"In the chaos and stress that was the immediate aftermath of the birth of my twins, Lindsey's services were indispensable. When we were in the hospital with our children in the NICU, she brought us food, ran errands for us including doing some much needed laundry, getting our rent check out, picking up prescriptions, and gathering needed items from our home. Once we were settled in at home, she helped us keep things organized at home, doing laundry, washing bottles, and providing additional child care support while my husband and I had interviews. One of the most wonderful things about Lindsey is that she just "gets it." She knows what needs to be done without me having to figure it out, which was particularly appreciated in my crazed & sleep-deprived post-partum state. She has an innate ability to look around and see where her help is needed. Her visits brought much peace to our home, not only because our space was so much more organized and cared for with her help, but also because she has a peaceful and compassionate presence and provided me with a listening ear during one of the most difficult moments of my life. I recommend her post-partum doula services whole heartedly."
-AS
-AS
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"Lindsey’s knowledge about the birthing process is top notch. She was able to make me feel comfortable and reassured me that my false alarm was just that and encouraged me to contact her regardless the time of day or night as the delivery date drew closer. And, during our delivery when things took a turn for the worse she helped to alleviate the apprehension and fear. She took great care in following up soon after we were settled in with our newborn. Most of all, it is clear that our doula loves her job, she loves babies and was well prepared for anything that we may have encountered."
--DHB and ASB "We were so lucky to have Lindsey's beautiful energy around during our birthing time. She helped to keep me calm and connected to myself, my baby and my husband. Her presence is warm, positive but not over-bearing. She naturally feels when to give help and when to let things flow. Always kind, compassionate and knowledgeable, Lindsey was always there for me through my very overdue pregnancy and very long 'pre-labor.' She was so great at checking in and always seeing how I was doing. During 'hard labor,' I needed to have Lindsey and my husband's hands on me. As soon as they let go, I felt their absence deeply and would almost panic. It made me realize how vital both of them were to my birth. I loved having Lindsey at my birth as an added support to reassure me, to walk the halls with me, to keep my spirits up, to hold my hand, and to keep me on track." --SMK "Lindsey was an amazing addition to our birth team! Her knowledge, support, and encouragement were fantastic before, during, and after the birth of our daughter. Lindsey was an excellent resource for all the stages of our pregnancy and birth, and her kindness was endless. As a part of our birth team, Lindsey helped us to feel supported and confident in achieving our birth plan as it was originally intended. Her calm demeanor and caring nature helped the natural birth process of our daughter immensely. We feel blessed to have been able to have Lindsey share and aid in such a monumental event with us." --AB "Lindsey was amazing from the first email to the post-partum visit. She helped through a period of huge transition for our family when we moved to Bloomington during my 3rd trimester. She went beyond the typical doula duties to watch my 2.5 year old son while I had appointments with a massage therapist and a chiropractor to help position my breech baby (both were recommendations of Lindsey and were successful!). She also found a backup babysitter for our son if I went into labor early! During labor she made me confident in my body and my baby and the choices I made for the birth! The birth story she recorded for us was refreshing and sweet. She will definitely be present for the birth of my third child in a few years!!" --KM |
"Lindsey was a fantastic birth doula, from start to finish. She was a great source of information in the weeks leading up to the big day. She provided just the right amount of quiet support throughout the labor and delivery process. She was totally there for us when I needed help with breastfeeding right after delivery and in the days that followed. We so appreciated her kindness, knowledge, commitment and professionalism. It is clear that Lindsey truly loves what she does. We are so grateful to Lindsey for all of her help during the most awesome experience of our lives thus far."
