The thing that surprised me most about pregnancy was the unexpected fears that come up and the resources I would need to prepare for the birth I desired (as much as I possibly could). I’m so thankful I had Colleen to turn to with every concern and question. She would text me back within minutes with an answer, an article, a website or Amazon buy now link. When my baby was breech a few weeks before labor she had a chiropractor reference ready for me with exercises on cue that helped me flip baby Violet right around in time for labor. What surprised me most about labor was the amount of decisions Brent and I would have to make on the spot. Contractions were all I could focus on and having Colleen there with so much birth experience to help us feel grounded and support the choices we wanted to make in each moment was so comforting. And the emotional support she provides will be what you remember the most. I was experiencing the deepest body sensations I have ever felt while she held the weight of me and baby in her arms, guiding me through each breath and listening for what I needed. I would recommend Colleen to any woman who desires to feel supported, grounded, powerful and trusting of her birth experience. Oh!! And after having her for post-partum support in our home was just the icing on the cake. We had our placenta encapsulated, which left me feeling energized and stable. And she helped me take care of baby while we packed for a big move when Violet turned 3 months old. I can’t say enough great things about her and wish you the courage to say yes to getting the support you deserve, that only Colleen can give in her way, on this beautiful special adventure.
Looking back on the birth of our daughter, I don’t know how I could have managed all the levels of labor without Colleen. She was a great teacher, coach, and energy spirit from the weeks leading up to the birth and weeks after. She is involved on a deeper level then most doulas and offers services beyond just showing up for the birth. From suggesting a hypnobirthing class to placenta encapsulation, I really felt taken care of by Colleen and trusted her knowledge. I am forever grateful for the empowerment I felt during my birth experience even with options that were taken away from me. We are so thankful that she is a part of our birth story. Even at the very end I asked my husband to hand his phone over to her to capture the actual moment of birth so that I could see it later from another perspective. She knew just what to include, I love the images so much! They are so meaningful to me as a photographer myself. I will recommend her to anyone I know giving birth in Connecticut.
I don’t think there is enough space for me to praise what Colleen did for me and my family. My first birthing experience was successful vaginal birth after 27hr labor. My second pregnancy was riddled with complications, including an external cephalic version, 33hr labor and an emergency C-section. So when it came to welcoming our 3rd and final child into this world, I was anxious and worried about a potential C-section and we decided to consult with a Doula for support. We met with Colleen 3 times prior to actual delivery. She coached my husband and me through positions, exercises, infant CPR and supplements that would help with our most recent pregnancy and delivery. Unfortunately this child decided to arrive 2 weeks late, so my anxiety was at an all-time high with our OB/GYN practice recommending a membrane sweep and induction at 42 weeks. So when the outcome of our nearly 36hr v-bac labor and delivery was a single push flawless arrival of our son – I can only say that it was solely due to Colleen’s efforts and knowledge as a Doula.
Colleen is incredibly knowledgeable, patient, encouraging, supportive, kind, gentle and loving professional. I came out of this pregnancy and birthing experience more empowered, more centered, more in control of myself and our child. My hospital stay post-delivery was just 24hrs and I was enjoying our newborn at home.
We also used Colleen’s services for placenta encapsulation, tincture and umbilical cord keepsake. She arrived just a few days after our birth with the most adorable gift bag of pills, potion, and heart shaped dried cord and chocolate.
We love Colleen and everything she did for us. We simply sing her praises and encourage everyone to work with her.
Working with Colleen, from beginning to end was such an awesome experience! She was calm, informative and easy to work with leading up to the day of the birth, making herself available for everything we needed and more. One the day of the birth she happened to be delivering with another mother, and had to send her on-call partner in her place for a bit, and despite what I am sure was a LONG night and day for her, she rushed to us when she was finished with her first delivery and was there for basically all of mine too! She helped my husband and I stay calm, focused and comfortable and also worked with us to help get the baby in position when we realized he needed to move a bit to keep things going. Colleen came prepared with music, oils and lots of love and serenity, and was such a wonderful presence throughout our whole birth. When I needed to regroup and pull away from everyone and everything to keep progressing, Colleen was able to change gears instantly and managed to get a ton of photos which we are SO grateful for! I would highly recommend working with her and having her as part of your birth journey, she is so sweet and easy to be around and obviously very skilled at what she does!! We also had her encapsulate my placenta and make it into a tincture, I would recommend she do both as well too! She is incredibly thoughtful and sweet and you wont go wrong by having her by your side.
