked with Jennette Selig following the birth of our son. She was always the first person we reached out to in a moment of new parent panic. We found her to be an incredible resource when it came to answering questions about breastfeeding, newborn care, and postpartum recovery. Jenny always responded quickly (even in the middle of the night!) and was wonderful about providing several different resources/ideas or things to try. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all “answers” on the internet, and we felt very lucky to have someone who could help distill and present information to us in a clear and even-handed way. We also really appreciated her daily/weekly email check-in with information geared toward both Mom & Dad. Jenny is incredibly respectful of peoples’ varied viewpoints. Even when asked about topics that tend to elicit strong opinions, we found her to be non-judgemental, open-minded and understanding.

We always looked forward to having Jenny around. She was a calm, kind presence, wonderful with our visiting family members, easy to talk to, and always helpful. She was very good about checking in with us, letting us know in advance if she might be unavailable at any time, and setting up convenient times to meet and chat. When she was with us we were given her undivided attention and focus and never felt as though time was an issue or that she was in a rush.

We will be forever grateful to Jenny and highly recommend her to anyone in search of postpartum doula services in the NYC area!

Mary Austin Speaker

8/11/2014

Jenny Selig is a fantastic human being. In the whirlwind of weeks following my son's birth, Jenny acted as my post-partum doula and sent me detailed, organized emails that contained all of the information I needed for the first weeks of motherhood. Her communication with me was well-informed, warm, personalized and, perhaps most importantly, well-curated. The internet contains so much information about parenting but it's very difficult to track down a consistent source of information that fits with my values and disposition. Jenny was able to send me in the right direction every time I came to her overwhelmed by my research and unsure of what to believe or do. She was never proscriptive, but gently offered a sensible range of perspectives whenevrer I had a difficult question. I hope she brightens the doorsteps of many mothers and I would happily talk with anyone who'd like to discuss her services.

Kelley Vaughn-Kauffman

7/25/2014

There are so many unexpected things you will experience after giving birth. That's where an amazing post-partum doula comes in. You'll need a post-partum doula!! Jenny is fabulous. We had the very good fortune of having Jenny help us out after the birth of our second son, Reese. Our first son, Everett, was 23 months at the time. Whew, I breathed so much easier when she was around! She was a calming energy in our house-which we needed very much at that time. She has an innate ability to care very much for others. Not only is she an incredible listener, she is so resourceful with any issue you may face, be it feeding, sleeping, not sleeping, coping, not coping, food, baby wearing, reading to your older child so you can feed your newborn, gently rocking your crying newborn until he sleeps....while you do *anything* else. She also always has the exact answer you may need to any questions, with the best resources and links to anything you need at that moment. She is a total natural.

August Heffner

7/15/2014

Jennette was an incredible resource in those precious/terrifying first days/weeks of being a brand new parent. Personally, I was overwhelmed with asking "the internet" all the questions I couldn't articulate. I was also steeped in books that spoke in general terms. Having Jennette as a personal resource that both knew my family's personality and could speak from experience and was invaluable. Her balance of academic knowledge, sincere listening and the ability to put things into perspective was more comforting and helpful than any other resource. 2.5 years later I'm still a terrified new parent, but less so. And I know I can always ask Jennette!