Words from the Journey
“Leigh William is an incredible human being, living out her God-given gift of servitude for woman during pregnancy, birth, post-partum and early childhood education. Leigh supported me for the birth of my first child, and there is no way I would have made it through a natural, non-medicated birth in a hospital without her! Leigh started with natural birth education through workbook and videos. She spent 1:1 time with my husband and the older kids to learn their emotional perspectives in relation to birth, which brought us all closer together around the birth. She continued to check on me throughout my pregnancy to see how I was feeling, and addressed my many questions about my changing body and emotions ranging from excitement to fear. No matter what I threw at her - she was able to know exactly what I needed. She has firsthand experience through having had her 4 children naturally, both at home and in hospital, which I found incredibly invaluable. Leigh helped me to realize that the journey of pregnancy through to birth is a spiritual one, and one that is different not only for every woman, but for every birth in itself. During my 48 hour labor, she was able to handle the nurses, doctor, my husband, and my fearful state through what seemed like a constant fight against hospital policy, counter productive to the natural birth at hand. When I broke down, she prayed for me. When I gave up, she encouraged me. She knew exactly what to say and when to get me through to the end...and afterwards helped me through breast feeding, baby sleep patterns, and post partum nutrition. When I learned I was pregnant with my second child, my husband said "call Leigh!" The biggest gift she gave me was learning to birth without fear. We chose to have our second child at home, a water birth in the hot tub, a beautiful, peaceful birth, just like she taught us was possible.”
-Client, Birth & Postpartum Support
“Leigh was our doula during our family-centered caesarian birth of our second daughter. Leading up to the birth, she helped us think through our options, gently questioning us in a manner that helped us decide that a planned caesarian was the kind of birth we hoped for. In the months and weeks before the birth, she was a true gift - always reminding us that there were many different options, and making sure that whatever decisions we made were OURS, not made for us by someone else.
On the day of the birth, Leigh went the extra mile when we left a wallet with ID at our house, going back for it and getting back to the hospital in time to be present for the birth. During the birth, Leigh was present in the operating room and took pictures during and just after the birth. She was instrumental in getting baby to nurse right away, even as they were stitching mom back up. She kept dad calm in his first few moments of solo-dad & baby time when the surgical team was getting mom ready for recovery. Her gentle presence and spirit kept us all peaceful and calm, and we are so thankful for her presence for the birth.
After the birth, Leigh cared for our family (now of 4) in ways that I will always be grateful for, bringing us dinner, offering a calm presence, checking in on us, and just being there as a friend.
Above all, I'm mostly thankful for her ability to support moms and dads in their very personal decision of birth. She advocates for all parents, and will stand by you 100%, no matter what decision you make. Whether you want an unmedicated birth, medicated birth, hospital birth, home birth, a scheduled caesarian, or any other kind of birth, I highly recommend her as a birth doula and/or a postpartum doula.”
-Client, Planned Caesarian Birth & Postpartum Support
“Leigh was such a sight for sore eyes during our postpartum experience. While we prepared like crazy for our wonderful birth experience, we got home and realized that we had pretty much no clue of how to care for an infant! Breastfeeding was very difficult for me, yet something I felt extremely convicted to make happen. I knew it was best yet all of the Googling in the world wasn't helping. Leigh's kind pressence was just amazing, offering not only guidance and support but a perspective to look beyond those moments. Her approach is so loving, and she was available to us on our schedules even with her own small kids at home. I would definitely recommend Leigh, and I hope to have her at the birth of our next little one someday!”
-Client, Postpartum & Lactation Support
“We brought our adopted son home at 5 days old and were blessed to start working with Leigh during our first few days at home with him. I had not previously breastfed, let alone been pregnant, however Leigh was exactly what we needed. I made a plan to induce lactation and I was fairly successful, producing approximately an ounce an hour with exclusive pumping. However, I was eager to get our little one to latch. Leigh brought us a supplemental nursing system and walked me through all the nuances of nursing a newborn. Furthermore, Leigh help me talk through and process the multitude of emotions I was feeling those first few days. Leigh made herself available via text and call, encouraging me continuously. Today we're at 6 months of exclusive breastmilk, via both bottle and breast, and we wouldn't have done it without her gentle guidence from the beginning.”
-Client, Adoption & Induced Lactation Support
“Leigh came to my rescue when I found myself exhausted and isolated a 5 months after giving birth to our daughter. I was worried about using a stranger I'd met on the internet to help me in my home as a postpartum doula but as soon as I spoke with her I felt at ease.
