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Baby Bump Services / For Expectant Parents  / Get an Experienced Doula / What Parents are Saying

During the first half of my pregnancy, both my husband and I were unsure as to if we needed a doula during our birth. But as we got closer to our due date, I started to realize how important that support would be for both of us. During the labor and birth process, Kyndal did a phenomenal job in holding the space for my husband and me. She was there physically and emotionally when we needed her, yet knew when and how to give us space at the moments when it was most important. For me, she was like a personal attendant that always seemed to know when I needed a drink of water, some food, the right comfort measure, or the perfect words of encouragement. And at the times when I was being asked to do something physically that seemed beyond my ability, she had a gentle yet commanding way of guiding me through that was incredibly helpful. Her knowledge and experience is extensive and is apparent through every element of her work. But most importantly, my husband and I were able to feel completely connected at every moment and we we are incredibly greatful to Kyndal for supporting the space to do this.

~ Jessica Grandhandt

Kyndal was my doula for both of my pregnancies. Some people say doulas are only for home births and they couldn’t be more wrong! Having a doula, especially one as experienced as Kyndal, is the wisest decision you can make for your pregnancy and childbirth, no matter where you deliver. Kyndal was with me all through the extremely difficult labor before my first c-section and a strong bulwark of encouragement during my time in hospital before my second c-section.

When I found out my daughter was breech, I was devastated, because that meant we couldn’t try for a VBAC. Kyndal was instrumental in helping me work through all the emotional baggage this uncovered and getting me to a saner, safer place as I prepared for her birth. Most importantly she helped me accept the possibility of a having a version to turn the baby. If Kyndal hadn’t encouraged me to try this, I wouldn’t have been in the hospital the day we discovered my amniotic fluid was dangerously low. We had a c-section that day and my daughter is now a flourishing 10 month old and so beautiful! But if it weren’t for Kyndal’s support and encouragement we almost certainly would have lost her.

For me, pregnancy is hard. Birth is hard. Postpartum is hard. Breastfeeding is hard. It’s confusing and overwhelming and emotional and scary. In these times you need someone in your corner, to stand up for you when you can’t stand up for yourself; someone to advocate for you and also to coach and encourage and counsel you to make informed, safe decisions for you and for your family.

Kyndal is the best. Her teaching and coaching were instrumental in helping me cope with the physical and emotional challenges of pregnancy and in healing afterwards.

I have trusted Kyndal with the lives of my children when they were at their most vulnerable and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
~ Bizzy Schorr

I hired Kyndal at the last minute – less than a week before I gave birth! I had decided at 8 and a half months to do a home birth and decided that getting the most experienced doula possible was a good idea. In fact I wasn’t SURE It was necessary – I was having 2 midwives present, but hiring Kyndal turned out to be the best decision I could have made. From the moment she arrived, she knew exactly what I should do to best cope with my labor. She showed me positions, even holding me in several, coaxed me through ones I really didn’t want to do, encouraged vocalizations, massaged me, applied cool rags, you name it, she did it. I had lots of other help available, but it was Kyndal I relied on and… I can’t imagine having done it without her! My boy was born at home 20 hours after contractions began, happy and healthy. It was a wonderful beginning. And it has only gotten better since!

~ Maya W.

I am a midwife, retired now, who has attended about 900 births, either at home or at a birth center. When I was practicing, I was sometimes fortunate enough to attend a birth when Kyndal was the doula. I always felt very comfortable and confident working with her.

Now I want to sing her praises even more. My daughter and her husband chose Kyndal to be their doula, and they just had their baby, a big, beautiful 9 lb. 7 oz. baby boy. The birth was a wonderful VBAC, and Kyndal was instrumental in achieving that.  Without her, it might have gone differently.  She is a direct communicator, which is just what my daughter needed.  She also had a good rapport with the hospital staff. It is obvious that she is well respected by the nurses and other staff. She supported my daughter and her husband in their choices, but she also offered guidance to them when they needed it. Her help was knowledgeable and intuitive. Her timing was perfect. She knew when to leave them to themselves, when and how to step in and make suggestions, and when to become very involved and help them through the hardest part of labor.

