Testimonials

“Elyse and Shelby were both wonderful to work with! They were referred to me by my sister.  We had a few in person consultations and they were great at answering all of our detailed questions and taking note of our birth preferences. They were always on time, professional, yet warm and personable.

Elyse was present for the birth of my son, and was an invaluable resource during the final few weeks of doctors visits and as I went into early labor. It was so helpful to have someone advise when it made sense to go to the hospital since labor normally progresses at night when you’re only able to reach a doctor on call.

During labor, Elyse was attentive and proactive on discussing positions that would alleviate discomfort. I had an epidural but I also had previous hip injury, so Elyse helped with the pain management and mitigation. She worked well with the nurses and doctors, and also helped relieve my husband so he could stay well rested and ready for delivery and post care.

-Kelsey I.

I can't thank Elyse and Shelby more for all of their support. What's crazy is that they didn't actually make it to my birth, as I ended up having an emergency C-section. However, they work as an excellent team, and it was really helpful to have their support to review my birth plan (even though nothing went to plan), what to bring to the hospital, and address other concerns before the baby arrived. When I started having prelabor symptoms, it was a relief to be able to text them and ask about what I was feeling and have them reassure me that it wasn't the real thing yet, and that I would know when it was, and things I could do to relieve the prelabor contractions I was feeling. Also, my doctor started pressuring us to schedule an induction as early as 37 weeks, and they were both very helpful in validating my partner and my decision to not induce unless medically necessary or I was past my due date. We were able to hold off on scheduling the induction until I was 40+6.

My husband and I had a particularly difficult and traumatic birth. My father-in-law went into the hospital with leukemia 8 days before my son's birth and died when he was 2 and a half weeks old. Just having Elyse there to listen when she came for postpartum visits was invaluable, and as silly as this sounds, I asked her to help me bake zucchini bread at one of her visists as the CSA veggies in my fridge that were going bad were taking up so much mental space for me. We ate those 3 breads for 2 weeks (one went in the freezer). I know it sounds like a little thing but it meant a lot.

She also taught me how to use the Solly wrap which took my postpartum brain a while to master, but is helping me to make sure my son takes naps and that I get some mental breaks during the day. In fact that is how I am able to be writing this testimonial right now, because Sam is in the solly snoozing. 

I also experienced difficulty with breastfeeding as a result of C-section recovery and grief. Elyse was very thorough in helping me measure myself for pump flanges, and navigating how to get connected with a lactation consultant who has been able to help me. My son will be 10 weeks on Saturday, and although it doesn't look perfect and we still have some challenges, we have come a long way and I have someone to reach out to with questions and to make sure I keep my supply up and can stay committed to breastfeeding. 

I would recommend that if you plan to breastfeed, please try to take some classes and get set up with a lactation consultant prior to your child's birth. This is something I wish I had done, but thank goodness for Elyse's help with it, otherwise I think I would have quit breastfeeding immediately.

Even though we didn't go through Sam's actual birth together, I feel that Elyse and Shelby were an integral part of it, and would recommend them to anyone looking for birth doulas.

-Heather K.