With just a few visits and lots of support via phone and text Leigh helped me in so many ways.
- She helped my husband and I to recognize that I was dealing with postpartum depression and encouraged me to find a therapist
- With no family around and a traveling husband she encouraged me to build a vilage of support around myself
- With the help of Leigh, and a Lacation Consultant she recommended, we identified my daughter's feeding problem which had led to my baby always being hungry & loosing weight, no sleep for anyone in the family, me being confined to a chair for almost 5 months and not surprisingly, my depression.
- She helped me overcome my fear of leaving the house with my baby
- As soon as she arrived she always started making me a meal and tidying, then she would sit with me to answer new mom questions, just listen or offer advice when I asked. She has 4 kids, so she has some experience!
- She helped me get my baby to sleep!
- She personally went with me to get a breast pump and then taught me how to use it
- She walked me through how to use a SNS feeder, a toob feeder that attaches to the breast so baby can get formula/milk so I could still nurse my baby while trying to increase my milk supply
With Leigh's help I was able to move out of a very dark and difficult time. With her help and with the help of some of the providers she recommended, my daughter, husband and I now happy and healthy.
I highly recommend Leigh's services. Now that I know her, for our next child I'll be booking her to come in and help right after birth so that we can get the support we need..”
-Client, Postpartum, PPD, Tongue Tie, and Lactation Support
“Leigh is a one-of-a-kind, amazing doula, and it was such a blessing to have her be part of the birth of our son. Despite a long labor (42 hours!), Leigh brought a confident serenity to the experience that I found very calming and restorative. At first we were hesitant about getting a doula, because we didn't fully understand their role. My husband didn't want someone to usurp his role in the delivery room. On the contrary, Leigh was an amazing support when we needed her and only helped him be more present and helpful before and during labor. Her knowledge and staggering amount of experience gave us a lot of confidence that we were lacking as first time parents.
We also asked Leigh to be our post-partem doula. My husband and I learned so much more about pregnancy, childbirth, and newborn care from her than all of the books we read combined! Throughout the process, it was clear to us both that Leigh genuinely cares about her "Mamas" and dads and loves her work.”
-Client, Birth, Postpartum, & Lactation Support
“Birth is an experience that a mother remembers for her whole life, and I am so grateful that Leigh was a part of that experience for me and my husband. It's actually difficult to put into words the special place that she will always have in our hearts for everything she has done for our family. She made herself totally available even before the labor, answering all of our questions, and even organizing a beautiful ceremony that brought the women of my family together at the baby shower to share birth stories. We knew going into labor that our son was in a breech position, and having Leigh with us gave us the confidence to try for a vaginal breech birth. Through a long labor that ultimately ended in a c-section, Leigh was an amazing source of knowledge, comfort, support, and love. She has such a warm and open presence, that it brought a serenity to even the most stressful aspects of the labor process. Spending this time with her, her passion for her work is very clear and it came through in all of the thoughtful ways that she supported me before, during, and after labor. We decided to ask Leigh to be our post-partem doula as well, and in this capacity she has been equally incredible as a friend and a resource in the early days of motherhood when I had a million questions and worried about every sneeze and hiccup :). I highly recommend her to anyone, and I am happy to be contacted to sing her praises some more!”
-Client, Birth & Postpartum Support
“I wanted to write a recommendation for Leigh William. It is hard to wrap in words the many things Leigh did to make our birth and birth experience all that much better. Days after the birth, my husband and I continued to process and remember key moments where Leigh made all the difference. She provided amazing support before, during, and after our birth. She paid attention to the little details, but more importantly, she protected me from distractions. We felt like we had an advocate and expert to help us process the many “options” before, during, and after birth. Thanks to Leigh, we had a positive outcome and the type of birth we were seeking. Leigh is an excellent listener, has a great rapport with hospital staff, and possesses a wide background of knowledge with so many births under her belt. We benefited from her excellent intuition as to the stages of my labor. She knew what we needed before we did.”
