Testimonials
Don’t take our word for it
From the moment I spoke to Emily on the phone, I felt at ease. She was easy going and friendly. Emily came to our home for the prenatal classes. She was fantastic! She listened to what I was worried or nervous about and explained everything. I wanted to be at home for the labor and go into the Birthing Center as close to the birth as possible. And that’s exactly what she helped me do. The whole night (starting at 1:30 AM) she massaged me, gave me to drink, encouraged me etc. and in the morning we went in. About 3 hours later I gave birth with Emily at my side. Emily was so supportive throughout.
It made my husband and I feel so relaxed the weeks leading up to the birth knowing she’d be with us, even though she wasn’t the only support we had.
During the first week of postpartum I was in so much pain when I would nurse my baby. I would dread it because it hurt so much. At the postpartum visit Emily guided me how to breastfeed properly, and I was shocked how after that visit it really became a breeze. It was like she taught me a trick that just made it work every time. I couldn’t thank her enough. It was so important to me not just to be able to nurse my baby, but to be doing it happily. We highly recommend Emily!
– Chana Bracha
Our experience with Emily was absolutely amazing. Emily is super experienced, knowledgeable and personable. By the time we were going into labor, we felt so much more prepared and equipped to make the right choices to have our birthing experience go well. She prepped us and was with us every step of the way. If it wasn’t for Emily’s calm, encouraging and assured presence during the labor, I am quiet certain we would have had panicked and gone into the hospital too quickly. Which is a much bigger deal than I initially thought. There is so much pressure in the hospital to be still and lie down to be monitored, it is very possible I would have asked for the epidural to ease the pain BUT because I was home, in my comfortable position and surroundings…I endured and went into the hospital only to pop the baby out:)
Also, the few private sessions with Emily were well worth it. She helped me to find a better breastfeeding position which totally saved my life. And she has great advice about just about everything to do with my little munchkin.
Three thumbs up Emily! We will be seeing you for round 2:) .
– Sasha, Pasha & Theodore
We used Emily as our lactation consultant for my first child and jumped at the chance to use her as our doula for our second baby. Emily is beyond experienced and put our mind at ease every step of the way. She was super supportive and informative throughout my pregnancy, and was always there to answer any questions. During my labor Emily was perfect, and knew just when to offer support, and when to sit back and let my husband take the reigns. We feel so lucky to have had a healthy natural, unmedicatedl birth. We highly recommend Emily to anyone who is looking for a well seasoned, supportive, and all around amazing doula.
– Denise
Emily is a heroic doula. She is smart, matter-of-fact, knowledgeable, warm, and totally not judgy: on hand to support whatever choices you make. I recommend her most highly. Before the birth she met with us and talked pain coping and other tricks. She was always available to answer questions. During the labor she advocated for us and anticipated our needs. She was unfailingly positive, reassuring, and firm—a great source of strength for me and my husband. It is not easy to deliver a child and Emily made the experience much less scary. She has the wonderful talent of adjusting her presence to what you need and want: she knows when to be funny, when to cheer, when to step back. She also took beautiful candid photos of us with the baby—something I didn’t know how much I wanted until I had them. Her post-natal visits were fun and helpful. She seems to have seen it all before, which is very comforting for a first-time mom. Everyone should have a doula like Emily.
– Christine
My husband and I will forever be grateful to Emily for getting us through what was both a very difficult pregnancy, and very dramatic labor and delivery. As first timers, you learn a lot about “what to expect”, but in reality when the moment comes everything you learned goes out the window and having a doula like Emily there kept us calm and present in the moment, and able to focus on all that was important that day. We initially hired Emily so that I could have support, but the on going joke is she probably spent more time calming my husband down than me. When she showed up at the hospital that morning, I remember feeling a sigh of relief. As doctors and nurses ran in and out of my room throwing medical terminology at me, Emily kept looking at me and asking “do you know what they mean when they say that?” and then she would explain. When the doctor told me I had a half hour left to push otherwise they would have to C section, Emily communicated my wishes to all the staff and then comforted me that I could do this no matter what the end result. She helped the nurses along with making sure we tried every possible way for a labor without unnecessary interventions. I am sure that it was because she was there, that I avoided that C section. What I ended up being most grateful for that day was that throughout 9.5 hours of labor, I felt contractions in my left glute, and Emily massaged it the ENTIRE time! Through all the pain she never acted tired or like she needed a break. It was a marathon contraction and she never quit. Hiring a doula is one of the best decisions a woman can make for a positive birth experience, and if you have Emily by your side you will be safe, well informed, comforted, loved, and supported.
