As a first time mom, I had no idea what to expect when the baby comes, and felt anxious about becoming a new parent. A friend suggested working with a postpartum doula, and it was the first time I heard about the concept of a doula. I interviewed several candidates and Laura made me feel the most at ease, not only due to her wealth of experience and knowledge, but also her empathy and cheerful personality.

Fast forward to today, with a thriving 8-week old chilling on my chest, I look back on the earlier weeks and cannot thank Laura enough for helping me find my bearing as a new mom. Even though, due to COVID, we did not have any in-person support, we started Zoom sessions right from the first week. I was exhausted, panicked, sleep deprived, with occasional bouts of baby blues. Laura gave me so many survival tips, from “sleep shaping”, to breast feeding, to mental health, to baby soothing.. She was like a nurse, a lactation consultant, a therapist and a sleep consultant combined. She was always there to listen, and always made me feel so at ease, and her advice have always been so practical AND evidence based. After every session, she would send me detailed notes about her recommendations, suggested readings. She also checks in with me via text every now and then, which makes me feel so supported. Knowing I have her to talk to significantly reduced my new mom anxiety, and helped build up my confidence quickly in the first few weeks.

Now, my 8-week-old daughter is nursing like a champ, hitting all the milestones, and just started sleeping 6-7 hour stretches at night for almost a week. I attribute many of these early success to Laura’s support. I cannot recommend Laura enough for postpartum care!

I sat in on another breastfeeding class prior to this one and I came away with one page of information. I have 3 full pages (front and back) from the KOPD class. It was wonderful!
Thanks Kristin

My experience started with a call to Lacey. Just speaking with her instantly calmed all of my fears. She listens attentively and knows exactly who to put you directly in contact with help. Lacey knows all the best in the area for anything birth-related!

Lacey matched me with Melissa, who was my dream doula in every single way. I instantly felt comfortable with her and received so much great advice throughout my pregnancy. When it came time for labor, she was with me from the very first text at 2 a.m. Melissa was such a source of strength and comfort throughout my entire birthing, and I know I would not have been able to achieve my dream birth without her. I am so grateful for this amazing group of ladies!

From the opening phone call with Lacey, I knew we were in good hands. I especially appreciated that when the first team we met was not the right fit, we found a team that was. Kristi and Jenny listened closely, provided excellent information, and were able to offer emotional and logistical support weeks before the birth.

When I was diagnosed with preeclampsia and had to be induced, sending my birth plan into a tailspin, I learned the reason we all need a doula! The nurses were great, but they had other patients to see. Jenny was there for both my husband and me, making sure we had information and support to process each new complication that came up. She advocated for me, and made sure I had space and support to make the right decisions for myself even as things got scary. Throughout the twists and turns, there was a caring and knowledgable person there dedicated to making this an empowering experience. I so appreciated her presence, her smile, and her caring.

*Trigger Warning* Infant loss

My husband and I are forever grateful for the amazing support we received from the entire KOP Doulas team. We were introduced to Lacey and her team through our OB office thanks to a flyer for their childbirth classes. Within a week of seeing that flyer, we were signed up for the childbirth classes and had hired a birth support doula. We had an instant connection with our doulas Lacey and Jackie and appreciated their no-nonsense approach to answering all of our questions. We learned and laughed together about all the odd things that happen during pregnancy and birth and developed a solid foundation of trust that they would be able to support us no matter what.

The childbirth and lactation classes were extremely informative (kudos to Kristin and Lacey!). We were able to peel back the layers of fear and preconceived notions and build our confidence by reviewing every possible angle of birth and breastfeeding – anatomy, stages of labor and what changes to expect as labor progresses, what to expect at the hospital and objective information about the various procedures/interventions they may suggest, laboring positions, techniques to relieve pain, hunger cues, how to get a good latch, positions for breastfeeding, and so much more. (The purple line is real!) And when we considered switching to a home birth, we were able to chat with Kristi to get another perspective and talk through our concerns.

When we first learned about KOP Doulas, one of the selling factors was the variety of services they provide. I took comfort in knowing that I would have support no matter what the circumstances throughout my pregnancy and postpartum period; little did I know at the time which of services I would need. At my 39-week OB appointment, there was no heartbeat. We had lost our baby. The support we received that day from Lacey and Jackie was incredible. Lacey’s calm, steady voice helped me drive home to my husband who couldn’t attend the appointment due to COVID. Meanwhile Jackie reached out my husband to make sure he was okay. We stayed in touch with both of them throughout the morning and afternoon as we made our way to the hospital, received confirmation we had lost our boy, and I was induced. Although Lacey could not be with us in the hospital due to COVID restrictions, she was on speaker phone with us for several hours while I labored and coached me through every contraction once they were too much to handle on my own. Because of her, I was able to find my inner strength and push through without an epidural. In the days and weeks after our son was delivered, Lacey and Jackie connected with us to make sure we were okay, help us process everything that happened, and ensure we were getting all of the help and support we needed.

We are forever grateful for everything KOP Doulas has done for us. It was by far the best decision we made during the pregnancy and we would highly recommend them to anyone. They are a fantastic team of women and will be one of our first calls when we are expecting again!