Best Doula Ann Arbor Near Me

Danielle DiMartini: I have nothing but amazing things to say about Annie and our experience with hiring her. I am SO glad I did especially since it was my first pregnancy. I learned more from her and our meetings than my actual OB. I felt educated and prepared to go into labor when the time came. You can tell Annie has a passion about birthing people and advocating for them.She is also focused on helping and educating the birthing persons partner. Annie helped my husband have a better understanding about pregnancy and birth which helped us have a better relationship through out my pregnancy. We both were on the same page when it came time to go to the hospital. It was super helpful.Highly recommend her even if it’s not your first pregnancy! She exceeded our expectations for sure!

Leann Neslund: Annie and Leslie were a massive help with our first child. The first month was especially critical for us to not only get our bearings on how to take care of this new life, but also to get a jumpstart on the recovery process. They were incredibly flexible with their availability and time to help us with our needs, and we couldn't have done this (sanely) without them!I won’t forget about the nights that Annie came to wake me up at night every two hours, brought baby to me, and sat by my bedside to make sure baby and I stayed awake while breastfeeding. She was always providing breastfeeding guidance whenever I had questions. Annie was a very caring and positive person. She checked in on me even though it's not the day she needed to come over. Her schedule was super flexible and she always made sure to let me know about her availability in advance.Leslie was super experienced. The way she held baby and rocked baby back to sleep was always impressive. She also constantly offered help with housework. After I got rusty pipe syndrome, Leslie sent me a lot of breastfeeding information and provided expert resources. Leslie paid a lot of attention to routines. She asked about baby's feeding and nap time of the day every time as soon as she came to the house. Before she left for her shift, she would tell me about routine suggestions for the day.

Matthew Claucherty: I can't say enough nice things about Annie - and about having a doula in general. From a husband's perspective, it allowed me to more thoroughly experience and enjoy the birth. My advice for the fellas: a doula can take the pressure off you when it comes to providing support during the birth. That will not lead to you sitting in the corner - it will lead to you being more open, involved, and supportive during this crazy process.

Laura Judge: For my first pregnancy and delivery, I had the notion that we (husband, baby and I) would all be better off if we worked with a doula, and in working with Annie, this was so so true! I can truthfully say that Annie exceeded my hopes for what a doula would bring to the process. From the first prenatal visit to the postpartum visit and everything in between, she was positive, knowledgeable, compassionate and truly 'there' for any issue that came up, both physical and emotional. For labor and delivery, her suggestions and support with comfort measures, as well as advocacy in the hospital setting, made all the difference. I am convinced my labor would have been significantly longer if not for her support. Annie is an amazing doula and I would recommend her to anyone without any reservations!

Jessica Buse: I could not have had my baby without Annie! Ok- baby would have came anyway, but Annie made the entire process so much better! From her home visits with us before and after birth- to staying in the hospital with us ALL NIGHT LONG! She was amazing! So supportive and caring, she truly made the process so much easier. I didn’t have the easiest of labors (water broke one Saturday afternoon and I didn’t have my little one until Monday around 12:30pm). I wanted a natural drug free birth, and ended up with almost every medical intervention besides a c-section (Pitocin, epidural, episiotomy), but even still, Annie was so great through all of it, I was SO glad I had her there with me. Once we were home a few days she came for another visit, I was having trouble getting my little one to latch for breastfeeding and Annie even helped with that too! She’s so knowledgeable and full of great information, tips and tricks. Now LO eats and sleeps like a champ! My husband and I are truly grateful for all of her services and help bringing our little one into the world… So grateful for everything she has done for us 3

Marissa Lasoff-Santos: Annie White was incredible during my 46-hour labor. I had never met her in person before because of Covid but it felt like I knew her for years. She kept me calm and focused. My birth was difficult but I know it would have been far more challenging without Annie. I would recommend her to anyone looking for a doula, especially for a first birth. Thanks, Annie! :)

Christine Polley: I've worked with both Leslie and Annie as a nurse caring for patients in the hospital that they have supported during their labor. Their passion, devotion and servant's hearts for their clients was memorable and inspirational.Leslie:I worked with Leslie as she was supporting my patient during her un-medicated labor and delivery. Leslie was instrumental in making an un-medicated birth become a reality for her. The patient labored in the tub and Leslie was supportive every step of the way with essential oils, music and a calm supportive environment. She even encouraged the significant other to get in the tub with my patient and support her, which I believe helped my patient cope tremendously. At one point the patient was voicing (as most laboring women do at some point) that she couldn't take the pain anymore and wanted an epidural. Leslie compassionately reminded my patient of what her original goal was (un-medicated birth) and that she was strong and completely capable of making it through. The patient was able to have a beautiful un-medicated birth as she had desired. It was such a pleasure to work along-side Leslie, and I'm so glad that my patient had her compassion, guidance and support!Annie:I worked with Annie while caring for a patient whose first language was not English, making communication slightly more challenging. Annie still made every effort to make sure the patient felt safe, supported and understood, even down to scratching her back if she felt itchy! She supported the patient both during labor and delivery and after delivery to ensure that the patient felt comfortable entering her new role as a Mother. The patient was incredibly grateful to Annie for being there to support her during her labor, as well as I because I had a sense of security knowing that she would be well cared for! Annie's passion for supporting women during their labor and delivery is both refreshing and inspiring. It was a pleasure to work with her!

