Tess-timonials

Hiring Tess as our doula was the single greatest decision we made for our pregnancy. When we first found out we were pregnant, we knew we wanted to hire a doula. We had previously experienced trauma due to miscarriages and wanted this pregnancy to be as positive an experience as possible. Tess was truly a blessing to us and we were so grateful to have her as our doula.

When we first met Tess, the thing that really stood out to us was her knowledge. Leading up to our due date, Tess met with us a couple of times to discuss and help formulate our birth plan. Tess was extremely knowledgeable about everything from pain medication to hypnobirthing. Tess also led us in activities to help prepare for our big day including body positioning to help with induction and guided meditations to help with pain during contractions. During labor, Tess moved me into the perfect positions to help ease the pain. I truly believe Tess is one of the most knowledgeable doula's available and one that truly helped us prepare for our birth.

Another thing that really stood out to us about Tess was her care and compassion. Even though we prepared all that we could for our labor, we still ran into problems along the way. Our baby's heart rate dropped during labor, which triggered chaos as a dozen nurses and OBs ran into our room to help save our baby. Although Tess couldn't do anything from a medical standpoint, she provided much needed reassurance and comfort at an extremely vulnerable time. We could have easily become overwhelmed and succumbed to the chaos, but Tess was by our side as long as she could to be our rock. We ended up having an emergency C-section, which went as well as we could have ever hoped and provided us with the healthy birth of our newborn baby. Thanks to Tess, we were very calm and collected during this chaotic time.

Lastly, we think Tess is an amazing doula because she goes above and beyond her duty to help her families. After we brought our newborn home from the hospital, Tess made a visit to help us transition to home life with our newborn. In addition to being knowledgeable about pregnancy and delivery, Tess is extremely knowledgeable and experienced in caring for newborns. She taught us more tricks and tips than any Pediatrician or Nurse ever taught us. Tess also helped us weeks after our last visit. We had questions about caring for our newborn including referrals to other service providers, and as always, Tess delivered.

Tess was truly a blessing to our family. She is much more than a doula. Her blend of knowledge, compassion, and dedication to her families goes above and beyond anything that we could have hoped for when we first considered her as our doula. We truly believe Tess is the greatest doula in the world and we have our happy and healthy baby to prove it!

I am a disabled individual and a first time parent. I adore my wife, but I knew the more stressed she got the more she looks for authority. What brought me towards looking for a doula in my birth experience was I knew I needed someone who would “yell at the doctors for me” if I felt I needed an advocate in labor.

More than anything I wanted a home birth but I knew with my high BMI (and later gestational diabetes) I would not be getting that with a doctor's blessing. 

Tess gave me a sense of home. She was more than someone who advocated for me - she was a dear loved one who was there when my wife needed rest after 30+ hours. She was there for me to double check “is that medically necessary right now” after the hospital team would “recommend” something or to tell them “not right now” when I tried to rest. 

More than anything Tess was the support I needed with my family on the East Coast. I am beyond grateful for her support and if you want someone to help make your birth story as close to your dream as possible then she is absolutely the piece of home and peace of mind you need.

After finding out that my insurance fully covered a doula, I found and reached out to Tess about a month before my due date. We had an initial intro phone call and from there I knew that she was everything I was looking for In a doula. Just her sweet and caring tone alone made me feel comfortable. A week later, we had another follow-up via Zoom and we went over my birthing plan. I appreciated that she made some suggestions to add to my plan that I would not have thought about on my own. We set up another meeting to get together in person before my baby’s arrival...well, baby decided to come early at 36 weeks. The day I went into labor it was very early in the morning. I texted Tess and she was quick to respond, supported me and confirmed that it sounded like I was definitely in labor. When it was time to go to the hospital Tess met my husband and I there ASAP. I appreciated that she was willing to give up her time and day for us considering I was earlier than my due date. During my labor and delivery, Tess was my savior! She advocated for me when I was strict about a non-medicated birth, suggested pain remedies like taking a shower (which she held the shower head on my lower back with warm water for quite some time), did counter pressure techniques on my pelvis and used a sheet as a rebozo to put pressure on and massage my lower back/pelvis. I truly feel like without her, I may have given into an epidural which I made clear to myself that I did not want. Without her, there was nobody in the room that could help me manage the pain naturally. I absolutely LOVED my birthing experience and will be reaching out to Tess for any future births I have. I have raved about her to all my friends and given her number to plenty of women. If you are looking for comfort during delivery, both physically and emotionally, Tess is the one you want by your side.

