‘Having a baby as a single parent is scary and having no family in LA is hard. My mother was not able to fly over to be with me due to Covid. I was dreading being alone at the hospital, when I know having a baby and giving birth is one of the most amazing life experiences to be shared with someone. So that is when I decided to search for a doula and came across Therese.
From the moment we said ‘hello’ on the phone, I just knew that Therese was the right doula for me. She asked the right questions in getting to know my needs and wants for birth preparation, as this was my first time so I had no clue what to expect. Leading up to the birth, Therese checked in on me often making sure I was okay, which I felt was nice.
On the day of my induction, Therese was on time and came prepared with all her tools for the big day! :) From the moment we settled into the hospital, Therese was so warm and comforting with making sure I was comfortable and calm. The induction took a while to kick in and Therese stood by me even though I kept telling her to go home to rest, she insisted on staying next to me.
When I was moved to the labor suite, Therese set up the room with tea lights, essential oils, ect. to make it feel special and homely which was a nice touch. When I was having a contraction, she would be right there making sure what I had and needed to remain calm.
Throughout the birth, Therese was my biggest cheerleader and encouraged me to keep going when I just wanted to give up.
I could not have done this alone and I am so thankful for Therese.”
-Rachel, Culver City
“We had a fantastic experience working with Therese as our nighttime postpartum doula! We connected with her when we were expecting our twins and knew we would need help in the early days. She came for the first night we were home from the hospital after my c-section, and when she walked in, I was just sobbing-just overwhelmed with exhaustion and hormones. She was such a calming presence and spent a lot of time just chatting with me and helping me feel like I wasn’t crazy, just living new mom life! Having her in our home was so comfortable and comforting. She was great with our boys and clearly loves babies, and we felt so safe leaving them with her and getting some sleep in the other room which was huge for us. She would even make me breakfast on her way out the door which was so sweet and just what I needed. We would absolutely recommend hiring her and if we have another baby we will hire her again ourselves.”
-Jen & Will, Los Angeles
“Therese was an absolute dream, and I wholeheartedly recommend her. After having a traumatic first birth, and having no family support nearby, I decided I wanted to hire a doula for my second child’s delivery. Therese prepped with us over Zoom before delivery, sent us books and support information; even sent me a Mother’s Day card! We felt reassured by the measures she was taking to keep herself and us safe during COVID. I am so pleased we partnered with her.
I went into the experience feeling nervous and wanting to feel more in control of my body during labor and delivery. I was induced again; which added more anxiety to the mix. Therese was such a calming presence, such an advocate in the room and a wonderful compassionate human. She decorated the room with fairly lights, put up powerful affirmation cards to encourage me, and made sure I was doing okay at every stage. Her support was invaluable and I was incredibly moved by her compassionate approach to support me bringing our baby into the world. After feeling like everything was out of control with my first birth, this time I felt heard and in control. Therese, thank you for being apart of this experience. We are forever grateful for you!”
-Heidi, Culver City
“I had a great experience with Therese as my birth doula. She helped me prepare my birth plan, answering all my questions and sharing valuable insights, as well as providing a lot of great resources on the topics I wanted more information on.
On the day my water broke she was super responsive, monitoring how I was progressing, until we decided to go to the hospital as we started seeing signs of meconium in the fluids. Therese converted the hospital room to the warmest possible environment. She was prepared with birth affirmations, special lighting devices and natural oils, amongst other comfort measure devices in a fully packed resource toolbox.
She was also very comforting during every labor stage, applying pain management techniques and tons of emotional support during a difficult and painful back labor. She was also supportive of my decision to ask for an epidural after a few hours of trying to go unmedicated while on Pitocin, and helped me process my decision to request a caesarean after seeing minimal progress after a day of labor.
Her tender and kind character, the way she stood close and just cared and comforted me was amazing, and played a key role in my support team with my husband and mother.
Therese is a great birth doula and I would recommend her 100%”
-Paula, Newport Beach
“Therese was a wonderful doula to work with. She is compassionate and kind, which made me feel cared for during my labor. She offered words of encouragement that made me feel strong enough to work through giving birth. Before that point, Therese was so willing to share knowledge, offering information on pregnancy and the body during labor. She took the time to set up a birth plan and was flexible when my inexperience left me unsure of what I wanted. One of the best aspects of having Therese as a doula is how easy she is to talk to. When you’re going to share a very intimate time with a stranger, it makes it so much easier when you can talk to and joke with. These different qualities made for a great birth experience. I would love to work with Therese again in the future.”
-Memory, Westminster
“Where to start?! If Therese is available when you have your child, you are lucky indeed!
The short of it: Therese will get a holiday card AND be invited to our child’s birthday parties- as they say, she’s like family and our child adores her and vice versa.
She has been with us as a postpartum doula since the first night we brought our child home and through the four month sleep regression a few nights a week. While we had help from two other postpartum doulas, Therese was by far our favorite. She pays great attention to detail, and while knowledgeable, checks with you about how you want things done and does it your way. Not all doulas are as flexible or diligent in this as she.
Having support in those hard first 4-8 days and weeks is so important. Therese was diligent in taking care of mom and baby! She would typically come in, tidy up a little, check in that mom had water, snacks, or tea, and once the baby was done feeding, soothe and put the baby down for a nap. All of this allowed mom to get a little more precious sleep and to lighten dad/partner’s load too!
If this is your first child, having someone around who is more experienced with babies is essential. For us, she knew when wet diapers were worrisomely light and cause to suspect a feeding problem, which there ended up being. I think with babies you never know what concerns might arise, but often there is something, and having a knowledgeable person around, even just to tell you to meet with a lactation consultant, is so helpful to catch problems early.”
-Caitlin, Altadena
“Therese made my first few weeks as a new mom so much more bearable and pleasant than it would have potentially been without her. I was released from the hospital after an emergency c-section, and I was totally delirious and in pain from my fresh incisions. Therese started working with me about 1 week postpartum, and it was a total gamechanger to have her with me for my own recovery. She was very reliable and trustworthy, and I felt comfortable having her watch my baby during the night while I was able to get some much needed rest. Because of her help, I slept sound and didn't have to worry about my baby being taken care of and fed during the night. In fact, my whole extended family that I lived with slept well because we didn't have to stress about the baby. Having Therese help me during the night made me feel more energized and relaxed with the baby during the day. Therese even woke me up in the mornings with breakfast and a sweet note to make me smile - just the cherry on top to make a new mom feel well taken care of!
I look forward to continuing to work with Therese for childcare, and I would wholeheartedly recommend her for any new mom looking for help in those first hectic weeks.”
-Minal, Cerritos
“Therese was extremely helpful and invaluable during my birth experience. She was present at the hospital daily with me from the time of my induction until a few hours after my unplanned c section. Most doulas are only available during the birth and I found her presence particularly helpful when my epidural unexpectedly failed for managing the pain of contractions. In addition, I fully expect to be requesting her postpartum services in the future when my family is not available to help. I recommend Therese to anyone wanting an experienced doula available to enhance their birthing experience.”
-Dayla, Redondo Beach
“I was on the fence about hiring a doula, but wow! I am so glad I ended up finding and hiring Therese. She was so helpful throughout my pregnancy and labor. She provided me and my husband with so much information and really helped us prepare for birth and know what to expect. We went into labor feeling confident and ready. She made our hospital room such a relaxed environment and worked great with the nurses and hospital staff. She stayed in tune with my emotional needs throughout labor and helped keep me and my husband calm. I felt safe and comfortable with her. I would definitely recommend Therese to anyone looking to hire a doula.”
-Jill, Palos Verdes