TESTIMONIALS
“We can't begin to describe what an integral part of our birth process Ari was from the very beginning. From our initial meeting we felt so heard and affirmed in our birth preferences. Ari was open to answer any question we had and brought up additional possibilities we hadn't considered that were very important. She was always available and very communicative and an all around great human to have on our team! During the birth itself Ari consistently reminded us of our desires and kept affirming our birth preferences as a hugely valuable advocate during a vulnerable time. We hope everyone can have an Ari on their team!”
“I am so blessed and grateful that the universe brought Ari into my life.
I’d asked the stars for a birthworker who was comfortable supporting queer POC families, and familiar with grief or acute perinatal depression because I was struggling with the recent death of my father. Ari’s sweet yet strong presence provided me with the brave space I needed to complete this part of my life’s work.
As my doula, Ari brought compassion, calm and courage to my journey of pregnancy, birth and loss. When I felt pressured by my doctor to get an early induction, Ari listened to my concerns, provided me with research I hadn’t known about (not even in my 6-week birthing class), and validated my feelings. It is thanks to Ari that I felt more complete in my body, confident in my decisions, and trust in my instincts.
I had the most positive birth experience and I couldn’t have done it without Ari’s support. Through her, I learned about the structure and significance of my pelvic floor (again, which I learned nothing about in birth class!) and she guided me in relaxing that part of my body.
In the delivery room, Ari helped me soften between contractions, conserve and refocus my energy, and give birth with ease and grace. Holding Ari’s hand as I brought my baby into this world made me feel grounded and magical.
Ari went above and beyond any doula I’ve heard of. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to be by my side as I experienced one of my life’s most important events. I think any birthing person would be lucky to have her by their side!”
“Ari is a fantastic doula. Ari is a highly knowledgeable and thoughtful person who went above and beyond to help me achieve my goal of having an unmedicated, natural birth experience in a large hospital.
I had an overnight labor at the hospital, and Ari was there the whole time. Ari brought a calm and positive presence to the birthing experience and guided me through different positions, which helped me relax during the most intense contractions. When I struggled during the pushing stage, Ari guided me to make deep sounds, which was highly effective and made the pushing a lot easier.
Ari also has excellent communication skills and was a great advocate for me at the hospital. She not only collaborated very well with my husband to support me during labor but also worked closely with the healthcare team to make sure I got what I needed. For instance, when Ari knew I preferred to use the squat bar for pushing, she communicated with the healthcare team to ensure that they were aware of my preference and that they installed the squat bar before the pushing started. I could focus on the labor without getting distracted thanks to Ari's attention and good judgment.
I could not have gone through the whole birthing experience without Ari's help and I would confidently recommend Ari to anyone looking to work with a doula.”
“From our first meeting with Ari at a coffee shop, just to get to know eachother, my wife and I knew instantly that they would be the perfect addition to our birth team. As a queer/trans family, we were nervous about what our birth experience might look like given our previous experience with doctors. While I worried about advocating for my wife and child, my wife was worried about my anxiety and people respecting my identity throughout the birthing experience. Ari checked all of our boxes. They were the calm, compassionate, knowledgeable person I needed there to help me be the best partner I could throughout the birth experience for my wife.
Before the birth, Ari helped us with so many resources to help us feel empowered to determine what birth plan worked best for us. She helped us find the confidence we needed to advocate for our family even after their job was done. The birth of my child was such an incredible and beautiful experience and I truly don't believe it would have gone so well if we didn't have Ari there to help us through it. They set the mood of our birth room with strings lights and essential oils, which proved to be calming for not only my wife and I but the nurses really appreciated the ambiance as well!They showed us incredible compassion during our babies stay in the NICU and were very flexible with us regarding our postpartum care. I cannot recommend Ari highly enough. I told them the day our baby was born and believe it even more strongly now- Ari has found their true calling in this work. My family is forever thankful and grateful to them for everything they have done for us.”
I worked with Ari during my first pregnancy and highly recommend their services. We met with Ari 3 times prior to delivery of our baby boy, in addition to a virtual meeting prior to contract signing as well as unlimited support via text/email. Each of the prenatal meetings had their own focus. We were never rushed, Ari came to our house which took away a layer of stress especially later in my pregnancy when I was at apointments a lot due to pregnancy-related complications. I found the discussions and help surrounding my birth plan particualrly helpful. As someone not orgininally from the US, navigating the healthcare system here whilst pregnant was a challenge and having Ari's knowledge and help on how to construct a birth plan was invaluable.