We interviewed a LOT of doulas, and Tess was the obvious choice from the beginning. We hoped her warm, grounded energy would translate to our birth, and we were not disappointed! She met the immensity of the moment with care, calm, and a wealth of evidence-based knowledge (Tess is a doula for people who want to know what's happening!). We had a great one-on-one dynamic, and she also worked seamlessly with my partner and our midwives when we needed all hands on deck. Her endurance, firm but gentle support, and clear passion for birth made her an integral part of our child's first precious moments with us. We're forever grateful for her support!

Due with our first baby boy during the holidays, finding a doula was challenging. Even yet someone who was the right fit for our family. We are so glad Tess found us through a network of doulas. From the initial prenatal visits we knew she’d be of great help to us. She answered all of our questions thoroughly, let us talk on and on about any concerns, she’s a great listener and gave us amazing labor and pain tips. She gave us so much information on resources but never overwhelmed us. Tess respected all of our wishes and even helped us come up with a birth plan.

I truly believe I couldn’t have made it through my exhausting labor without the guidance and care from Tess. This was my first pregnancy and she reassured me through every text and phone call that everything I was going through was normal and we were progressing. One of my wishes was to labor as long as possible at home. She came over during those days and was of great support for my husband and I. She met us quickly when it was time to go to the hospital. As contractions became stronger and I was unable to talk, Tess became my advocate. She remembered everything we discussed about and gave the best massages during my labor phases. She kept me hydrated and comfortable. Tess stayed with us from beginning to end and we’ll forever be grateful for her caring, respectful, compassionate nature.

Tess was invaluable to us and helped us prepare for the birth of our child and navigate a very long labor when the time came. She helped us understand labor and post labor from both a medical and process perspective— walking us through the potential scenarios and our options. From helping communicate and advocate for our personal birth preferences to the medical team to just being a comforting presence and coaching us through the birth, we can't imagine how much harder it would have been without Tess by our side. We can't recommend her enough!

Hiring Tess was one of the best decisions I made during my pregnancy. What I most appreciate about Tess is hard to describe in words. It was the quality of her presence that I found useful. Tess just knows how to be with people. When I first met Tess, I took notice to how well she listened to me. It felt that Tess was genuinely interested in getting to know me. This meant a lot to me because I was very anxious and overwhelmed during my pregnancy. Another useful thing was that Tess shared a folder with super helpful resources about hypnobirthing, medical interventions, breastfeeding, etc. I liked that there was a place where I could access more information, outside of our meetings if I needed to, and that it was specifically curated by her instead of scrolling through Google or Pinterest. She also recommended that I take a labor and delivery class (because I had very little idea about what birth looked like). I ended up signing up for the in-person one which was very helpful. My husband and I had a dedicated space for us to learn and prepare for the birth of our daughter. During my delivery we had a few very minor complications, but Tess was there to talk me through each intervention that was being offered and helped me decide what I wanted to do. She never told me what to choose. Overall, the day my daughter was born was very beautiful. I felt that Tess really helped me prepare for the birth of my daughter and it was very meaningful. Tess got along very well with the nurses and midwife. If I do have a second baby, Tess will be there again.

Tess was an invaluable partner in the birth of our first baby. She listened closely to our hopes and goals for our birth experience and when we were unsure or curious, she was a fantastic coach. While it was clear she had a portfolio of tools she could offer, we never felt pressured to subscribe to any agenda or philosophy. Instead, Tess focused on getting to know us so we could all be comfortable during the birth. She was an excellent communicator through the whole process.

Her presence and experience helped make a chaotic experience easier. On the night of the birth, she provided great comfort for Sonja, and helped Jack pack last minute go-bag items. In the delivery room, she was calming and soothing, and helped bring our incredible daughter into the world. We highly recommend Tess as your doula!

Being a first time mom, I always heard about how painful labor is and it terrified me at first but I did lots of research and met Tess who helped calm my nerves, answered all of my questions, all whilst helping me learn more about childbirth. When I had to go to L&D (due to high blood pressure) I was nervous, but Tess reassured me that everything was gonna be alright and that I got this. During labor, she was also there to support me, encourage me, and comfort me. I will always appreciate Tess for her kindness and unconditional support. I recommend her to all moms!