"I cannot begin to describe the wonder that Anna is as a compatriot and a beacon of light for someone embarking on motherhood and within the wondrous world of pregnancy. She is at her core the embodiment of what a person would dream of when envisioning a source of warmth, support and information. A humble but confident champion of pregnancy and approaching motherhood.  Anna was the most important healer, helper and advice giver that I had in my arsenal, throughout the entirety of my pregnancy, and even after I had our child.  Despite the fact that we had a dynamic where she was in Texas, while I was in Hawaii, and we did not meet once during my pregnancy, we did not need to. She was more present and accessible than any doctor or midwife I worked with at home.  Her breadth of knowledge and confidence in the human body is wildly impressive and moving.  When I sought out an answer to a question she did not yet know (a rare occurrence), the amount of research she did on her end and then relayed to me in the timeliest manner was mind boggling. It was like punching a very specific query into google and finding the one, simple, perfectly filtered answer at every turn instead of trying to sift through a mass of conflicting information alone in a sea of bullshit. Not only did her advice support me emotionally and psychologically during the most trying and confusing of times but it also all worked, physically and medicinally.  I truly believe that it is thanks in great part to her, that we had such a wonderful experience before, during and after the birth of our little girl. Anna is in one word: magical."  

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-Juliette Laure

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"I'm grateful for Anna's incredible birth support.  She made what could have been a completely overwhelming experience manageable and really made me feel loved"

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-Dr. Margaret Raber, Houston, TX

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Anna was our birth doula for our second child.  We had recently moved from overseas when we met Anna, and immediately, amidst the swirling frenzy of relocating a family, Anna provided much needed stability and reassurance.  Her insight into pre and post birthing practices, as well as her warmth, were a blessing during so many transitions for our family.  Having suffered from postpartum depression she was able to hold space for me, offering gentle, nonjudgmental support.  She helped me through a difficult period where shame and sadness could have grown, but instead, she helped me nurture acceptance.  She's also just a cool person with a good sense of humor.

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-Joanna Smith, Houston, TX

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Before, during, and after…

My experience with Anna as my doula was absolutely amazing! It is clear that Anna is very experienced in all the services she provides. Her spirited and understanding approach made my pregnancy and birth feel well-rounded and supported! I appreciated her responsiveness and ability to anticipate my needs as a busy new mom to be. As any mom may know, the process of bringing baby into the world can be one that’s long, hard and filled with many overwhelming decisions, but having Anna as my birthing doula, I felt supported, and knowledgeable with how to navigate through this journey to motherhood.

 Before birth with yoga visits, books, talks!

During with birth coaching, massages, room prepping, emotional, physical, and mental support!

And all the aftercare!

 It is evident that Anna is very aware and dedicated to her practice.

 I would highly recommend Anna to and woman journeying to motherhood and looking for great person of value to add to their village! 

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-Shanisha Y. Smith, Houston, TX

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We are so grateful for all that Anna did to help us bring our precious daughter into this world.  As first time parents and new to Houston, we were very overwhelmed with the birthing process.  Anna guided and educated us and made us feel prepared for the big day.  While we did not foresee an induction, we both came away from the birth feeling that it was a positive and empowering experience largely because of her presence and all she did to help us.  While my husband had his doubts, he is now firmly in the pro-doula camp!

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Georgina+Michael, Houston, TX

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I want to start this off with a small disclaimer; I am an engineer who thought doulas were something from the woodstock era and didn’t think I needed one….  Boy was I wrong!  I met Anna at a birthing event, by chance.  She was inquisitive and supportive with the questions I had (I was trying to figure out what exactly a doula did). Our paths went separate ways as I was only 14 weeks pregnant.  Fast forward to 32 weeks, I had a OB who was pressuring/bullying me to do a c-section because my baby was measuring ‘big’.  I remembered something Anna said to me when we first met, ‘your body grows the perfect baby for your body to deliver’.  With that in mind I called Anna to share what was happening with my Dr and hear what she thought.  She empowered and educated me and gave me back the confidence that my Dr had taken from me.  I decided to pursue other doctors.  My new OB said she didn’t think my baby was measuring ‘big’ and that a c-section was not necessary.  At this point I was relieved but also panicked; I had not done enough research on giving birth and felt behind as far as educating myself.  This is when Anna and I’s relationship really got going.  She came in with resources (again engineer nerd here loves to learn), contacts, suggestions, and an ear to listen and answer my questions.  She never pressured me into going a certain route, she just walked me through options and supported me.  She helped me determine my own birth plan and idea of what I wanted my delivery to look like.  Not only did she help educate me she also helped educate my husband and gave him tips and tricks. We have been programmed to think that giving birth is this traumatic experience like a scene out of a movie where the mom is yelling about how much she hates her husband with an agonizing look on her face screaming four letter words around. Your birth story doesn’t have to look like that, it should be a special moment full of love and support.

 

Education aside, the biggest benefit with partnering with Anna was how she helped me work through my fears.  She is such an amazing listener and helped me get through deeply rooted scary thoughts in my brain about giving birth.  She helped me understand my own birth story and how that affected my perception of what I thought my delivery would be like.  I went into the end of my pregnancy feeling prepared for anything.  That being said, the day of delivery was unlike anything I expected, funny how that works.  Taking my learnings from Anna about  using my breathe, I did most of my labor at home (not knowing how far along I was because the breathing was really helping with the pain).  Anna talked to us through the night.  My husband called her and they discussed next plan of action (her coming to house or meeting at hospital).  We chose to meet at the hospital which was great since my water broke before we headed that way and all I wanted to do was push.  Anna talked me through the car ride and when we got to the hospital she had the wheelchair waiting and went into action.  She knew where to go, what to do, how to get us settled, which was perfect because it was a whirlwind (everyone said it wouldn’t be like the movies but it felt like the movies).  We got into the L&D room and within 30 minutes our new baby girl was in our arms.  Anna helped us through the delivery and reminded us of stuff we discuss regarding our birth plan (our brains were focused on other things and she was able to pull us back to the moment).  She helped my husband help me through the delivery.  After baby was born I had some complications.  My husband took our daughter to continue doing skin to skin and Anna helped me through my complications.  I shudder to think what would have happened if she wasn’t there with me.  She was supportive, calming, caring, compassionate, and took care of me so my husband could focus on our daughter.  It was the most vulnerable time in my life and I felt like I had a white knight protecting me through it all.  I tear up as I write this because Anna made me feel safe during a scary situation.  

 

After delivery she helped us get settled in to our room, the truck was still at valet with ALL our stuff in it because we didn’t have time to get anything out.  She helped my husband bring the stuff up to our room and made sure we had everything we needed.  Then she slipped away quietly as we stared at our new little girl.  Anna followed up with us after we left the hospital and still checks up on me.  She is a true supporter of mothers and the birth process.  She understands its a journey and she is an amazing guiding light.  I truly can’t say enough about her and who she is as a person.  ONe of the most genuinely caring people I’ve met who truly just wants to help you feel more confident about the journey through education and insight.  I will tell you not all doulas are created equal and she is one of the best!!!

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-Kate Heiken, Houston, TX

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