– Jessica, Adam, & Lucie
Photo courtesy of Rachael Shane Photography
We first met Emily as our birthing class teacher. She was a fantastic teacher with a great sense of humor while also being knowledgeable, honest, and down-to-earth. When we heard she was also a doula we jumped at the chance to work with her. In the weeks leading up to the birth she was readily available via phone, text, and email to listen and answer questions, always patient and incredibly thoughtful. She was an amazing force of calm and positivity for both me and my husband throughout our 15-hour labor at home and at the birthing center, as well as through our transfer to the hospital and an eventual c-section. She helped our son to latch at the hospital, and kept in touch and made several home visits before and after the birth. It was especially a huge help to have her post-natal home visits to help with getting breastfeeding off the ground. We were so lucky to work with her and recommend her 100%.
– Amber
Emily is both super energetic and very calming at the same time. It seems like nothing fazes her! She is also extremely knowledgeable about pregnancy, birthing, breastfeeding, and parenting practices and supports her opinions with research. Emily is an excellent teacher who explains things clearly and who never makes you feel like you have silly questions. I also really like how she states her opinions while acknowledging that there is always more that one way to accomplish things.
My plan was to give birth at the Brooklyn Birthing Center. Emily knows the staff there, which was extremely helpful in terms of communicating with them and transitioning to there from home. Unfortunately my labor did not progress, and I ended up at Maimonides hospital after laboring for more than 24 hours. My labor was long, strong, and intense, and I don’t know how I could’ve done it without Emily! She was very reassuring and supportive and kept telling me “you can do it.” Emily had many suggestions for natural methods we could do to try to help my labor move along, which made me feel like we did everything we possibly could to try to birth at the birthing center before needing to transfer to the hospital. She was also great about coaching my husband about ways to support me, so he didn’t feel totally helpless, given that he couldn’t take on the actual labor or birthing himself.
I would highly recommend Emily to anybody seeking birthing/prenatal education, a birthing doula, post-natal support, and/or help with breast-feeding. She exudes a wonderful energy and is fun to be around. It’s also quite clear that she is extremely passionate about her work and enjoys helping others. You never feel like a burden to her because she appears joyous to simply be around pregnant women, birthing, and babies!
– Amy
I came to hear about Emily through my midwife who recommended her. My husband and I were originally planning to have the usual hospital birth until it became clear to us we wanted a more wholesome experience, leading us to a home birth. This of course was when I was already 38.5 weeks pregnant and had no time to dilly dally getting my “dream team” assembled. Emily was eager to work with us and made an appointment immediately to meet. We hit it off right away and we decided to use her as our doula. She was able to meet with me two times before my baby came (and just one week before I gave birth). It was more than I had even bargained for! Her knowledge of babies, child care, and the whole birthing process gave me the utmost confidence in her abilities to care for me and my husband during our special time. The night my water broke we called her at around 1am and she promptly came to our aid. By the time she got there I was having very intense contractions and she was abe to comfort and offer help. She even helped us decide on when to call the midwife to come. My labor was a totally of 13 hours and she was there for much of it, including staying all next morning helping me recover and clean up. She made sure I was okay to be left with a newborn and helped my daughter start breastfeeding within the first hour. Days after I gave birth she came again to my home to help me answer questions I had, and also checked on the baby to make sure everything looked good. As a first time mother I had “stupid questions” about changing diapers, collapsing strollers, tying baby carrier wraps, bathing, and working breast pumps which she was more than capable of answering. It was everything I wanted to know about babies and more!
My husband and I didn’t even know what a doula was a few months ago until we started doing research on home births. But even if we delivered in a hospital I would still use her indispensable services. No family expecting should be without their doula! Thanks Emily!