Hiring Colleen was one of the best things we did during my pregnancy in preparation for our new baby. Her prenatal advice left us feeling confident and prepared. We feel that her advice helped my labor progress quickly and smoothly, and her presence and coaching helped calm us both during labor. She is very easy to talk to, warm, and knowledgeable. I highly recommend Colleen to anyone seeking a doula for prenatal, labor, and post care.
Hiring Colleen as my birth doula was one of the most important decisions I made during my pregnancy. She attended the birth of my first baby who I had in January 2016 and I also had her encapsulate my placenta.
Going into pregnancy was scary for me initially. I have a medical history which has left me being told by doctors for most of my life that I may not be able to get pregnant or carry a baby to term. I believed I could have a safe and very healthy pregnancy, labor and delivery and Colleen did too. She was a huge supporter and a constant source of encouragement and knowledge on a road I’ve never traveled. Any time I had a question, I’d text or email her and she responded always same-day and with a very thorough answer and always with resources to support her answer. She has treated me from day one with a great amount of respect and compassion (let’s face it – being pregnant has its rough moments!). During labor, Colleen was a rockstar, guiding me through each surge (contraction) and encouraging and reminding me of what to do to help keep me on track to have a beautiful and natural birth. I birthed my daughter exactly how I had planned for so many months and Colleen was absolutely instrumental in that, and I am forever thankful to her for her patience, expertise, and kind soul throughout. She never “got in the way” and my husband is equally thankful for her for all her guidance. As he says, we took all these wonderful classes and learned a lot, but when that baby is ready to come, your mind just goes blank! Colleen seamlessly stepped in to remind both of us of what to do. Without her, my birth story would not be the same.
I HIGHLY recommend her if anyone is considering a doula. You will not be sorry and you will look back on your experience knowing you picked an invaluable professional to be a part of your birth team. She is not just a doula, she is the woman who will remind you that you are beautifully designed to give birth to new life.
After researching childbirth and all that came with, I determined that I wanted to have a natural childbirth. For me, this meant taking a hypnobirthing course and hiring Colleen as our doula. Both decisions were pivotal and I credit both with enabling me to have the birth experience I wanted–even when wrenches were thrown into our “plan” along the way. When our baby was still breech at 36 weeks, Colleen provided me with techniques to help flip her, but even more importantly, supported me once those techniques did not work and my husband and I turned to ECV to flip the baby. (It worked, thankfully). Once I did go into labor at just over 40 weeks, Colleen played an even more crucial role in allowing me a natural, drug-free birth. I dilated swiftly, but our tiny, opinionated, and stubborn daughter simply did not wish to descend (she was most likely facing posterior). After three and a half hours of pushing accompanied with back labor, my resolve began to crumble and I started mentioning words like “epidural.” Colleen was the voice of encouragement I needed in that moment. She reminded me how strong I was and how far I had come, and when I decided to employ vacuum extraction, she was completely supportive. Colleen both rolled with the punches and allowed me to do so. I cannot thank her enough for what she has done for us–during pregnancy, in the delivery room, and after Rose was born. Needless to say, I will be calling on Colleen for any future pregnancies!
We hired Colleen after interviewing several doulas in the area. We felt that Colleen was the best fit, and we are so glad we choose her! From the moment Colleen became our doula she was extremely informative and had an endless wealth of important knowledge to share. This was valuable information that I never would have had, if it had not been for her. After working with her throughout my pregnancy, I felt so well prepared, educated, and most importantly confident in my birth. She was always my number one resource along the way. She was available anytime I had a question, and was there to calm my nerves when I needed it most! My birthing experience went exactly as we had planned, and we believe that Colleen was a big part in making our birthing goals become a reality. With her by our side, we were able to labor at our home, relaxed and confident for 6 hours. When she thought I was ready, we made our way to the hospital. We ended up spending just 1 hour in the hospital before our baby girl was born. Colleen helped to make the natural and peaceful birth that I had dreamed of a reality, and we wouldn’t have been
able to do it without her by our side. We are so grateful that we worked with her and she still remains my number 1 “go to” for any and all questions about our baby. We can’t thank her enough!!
