client Testimonials
Holly was only scheduled to be our postpartum doula, but ended up stepping in literally at the last minute when our birth doula tested positive for covid. Holly was at the hospital within an hour, immediately putting me and my wife at ease and mitigating what would have been an (even more than usually) stressful time. It was truly above and beyond anything we could have expected. Holly is everything you want in support around birth - calm, friendly, helpful, and just so reassuring. We would have been lost without her!
- Kate S.
Holly provided the most nurturing care as our doula. I was a first time mom and new to the area and signed on with her late in my pregnancy. She was flexible about moving some of the care to post partum which was really helpful for us. During the birth and at the beginning of labor she was always communicative and available. I always knew she was going to be there day or night when we needed her. During our labor she was able to come before the midwife in the early morning hours and helped us make the call to finally call the midwife. During our birth she worked seamlessly with the midwife and nurse assistant to help with anything they needed. She also had all sorts of helpful tools including things like a mini fan which turned out to be amazing. She is made for this work and we are so grateful she was with us on the most important day of our lives.
- Susanna T.
Hiring Holly as my doula was the single best choice I made during my pregnancy. I read the studies on the benefits of hiring a doula, and began to look into finding one. I had been taking Holly's prenatal yoga classes for some time and loved her calm, upbeat and thoughtful demeanor, as well as her sense of humor. These qualities made her the perfect doula for us - in late pregnancy, during the labor and postpartum.
She helped my partner and I understand all of the things that might happen in labor, defining terms and staying completely impartial to any choice before helping me draft a birth plan to share with my midwives and hospital. As the due date came and went she was in contact as needed, and during the long pre-labor offered physical and mental support to help prepare me for the birth. When my labor went on for days she and my husband tag teamed, taking turns napping and working together to keep me comfortable and motivated. Postpartum, Holly checked in to see how I was doing, helped with breastfeeding support and general health.
Thanks to Holly's support I felt both empowered and informed in my pregnancy, during the birth and the recovery period. My husband, who was initially ambivalent bordering on hesitant to hire a doula agrees - having a doula to help educate and advocate for us was a game changer in how we experienced our child's birth.
- Naila H.S.
Holly was my prenatal and postnatal yoga teacher, birth doula, lactation consultant and all-round guide, advocate and friend throughout my first pregnancy, birth and beyond. There are so many wonderful birth support people out there, but Holly is truly someone special. She is the person I would recommend to my sister or dearest friend. She is caring, tough, knowledgeable and indefatigable.
When I was in pain, she carefully tailored yoga classes to ease my discomfort. When I was in labor and my care provider didn't respect my wishes, Holly stopped everything to ask what I wanted. When I had some frightening postpartum complications, Holly listened for as long as I needed to talk.
I know there are so many ways to spend money when having a baby, but I am so glad we hired Holly and only wish we had done it earlier. Working with her was quite simply one of the best decisions we made.
- Laura K.
I could never have imagined I would be giving birth during a global Pandemic, and much less in the global epicenter at the time (NYC, April 2020). Yet, I feel so lucky to have had Holly as a grounding and informed guide to help me navigate those uncertain and stressful times. Our entire plan was literally turned upside down overnight and I didn't even know if my partner would be allowed to attend the birth. Yet Holly helped me make several back-up plans, answered all my questions, and sent through incredibly helpful and thorough information and resources. Her support meant everything.
I ultimately decided to choose Holly given her positive energy, thoughtful nature and kindness. I am so thankful I made that decision. While ultimately Holly was not able to be with me in person while I was in labor due to the pandemic, she made sure my husband and I were as prepared as possible and spent hours with us on video and on the phone before and during the whole process, going above and beyond our expectations. I had a great labor experience, in large part due to Holly, and she continues to check-in with us months later. I could not more wholeheartedly recommend Holly!
- Cristina B.
Holly is a true gem! She is an old soul, wise way beyond her years. I only wish I had met Holly earlier in my pregnancy so that she could have guided me through my prenatal journey as kindly and competently as she did in my postnatal one. Holly exudes warmth, wisdom, helpfulness, and quiet confidence. She helped me to understand, care for, and appreciate my body in the challenging weeks and months post delivery. She was also amazing with my newborn and toddler, always welcoming them and lending a hand on a moment's notice. I can't recommend her highly enough!
- Joanna L.
Giving birth is scary. Giving birth during a pandemic is scarier. Having Holly as my doula helped ease that fear and armed us with the tools and information we needed to feel safe through such an unpredictable process. She was only a text away, day or night. She had a wealth of knowledge about pregnancy, birth and postpartum, and I felt so safe and cared for knowing I had her in my corner. Her prenatal meetings were invaluable in prepping for birth both emotionally and physically. Her calm and kind demeanor and was exactly what I needed.
Holly is truly one of the kindest people I’ve ever known, and her passion for helping birthing people shines through in everything she does. From her incredible playlists that calmed me during a four day labor to her soothing voice on a hypobirthing recording I listened to repeatedly, she brought much needed calm to my pregnancy and birth. I am so grateful for Holly. I would pick her as my doula again and again, and I’d recommend her to any friend. She is a gem and she brings sunshine to all her interactions.
- Molly B.
Holly introduced me to the practice of prenatal yoga in January 2019 when I was six weeks pregnant with my first child. One or two sessions a week quickly became four or five, as I loved how in tune the practice made me feel with my changing body. Holly was much more than a yoga instructor for me, she was a holistic therapist. She would ask me how I was and how I felt and really listen. She would give me advice and then later incorporate specific poses and stretches into the practice that day to help me with any aches or pains. I remember specifically at the beginning of my second trimester, the stretches Holly gave me helped relieve a bout of painful sciatica within a week.
I truly credit my prenatal yoga practice with Holly for my smooth first pregnancy and confidence going into the birth. By the time I was in labor at 40 weeks, my body was strong, my breath was controlled, and my head was clear, relaxed, determined. I delivered my eight-pound beautiful baby boy according to my birth plan; without any drugs or medical intervention.
Five weeks after giving birth, I took my first postnatal yoga class with Holly and continued with regular classes for another five months, some of them with my newborn. I was not surprised to see that Holly’s kind, gentle, and sincere way extended beyond her adult students — she is incredible with babies as well.
The second hardest thing to leaving my baby when I had to go back to work after maternity leave was leaving Holly - I cannot recommend her enough!
- Liz R.
I worked with Holly doing prenatal yoga during my second and third trimester and for postpartum lactation support after giving birth to my daughter. Her classes were such a welcome relief from the day. She kept it challenging but restorative and meditative at the same time. As a lactation consultant Holly made several house calls to ensure breastfeeding went smoothly. She is such a calming and welcome presence, making the transition to parenthood a bit less scary! She is - not surprisingly - so good with babies!
- Elise R.