– Katie, Kyle, and Eloise
Emily was the first doula we interviewed, and we felt no need to search further. We immediately felt at home with her and excited to share such a momentous time in our lives with her at our sides. She is incredibly generous with her time and knowledge throughout the pre-natal and post-natal period. She really let my husband and I lead the way in the type of experience we wanted, only offering opinions and advice when we asked, and working hard to make the birth of our daughter a time of pure joy, ease, and excitement. Emily is an incredible labor companion. Her touch and presence is very calming and nurturing. The support of Emily and my husband enabled me to labor at home, delivering our baby just 45 minutes after getting to the hospital! I really can’t say enough about Emily- we highly recommend her!
– Joan
What struck us immediately about Emily was her confidence and sense of commitment. She essentially became my personal trailblazer and constantly strived to set us up in the best position possible. Even in the 11th hour (which in my case was about 24 hours in!), and things were starting to get a bit dicey, she was by my side with strong hands and reassuring words. My partner absolutely loved having her help; he believes the way he was supported by her during my labor and delivery was priceless. Pregnancy, labor and delivery is one of the wildest rides you’ll ever go on. Nothing ever goes exactly the way you planned, but Emily helped smooth out the wrinkles and bumps in the road, and we feel we gained a friend along the way.
Thanks, Emily! We hope to stay in touch.
– Alice, Gregg & Luca
Emily was awesome! I decided to have a doula because I desired a simple, low-intervention birth even though I was with an older and very traditional obgyn and hospital. We started our relationship by discussing our wishes for the birth. I was not personally into writing a birth plan, I basically made a mantra for the birth which is “Less is best.” Even with this in mind, there are certain choices which I discussed with Emily. Though they may not have been her choices, she did not offer opinion or judgement unless I specifically asked. As first time parents, she gave us excellent pre-birth preparation for what we could expect from our newborn and she prepared us for breastfeeding. The birth itself was remarkable. Emily was constantly vigilant at the hospital to ensure that the well-being of myself and my baby was being put first. She took amazing pictures that we will cherish forever and there is no way either my husband or myself could have had the presence of mind to take. Finally her lactation consulting was excellent. She took a lot of time with me, and it was so much more than the latch, I’ll tell you. All of my friends who had difficulty breastfeeding (so basically all of my breastfeeding friends) told me that I was very smart to set it up to have a lactation consultant right away. From the very first latch at the hospital to dealing with my mastitis, Emily was there for me via phone and in person.
– Dorie
My husband and I, like first time parents, were not very knowledgable on pregnancy and labor. We knew we wanted a natural birth but we didn’t know all of the details that were involved. We did some research and were advised by friends, family and professionals to hire a doula. Our first reaction was, “why”? My husband mentioned more than once that he should be our doula, he would give me the support I needed through the process, help me cope with the pain, rub my feet, etc…. I wasn’t so sure about that so I decided to interview a doula anyway to see what all the fuss was about. We met Emily and knew right away that we wanted her to guide us through this experience. She was informative, patient, and kind. She was always around when I needed her for questions & concerns.
Although I had a planned c-section due to my daughter being breech, I do not regret the decision to hire Emily. She was there through our laughter, tears, and c-section recovery. Most importantly, I could never have successfully breastfed if it weren’t for her. She continued to meet with us long after Mila was born to check in and make sure things were going well. Thanks to her I have a healthy 3 1/2 month old who is exclusively breastfed. To me, that is huge!!!! BFD!!!! (Big fucking deal!)
I am so grateful for Emily. Anyone looking for a doula should absolutely consider her!!
– Lorena
Our experience with Emily Cohen-Moreira as both a birthing teacher and a lactation consultant was amazing. More than anything, the information that she taught for birth prep was useful and extremely essential to our birthing experience. Utilizing the laboring techniques that Emily taught helped my wife, to focus and relax during the laboring to finish with a smooth vaginal birth. As a lactation consultant Emily saved our lives. Our daughter was small and had a very difficult time latching on. Emily was very reassuring, helpful, friendly, and probably most important super easy to be around and work with. We were so glad she helped us to help get nursing happening. We highly recommend Emily. She rocks!