We were unsure until late in my pregnancy whether we wanted to hire a doula, and I’m so glad we did. Colleen was an integral part of our birth experience. Happily, she was available on short notice. After meeting with her and discussing our birth plan, it was clear that she was knowledgeable about the kind of birth we wanted to have. i was also reassured by the fact that she has several children of her own, so has her own experience to bring to the table. She came to our home and met with us to help us prepare for the birth, and gave training on basic infant care and first aid. I feel that we were pretty well prepared for a natural childbirth with our choice of hospital and healthcare provider, but Colleen offered helpful additional information. She was supportive when I went past my due date and helped me get through the process of stalling the induction that my provider was encouraging. Unfortunately, I did eventually have to have the induction, but with Colleen’s help we were still able to have a natural childbirth without medication. Colleen has a very grounding manner, and she knows when to step in to provide extra support and when to play down her presence. I felt she was very respectful of my partner’s role as my birth partner while providing additional, essential care and support. She worked well with my midwife, too. Colleen also provides placenta encapsulation services, which I recommend to help with the tough postpartum hormonal changes. She even returned to the hospital to pick up the placenta, since they would not release it right away. Colleen took a lot of photographs during the birth, and shared them with me, which was great. She also paid me a visit a couple of weeks after our daughter’s birth, just to check in and make sure that the transition was going well. She’s very professional and kind, and I would recommend her to anyone looking for a doula.
From a husband’s perspective, I cannot even think how our birth of our first child would have gone without the help of Colleen. I was a nervous wreck with the thought of going through the process of being a new dad, but with her help she made everything effortless. From the first time we met (about 3 months before birth) she showed such care, compassion, and love to me and my wife. She offered wonderful services in breathing techniques, birthing options, exercise’s, care for a newborn, CPR, and lactation. She was always a quick phone call or email away with any questions that arose. My wife experienced a long labor, and this is where her services were PRICELESS. Working on just a couple hours of sleep herself for a few days, Colleen was there by my wife’s side the entire time. She was always a step ahead and was able to sooth my wife when I didn’t know how to be helpful. Constant massages, soothing oils, music, and just the confident tone in her voice put myself and my wife at ease. She knew the right times to rest, and the right times to kick things into high gear. It was wonderful knowing that I could be in another room, or run out to get food and Colleen was there to care for my wife. She truly provided the utmost respect and support to my wife and me! After birth, she visited us at home to make sure things were running smoothly, and to this day she is there to help us with anything that arises. Let’s face it. Us as men, we really don’t understand what our ladies go through and can’t really connect with them 100%. This is where having her shined. From our first phone call, to months afterward, her services were invaluable. I can’t being to think what I would have done if she wasn’t part of our birth experience. Thank you so much.
Our decision to use Colleen as our doula was one of the best we made during our pregnancy. We had an immediate feeling of ease and comfort with her which made it an easy decision. Her encapsulation services were an added bonus. She is professional, available, and thoughtful.
As most do, we had a specific birth plan which involved a natural birth with a midwifery group in the birthing center. Henry did not adhere to the plan we had envisioned, so we quickly had to adjust our thinking. Colleen provided much needed positive reinforcement, support and encouragement in this tough and emotional transition. The remainder of our birth was also a journey, and Colleen played a critical role in this long haul. She saw to it that the hospital staff created an environment as close to the birthing center as possible, and wasn’t afraid to speak up on our behalf. She was involved when she needed to be, but also knew to step back and give us space when not. Perhaps the most critical part of Colleen’s service was towards the end of our birth when ‘failure to progress’ got the doctors talking C-section. Colleen quickly jumped to action with her rebozo techniques and positioning that finally got our baby to drop. While the hospital staff may have been a bit thrown by her methods, her effort single handedly helped us avoid an unnecessary surgery. We couldn’t thank her enough for this.
