It is an honor and privilege to be present at a birth. Bearing witness to this powerful transition for both child and parent(s) is what keeps us humble.
Gina was an incredible guide and support before, during, and after our birth.As someone who planned for a medicated birth, and isn't especially skeptical of Western medicine, I didn't initially know *why* everyone recommended a doula, and why it mattered to have someone "advocate" for you in a medical setting. But going through labor, it was UNBELIEVABLY helpful to have Gina as a calm, knowledgeable person by my side to help me have a positive birth. This probably won't surprise anyone who has spent time in a hospital, but there are exhausted, sleep-deprived doctors who are prone to mistakes; residents streaming in and out of your room who haven't really read your chart; etc. -- so needing an advocate in this context makes complete sense! During a challenging birth, Gina made me (and my very anxious wife!) confident that everything would be OK. I planned on a medicated birth, but the initial epidural placement had some signifcant issues (specifically, it was a 'wet tap'), so I had to go through birth with significantly less pain relief that I expected. As such, I can speak to the fact Gina would be a good choice regardless of whether you want a medicated or unmedicated birth, as I had a bit of both! I appreciated how Gina guided us through the huge number of decisions you have to make in childbirth, bringing her experience to help us make choices aligned with our own goals. I initially picked Gina because I felt her strong academic background might be an asset, and working with her, it was both obvious that she had a true depth of knowledge, and that she was an incredibly compassionate and grounding person who deserved my complete trust. It was so helpful to have Gina's support in establishing breastfeeding, both in the delivery room, and in her postpartum visit. I can't recommend her highly enough!
We had an incredible experience with Gina as our Doula. I found her pretty far along in my pregnancy (nearly 8 months) but she hit the ground running making us feel extremely prepared and reassured for the delivery of our first baby. She had evidence-based responses to all of my questions and if she didn’t know the answer she would do follow up research and send me literature on anything I was unsure about and was always willing to discuss specifics. I relied on her so much for making sound decisions toward the end when presented with various options. She went above and beyond for us. More than anything, Gina was always in my corner making sure my needs and preferences were followed. She is a true advocate - before, during, and after labor. She is kind and warm but also knows how to push when needed. especially in a medical setting where it can be overwhelming to speak up against protocol. I had an amazing birth and look back on it with so much love and gratitude and Gina played a huge role in making that happen. Would recommend her to anyone.
Gina was a fantastic doula and I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for additional support during their pregnancy, labor, and postpartum journey. During our initial call I was immediately impressed by Gina’s knowledge and her calm and steady demeanor. She helped me to understand the various options and decisions that I would have to consider and then, when plans changed, helped me navigate an unexpected induction, long labor, and emergency c-section. I’m so lucky that we had her in our corner and for her constant advocacy at the hospital.
What a beautiful experience I had the privilege of experiencing as a first time mom and a big part of that was Gina and working with Birthingkind. Working in the healthcare space (and even having a sister who is an Obgyn) I never realized how little I know of the process and details of giving birth in a hospital. Having someone to help navigate and share evidence based information helped me be so calm as I went into this experience and I appreciate how much Gina worked to empower me to have my dream birth. My husband and I are so glad we were able to work with Birthingkind and cannot recommend then enough!!
We decided to work with Gina before the birth of our second baby. One may think doula is not that necessary with the second birth, but it turned out to be a really good idea. My main motivation was to have a support person next to me during labor in case my husband had to leave because of an emergency with our toddler. But it turned out to be much more than that, even though my husband did not have to leave to take care of our firstborn. Gina made the preparation for the birth easier for us - during the two visits and email contact before birth she refreshed with us the pain management techniques and taught some new ones. She also prepared a birth plan and hospital packing list which we later discussed and customized. That took some mental load off of our shoulders as we were already very busy with our first kid and our jobs. I was able to talk with her about my fears and concerns. For example, my first baby was sunny side up and I wanted to avoid this with my second baby. Gina gave me a lot of advice on how to position the baby, both before and during birth. And this baby came out in the optimal position which made the whole process much smoother! During the labor Gina was present but not intrusive. She helped me to change positions and showed my husband how to give me a back massage which was extremely helpful. She also brought a small fan which does not sound like a lot but at that moment it was a big relief. I was able to give birth to a 9 lb 12 oz baby naturally without an epidural, which is quite an achievement! Gina definitely contributed to our success. During the whole process Gina was very friendly and professional at the same time. Her help made the time around the birth of our second baby much easier and more enjoyable for us. I wholeheartedly recommend her! One more thing that drew my attention and I would like to mention: Gina offers her assistance for free for parents experiencing infant loss. It tells a lot about how considerate and empathetic she is.