--IS and ES "There's a lot you can say about Lindsey -- from Amazing and Warm, all the way through to some great word that begins with "Z"... But she deserves the most credit for being FLEXIBLE and ADAPTIVE. Our birth, like many others, did not go as planned. And throughout our adventure -- in the days before reaching the hospital, upon admission, and our home afterward -- Lindsey either provided or put us in contact with the resources we needed. Yes. That says it... I should oficially add the word RESOURCEFUL to my list. Flexible, adaptive, and full of resources, Lindsey would make a great member of any birthing team." --AS "I don't know how I would have made it through the birth of my 9 pound, 8 oz baby boy without Lindsey's constant presence. During the pregnancy, we met a few times and talked about my birth plan and how things were going, and some coping strategies. Lindsey listened carefully and gave us lots of information. She went above and beyond the role of a doula. When I went into labor, she supported my decision to labor at home with just my husband, and when the doctor suggested I come in, she met us at the hospital. My back hurt the whole time and I needed constant touch during contractions, and she and my husband took turns doing this for me. Having her there freed up my husband to hold my hands and encourage me. When I started to allow the pain to overwhelm me, Lindsey was right there to remind me the things I needed to do to help my baby on his way out. She reminded me that I wasn't just in pain, I was laboring and bringing a new soul into the world and I needed to FOCUS! In the weeks after my birth, she was just a text away with any questions or fears I had. She is an absolutely invaluable person to have before, during, and after a birth." --MS "Lindsey was fantastic! She really went out of her way to help us both at the birth and afterward. Even though she had already been at the hospital all day with another client, she stayed another day with us. She was very caring despite the long hours, and I don't think I could have gotten through my 40-hour labor without her. She met with us a lot before the birth, and even helped in other ways, like taking me to the food pantry and getting information from other doulas in the area. She always had a lot of great and interesting materials with her and seemed to know exactly what she was talking about. She also took the time to write a beautiful birth story for our son and helped find us a Boppy. When my son was three months old, she helped us again and was even willing to work out a payment plan with us since we didn't have a lot of money and my husband had just lost his job. She always went above and beyond with us, and I would reccomend her highly." |
"We were so grateful to have Lindsey be a part of our birth experience. We chose Lindsey not only because of her incredible wealth of knowledge and experience, but also because her personality is one that exudes warmth, comfort, and confidence. We had a very, very long labor - 50+ hours. Lindsey was there for virtually every minute of it. She was a sensitive, caring presence for a very challenging several days. She helped us constantly switch up comfort measures and try new techniques. After our daughter was born she had trouble latching. Lindsey helped me to hand express colostrum which we could use to spoon feed. I was later told by our lactation specialist that this was the best thing we could have done to help my milk come in and to set our daughter up to gain weight and thrive. Thank goodness Lindsey guided us through that and set us up for successful nursing later!
Lindsey also was a huge comfort as a postpartum doula, helping me take my baby to her doctor's appointment, helping me with chores around the house and just caring for my daughter so I could shower! I could sit and talk with Lindsey for hours - she makes you feel very comfortable and relaxed even as a crazy new mother.
I wholeheartedly would recommend Lindsey as a birth and postpartum doula - we are so glad to have gotten to know her."
--MD
Lindsey also was a huge comfort as a postpartum doula, helping me take my baby to her doctor's appointment, helping me with chores around the house and just caring for my daughter so I could shower! I could sit and talk with Lindsey for hours - she makes you feel very comfortable and relaxed even as a crazy new mother.
I wholeheartedly would recommend Lindsey as a birth and postpartum doula - we are so glad to have gotten to know her."
--MD
"The first days of my son's life were very intense and exciting. At every hour of the day there was a task to be done. My husband and I were alone in Bloomington where we had moved from Colombia five months before for our sabbatical year as visiting scholars at Indiana University. Initially, the idea of having a postpartum doula to accompany us in the first weeks of our baby's life was strange for us. We are from Colombia (South America) so we come from a culture where family and friends generally do that work. But since we were far away from home, having Lindsey with us became a great advantage. She came home twice during the week and she always did with a coffee on her hand and her sweet smile; in each visit the atmosphere of our house was renewed, we were able to rest a little and regain our energies. Lindsey mainly helped us with the household chores, but her assistance was also very important to answer our questions about breastfeeding and caring for our baby. When our son was two months old, Lindsey left us to work as a postpartum doula with other families, but before leaving she found a nanny to help us during the last months of our stay in Bloomington. One of the things that we appreciate the most about having Lindsey at our side during that time was her ability to support us serenely and cheerfully and the special way she had to make us feel confident with the decisions we were taking. Today when I see my one year old son, I feel very happy to see that he has a great character; he is gentle, sociable and smiley. I think that these first weeks of life when he was surrounded by that gentle atmosphere that we were able to create between my husband and I with the great help of Lindsey was definitely the best way to start his life."
--SR
--SR
"The short version: My partner and I would recommend Lindsey for anyone's birth team without hesitation, regardless of the nature of their birth plan.
The longer version: We had several prenatal meetings with Lindsey we were comfortable with our plans and her involvement. She was both knowledgeable and personable. When I went two weeks past my due date, she checked in every other day or so to encourage us to hang in there, and to make sure we had the resources we needed to make a decision about induction at 42 weeks.