– Bart
My husband and I first met Emily at the Brooklyn Birthing Center birthing class where she was teaching. It was my very first pregnancy and I did not have a doula at the time, but I was searching. We both felt that Emily was not only very knowledgable in birth pain coping but also in breastfeeding. What drew me to her was not only those points, but I also felt she was very personable and observant. During one class, while we were practicing one of her pain coping techniques, my ponytail loosened a bit and some of my hair fell in front of my face. Without hesitation, Emily immediately helped me brush it away so that I’d feel more comfortable. I couldn’t believe how observant she was! I didn’t tell her this, but that incident helped me to make the decision to choose her as my doula and I am so so SO glad I did! I had a complicated birth all with induction, meds, epidural, C-section…it felt like the whole nine yards! However, Emily stuck by me and not only helped ease the physical pain but also the emotional. Even after I gave birth, she’d check up on me via text or at home visit. My husband and I cannot thank her enough for the care she gave before, during, and after I gave birth. We feel like we made a new friend! Love you Emily!
– Jessica
Emily was our doula at the birth of our first child. I was hell bent not to go to the hospital. Of course things didn’t turn out the way I hoped they would and I feel incredibly fortunate that we had Emily by our side the whole time…waiting for the baby to come, ending up at the hospital being induced, labor and delivery. Emily checked in, followed up, encouraged, took care.
She is dedicated to her work and clients. Warm and compassionate, down to earth, extremely knowledgeable, lovely. For lack of a better word, she is very real.
Emily will not leave your side until she knows you’re alright and provide the support you need. She also brought us cookies three times.
I’m so grateful we met Emily and that she was able to be with us through the whole process. We are huge fans!
– Sarah
My son Oliver turns two months in three days and he has been exclusively breast-fed throughout this time. There is no question that this is largely due to Emily! Emily is encouraging, supportive, and incredibly knowledgeable- all the right ingredients for a successful breast-feeding relationship. From day one of knowing her, she has somehow felt like family. As someone who had undergone breast reduction surgery, I was worried that I would not be able to exclusively breast-feed but due to Emily, we have been going strong for 2 months!!
Due to my surgery and being a first-time mother, there was a lot of worry and anxiety going into breast-feeding and it was not the most intuitive process. Emily’s constant encouragement and guidance gave me the confidence that I needed to endure challenging moments like growth spurts and establishing my milk supply. She truly is the best- intuitively knowing just what this momma needed to hear to continue on this challenging yet beyond rewarding journey.
Emily was the instructor at our birth class which is where we first met and my husband and I felt confident and ready going into the labor process.
From my experience, parenting does take a village and I am just so grateful that Emily saw us off to such a great start. We all absolutely love her!
– Antonietta
My husband and I first met Emily when she taught our four-session childbirth class at the Brooklyn Birthing Center. She was a wonderful, calm, thoughtful, and funny teacher. She really helped us learn how to advocate for the least amount of intervention in a hospital setting, and we used many of her comfort techniques and grounded advice in the weeks leading up to our son’s birth. Emily came back into our lives after my husband suggested I call her in the first days after the birth and I was having a real struggle with breastfeeding. To keep a long story short, my milk did not come in as quickly as it should have, the baby and I were dehydrated, and I was an absolute wreck. Emily came to our apartment in Brooklyn and spent hours with me, patiently teaching me and my son how to nurse. Emily even taught my husband how to help me with different nursing positions and how he could help me make breastfeeding a success. She weighed my son before and after feedings to show me that he was getting food, and taught me how to pump and take supplements to increase my milk supply quickly, tips that I still use when I feel my milk supply decreasing since I have returned to work. Because of Emily’s guidance, care and attention, I have been able to exclusively breastfeed my baby for 7 months, and I plan to continue until my son is at least a year old. I cannot recommend Emily highly enough; she is amazing. I am already planning to have Emily as my doula when I have my next child!
– Elizabeth
Breastfeeding did not come easy for me. I struggled with a poor latch and it was so difficult to feed my baby. Emily came over for two home visits and she taught me how to get my daughter to latch on properly and ways to make breastfeeding easier. Emily was wonderful and really supportive. She is extremely knowledgeable and eased my anxiety and frustration with her calm energy. Emily was also happy to answer any follow up questions I had. Without Emily, I can’t imagine how I would have continued to breastfeed. She was incredibly helpful and I strongly recommend Emily’s services to anyone in need of a doula or lactation consultant.