Gina is incredible. Her heart for this work is so genuine. You won’t find someone better. She is intentional and knows her stuff. From our first call, I knew Gina was the one! LOL. She took time to cultivate relationship with my husband and I. I remember during our consultation with her, she actually asked my husband what his vision was for our birth (wow - she considered his desires too). I would say the best part of my pregnancy was having a doula. Gina made sure I felt secure and worked hard at providing all the information I needed. She was all responsive and so willing to listen to me about everything (questions, fears/concerns). During labor, Gina was my backbone. I get teary eyed because she really did such an incredible job and worked her butt off by my side for 15+ hours!! My hope is, you, whoever reads this, has an amazing experience (pregnancy, labor, and postpartum). You won’t regret working with Gina. She WILL take care of you.
I can't express enough how much it meant to have Gina's support during my pregnancy and labor. She was amazing from day 1, answering all of our questions so timely, with so many details and back up evidence. She is truly passionate about the work she does and that shows in all her support to you as her client. She truly feels like a friend that is there for you in this transitional moment of life. Having her support was the best decision we could have ever taken.Her presence during labor was nothing short of magical—she brought a calming, empowering and informed energy to the room and knew exactly how to support us in the most meaningful ways. Since she started supporting us she made us feel like we were her top priority and was always available when we needed her, whether it was for a quick question, a reassuring word, a decision making process and even coming over to help me practice exercises to position the baby well for birth. If you're looking for a doula who is not only highly skilled but also warm, loving, and dedicated, we wholeheartedly recommend Gina. We feel incredibly lucky to have had her by our side during this special time, as she truly made my pregnancy and birth experience beautiful and unforgettable.
Gina and I clicked during our initial consultation and my husband and I are so glad we used her as our doula for the birth of our first child. Her help with prep for birth and support from the time we hired her through birth was very useful. One element I found particularly helpful was talking through a difficult decision (whether or not to have an induction) with her. Her support and validation helped me feel confident making this difficult decision. During my labor itself Gina was great at working with nurses & midwife. They were putting me in different positions (despite having an epidural!) for several hours to help the baby move into the correct position for birth. She helped make labor a peaceful and calm setting. Her support helped birth to feel like a more intimate experience for me and my husband. She also took great photos of baby being born, baby on my chest just after his birth, husband doing skin to skin, and even a video of my husband announcing our baby’s gender to me! Gina also provided an in-home postpartum visit a couple days after birth. During this visit we discussed practical strategies tailored for our specific situation for getting more sleep and breastfeeding. During this visit Gina also talked through the birth experience with me and provided great emotional support. She held our baby several times during this visit and was very tender and loving with him. Overall, I cannot recommend Gina highly enough and feel that her knowledge, empathy, and skill as a doula greatly improved the experience of my pregnancy, labor and delivery, and postpartum period.
My husband and I highly recommend Gina! We started looking for a doula late in the process, but she was nevertheless extremely helpful in getting us ready on a short timeframe. Before labor, she helped guide us about various prenatal conditions and decisions, and when the time came for labor, she was so essential in the hospital. She provided kind, competent support - physical, emotional, and informational - that allowed us to navigate our first birth with confidence. We don't know how we would have managed without her; working with Gina was one of the best decisions we made.
Gina was amazing as our doula. We’re so grateful for her support, and she was instrumental to our very positive birth experience! Gina has a deep understanding of evidence-based information about birth, and rich experience of different births from her work as a doula and at a local hospital. We leaned heavily on her guidance as we faced unfamiliar situations and choices, and her presence gave us a lot of confidence going into an unknown situation. We really appreciated that Gina didn’t come with a set agenda; she took the time to understand what we wanted and supported us in achieving it. This was so helpful both in preparation for birth, and during labor when it was much harder to have a clear head, be assertive, respond to the unexpected, etc. We cared about birth being a special and intimate experience for our new family. Gina knew when to step in with support, and when to give us space for bonding and to feel ownership over our birth. Overall we are so grateful for her support and couldn’t have asked for a better experience, and were happy to share this special time Gina!
Gina was FANTASTIC and supported my wife and I above and beyond what we expected. She’s turned me into a huge doula advocate since she helped my wife understand what was most important to her as part of the delivery process and helped articulate that to the medical providers via my wife’s birth plan. I learned so much from her and I was able to better support my wife throughout the process. She is also kind, a great listener and extremely empathetic. I highly recommend Gina and hope you give her an opportunity to support you as much as she supported us!
