What Are Clients Saying?
“From the moment I met Christine, I knew she was the right person for my birth experience. I was nervous and unsure about my feelings towards having a natural child birth and Christine made me feel empowered and strong enough to follow through my with my birth plan. After our first meeting and instantly clicking, we set up our two final meetings for later in my pregnancy. This alone was reassuring that she was a strong support system for me and my husband. At both meetings, she explained how she would assist us during my birth and again empowered me even further to follow through with my dreams of a natural child birth. Even beyond these meetings, Christine made me feel I could reach out to her at any time with any questions or concerns I had. When my due date came closer, I frequently would contact Christine with questions, worries, excitement, and concerns and she would always promptly respond. When I went into labor at 12:30 am, I knew I could reach out to Christine and she would respond right away. She came to me quickly and calmly. From this moment on, I can truly say she is one of the biggest reasons I had the labor I worked so hard for. Christine didn’t only feel like my doula, but she felt like my best friend and mother all wrapped up in one. I remember making eye contact with her numerous time through painful contractions and her gaze, with or without words, always calmed me and reassured me that I could do this. When it came time to go to the hospital, her presence was even more necessary. In moments of feeling like I couldn’t go on, Christine always made me feel like I could be strong and continue on. And I did.. I labored for 21 1/2 hours and pushed for 3. All without any medication or induction methods. Things ran so smoothly and beautifully and I know a big part of that was because of Christine. I will forever be grateful to her for how she helped me have the birth of my dreams.” – Casey
“As well as my birth doula, Christine was an incredible postpartum doula as well! As a new (first-time) mom, things tend to get hectic and overwhelming and I found myself feeling a little lost when my husband went back to work. Christine came for postpartum care once a week for 4 weeks for 4 hours at a time. She would help me with my daily activities (that were once so simple to accomplish) like cutting my weekly vegetables, vacuuming my house, or folding laundry. Even if I didn’t have much to do, she would simply suggest taking a bath and a long nap, and sometimes that was exactly what I needed. Christine definitely has that way about her.. she just knows what you need without you having to ask for anything. I believe this is a special kind of person and Christine definitely is that. You can tell my son even loves her so! She often wears him in my carrier and he happily lays on her chest while she gets things done around the house for me.Now we’re at the end of our journey together and our last appointment is coming up. I’m sad to have our time come to an end together but I know when the time comes to have another child, Christine will be there again for me.. and I simply cannot wait for that!” – Casey
“When I met Christine I instantly felt like we were old friends and I knew I wanted her to be my doula. Leading up to my delivery Christine provided us with a lot of informative information, great books, and showed us techniques to do together to get through labor. She was not just a teacher but also a friend checking in on me and encouraging me. When I finally went into labor with my son, I texted Christine in the morning saying I believe this is the day because I have been up since 2:45 am with contractions. She said she will start getting ready to head over. When she arrived she suggested we go for walk. The walk was great idea and truly helped. During the walk we just talked, shared stories and laughed. Whenever I did have a contraction Christine would help me breathe through them and rub my lower back. After the walk it was time to call my husband and doctors and go to the hospital. At the hospital Christine and my husband worked together to help me through my contractions. During this time she motivated me as well as my husband. I had tested positive for Strep B so I had to be on antibiotics for four hours. Unfortunately I was fuly dilated and still had about a little less then an hour to go for the medicine to be done. This was the hardest part. I was told I couldn’t push till the medicine was done. I honestly believe Christine and my husband were the reasons I made it through. She continued to encourage me and put wet wash cloths on my head. Finally I was allowed to push and had my son in my arms. While everyone was paying attention to my son and I was being checked Christine stood by my side. Which was a great feeling not being alone. I had fears from time to time about going natural but I can honestly say that Christine truly helped me have a wonderful birth experience. I would ask for her support again.” – Nicole
“When my husband and I decided we wanted to hire a doula for the birth of our first baby, we knew it was important to both of us to find someone with a calming presence who would be a quiet support during labor and help us through any anxiety that arose. At our first meeting, we immediately felt comfortable with Christine, who offered information and encouragement while listening to us share about our hopes and fears about birth and parenthood.
