This is the second time we used Colleen as our doula because we couldn’t imagine another birth without her by my side. She is truly the best! Throughout my pregnancy with Baby #2, Colleen was extremely attentive by checking in often to see how I was feeling, both physically and mentally. She also has offered me helpful advice throughout the process. Colleen understood how emotional pregnancy can be and eased all of my worries. When I was at the hospital, Colleen stayed with me for the whole duration of my labor and delivery. When I first got to the hospital I was only three centimeters dilated. Colleen gave me helpful suggestions and showed me exercises on how to speed up my dilation. She also gave me massages with lavender oil, which helped relax me in labor. When I was pushing she was instructing me on different positions and doing rebozo exercises with me to help me get the baby out. There were moments when I didn’t feel that I could continue to push and wanted to give up. Colleen was my personal cheerleader and helped motivate me to successfully push my daughter out. Thanks to Colleen I didn’t need any interventions and got the natural birth that I wanted. More importantly, I gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl. Colleen wasn’t just my doula, but also became my friend. I trust her and feel that I can confide in her about anything. My husband loves Colleen as well and has joked around that I trusted Colleen more than him during my labor and delivery (which is true..haha). Without any hesitation, we both highly recommend Colleen and her doula services.
I can’t express enough how important of a role Colleen has played in my life since I decided to have a doula for my first birth and she was recommended to me a year ago. Colleen goes above and beyond for her clients, and hold each one near and dear with ongoing care leading up to, during and after the birth. During Covid, she gave up hours of her own time each week to start Zoom sessions for “pre-natal groups” and also “postnatal groups” which were massively valuable to all of us. It was a hard time and for her to align us and open a forum to speak and relate to other women about what we were going through, has been invaluable. The keyword for Colleen is SUPPORT. She is there for you across your whole journey. She says that she will always be your doula, and she carries through with that promise, acting more like a friend along your journey, align with being a trusted advisor. Colleen is full of love and she wants the best for each of her clients, supporting us on physical, mental, family, and personal levels. I could write a whole chapter on how amazing Colleen has been during this process, but I recommend you hire her to find out yourself. She makes your birth an amazing experience. I was scared, and Colleen was there to answer all my questions. It was long birth and she was physically there with me for over 30 hours pending her support, guidance and compassion. She started out a stranger and quickly earned my trust. Everyone I have met through her has also had incredibly wonderful experiences!
Colleen was an incredible support during my home birth. She is extremely knowledgeable and made both my husband and me feel secure and calm. She helped me every step of the way – whether it was suggesting a new position or just rubbing my back and reassuring me that things were going great. Colleen was also so helpful postpartum, especially in the early days to establish breastfeeding. I recommend Colleen to any expecting woman, her incredible knowledge and compassion can support ANY journey!
Colleen was an invaluable member of our birth team. She was there for all of our questions and concerns before, during, and after the birth of our daughter. Colleen has always answered our questions efficiently and thoroughly and continues to do so to this day (8 months later!). She’s extremely knowledgeable and reliable and it’s comforting knowing she there for us when something comes up. Colleen was the first person to arrive when I went into labor and she was the last to leave after Bella was born. She got me through what felt like an impossible journey and I’m eternally grateful to her for her wisdom and guidance.
We’ve been so blessed to have Colleen as our doula for the birth of our first child! She’s been a tremendous help from the moment we met her till now – 4 months postpartum! Not only Colleen has guided us all way through the pregnancy and birth but she also played a key role in WHERE I delivered my baby. I had an amazing birth experience and even though due to COVID she wasn’t able to physically be present during labor and delivery, she had equipped me and my husband with knowledge and confidence to get through the toughest times with no stress or anxiety. Colleen goes far beyond just being your doula – she is like your guiding angel who is always there when you need her – and I am so grateful for that!
Colleen created weekly prenatal and postpartum video groups where mothers get to meet each other and share their experiences and tips. I made friends through these groups that are helping me now as a new mom.
Colleen is very knowledgeable, professional, friendly, and kind. I would recommend her to any expecting mom in a blink of an eye. She’s been a blessing to our family and I hope she will become one for yours as well.
Colleen was a great fit for me and my husband because it was very important to us to have a low intervention birth and to have a Doula who was familiar with hypnobirthing, as well as fetal positioning and Rebozo work.