– Lindsay
I gave birth to my first child on December 12, 2013 with Emily as my doula. I met Emily at the Brooklyn Birthing Center while taking her Labor Prep class. By the third class and having interviewed about 10 potential doulas, I knew that I wanted Emily to be my doula. Her expertise and energy were the guiding lights that carried me and my birth partner through the 30-hour home labor. Emily was calm, resourceful, and cheerful. She was such an amazing presence. I never felt frightened or anxious. The birthing pool that she brought with her was a true miracle. The water relaxed and soothed me, it made the hours of pain pass quickly and as comfortably as it was possible under the circumstances.
Later, when I was told at the Birthing Center that I needed to go to Maimonides Medical Center to give birth, Emily was a pillar of support during the admission process when my options were discussed and the decision for an emergency c-section had to be made. Post-op, Emily made sure she received my placenta for encapsulation from the hospital staff and later delivered it to the Birthing Center where it would be picked up by a specialist.
Emily was there for me during my recovery from the c-section, the most difficult time post-delivery when you are suddenly on your own with the baby, yet still in pain and hardly mobile after the surgery. Emily was in constant contact with me by phone and email. She also came over for house visits, again, bringing her cheerfulness, calmness and expertise, immediately quelling my frustration with pain of recovery and difficulties I had learning to breastfeed my baby.
Emily is an amazing person and an amazing doula!
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you from all of us!
– Julia
As soon as we met Emily, my husband and I knew she would be the perfect Doula for us. I wanted a natural labor and delivery and we were both nervous about how that would work out in a hospital on our own. In our first meeting, we discussed our expectations and concerns for the birth. Having someone who understood what we wanted and who had the experience and knowledge that Emily has immediately put us at ease.
During our prenatal visits, Emily educated us about everything from pain coping to breast feeding to newborn care.
When I went into labor early on New Years morning, the contractions were strong and close together. Emily encouraged me to continue laboring at home since I was concerned about being restricted to a bed at the hospital. At the hospital Emily was attentive and always seemed to be a step ahead of what was going on. She supported my husband, dealt with our families and even helped the nurses. She seemed to always find a way to be helpful but never in the way. When I had to go in for an emergency c-section, she stayed with my family in the waiting room and explained to them what was happening. They have told me many times how grateful they were to have her there. Due to the fast nature of my labor, the whole experience felt very chaotic and overwhelming to me and my husband. Somehow, Emily managed to keep calm and focused which in turn helped us to remain calm. Her presence managed to reassure us that things were still going right, even if it didn’t feel that way.
After my son was born she continued to check in with us each day via email and text. She was always accessible and happy to answer our questions. We never felt like we were on our own with this new baby. Even though we received breastfeeding help in the hospital, I believe Emily’s post-partum visits are what really made the difference in making sure that breastfeeding was well established.
Working with her went way above my expectations of the kind of care you receive from a doula. She was amazing throughout and always managed to put us at ease as we transitioned into parenthood. We can’t thank her enough!!
– Rebecca
Emily was the first and only doula that my husband and I interviewed to be a support at the birth of our son. We immediately were drawn to Emily’s knowledge and passion for her work. Emily was incredibly supportive of me as I neared full term, answering any questions or concerns I had about the days to come. Emily was eager to support my own aspirations for the birth but also had helpful suggestions to incorporate.
Although my husband and I planned for a natural birth at a birthing center, due to complications we transferred to a nearby hospital. Emily was incredibly flexible and supportive throughout the entire process. She took initiative to make sure that communication was clear between the hospital staff and myself and provided me with emotional support through out my very long labor that was full of unexpected challenges. I cannot imagine getting through the experience and feeling positive about it without Emily. My husband said that from a father’s perspective, it was comforting to have someone present with her knowledge and skills and her presence allowed him to focus on being a support for me.
Postpartum, Emily was incredibly helpful in getting my son to gain a proper latch and helped to answer any questions and give suggestions to make breastfeeding in the first few weeks a smooth experience.