When signs of prelabor built up slowly in my 38th and 39th weeks of pregnancy, Chrissy checked in regularly to see how I was doing. When real labor started, she arrived at our apartment at 6 am and sat with us until we went to the hospital at noon. She helped my husband support me through contractions, heat up the rice sock (one she’d given us) countless times, and worked hard to keep me comfortable. Her help only continued when we got to the hospital. My labor was long, lasting until the following afternoon (she was with us for more than 30 hours total), and I never felt like I was taking too long or asking too much. Along with physical support, my husband and I both leaned on her for emotional support in moments when labor didn’t go as we hoped or expected. She listened when we needed it and helped us keep things in perspective. Aided by her presence, our birth story ended with an intense hour of pushing and a healthy baby on my chest. We are incredibly grateful to Chrissy for enduring with us and celebrating with us.” – Alison
“From the moment we met with Chrissy, we knew we had made the right decision in hiring a doula to assist us with our daughter’s birth. Both my husband and myself felt immediately at ease with her warm and calming energy. She addressed all of our questions and concerns in an extremely hearable and thorough manner. it was obvious that she truly loves what she does and we couldn’t appreciate that dedication more. She asked a lot of thought provoking questions that helped us think through and prepare for not only the birthing process but for different scenarios so that no matter what happened we had a game plan. Prior to going into labor she checked in every couple of days to see how I was doing and always had helpful and enjoyable resources for us to review. During labor she wasted no time preparing our room to make it as calming as possible. She helped interpret the options the doctor presented to us and allowed us to come to our own conclusions. After every contraction and push, she was there with a cup of ice water, a cold compress and encouraging words. She took terrific pictures of us immediately after our daughter was born so we could focus on bonding. She stayed with us after the birth to make sure that we were comfortable and the baby was breastfeeding. We have also had her come for post partum help and it couldn’t have been more helpful in the weeks after our daughter was born. Whether she’s helping prep dinner, allowing me to go take a bath or just sitting and talking with me about how I am, she has truly become like a close friend. We will without a doubt be asking her to assist us for the second time around – we couldn’t imagine doing it without her!” – Dana
“Chrissy is an excellent excellent doula. Choosing a doula is such a huge and life altering decision. You truly want to feel comfortable with your doula and decision. Hiring Chrissy as my birth doula was one of the smartest decisions I made during my childbirth preparation. I had a lot of anxiety during my last trimester and having Chrissy as a trusted resource was invaluable for me. During labor, Chrisst truly did everything to cater to me and my husband. Having that familiar presence during this challenging time was so important and led me to achieve my goal of giving birth without pain medication. I will always be so grateful to Chrissy for her support during my pregnancy and childbirth. She is a trusted and invaluable asset to any birth!” -Kimberly
Photo Credit: Designs by JMB
“As my husband and I grew with excitement expecting our first child, we knew that we wanted support to help us through the labor/birth process. When meeting Christine I got an overall feeling that she was very knowledgeable and knew that the pregnancy and birth process was special and unique to each mother experiencing it. While pregnant Christine was always checking in, answering any questions that I had about my pregnancy and birth preparation. When my water broke, Christine was in constant contact and support and joined me at home to support me through my surges and allowed me to labor at home until it was necessary to go to the hospital. Having her at my home really allowed me to stay stress free of wondering when it was the ‘right’ time to go to the hospital. When we go to the hospital, Christine was wonderful in creating a calming atmosphere in my room by dimming the lights and using her essential oil diffuser. As the surges continued and became more intense, there were many times that I did not know if I could continue to handle them. She was always there to encourage and help me see the big picture of what I was working so hard for…my beautiful son. After 22 hours of labor, I gave birth naturally to my son Jase. After giving birth I felt a huge sense of pride, relief, and extreme thankfulness for having such a wonderful support system. I owe this to not just my husband, but Christine as well. Christine’s support continued postpartum as well. She did a fabulous job encapsulating my placenta, which helped tremendously in the first few weeks postpartum. She also helped with postpartum support with things like resources for lactation consultants and oral surgeons for my son’s tongue-tie. I felt that she was truly invested in my well being through my entire pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. She really exceeded any/all expectations I had. Any client would be lucky to have Christine as their doula.” – Lindsay
“Chrissy had a lot to live up to as the doula for the birth of my second child. During my first pregnancy, my best friend was in training to be a doula, and was living with us at the time. She attended the birth of my son in August 2013 as both doula & friend. By the time I was pregnant with my second child, my best friend had moved to Georgia. When it became apparent that I was not going to be able to convince her to move back to New Jersey just to attend my birth, I realized I would have to find another doula. I was immediately drawn to Chrissy after reading her profile on Doula Match. I especially wanted to find someone who was a doula for both birth and postpartum. As she walked to her car after our initial consultation, I turned to my husband and asked if we could just keep her forever. We never bothered to interview anyone else. I cannot say enough wonderful things about her. She met us as the hospital when we though I was having the baby at 37 weeks. She was great all through the night and really helped keep my spirits up when my contractions stopped and we were sent home the next morning. A week and a half later she was with us for the real thing. When my daughter was born March 9, my husband was holding my right hand, and Chrissy was holding my left. Over the next few weeks, she came to the house to provide postpartum help. She anticipated what I would need and just did it, without being asked. It was amazing. She helped with the new baby, and my toddler, and the house. Most of all she helped me stay sane. When our time together was over, I felt so conflicted. I was so happy that I felt comfortable being on my own with both my newborn and my toddler. At the same time I was so sad knowing that Chrissy would not be around anymore. I really didn’t think anyone would be able to compare to the experience of having my best friend as my doula, but Chrissy was amazing. Every woman should have the support of a doula, and Chrissy is a great one!” – Jen