ROOTS OF LOVE

She answered all our questions knowledgeably, and even knew specifics about many local hospitals. Prior to birth we had two pre-birthing classes with her which helped us to make informed decisions.

When labor started, we texted Kaylen, telling her that contractions were becoming more intense and frequent. She was able to assess we were not in true labor, and then told us she would check in on us throughout the night into the next day. Kaylen was right, and contractions did not become more regular until the next day. When true labor started, she traveled to our apartment to help manage labor pains. Her presence ensured that this period was calm and manageable, and even recommended that we nap before contractions picked up. Only when she determined that it was time to head to the hospital did we leave. We were in good spirits and felt ready. Upon arrival the hospital, staff determined that we were already 6cm dilated! 

Kaylen stayed with us at the hospital through what would have been an extraordinarily lonely night. She presented choices for birthing positions, and ways to help the labor progress. Without her we would have felt lost, and very scared. She ensured that both of us were engaged and supported. Her confidence in knowing where we were in labor, and the choices we had, helped to keep us informed and make the best possible choices. She noticed that we were ready to push even before the medical staff, and went to get them for us. Once they came in, it was a whirlwind of activity, but Kaylen was right there with us providing her calm and steady presence. Another 30 minutes later we welcomed our son into the world. Kaylen stayed with us until we were able to breastfeed and settled.

We belive she was instrumental in helping us to have a positive experience and could not recommend her more! — Sharon and Jack (Fall 2024)

After a traumatic birth experience that resulted in a traumatic c-section, I felt completely overwhelmed and vulnerable. I knew I needed support, and hiring Kaylen as my postpartum doula was the single best decision I made for myself and my family.

From the moment we met, Kaylen exuded a sense of warmth, calm, and reassurance that was exactly what I needed. She provided invaluable emotional support, listening to my birth story without judgment and validating my feelings. She understood the complex emotions I was navigating after my c-section and helped me process everything in a healthy way. I truly believe her presence was instrumental in my mental and emotional recovery.

Beyond the emotional support, Kaylen was incredibly helpful with the practical aspects of postpartum recovery. She offered gentle guidance on breastfeeding, helped me with newborn care, and helped create a plan for sleeping/feeding my newborn. She anticipated my needs before I even knew them myself, always offering a helping hand , allowing me to truly rest and focus on my recovery.

My physical recovery from the c-section was also significantly aided by Kaylen's expertise. She shared gentle exercises to help me regain my strength and mobility, suggesting binding options to give me extra physical support that I needed. She was incredibly knowledgeable about postpartum healing and always prioritized my physical well-being.

Kaylen is more than just a doula; she is a compassionate, knowledgeable, and incredibly supportive presence during a time that can be incredibly challenging. I wholeheartedly recommend Kaylen to any expecting parent. If you are looking for someone to support you through your postpartum journey, especially after a difficult birth experience, Kaylen is an absolute angel. She helped me heal, physically and mentally, and I am forever grateful. — Lauren H. (Spring 2024)

From educating my husband and I as first time parents, supporting me during a very difficult birth resulting in an emergency c-section, and post-partum (basically therapy) sessions at our home, Kay served as a constant comforting guide through some pretty rough times. Not only is the breadth of her knowledge incredibly wide, her ability to deliver that with such kindness might be even more impressive. I couldn't recommend her more for any stage of your motherhood journey. — Jenna (Spring 2024)

As a first time (immigrant) mom, with no immediately family in the country/city, I knew we needed extra support in the first months of our parenthood. 

Kaylen provieed a very holistic care for us. She was my counsellor, my physical aid (helping to bind me), helping me breastfeed and use my pump, would cook us nutritious and delicious meals, help us stay on top of chores as I recovered, and most importantly: helped us understand and read our baby's cues.

She has exceptional childcare knowledge, drawing on a lot of experience in US and European hospitals, working with parents from all socio-economical strata and backgrounds, and children at various developmental stages and needs.

Kaylen would gently offer tips and pratical advice (like soothing a newborn) or show us how to use our carriers/stroller. She explained key phases of childhood development in a manageable and not overwhelming way. She helped me and my husband build a lot of confidence as new parents which resonated as a lot of people were "surprised" at how relaxed we seemed. 