My husband and I are so grateful that we met Emily and had her present at the birth of our son. We cannot imagine the experience without her.
– Chelsea
My husband and I met Emily from childbirth classes that our midwife suggested we take.Very down to earth and knowledgeable about her stuff.
Emily was just wonderful. I could not have asked for a better person to be my doula. From her warm personality to her comforting voice, I wouldn’t have been able to have my baby boy naturally if Emily wasn’t at my side. She kept giving me the reassurance and confidence that I needed to get through the pain. From the minute I went into labor and felt like I needed support Emily was at my side; it was truly a blessing having her. Even after the labor she was very hands on in ensuring that breastfeeding was established, even though our son spent a week in the NICU. She came to our home and showed me tips in getting my baby to latch on properly.
– Dawnett
After participating in Emily’s birthing class, my husband and I knew that she was incredibly knowledgeable about all things related to birthing and lactation. In fact, we felt like we were cheating by hiring her to be our doula and lactation consultant! Because of that, we weren’t surprised by how helpful she was to us during the preparation, birth and in the days after the birth as I started breastfeeding.
I knew that Emily would be a great support to me through labor and delivery, but I hadn’t anticipated what a great support she would be for my husband during labor and delivery. Although we had anticipated many potential birth scenarios, we didn’t fully anticipate the path my labor would take and so neither my husband nor I were prepared for the decisions we would have to make. But at every step Emily helped us to understand our options, advocated for us with providers and supported us. I honestly can’t imagine how we would’ve gotten through it without her!
Emily has also been an amazing support as a lactation consultant since our son was born. As I talk with other new mothers and hear horror stories of their challenge with breastfeeding, I feel really lucky to have had Emily coaching me through those first few days. And even now, over two weeks later, she’s checking in and offering support and advice. I don’t feel stressed about nursing at all and our baby is rapidly gaining weight already. Again, I can’t imagine where we’d be without Emily’s help.
I strongly recommend Emily’s doula and lactation consulting services to any expecting parents. Not only is she a wealth of information, but she is also super accessible and attentive, not to mention easy-going and down-to-earth (which was really important to me during an otherwise high-stress period of time!).
– Jill
Emily was referred to me by my baby nurse who had a great experience with her and another client. I was really struggling with breast feeding in the beginning and felt very upset and was in a tremendous amount of pain. Emily entered my home with a wonderful and calming energy. She did a great job of listening and made me feel instantly comfortable with her. She took her time with my baby and I and was so incredibly patient while teaching us both how to accomplish a proper latch. She gave me excellent advice and pointers on breast feeding that made a huge difference. My baby and I turned a major corner after we met with Emily and I saw immediate results. Emily is incredibly knowledgable about all aspects of breast feeding and truly cares about what she does. After we met she followed up with me checking in to make sure we were ok and giving me additional help via phone. I recently reconnected with Emily after having extreme pain in my breast. I spoke to my OBGYN and pediatrician and they both were of no help. I reached out to Emily and she figured out that I in fact had thrush in my breast. The pain went away immediately after starting medicine. She is an absolute pro and a wonderful person and I highly recommend her!!
– Elizabeth
Just wanted to check in and let you know that Ricardo and I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on May 25 at 12:32 pm. She was 7 pounds 1 ounce and we named her Serenity.
I ended up being induced because I was a week over my due date and they said I had low amniotic fluid. They induced me with Pit and I had to get an epidural; it was not part of my birth plan, but I understood why everything was being done. I was able to deliver her vaginally. She almost had to be vacuumed out, but at the last minute I gave one last good push and she came! I was very happy.
Although, I didn’t have a completely natural birth in the birthing center as I wanted, you have no idea how much your class helped Ricardo and I. For one, up until they gave me the epidural, Ricardo and I used all the techniques you taught us. I was actually doing well enduring the Pit, but they said I had to stay in the bed (because they had to monitor the baby and my contractions), and the inability to move through my contractions was why they had to give me the epidural. Secondly, your class really gave Ricardo the confidence to be able to advocate for me, because he was educated on the topic and knew we wanted certain things. For example, after she was born, he reminded them to let the cord pulse, instead of immediately cutting it and he made sure I was fully ready with my shirt open so that she can immediately be placed on my chest. He also did a great job at encouraging me to push with all my might, so we wouldn’t have to use the vacuum. It wasn’t how we planned, but it ended up being perfect. And we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for educating and empowering us. And plus, we do hope to have a natural birth one day God willing.