From her personal in-home attention leading up to the birth, to her postpartum visits and availability to offer advice, we could not have been happier with our experience with Colleen. We recommend her with all our heart to anyone considering a doula for their birth.
I don’t know what I would’ve done without Colleen at my birth. Despite all my hypnobirthing preparation and being very well-prepared and not scared of childbirth at all, when my first real contraction hit the first thing I thought was “this is definitely PAIN.” Colleen was everything I imagine a Doula should be. She was extremely nurturing and loving… She soothed me and massaged me and really made me feel like I was taken care of. She was also very knowledgeable and had a lot of techniques in her repertoire for managing childbirth. (walking up and down the staircase at an angle skipping a step in between, laboring on the toilet with my arms tightly wrapped around her, etc,) She knew when it was time to rest. And she knew when it was time to get back at it lest labor stall. She is very strong–she was able to bear all of my weight. She is intuitive and knew what I needed when I needed it. She was able to be soft when she needed to be soft and she was able to be assertive when she need to be assertive. My favorite part of having Colleen at my birth was this incredible birth music that she had… It was this very tribal percussive song that is designed for childbirth… She encouraged me to dance through my contractions and it really helped. I wholeheartedly endorse Colleen as a Doula. She is a wonderful and generous woman and I would be honored to have her at any of my future births.
Colleen was an absolute necessity for our pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Leading up to the birth, Colleen consistently checked in with us, gave us tips and was always there to answer any questions or concerns we had. I felt very comfortable and confident in Colleen before labor.
Words cannot describe how amazing she was during my labor! I had a very long labor that was planned to be a homebirth and when things changed she helped us make the best decisions and was right by our sides the entire time. I couldn’t be happier with the hospital she recommended we transfer to—I believe it really was the next best place besides home to give birth!
During labor and especially the pushing stage, Colleen gave me the most confidence out of everyone. When I wasn’t sure I was making progress during pushing, she assured me I was and cheered me on in the most loving and non-interfering way. It gave me the energy to push more effectively.
After the birth Colleen took my placenta and encapsulated it for me—I didn’t have to worry about any of that! She brought it to our home a couple of days later along with my beautiful placenta art. I love knowing that if I have any concerns I can still contact her. She has been giving me tips during my breastfeeding challenges. Besides being an amazing doula, Colleen has turned into a friend. I would recommend her to anyone having any type of birth and would absolutely have her attend any future births I may have! I don’t think our birth would have been as pleasant without her there.
Dear Colleen,
We are so glad to have chosen you as our doula. You were always very thoughtful and caring from the moment we started working together. Your techniques helped me to stay calm and encouraged me every minute during labor.
I had a beautiful natural birth and couldn’t have done it without you. I will be forever grateful.
Thank you!
My husband and I hired Colleen as our birth doula and we couldn’t have been happier with our decision. We feel a tremendous amount of gratitude to Colleen. Without her depth of experience, knowledge, calmness and empathy (amongst many other wonderful descriptives too long to list here) I doubt we would have achieved the natural birth we were hoping for. Colleen was a hugely helpful source of information and reassurance leading up to the birth. She was proactive in providing us with many helpful articles and suggestions, as well as being on hand to answer all questions two nervous first time parents had. I am quite a shy person; however, on first meeting Colleen I felt very comfortable in her presence and felt instantly that I could trust her to be our guide and advocate. When we thought I might be in the early stages of labor, we called Colleen and she was invaluable in confirming our thoughts and calming our nerves. Colleen knew exactly when to come to our home as I progressed through labor. We had planned to deliver in a hospital and with Colleen’s guidance we had the confidence to labor at home until it became necessary to move to the hospital to deliver. At the hospital Colleen was tireless in her assistance, helping with all manner of things, and we were so happy to have her there to help us achieve the natural birth we so wanted. Colleen also came for a post-partum visit and she was incredibly helpful and reassuring when I was having difficulties getting to grips with breastfeeding. We also took advantage of Colleen’s placenta encapsulation service and were very pleased with the results. We would not hesitate one second to recommend Colleen to other couples seeking a doula.