“You were amazing in every way and I can’t imagine having done it without you, from all of the educating you did prior to the birth to his birth itself, when I honestly thought he would never emerge from my writhing body! The educational meetings were absolutely fantastic, and I really appreciated doing them with my mom because it was a special experience and really helped me feel “not alone,” as did knowing you were there for me in advance of Julian’s birth and during labor. You’re an incredible listener, which I find is a rare quality even among care providers and educators. What stands out the most – even a year later – is how much more confident and at peace I felt with you there beside my bed during labor. I think I had a bit of PTSD following what proved a much tougher experience than I’d expected (because the epidural wore off right before I started pushing and that lasted so long), but the thought of how good everything was up until that point and how helpful you were during the challenging moments really helped. Also, I had no expectation whatsoever that my nose might get so stuffed up during two hours of pushing that I couldn’t breathe well, and your essential oils were a lifesaver! Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Marcy! My son is thriving and I’m doing well as a single mom and life is good! 🙂 “
-L.G.
“Without Marcy, I would’ve collapsed. During our prenatal meetings, the thing that I found most helpful was speaking openly about all our options. Considering my baby decided to come a month early, I felt very prepared and comfortable. I wanted to have a natural birth, with skin-to-skin and private time right after. With Marcy’s help, I was able to achieve my goals and had all my needs met. Her biggest strength was keeping me calm (as calm as I could be) during labor. I really liked the stress balls and her use of the Mexican blanket (rebozo). She coached me and brought my anxiety and fear down. She also reminded me that I didn’t have to be bullied by nurses and that I could stick to my birth plan! Overall, I found Marcy to be caring, receptive, and attentive, and would recommend her to other families.”
-Lauren
“Marcy was amazing! This was my first time having a child and I must say she was very supportive, emotionally and physically. Marcy helped me achieve my goal of having an unmedicated, all-natural childbirth by using her awesome labor support skills. As a doula, Marcy was understanding, supportive, and informative. The initial meeting with Marcy was very comfortable. Our prenatal meetings were informative and fun, never boring. The number of meetings was more than any other doula I’ve looked at. Also a huge plus! I think the extra meeting day allowed her to get to know my boyfriend and I much better, as well as our expectations, and vice versa. I really enjoyed the activity about the 5 love languages – it definitely brought my boyfriend and I closer together. Marcy also helped prepare him mentally so he wouldn’t be freaked out during labor. During the birth, Marcy was a champ. She was the main support system I had. My boyfriend was asleep for a good portion of the labor, haha. The things I found most helpful were massage, the heated rice pack, counterpressure, and reminders to change positions and drink water after contractions. She was awesome. Everything went as planned, and I wouldn’t change a thing. Once the baby was born, Marcy helped with breastfeeding and made sure the baby was latched correctly. I also had her encapsulate my placenta and created an art piece from the umbilical cord. Overall, I would definitely have Marcy attend my next birth or refer her to any of my friends looking for one.”
– Paulina
“Marcy was an awesome doula! From our first interactions, even before meeting, she put me at ease and made me feel like she cared about my questions, concerns and desires for my birth experience. My husband and I were impressed by her knowledge and her ability to give my husband ideas and techniques to be involved. If it had just been Marcy & I it would have been a wonderful experience as well. During my pregnancy she was always available via email to answer questions and as my due date neared she was ready to come when I needed her. My labor was very long and intensive and Marcy was there from the time I asked her to come until I delivered and had spent time with my baby – at least 18+hrs. She provided massage & back pressure when I had back pains… She reminded me of my goals when appropriate. She respected my desires and wishes at all times. Having Marcy with me gave me more confidence. It gave me more confidence to go with my gut, make the decisions I wanted and have the best birth experience I could.”
-Ella Tomblin
“I felt very well-prepared for my birthing experience because of our prenatal meetings together. The practice exercises we did were especially helpful. During my labor, Marcy was calm, focused, and supportive, and made sure that all my needs were met. The massage was most helpful! I felt very supported, and Marcy was also a support to my husband Jon. She gave him gentle suggestions of how he could help. She helped us to have a beautiful labor experience.”
-Y.G.
“If you’re a first time Mother you should definitely choose Marcy as your doula. I would describe Marcy as calming, supportive, and compassionate. She came well-prepared and ready to help, and her confidence in me really made a difference in my birth experience. She knew when to help and when to give space. During labor, she remembered what my needs and hopes were. My goal was to work with the pain of labor rather than against it. When Marcy noticed me starting to tense up, she reminded me to breathe and not fight it. I would say the pushing stage was my most challenging moment and I don’t remember much except that I was very focused on pushing with all my strength. I do remember the rebozo technique that she used during pushing, which was helpful. After the birth, she came to my house to check on me and see how I was adjusting. I would definitely recommend Marcy to other families looking for a doula!”
-Elizabeth
“You were incredibly helpful to me as a doula. During my pregnancy, you really helped with my birth plan and prioritizing what we thought would be most important. You also calmed me and helped me face my fears about labor. During labor, you were very supportive, patient, and compassionate. You respected what I needed; for example, I could not speak and did not want to be spoken to during a contraction, and you worked around that! Your use of Reiki and other relaxation techniques were super helpful, and the lower back massage worked wonders! You were able to calm me during moments of high stress, and also helped in making decisions during labor. I wanted an all natural birth, and even though I ended up getting an epidural, you supported me regardless of my decision. You gave me the knowledge I needed about the pros and cons, and helped me stick to my guns when the hospital staff were pushing me to do things I didn’t want to do. You helped me remember my priorities and that was very helpful. You also encouraged my partner and reminded him when and where he needed to step up. Just having your reassuring presence was great – I would have felt like I was going into the whole experience blindly. I honestly don’t think my birth experience would have been as smooth without you!”
-Melissa
“Marcy is great! I wanted to have a natural delivery, but had to have a scheduled C-section due to my baby being breech. Marcy helped me cope with this inevitability and gave me ideas on how I could customize my C-section. She was extremely well prepared and thorough at all of our prep sessions. She gave me well-researched information specific to my situation (breech baby and gestational hypertension) that was thorough and organized. The calming exercises we did were especially helpful. She was available and flexible with meeting times, and had great follow-up. She went above and beyond to tailor her services to my specific needs, and she was very professional.”
-Pooja