– Crystal
Plain and simple, Emily Cohen-Moreira was a lifesaver. As new parents, having a calm, reassuring presence to help us with our initial breastfeeding challenges with Caleb was immeasurably helpful. We could not have gotten through it without Emily, and we recommend her to everyone. Emily is warm, relatable and incredibly knowledgeable.
– Jill and Dan
So Milo and Gideon hit six months this week and they’re gorgeous and adorable and still breastfeeding (without supplements!) We couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you again so much. Here’s how they look these days… Hope all is well with you.
– Rebecca
Emily has been a great anchor in our delivery experience providing both physical and emotional support. She was at the same time rock solid, calm and sweet through it all. While I went from a state of normalcy, pain, more pain, semi unconsciousness, relative relief from the epidural, the tension of the pushing phase, the deep joy of holding my newborn baby in my arms and the amazement of the breastfeeding initiation, she was there with us. She knew what to tell us and what to do to bring comfort and reassurance where and when possible. It was very helpful to have her views and guidance also regarding what to expect, what to try and avoid, what to try and achieve. My husband also enjoyed having her with us, and his way of putting it to me is as follows: “You cannot even imagine how much Emily helped.” Emily, thank you from the three of us!
– Lucie, Erwann, and Gustave
The baby and I are doing well. I’m breastfeeding so it’s a lot of work but it’s really worth it. My experience with Emily was great. She was very supportive and I don’t know what my husband and me would’ve done if she wasn’t with us the day I gave birth our baby. We didn’t even had a previous meeting; it was kind of last minute. I had to go for a Non Stress Test (NST) and my husband called her to see if we could meet her and see if we had good chemistry with her and she came to NST and she stayed with us the whole time, I was really nervous and the fact that she was there talking to me about different things helped me to be relaxed. I didn’t pass the NST exam and I had to go the hospital for an induction that day and Emily came with us and she didn’t go home until I gave birth. She stayed with me at the hospital while my husband came home to pick up staff and she really was very caring and on top of what I needed. When I was in labor between Emily and my husband massaged different parts of my body that were in pain and that was really great. Because I was induced, I dilated very fast and I was in a lot of pain and her support really helped me to go through labor. Definitely Emily has an special place in our hearts for sharing an special moment with us: the birth of our first child.
– Beatriz (and dad Spencer and baby Oriana)
Emily was our doula for the birth of our first child, who was recently born at St. Luke’s Roosevelt. We met through our childbirth class at Tribeca Parenting and just immediately felt very comfortable with her, just from chatting. In addition to the familiarity we felt initially, Emily’s background with birth and newborn care was the other major reason we wanted her to be with us at the birth. I knew that we could really trust her opinion and judgment on the day of and that was a huge comfort for us as we prepared for the day.
My labor started early in the morning and continued for the rest of the day until I delivered our daughter at about 6pm that night. Emily came to our apt in the morning and we hung out chatting for several hours as my contractions began to intensify. She and my husband began to massage and comfort me as things progressed until it was time to get to the hospital. Then at the hospital as things really intensified she continued to support me using massage, while also helping my husband deal with me and getting us settled into the hospital. During the actual labor, Emily was right there with me holding one leg as I pushed, and my husband held the other. She was a total pillar of support without being intrusive or in anyway taking away from my husband’s involvement. I feel like she just intuitively knew when i needed her and when i needed to focus on my husband. In discussing the day and birth after the fact we both felt so grateful for her calm demeanor and ability to keep a sense of normalcy for us throughout the day.
Lastly, Emily was a HUGE support in the days following my delivery. Life with my new baby felt so new and unknown, despite all the reading and preparation I had done. She was available by email and phone consistently as my various questions and concerns popped us. She also came to visit a few times after the birth, which was so comforting and a significant help during the crazy transition into motherhood.
– Sarah and Andrew