Mandy Farwell: Annie White has been taking care of my baby for over a year. She is energetic, friendly, reliable and most importantly caring. I never feel uncomfortable leaving my precious girl with Annie because I know she will be well taken care of and have fun. We look forward to Annie the Nanny days every week 😊 If I decide to have a second baby I would absolutely hire Annie as a Doula.

Kelly Pearse: Leslie was the best! I felt so comfortable around her instantly. She helped me in so many ways but most importantly helped take care of me so I could pour all of my energy into my new baby girl!

Stephanie McCarty: Having a doula for my second birth was everything I didn’t know I needed. Leslie was recommended by a friend and, after a terrible, traumatic, prior delivery where I was bullied into unnecessary medical interventions at the convenience of the hospital, I decided to give it a try. Leslie was the support I needed to communicate my needs to the staff. She helped educate me on rights within the birth setting and best practices for me and the baby through delivery. She was also a huge help during the delivery to my husband, who is always hugely supportive. Leslie was able to guide him on how to best support me through labor and delivery - comfort measures that he couldn’t possibly have known. Thanks to her, I can look back on my second birth and actually have happy tears. I wish everyone could have that kind of experience.

jessica mehalick: I had such an amazing experience having Josie as a doula... This was my first pregnancy and my husband and I had no clue what we were in for... We were on the fence about having a doula, and I'm so glad we did. Things didnt go as planned, I got preeclamcia and my baby wasn't tolerating the birthing process well. Josie made me feel comfortable and strong throughout, she was ready for anything and stuck it through until the end, over 24 hours! I don't know what we would have done without her! She made an otherwise scary situation a positive one.

Sarah Zollars: As a first time mom I knew I wanted a doula, especially as I was not able to attend an in person class on birth because of the pandemic. I was nervous about the physical process of laboring and knew the extra support would be beneficial. However, there's no way I could have anticipated how emotionally intense giving birth is and how much my husband and I would need a person in our corner. Josie was that person. It's amazing how a stranger entered our lives at such a pivotal moment and now she's like family, forever a positive part of our daughter's birth story. My water broke on a Friday night and we were admitted to the hospital, my daughter was finally born early Sunday afternoon via cesarean. Josie was our second doula through a volunteer program at our hospital and she was nothing short of amazing. She was a calm presence during a long process with an unexpected outcome. Josie even thought to advocate for us and request to continue supporting us during surgery. I was too exhausted and focused on my contractions to think of asking that she could come with us - but I'm so grateful she did. Josie took some amazing pictures and video clips during my cesarean and I'll always be grateful she captured our first special moments as a family of three. In addition, I spent an hour debriefing about my labor and delivery with Josie several weeks later. She was an integral part of supporting me as I began to come to terms with the labor and delivery I had versus the labor and delivery I wanted to have. Josie is a compassionate, caring doula and I'd be happy to have her attend my next birth when we decide to have another child.

Heather Gervais: Working with Josie was so helpful as a first time mom. I learned so much from her leading up to my labor and delivery date. Writing a birth plan beforehand help put my mind at ease, as I had become very type A during my pregnancy. Of course, things change when medically necessary, but Josie was always available to help me navigate the changes and answer questions. This was especially helpful while laboring. I would definitely recommend her to first time moms who want reassurance and to feel confident in their decision making.

Kiersten Sunderman: As someone with PTSD from sexual trauma, I had a lot of worries going into my first pregnancy. I was so unsure of what to expect in the labor and delivery process. I had so many questions. Finding Josie was a true answer to our prayers. She ensured that we entered the labor process with all of our questions answered, including those we didn't think to ask! She explained all of our options to us with words we could understand, empowered us to make decisions we felt confident in and ensured that we kept an open mind to the aspects of birth that are outside of our own control. I ended up needing an induction, something I was hoping to avoid. Unfortunately, the specific circumstances of my labor required us to change our minds on many aspects of our birth plan. I was so grateful that Josie had helped to educate us on our choices so that we understood what would happen differently. Above all, I was so glad that she helped to foster that open mindset so we could embrace the choices that were in the best interest of everyone - healthy baby! My labor brought up several challenging moments that I needed to work through as a survivor, and Josie was right there with us, supporting both of us in the effort to keep my mind at ease. We were hesitant, at first, to select a doula so new to the field, but I could not be more satisfied with the care we received. We chose Josie due to her knowledge on trauma, and I am so glad that we did. We went into the labor room with a beautiful plan. Despite the fact that our babies needs changed that plan notably, we ended up with a truly validating experience.