Kaylen has a gentle and calm energy - so much so that our timid cat took to Kaylen immediately. She was a much needed presence in our lives and cannot recommend her high enough. — Caroline (Spring 2024)

She was extremely calm and provided us with the support we exactly needed. She gave us comfort and valuable information during important moments and was super helpful during my worst contractions. She also gave us great resources all throughout the process, even in the post partum period. We're very grateful for Kaylen! — Soha (Summer 2024)

Kaylen is extremely supportive, empathetic, calming, professional and knowledgeable. She educated my husband and I ahead of labor and delivery and helped us make informed decisions during my 36 hour labor. She was there for the entirety of the 2.5 day labor and ensured I was comfortable and taken care of throughout. I am not sure I could have labored for as long as I did without Kaylen's support and encouragement. Both my husband and I were so grateful we had Kaylen to support us before, after and during labor.  — Sara (Summer 2024)

I knew I wanted Kaylen as my doula because of the depth of her practical experience (300+ deliveries), her expertise in early child development and her warm and caring demeanor.We chose to work with Kaylen both as our birthing doula, and then for follow-up postnatal support. Prior to our delivery, Kaylen gave us detailed information about our birthing options, answered our myriad of questions, and helped us develop a birthing plan. On the day of the delivery, nothing went to plan and I was so grateful to have Kaylen by my side as she provided me a strong focal point and kept me going through a very challenging delivery. I especially appreciated the gentleness and care she showed both me and my partner at a particularly vulnerable time; the level of trust I have in her is enormous.After the birth of our son, Kaylen provided additional postnatal support which was invaluable. She helped educate us both on how to care for our child and tackle many of the new challenges we found overwhelming, including how to use my breast pump and fitting us in our (complex!) baby carriers. We also realized that we needed time out on our own in those early weeks and felt extremely comfortable leaving our newborn with Kaylen (my husband calls her the baby whisperer). It's easy to underestimate the value and necessity of finding someone you trust to handle your little one in those early days so you can get a break and some fresh air. Kaylen also provided support in the kitchen, helping me focus on nutrients and meals -- that she cooked and cooked well!-- to help me get back into shape and replace a lot of the nutrients and minerals I'd lost during delivery.We highly recommend working with Kaylen. If you're looking for someone with a deep level of practical experience, knowledge and kindness, Kaylen is the doula for you! — Rachel (Winter 2023)

We wanted to work with a postpartum doula that had serious credentials from developmental psychology to a lactation certification and had worked with multicultural, and mixed-race families.  Kay is warm, generous, transparent, funny, calm, and insanely knowledgeable - all the qualities I felt my growing family needed to have around us as first-time parents on this crazy beautiful journey. 

I knew I was going to be induced and ended up having a C-section and having Kay made my recovery really smooth. She met us the day after we got home from the hospital and really helped with Mom’s recovery in ways the OBs these days just do not - from how to care for my incision, bring down the swelling in my body, hold the baby without causing pain, sitting to standing, and nourishing myself - I could go on! I also knew I was going to have a hard time producing milk and Kay helped me through that journey, teaching me different latching techniques, how to bump, etc, she helped through the tears and the hormones, and the pain when another day of no milk production - she was there without judgment when I finally made the decision to go all in on formula - Kay was all support, no judgment. 

She taught us a million things - the best bottle-feeding techniques, how to defrost and warm up donor breast milk, how to swaddle, and double swaddle, how to baby wrap in the solly, she fit each of our baby carriers, she taught us soothing techniques, and distraction techniques, helped to craft a daily routine of wake windows, feeding windows, nap times that worked with our family’s flow. Kay even helped us to weigh the pros and cons of different types of childcare. She truly set us up to be confident parents in how we cared for our son and took a ton of anxiety out of the equation.  We even hired Kay back to help us sleep train!  You’d be lucky to have Kay on your team supporting your family. — Sam and Patrick (Fall 2023)

She was always so warm and kind and was able to answer any doubt or concern I had. She educated my husband and I on the beautiful act of birth. Her response time was always so quick even when she had other clients that were in labor.

On the night my contractions kicked in she was a phone call away and supporting us on the phone. She quickly made her way to our house the next morning and spent the entire day comforting me, cooking broth, running a bath, massaging my back. She was the reason I was able to spend such a big portion of my early labor at home, she was really a shining light in such an unknown environment. When the contractions got heavier we made our way to the hospital and Kaylen was right behind us.

She spent almost 24 hours by our side in the hospital while I was in labor and never left. She was actively massaging me, helping me with breathing, making me laugh. Even though I ended up having to get a c-section Kaylen was an absolutely vital part of my birth experience. I would not have had as positive of an experience without her. I truly recommend her doula services to any expecting mother, she is a gem and a sweetheart. — Lisa (Winter 2023)

Before I was even a client of hers, she quickly and compassionately shared how she could help and advised me on how to line up additional help that made sense for my needs. She is a total professional, and it made all the difference to know that I could rely on support showing up when I needed it most. During our sessions, I appreciated that she didn't just execute support tasks when I asked for them; she also looked around, saw what needed doing, and seamlessly took care of it. She was also a great resource for all my baby questions, and I particularly appreciated her extensive expertise in baby development. Kaylen's professionalism, reliability, and expertise has been an extremely important part of my postpartum support, and I highly recommend working with her! — Allie (Fall 2023)