-Client, Birth, Postpartum, & Lactation Support
“Leigh was my childbirth educator, birth, and post partum doula for approximately 6 months in 2010 for the birth of my daughter. Leigh was diligent with my learning, came to my house once a week to go through my questions, teaching and preparation. She provided me great information, was so kind, gentle and caring throughout and counseled me when she sensed I was uneasy. She was available to me 24/7 even though she has just recently had another child. She was with me from 5 am till 10 pm for the birth of my daughter and days after as well. She is so knowledgeable so giving and compassionate. At the same time, very practical, which I also needed. She took charge during the birth as needed, but stood back respectfully when she was supposed to. I have the highest regard for her abilities.”
-Client, IVF, Childbirth Education, Birth & Postpartum Support, Single Mom
“I felt so comfortable with Leigh. I found her to be a wonderful listener, very respectful, and a gentle soul, and she really took the time to get to know our family and our wishes for the birth. Leigh was wonderful during my labor and delivery and I remember thinking, "I'm so glad she is here!" She is also an indispensable source of information about pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, and really anything relating to children. I also attended several baby massage classes with her, and I am still using the techniques I learned with my second child. Two years after my daughter's birth, I continue to stay in contact with Leigh routinely for parenting questions. I really enjoy her company. It is clear that birth is Leigh's passion and her calling in life. She is meant to do this important work!”
-Client, Birth & Postpartum Support, Infant Massage, Early Childhood Support
“When I learned that I would need a hysterectomy because of a cancer diagnosis during my 2nd trimester, it was worse than hearing that I had cancer. No one understood when i would say this. I was so angry, not about cancer or the fact that my babies would have to be born prematurely. I was angry that this would be the last time I would get to experience pregnancy. I felt super cheated because I was only 31 years old. Leigh never judged me for feeling this way. Everyone around me kept saying that I should just be thankful my babies would be okay and that the cancer was curable. Every time I would hear this I wanted to scream from the top of my lungs, “but I want to still be a woman!” Leigh walked me through the whole journey, from the worst day of my life, to the best day of my life, and back through to the other worst day of my life. She was rock solid. I never had to dance around my words with her. I could just say it like I felt it. And she would be straight with me too. One day, I remember she told me to stop feeling sorry for myself, put my big girl panties on, and get off the couch to take care of my babies. At first, I wanted to throw her out of my house. Then, I realized she was the only reason I was getting dressed that day, and the only reason my babies were being held. No one else was brave enough to be straight with me. Leigh always knew what I needed before I did. When the babies were delivered, she fought the system so that even though I had to go surgery, I got to have time with the boys. Leigh made my highly medical birth so beautiful that I almost forgot it was the absolute last thing I wanted the day I peed on the stick. Not saying I would want to do it all again, but if I would have to, she would be the first person i would call. When she says she has your back, she means it.
-Client, 2nd Trimester Cancer Diagnosis, Pre-Birth- and Postpartum Support
“We had a really scary experience a few months after the birth of our baby. Everything was going fine. The birth was smooth. My wife was doing really well. I had gone back to work. My wife started to seem a little down in the dumps, but nothing that required medication or anything. From one day to the next, it seemed like I just lost the ability to connect with her at all. She even stopped feeding our baby, who she had been breastfeeding. I didn’t know what to do because we didn’t even have formula in the house and our daughter was screaming and starving. My wife was totally zoned out. I started to panic after I I couldn’t get through to the OG/GYN. I was seriously thinking about going to the emergency room, but I didn’t want to overreact. Since this was our first baby, I was clueless. I called a friend from my church who lives in our neighborhood. He asked his wife what to do and she told me to call Leigh, because she knew that Leigh would know what steps to take. Within an hour, at 4:00 in the morning, Leigh was standing on our doorstep with formula, bottles, some feeding thingy with a long tube, and all of the tools and skilled required to get my wife the help she needed. Not only did Leigh help sort out our daughter, but she was able to connect with my wife who had been zoned out for hours, and got her a spot with a therapist who supported my wife until she was back to normal self. Leigh continued to check on our family for years, without ever having asked for a dime from us. She was an angel that appeared in the night, and has been an angel for our family ever since.”
-Client, Postpartum Psychosis Crisis Support
“Leigh supported us through our prenatal care, birth, and post-partum care. She was an indispensable part of our experience. A fantastic advocate, helper, knowledge base, and friend the whole time. I also found that she listened to our needs and desires and, combined with her experience and knowledge, translated that perfectly into the assistance we wanted and needed at every moment. We could have survived our 22-hour-long-labor without her, but, she made it an experience which we can look back on and remember with joy. I cannot recommend her highly enough.”
-Client, Childbirth Education & Birth Support