birth empowerment.

Testimonials

“We literally could not have had the natural birth that we desired without the help of Colleen! She was such a Godsend to our family. Colleen helped me through about 17 hours of active labor by helping me to breathe and stay active so that the baby would continue to move down. We used counter-pressure, chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture and tons of different labor positions. I was able to relax because I trusted her and felt secure because of her encouragement and expertise. My husband was also able to relax and stay very actively involved as he followed Colleen’s lead and worked with her as they attended to me during the labor. I really felt like the three of us were a team battling to get the baby out and this gave me the confidence and strength to continue on for so many hours. In the end I birthed a beautiful, healthy, 9lb baby boy!

Colleen was also an amazing post-partum resource for me as I struggled with nursing. She helped us so much at home as we adjusted to life with our little guy and had about 100 questions a day. I hope to use Colleen as my doula in all of our future births and I will recommend her to all of my friends!”

- Jessica (2008)

“Having a doula was wonderful for both me and my husband. She was very encouraging to both of us. Colleen was able to offer suggestions for labor positions and bring in relevant birthing information. Her chiropractic background was particularly applicable as she was able to move a stubborn baby so birth could proceed. She switched off with my husband at the end so he could finally make his first catch, baby #7. If she seems to have some hearing loss, that would be the sacrificial ear she offered during my final push.”

- Nancy (2005)

“After my first pregnancy ended in a cesarean I knew that the next one would be very different. With my second pregnancy I was determined to do everything in my power to achieve a VBAC. I knew my chances of success would dramatically increase if I had a natural childbirth. Immediately I began searching for a doula and along the way I found Colleen. I began seeing Colleen for chiropractic care during the last part of my second trimester and once again was faced with a baby in the breech position. Because of her expertise with the Webster Technique we were able to get my son turned and in optimal positioning for birth. Throughout my pregnancy, Colleen was continuously available to answer my questions, discuss my wishes for this birth, and to offer suggestions for a healthy pregnancy.

Colleen was with me throughout a good portion of my 40 hour labor. She helped keep me comfortable enough to labor at home as long as possible and was excellent about suggesting different positioning to help labor progress. She was able to adjust me during labor to get the baby into a better position and switch on and off with my husband when his poor hands got tired from massaging me and applying pressure to my back.

Colleen was a wonderful support system throughout the entire experience. She gave me advice and suggestions when I needed it and allowed me to follow my instincts and do what came naturally during the birthing process. My husband and I will definitely be using her for any future pregnancies. For weeks after the birth of our son all we could talk about (besides the baby obviously!) was how amazing of an experience our birth was and we both credited a lot of that to Colleen. We both agree that we would not have achieved a natural childbirth or our VBAC without her assistance.”

- Denise (2008)

“My wife Leslie and I decided after a few months of pregnancy that we wanted a natural birth for our firstborn son. We had planned on laboring without a doula, but after gentle encouragement from several good friends, we hired Colleen. It was the best decision we made in helping my wife give birth.

We were pretty nervous leading up to active labor, since we knew that it looks different for each woman, and weren't quite sure what to look for. On the day our son was born, after many hours of easy early labor, we were woken up at 1 am with heavy contractions, and immediately knew it was the real deal. Leslie was progressing rapidly, and Colleen walked me through some simple but useful ways to help keep my wife calm and focused. By the time Colleen arrived, Leslie's contractions had progressed from seven to four minutes apart. After helping us work through a few more contractions, Colleen said it was time to head to the hospital.

All of a sudden, Leslie's contractions became much more intense. Colleen had her lie down on her side to try and calm her down, but when she started pushing uncontrollably, Colleen calmly told me to call an ambulance, because our baby was not going to wait for a 25 minute ride to our hospital. As soon as the ambulance arrived, Leslie's water broke. Throughout the next hour or so, Colleen was the voice of calm as we were rushed to an unfamiliar hospital, with an unfamiliar OB. When we arrived at the hospital, Leslie was already dilated a full ten cm + 2! Colleen gently reminded me of the key points in our birth plan so that Leslie could focus on her contractions. She kept Leslie from completely freaking out, and her presence was quite calming for me as well. When I had to focus on helping my wife, Colleen worked with the nurses and doctors to keep me from being pulled in too many directions.

Less than four hours after active labor began, we had a healthy, beautiful baby boy, and through it all were still able to have a natural birth with Colleen's help. I believe she made a tough but good judgment call in calling the paramedics. She was such a blessing, and we will definitely work with her again if we are blessed with more children.”

-Matt (2008)

“Colleen was a tremendous asset to me in my vbac. She is very knowledgeable about birth and the mother's body. My husband weighs 100 lbs more than she does, but she was much better at squeezing my hips during a contraction. She took all my calls seriously and came as soon as I felt I needed her. For me, all of my labors have been difficult, so it was very important to have the right support staff involved. My husband was grateful as well. He could concentrate on helping me emotionally and Colleen gave suggestions for positions and massaged my back.”

- Ruthie (2008)

Colleen was instrumental in helping my husband and I bring our first child into the world through a completely natural hospital birth experience. We absolutely couldn’t have done it without her! Our son, Randolph, took 48 hours of labor to arrive, and Colleen supported us throughout. She came to our house on two separate evenings to labor with us at home as soon as we felt we needed her. Our first 24-hour labor stalled, and we returned home from the hospital after deciding to trust our baby’s timing rather than intervene medically. Colleen provided her professional opinion when we were faced with difficult decisions, but never pressed us to choose one option or another. Her knowledge and support empowered us to follow our intuition and choose the options best for us and our baby. Her wisdom and encouragement were key in helping us navigate such a challenging labor. When our son chose to make his grand entrance a day later, Colleen returned to labor with us at home and accompanied us to the hospital again for another 24-hour adventure. Colleen was appropriately hands-on and hands-off, working in tandem with my husband to keep the atmosphere relaxed and help me continue to have a productive labor. He was relieved to have her support and suggestions as to how best to help me through each contraction. She coached us on ways we could communicate effectively with nursing staff to achieve a smooth hospital experience. Her relaxation techniques and comfort measures as well as her use of chiropractic and acupuncture techniques were the tools that gave my body the final strength it needed to birth my 8 lb., 1 oz. son naturally. She is honest and forthright, encouraging and dedicated, experienced and wise. Her mission is truly to support every couple in having the birth that they want. We have recommended her to several other expecting couples already and will continue to do so. We hope that Colleen will be our doula when we decide to have another child! –

Sarah & Randy(2009)