Megan & David, Monroe NY

"She provided a lot of emotional support for both myself and my husband. No one ever anticipates that they would give birth to their first baby during a global pandemic. My husband and I were very stressed. But Danielle truly helped us to feel more at ease throughout the whole process. When we came home, Danielle was there to help us transition into a routine with the baby. Everyone is always scared of taking the baby home for that first night, but we felt much more at ease because of Danielle’s support."

Megan: Danielle has gone above and beyond in helping myself and my husband feel comfortable and secure as first time parents. I happened to give birth during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Due to the restrictions of visitors, Danielle was not able to attend the birth, but she was there for us virtually whenever we needed her. She provided a lot of emotional support for both myself and my husband. No one ever anticipates that they would give birth to their first baby during a global pandemic. My husband and I were very stressed. But Danielle truly helped us to feel more at ease throughout the whole process. When we came home, Danielle was there to help us transition into a routine with the baby. Everyone is always scared of taking the baby home for that first night, but we felt much more at ease because of Danielle’s support. Danielle is very observant and is able to figure out what we needed help with most without even having to ask. Having her as a postpartum doula was fantastic. My husband is an essential employee and was not able to stay home with me after his three-week paternity leave ended. There were many days where I felt overwhelmed and stressed taking care of the baby by myself. It was such a HUGE help having Danielle there to provide postpartum support in those early weeks when Luke was a newborn- whether it was helping to cook/prep healthy meals, making sure I am rested and relaxed, or showing us how to give the baby a bath and soothing during colicky moments. One of the biggest things that helped me the most was that Danielle always listened to my concerns and helped me address them in a constructive and peaceful way. Because of COVID-19, my birth experience was very stressful in the hospital. I anticipated that things in my birth plan would change, but I never anticipated it would change that much. Danielle helped me to cope and move beyond the negative perceptions I had about my birth experience. She also helped me to overcome the guilt I was having about not breastfeeding even though I intended to do so. Danielle is not only a doula, but she also serves as an amazing counselor and friend. I am so glad that I chose to have a doula, and so glad that we found Danielle.

Dave: As first time parents, I highly recommend using a doula and I even more highly recommend using Danielle! We met with Danielle twice in person prior to labor and delivery. She was amazing at answering our questions; not just during these visits but in between via text messages and phone calls. She even helped us to set up our baby registry before the baby shower and had a ton of great recommendations. During the birth because of COVID, she was not able to be there in person. However, we found the virtual support was perfect. Anytime Megan or I needed help during the 5 days we were in the hospital (induction then C-section), Danielle was there! She was really awesome. She helped with a ton of emotional support for Megan and gave me a ton of ideas and recommendations. Because she was unable to be there in person we had an extra 10 hours of postpartum visits (on top of the 30 hours we requested). This was huge! Especially during the pandemic. Danielle did a great job using the proper PPE, social distancing practices, and sanitizing practices. We felt really comfortable. For the first couple of weeks postpartum, she was the only person in our home. The first 3 days postpartum, Danielle was incredible! Since we didn’t have really any other help and we were first time parents, Danielle helped guide through many critical decisions (formula feeding versus breast feeding, etc.). She also helped set up our system and schedule. She really was a God sent! After the first couple of days we felt more and more comfortable and Danielle would come for shorter visits. But these were still key as our baby went through different stages. Danielle would help give us recommendations and suggestions. An amazing Doula that I highly recommend!

Megan & David, Monroe NY (ORMC, now Garney Health Medical Center)