During my pregnancy she was always only a text or phone call away to answer any and all of our questions and concerns. When I tested group step B positive she referred to us many resources to help us educate ourselves and make an informed decision. Additionally, Colleen started a post-partum support group for her clients to help new moms cope with the pandemic and motherhood.
When the situation arose that another one of Colleen’s clients was going into labor at the same time as me, Colleen was totally prepared with her back up doula at the ready. In the end due to timing, Colleen was able to attend BOTH births like the superdoula that she is and the back up was not needed!
With Colleen’s help I did achieve the low intervention birth I wanted. I had terrible sciatica throughout my third trimester and it made it difficult to push in the position I desired so I ended up pushing on my back (not the “ideal” position or how I had pictured my birth) but again, Colleen was ready with what I can only call an “elastic pulley with handles” to help me using my whole body to push.
My husband and I went back and forth on whether we should have a doula attend the birth of our daughter and waited on hiring Colleen until my third trimester. We both wish we had signed up from the beginning and will be sure to use her in the future as we hopefully continue to grow our family. To this day when asked for advice from soon-to-be parents our best advice is “Get Colleen as your doula, don’t think about, just do it! It will be the best decision you have ever made!”
We commenced working with Colleen when I was 32 weeks with my first child. She was extremely helpful as we prepared for the birth of our daughter, during the labor and delivery, and postpartum. We wanted to have an unmedicated birth in the hospital. During labor Colleen played relaxing music and suggested various positions that were extremely helpful. Postpartum Colleen came to our house to see how we were doing. She also holds weekly postpartum zoom chats, which I have found helpful because you meet moms within the same age group. We loved working with Colleen and hope to work with her again on the future. I highly recommend Colleen to anyone looking for a doula.
I planned for a natural birth and I had read about how doulas could help you to remain relaxed, suggest alternative positioning to make for a smoother delivery, and would be there to support you in making decisions. Given we live 45 mins from where I would deliver, I also wanted someone knowledgeable to help us decide when the right time would be to change locations.
Colleen was recommended to us through a Hypnobirthing class and in addition to the above, she also brought a tremendous amount of knowledge and research, recommendations on how to prepare your body (exercise, stretch, and diet), reiki, fetal positioning, as well as post-birth lactation, placenta encapsulation, and recovery support. Through her large network of clients, she also facilitates prenatal and postpartum groups.
From our first meeting, we knew we had found a trusted partner. Colleen brings a calm energy to the room and helped me to feel empowered to follow my birth plan. She was a constant point of contact for my many questions as a soon to be first-time mom, and helped my husband to prepare on how best to support me and our child.
In addition to the information and articles she provided, the prenatal group helped to connect me with women who were going through the same things, which was so helpful and cathartic. Now in the postpartum group, I’m so happy to have the sounding board and a weekly check-in that I very much look forward to!
While I know I’m the exception rather than the rule, Colleen helped me to speed through the toughest and most rewarding 4 hours of my life. I truly believe that the preparation she provided on the day of and in the months beforehand allowed me to have a natural, successful, and SHORT labor and delivery!
I would highly recommend her to moms looking for someone you can rely on to give you honest and research-supported recommendations and help you to tackle the challenges to have a great birthing experience!
Colleen is amazing! She provided great support leading up to and throughout the birth of our daughter. She helped us navigate the stages of labor as it progressed and gave me and my husband gentle guidance and encouragement. It was a busy night at the hospital and the staff was stretched thin, so having her there with us was critical, especially as first time parents not knowing what was going on. She was a source of knowledge and a calming presence and we both wholeheartedly agreed that hiring her was the absolute best decision we made while preparing to welcome our baby. Colleen was also a gem in the days and weeks postpartum. She checked in on me regularly and made suggestions for ways to troubleshoot issues I was having with breastfeeding. She really cares about fostering a happy, healthy experience for mom and baby, which is evident in her work with clients.
I had the pleasure of working with Colleen for the delivery of my first child. I had met several other doulas (in Manhattan, Fairfield County, and Westchester County) for in-person interviews. The majority seemed competent and passionate about their work, but it was only after meeting Colleen that I felt I had found someone who I wanted to accompany me and my husband on delivery day. While being a very calm and warm person who immediately felt “motherly” to me, she exuded confidence, focus, and decisiveness, and I knew she would work well with both me and my husband. I hired Colleen early in my second trimester, and in addition to her two pre-delivery visits that were wonderful, she was very responsive to any questions I had throughout my pregnancy. She referred me to a wealth of evidence-based articles, daily relaxation exercises, online pregnancy workouts, and a chiropractor, all of which were essential in helping me to have a very healthy pregnancy while commuting into Manhattan and working long hours up until days before delivery.