Ari was very flexible with the kind of support they could provide during my labor. I was induced at 37 weeks and Ari was able to make this work even though they had other clients, we never felt like we were not important or our son's birth was not a priority for Ari. During labor itself, we opted to have Ari come and go and provide virtual support which was great and really helped my wife and I. When it came to delviery, Ari was at the hospital ready to help us with positioning, physical support, emotional support, and advocating for me and my son. Ari was an invaluable part of my care team (along with my wife and mom). Their support was essential especially as we didn't have the best expeirence with our attending (shout out to our wonderful nurse who worked with Ari to advocate for having the doctor out of the room as much as possible!!).
We also worked with Ari for some postpartum shifts which I would highly recommend. It was lovely to "close the loop" and have them see our new family at home but also the support they provided (walking our dog, talking through the birth etc.) was absolutely fantastic.
I highly recommend Ari to anyone looking to work with a doula!
“Let's see if I can express in under 2000 characters how invaluable Ari was to my delivery team. Ari not only helped me achieve my birthing dream, but she also helped me understand what I wanted in ways I wouldn't have known. Ari was more than an advocate and guide, she was my bridge to resources, spiritual guru, lactation consultant, cheerleader, coach, therapist, guide, friend, and confidante. Here are some specific examples of ways Ari directly helped my situation.
1. Spirituality was my first goal. Ari touched all five senses with soft lighting, spiritual music serenading, scents of the forest looming, advocating for food, and offering continuous massage throughout labor. What blew my mind though was her work with my placenta - my baby's name means tree/forest - Ari not only enlightened me that the placenta is shaped like a tree, but she imprinted it for me while I was having skin to skin with my daughter and then held it for me in her own freezer until I was released from the hospital! If that's not going above and beyond, I don't know what is!
2. Within the first few days of giving birth, I had a clog on one breast. I was part of a lactation support group, so I went there first. They suggested warm water, which I tried and failed. A lactation consultant then suggested a cold compress and/or ice, results of which yielded zero drops. The pain was getting worse when Ari called me to ask how I was doing - I whined to her about the pain I was in and she suggested something WAY outside the box. I have two words. It worked!
3. I called the postpartum hotline after a few days of sleep deprivation and frustration made me crazy. They were too gentle. I needed something more personal. I hung up and called Ari. She asked if the baby was safe first and then asked where my dog was. She ordered me to go hug my dog and I broke into a total cathartic puddle of tears. It was exactly what I needed.
Ari was exactly what I needed.”
“I chose Ari to be part of my birth team and doula for my first pregnancy, after feeling an immediate connection and comaptability from the initial inquiry call. Ari is very attentive, compassionate, and dependable. She made me feel very comfortable through our sessions together pre-birth and was very thorough with helping me prepare for the birth.
I felt that all my fears, concerns, desires, and preferences were heard and respected, leaving me quite assured that when the time came, Ari would know how best to help me through the process and be my advocate to mediate others. And that is exactly how it went. She helped communicate my preferences to the hospital team, provide me with ques and assuring words through the trials of labor, and relieved me of worrying about both little and big details of the process and just focus on my body and baby.
Though the birth didn't stick to my preferences to a "T", it was all-in-all a positive experience and I do not have any regrets about the birth. And I certainly do not have any regrets about having Ari as my doula - would highly recommend her!”
“Ari was truly an incredible advocate and guide during my second birth experience. I didn't realize my first one was kind of traumatic, but it explains a lot of anxiety I had over this second pregnancy. I felt like a lot of cards were stacked against me between an international move with a toddler, being new to the area, and unemployed (personally wanted employment). My emotions were all over the place and Ari helped focus me and my husband on what to study and how to practice for the birth. She helped us feel prepared when there was so much we didn't have control over in our lives. I went from feeling really despondent at 35 weeks pregnant, truly like it was a lost cause to feel empowered in the upcoming birth, to feeling totally ready to face it with peace and excitement (and of course nerves). She was happy to be as hands-on as needed, when my husband needed a rest from supporting me, which was wonderful. And when the day came, we even had a brief 30 minutes of rest just before moving to pushing that I never would have imagined possible, because I learned how to listen to my body thanks to Ari. I realize a lot of work and credit goes to my husband as well, but both of us are certain it's entirely because of Ari that we felt motivated and focused in our efforts to practice for the birth I wanted. We are so grateful and can't recommend Ari and her services enough. We love her! Stop reading reviews of doulas and book Ari today!”
