“I was 40 years old and pregnant with my one and only son at the time I met Anna. I don’t even think Nola was one yet. It helped that Anna had just given birth and could completely understand what I was feeling. She counseled me and my son’s father on what to expect and was transparent about her experience. The one thing that stood out was that Anna was just present. Her daughter was just a baby and she made sure to be there for me letting me read books and providing me with resources to assist with the birth of my sun. Thank you Anna for everything. I so appreciate you warmth, your knowledge and your friendship.”

“I cannot thank you enough. From the bottom of my heart, having you along for this journey with me and my husband was incredible. Your kindness and compassion are endless but your knowledge, advocacy and experience are unparalleled. My birth was not how I envisioned it; however, having you there for my c-section was only the beginning. Your gentle advice and boundless support for the days and weeks to follow has allowed me to the heal and care for my daughter in every way that I did imagine, and I have learned that’s what’s most important. On behalf of my husband, and little addition, thank you, Anna!”

“its been almost a year since I gave birth to my daughter, and I’ve been wanting to thank Anna for the work she did with us. Her calm positivity was very reassuring when I was in labor, and she went above and beyond what anyone could have expected of her, keeping the labor room clean and making sure that I understood what was happening in the chaos of after birth. Anna also spent extensive time with me and my daughter after I came home from the hospital after unexpected health complications, And gave me some much needed emotional support as I became reacquainted with my new daughter. Our midwives were very impressed and grateful to Anna as well...she is the caring and competent doula that you’ve been dreaming of!”

“I have a former colleague-turned-friend who I consistently refer to as the person in my life with the best taste and judgment—across any category. A sampling of the wide-ranging guidance he has given me over the years: how to select backpacking gear at REI (still use when traveling!), how to navigate tax preparation software (still use the same package, every tax season!), how to solve my seemingly intractable apartment acoustical problems with a white noise machine (still use—now for my baby!), and how to write a cover letter (got me the job). I know where in the city to buy the best wine thanks to him, and just last week, my partner, Darren, randomly picked a book he gifted me out of a row of several dozen on our shelf and is engrossed in it as I write this. When I learned my friend’s wife was expecting at the same time I was, I had one question, “Have you chosen a doula?”

He pointed me in the direction of Anna, and boy, was this the recommendation to top all other recommendations. After our interview, Darren turned to me grinning, and said, “Anna’s the one. She feels like family.” It was true then, and it is even more true now that she shepherded us through the journey of welcoming our son, amid a global pandemic no less. As I begin to put my birth story into words, I feel overwhelming gratitude for Anna—for the incredible human being that she is, for the loving energy she brought to “our team,” and for the instrumental role she played in the outcome we sought: a healthy baby born to a woman who wouldn’t change a detail in retrospect.

Throughout my third trimester, Anna went above and beyond to assist Darren and myself in preparing both mentally and physically to become co-parents. Her breadth of knowledge, paired with her warmth, patience, and curiosity, had us leaving each Zoom session feeling simultaneously informed and “held.” She followed up with a wealth of educational resources and always made herself available for any pressing questions or concerns between scheduled calls.

When the big day arrived—and we texted just after midnight on New Year’s Day to say that my water had broken—she advised us on the all-important decision of when to head to the hospital. I think of how things could have unfolded without Anna: waiting alone in triage, masked, accepting the Pitocin the medical staff thought I needed when they referred to me as “Group B Strep positive, here for induction” upon my admittance. Instead, I managed to mutter, “Nope, take a look.” With Anna’s virtual support, I had labored at home for the first 15 hours. My contractions were strong enough and my cervix dilated enough that I did not require any speeding along of my body’s natural processes!

From there, she helped me to meet my two overarching goals (aside from safety of baby): vaginal delivery and a sense that I would eagerly do it all over again (in a few years). After careful consideration, I opted to get an epidural, but without the slightest bit of judgment from Anna. To the contrary, she remained vigilant about my progress and comfort level and even held onto one of my numbed legs while I was pushing, coaching me through each breath and effort.

As if all of this weren’t enough, Anna took beautiful photojournalistic images of the minutes after my son was born and then immediately jumped into the transition of meeting his needs. She was the first to note his tongue tie as well as to get him to latch in order to nurse. Looking back at that initial postpartum period (the busiest night I can remember!), I am confident about the choices we made (delay the cord clamping, no to bath, yes to Vitamin K shot, etc.). Anna had prompted us to have our answers ready in anticipation of how chaotic it would be in the moment. Sometimes, I can’t believe I only met Anna in person once given the deep appreciation I have for her, not to mention the pang I felt watching her leave after so fully participating in the most profound experience of my life.

Roughly a week after the birth, we debriefed, and she once again relayed all sorts of useful information about recovery, newborn sleep and wake windows, and breastfeeding. The memory is rather hazy, given the taxing demands of a brand new infant, but I walked away from our conversation feeling as cared for as ever. To any pregnant person reading this review, I am here to say that we would hire Anna again 100 times out of 100. I’m sure you will feel the same if you are fortunate enough to have her in your corner!”