When I went into labor a mere 12 hours before the scheduled induction (thankfully), my labor got very hard very quickly. It was Lindsey's unflagging help that got me through 5 hours of close, hard contractions early on. When it became clear that I wasn't handling labor well, Lindsey was equally supportive in transition to an epidural-based labor with minimal interventions (just pitocin for the last 1/2 cm of dilation, despite 16 hours of labor with meconium in my waters and several heart-rate issues that had the medical staff concerned). She made sure our baby got skin-to-skin contact, and she gave us several tips on breastfeeding that I still use now. She also photographed the first few moments of the baby's life so we were free to snuggle and bond (and they are great photos!)
Our first day home from the hospital, the baby stopped eating. Lindsey helped us decide whether and when to call the pediatrician, and without her, we would never have known our pediatrician had a lactation consultant. She helped us keep a small feeding problem from becoming a real weight-gain issue.
Finally, the post-partum visit and birth story were sweet, personal and quite a bit of fun. In all, Lindsey helped us shape a positive birth experience that we will never forget."
--KC
The longer version: We had several prenatal meetings with Lindsey we were comfortable with our plans and her involvement. She was both knowledgeable and personable. When I went two weeks past my due date, she checked in every other day or so to encourage us to hang in there, and to make sure we had the resources we needed to make a decision about induction at 42 weeks.
When I went into labor a mere 12 hours before the scheduled induction (thankfully), my labor got very hard very quickly. It was Lindsey's unflagging help that got me through 5 hours of close, hard contractions early on. When it became clear that I wasn't handling labor well, Lindsey was equally supportive in transition to an epidural-based labor with minimal interventions (just pitocin for the last 1/2 cm of dilation, despite 16 hours of labor with meconium in my waters and several heart-rate issues that had the medical staff concerned). She made sure our baby got skin-to-skin contact, and she gave us several tips on breastfeeding that I still use now. She also photographed the first few moments of the baby's life so we were free to snuggle and bond (and they are great photos!)
Our first day home from the hospital, the baby stopped eating. Lindsey helped us decide whether and when to call the pediatrician, and without her, we would never have known our pediatrician had a lactation consultant. She helped us keep a small feeding problem from becoming a real weight-gain issue.
Finally, the post-partum visit and birth story were sweet, personal and quite a bit of fun. In all, Lindsey helped us shape a positive birth experience that we will never forget."
--KC
"Lindsey met with me three times and was always quick to respond to calls and emails. Great listener with helpful suggestions and well prepared contract and support information.
This was my second birth, I had an induction 41w 6d that started at 8am. We expected a slow and painful day. At noon we called Lindsey and asked her to come to the hospital. She arrived at 12:30 and was prepared and amazing. I had really progressed and was continuing to progress quickly and I was becoming fearful and panicked. Lindsey immediately gathered information from my husband and the medical staff and attended to me with the perfect balance of calm, loving support and confident reassurance and reminding me what I was feeling was progress and my goals for no pain medication. She helped my husband and mother work together to help me. I clearly remember her cool hands felt good and her eyes were calm when my husbands were trying to hide fear :). I had a non medicated, no tear/injury of a healthy 8lb13oz baby! She helped me communicate wishes for him to be brought to my chest and delaying procedures and exams. She supported me in immediate breastfeeding. She stayed with us through moving and settling in our recovery room.
Lindsey wrote a very accurate birth story and infused her joyful spirit in the writing. I really treasure having this written for us."
--LS
This was my second birth, I had an induction 41w 6d that started at 8am. We expected a slow and painful day. At noon we called Lindsey and asked her to come to the hospital. She arrived at 12:30 and was prepared and amazing. I had really progressed and was continuing to progress quickly and I was becoming fearful and panicked. Lindsey immediately gathered information from my husband and the medical staff and attended to me with the perfect balance of calm, loving support and confident reassurance and reminding me what I was feeling was progress and my goals for no pain medication. She helped my husband and mother work together to help me. I clearly remember her cool hands felt good and her eyes were calm when my husbands were trying to hide fear :). I had a non medicated, no tear/injury of a healthy 8lb13oz baby! She helped me communicate wishes for him to be brought to my chest and delaying procedures and exams. She supported me in immediate breastfeeding. She stayed with us through moving and settling in our recovery room.
Lindsey wrote a very accurate birth story and infused her joyful spirit in the writing. I really treasure having this written for us."
--LS
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