“Elyse was a brilliant combination of heart and practicality. She was very organized and informative leading up to our labor, and stuck with us the entire time between the waters releasing and birth! Elyse even slept on the hospital room floor! Her knowledge, temperament, and commitment to supporting us made a very stressful experience DOABLE, and we can’t recommend her highly enough.”

“Elyse is just an amazing person and we could not have imagined a better Doula for our family. She is supportive, attentive and just overall a pleasure to be around. She consistently supported and guided my wife through her second labor and would not take a break even when my wife was resting. Elyse has set the Doula standard bar extremely high due to her skill and personality. I would highly recommend Elyse for anyone in search of a Doula, but especially couples who are becoming parents for the first time. She will take care of you as if you are her own. Thank you Elyse for being so thoughtful and supportive. PS. She also does Placenta encapsulation and is a walking encyclopedia on everything Birth related.”

“We were first time parents delivering at a hospital, but wanted to make sure we were making smart, natural decisions whenever possible during our labor and birth. Elyse came highly recommended from the woman who taught our birth class and when we met it seemed like it would be a good fit, so we looked no further! She was very knowledgeable in our meetings leading up to the birth and sent detailed follow up emails with tips, research and other options so that we fully understood whatever subject was on our minds. I found the tailored research beforehand and the committed support during labor and delivery very valuable. We felt reassured that all of our decisions were the right ones and less anxious going into it knowing we had someone on our side that knew the ropes. 

Our goal was just to have a healthy baby, and Elyse helped us achieve that by talking us through options as different issues arose and helping us feel at peace with some of the more unexpected decisions we had to make.  We had an unusual, long, drawn out induction that ended in a c-section, and Elyse made herself available during the three days we spent in the hospital before the birth and was helpful in reassuring us on our decisions and letting us know options. She was there immediately after in the recovery room, and went to get us pizza to enjoy after such a long while in labor.

Elyse’s kind, nonjudgmental care made us feel like we could talk to her about anything. We never felt judged, pressured, or nudged in any direction when she presented information, we just felt better informed. We recommend Elyse to anyone looking for an amazing doula!”

“I would more than recommend Elyse. My husband was not in particular favor of us getting a doula and he figured he could do everything himself while I was in labor. I, on the other hand, was interested, so we met with Elyse and decided she was a great fit for us. She was open to all of our requests on the way we wanted to deliver our child, and she even had a few suggestions for us that we had not thought of at that point. When it came down to the day of me giving birth, we were exhausted and mentally beat up. I was not able to think clearly with the lack of sleep. 

Elyse was coaching me through every step of the way and gave me my space when she sensed I needed it. While in the middle of labor, she reminded me about the different stretching positions, coached me on breathing techniques, warmed up my bath, assisted me in and out of the tub, and, as silly as this may sound, she was right there when I needed my lip balm what felt like every 30 seconds during the last hour of delivery. It also meant a lot to me that Elyse asked me what type of music I wanted to listen to, found it on Pandora and played it for me. She also brought essential oils and used them to massage certain pressure points, which helped to relax me in the mid-to-late stages of labor. She also took photos of me giving birth and my husband cutting the umbilical cord, which will forever be cherished, as we would not have been able to capture these moments otherwise. 

We thought so highly of Elyse and felt as though we could not have done it without her, that we decided to give Elyse’s name as our daughter’s middle name. After the birth, Elyse checked in with us and came to visit us at our home. As 4 months have passed, we still keep in contact and will be going on a walk to catch up next week.”

“I knew we would want a doula to help provide us with continuous care for our hospital delivery, and Elyse gave us that and so much more. When I needed water, a cool washcloth, a back rub, or just a simple reminder to let go of a contraction, she was already one step ahead of me, anticipating my needs and keeping my husband sane by communicating what I wasn’t able to. She was knowledgeable, warm, caring, and compassionate, but also able to be direct with hospital staff, delegate tasks to my husband, and able to motivate me when my energy started to wane. Even though there were some frustrating, intense moments, I never felt afraid because I was so well cared for the entire time. Within days she came by our house with our placenta capsules, and by the end of the week we had met again to talk about the experience, review the timeline she recorded for us, and look at some of the amazing pictures she took during delivery and of the placenta encapsulation process. 

Every time I tell Rocko’s birth story I am filled with so much gratitude that we found Elyse to help us bring him into the world. She made a potentially stressful situation so much easier for both myself and my husband, and I would recommend her in a heartbeat to anyone looking for birth support.”

“Elyse was a wonderful doula. She felt like a longtime friend from the instant we met her, and I trusted her completely to guide us through our pregnancy and the birth of our child. We knew the instant we met her that we wanted to hire her.  Her warm, familiar energy was exactly what we wanted. There are a lot of doulas out there who would surely have more of a matronly feel to their practice, but we really appreciated having a contemporary by our side throughout the process. 

She is full of information and can answer any questions you have leading up to the birth, and is fantastic at following up with research and supporting articles and facts. She was super responsive when we went into labor and we were in constant contact via text and telephone until we finally went to the hospital and she met up with us in person. I cannot imagine having gone through this process without her by our side. She brings a warm, familiar energy that makes you trust her with your every need and I’m so glad we stumbled across her when we did. I’m sure she will bring you the same level of care and personal attention she did for us, and guarantee you will be glad you hired her.”