My labor started with my water breaking around 2am, and it was Colleen that I texted in the middle of the night, more than 12 hours before I made the call to my OB’s office. Colleen coached me and my husband through early contractions over the phone; she knew when it was time to come to my home, and then when it was time to head to the hospital. Just as I had hoped, I was able to labor mostly at home, arriving at the hospital just in time to push. Had I wanted to go to the hospital sooner, or wanted an epidural, or needed a C-section, I know Colleen would have been supportive as she truly respects your intuition as to what is right. I felt very safe working with her, and she is well-respected at Greenwich Hospital, which is where I gave birth. She also continued to be a wonderful resource to me post-partum. I recommend her most highly!
It was rather late in my pregnancy when my husband and I decided we wanted to hire a Doula. We met Colleen at a Childcare class at Hypnobirthing in Westport and knew that she was the one. I never even had to interview her. Her passion and love for what she does just emanated from her. She had one available spot in December and I couldn’t hire her quick enough. Colleen always had complete respect for birthing plan. She never tried to convince me otherwise she just helped me to be completely informed with all decision making. When she visited our house she showed genuine interest and compassion towards our family and even our pets. Her extra touches like her reiki sessions and beautiful gifts just made me love her more and more. She answered ever text message I sent with all my crazy questions. She even helped me make an amazing bone broth for my delivery. As far as the my daughter’s birth she came prepared and created a setting that was tuned exactly towards my needs. She facilitated the bond between my husband and I and intervened only when she found it necessary. She knew me so well just within the few times of meeting. She visited us after we were home and directed me toward wonderful lactation support. She has also helped me to find postpartum care. Even though I hired her as our Doula she became my friend and I am forever grateful to her for supporting the most incredible moment of my life. I was so inspired by her that I am now training to become a Doula too. I hope I can make even one women feel as amazing and important as she did for me.
I had my homebirth with Colleen! It was the best experience I’ve ever had in my life… she was super helpful the entire journey! So much good and important information from her beautiful births links. I’m recommending her to all my pregnant friends
Thanks for being with me, supporting and understanding me like we know each other for years. Not your client, but your friend, Radika.
My birth experiences would not have been what they were without Colleen. During both of my pregnancies, Colleen was a constant source of support and wisdom; she was also never judgmental, making me feel as though the decisions I made were my own and simply providing various avenues to pursue. During my first birth she helped me to feel calm and focused even as my pushing extended to three hours. During my second birth, it was she that read the signs correctly and got me into the car as soon as possible, knowing that my baby would be delivered imminently (which she was). She is also an expert at fetal positioning, which can feel like the most uncontrollable element of the later stages of pregnancy.
In other words, I cannot recommend Colleen highly enough. I left each birth feeling empowered, cared for, and informed due in great part to her.
Words fail to express how grateful I am for Colleen and how much she means to me and my husband. Hiring her as my birth doula was by far the best decision I made during my pregnancy. We interviewed several doulas before hiring her and we knew from the moment we met her that she was the one.
From the minute we started working with her and all throughout the pregnancy, labor, and postpartum times, Colleen was there to support us and ready to share her immense knowledge and useful contacts with us. The two sessions she offers at 30 and 36 weeks were incredibly helpful as they included tips and techniques to get my body ready for labor, ensure optimal fetal positioning and keep me comfortable during the last weeks of my pregnancy. She also taught us so many things about breastfeeding and infant care, including infant CPR, and the notion of informed consent.
She is a wealth of knowledge and her passion for her work is obvious. On the day labor started, she stayed in constant touch with me until we told her that we were ready for her to come over. I felt such a relief the moment I saw her at the maternity ward. I knew I was in caring and professional hands and that she would be an advocate for me. My plans to have an unmedicated birth fell through but she helped me and my husband remain calm and made sure to create a quiet and peaceful environment for the birth of my baby. My labor was long and difficult but she worked so hard to make sure I was as comfortable as could be. I honestly don’t know how I would have gone through it without her. She was my rock during the hardest and most beautiful day of my life and for that, I will always consider her part of our family.
Colleen was excellent and supportive during my pregnancy and after. She provided me with excellent advice and let me know all of my alternatives, but never pressured me to take a particular one or judged my choices. She was also extremely helpful with my first breastfeeding sessions.