I have heard some people say that they don’t understand why a doula might be helpful or necessary when the father or other support person is present. In the case of my daughter’s birth, Kyndal’s presence was a huge contribution. I don’t believe that I, even with all my experience, or my daughter’s husband, though he’s well educated about birth, could have been so helpful. Sometimes it takes a skillful and compassionate professional, who isn’t quite so personally involved, to help navigate the difficult waters of laborland. 

Kyndal, I am so glad you are passionate about what you do and hope many more people can benefit from your good work. Thank you from the bottom of my mother’s (and grandma’s and midwife’s) heart.

~ Teresa Acheson

Our birth experience was very challenging, and ultimately involved over 40 hours of active labor. There are not enough words to adequately share just how much her constant presence, support, and guiding wisdom helped us through perhaps the most difficult night of our lives and into perhaps our greatest joy. Kyndal worked seamlessly with a team of midwives, and with us, to provide whatever was needed at any given moment (and there were many). She was a true servant to our birthing process, and always honored our wishes. Ultimately, we were able to have our daughter naturally, but had it not been for Kyndal and the midwives, we would likely have forfeited our desire for natural childbirth and gone to the hospital. We cannot recommend Kyndal more highly to any couple hoping to have someone serve them, their birthing experience ideal, and honor the sacred process.

~ Greg M.

One thinks that having a doula is just for the actual birth process. But where Kyndal helped me the most – and don’t get me wrong – she was AMAZING during the birth – but it was just so unexpected how much I needed her before and after the birth. It was so nice to have Kyndal, for lack of a better term, as a pregnancy counselor to talk to about all the emotions I was experiencing. This was my second baby (she was my doula for my first baby too!), but I just needed that extra support for all the unexpected stress/emotions I was feeling during that time of my life that seemed so different from my first pregnancy. And after he was born happy & healthy at home, but I had to make a trip to the emergency room for a quick surgery due to a bad tear, Kyndal‘s smiling face was the first I saw on my way out of the OR. My husband was thankfully taking care of our baby and wasn’t able to be with me. Kyndal pulls marathon hours – she was with us for a solid 28 hours with the very long birth of my first baby. And with my second, even though he came out quick, she came with us to the hospital at 11:30 pm and didn’t leave until after she came home with us at 6 am (I don’t know how she does it!). And two days later, Kyndal’s support was heaven sent when I was really struggling with nursing. I couldn’t be more thankful for the support and I wish the same experience for every new (and not so new) mother.

~ Tara Kristensen

Kyndal is warm, professional, extremely competent and knowledgeable, and more than that, she has a deep and intuitive understanding of birth and the course mothers travel on their journey through labor.

~ Tiffany Clayton

Early in pregnancy I started reading lots about labor and delivery and tried to get my husband to do the same. At some point I realized he could not possibly learn enough to provide the quality of support I wanted and it was unfair to ask him to become essentially an experienced doula through books alone.
So on the recommendation of a friend I hired Kyndal. I am so glad I did. Over the four (yep 4) days of labor I went from my midwife attended out-of-hospital birth to a cesarean. It could not have been further from what I wanted. During that time Kyndal did so many wonderful things for me and my husband and supported us in so many ways I could have never foreseen needing (it’s good to have a doula in the house in case you’ve been in labor so long you fall asleep on the toilet in the middle of the night.)
Every step of the way I had someone paying close attention to what I wanted that was willing to fight for me. After I consented to a cesarean she began working with the nurses to make it as pleasant for me and my husband as possible. In recovery, she got my baby latched and nursing before I even really knew what was going on (she had asked my permission in one of my prenatal meetings so don’t worry she won’t touch you if you don’t want her to.) With her help I would not have been able to start breastfeeding in the important first hour of life.  She followed up with me after the birth of my baby and made sure I was taken care of physically and emotionally.
When I left a follow up appointment for my baby in tears she helped me find a second opinion that could see me immediately. 

But I think the important point is this: after more than 90 hours of labor and a cesarean I can look back and say I never felt scared, ignored, mistreated or traumatized. I have peace of mind that my birth outcomes were the best they could have been. That is something I think only a great doula can deliver.
~Mary Gobeille

Kyndal gave us space to reassure ourselves, increase our confidence and gain tools for the experience of birth. Kyndal’s ability to share her knowledge allowed Whitnee and I to recognize and understand what it meant to have a positive birth experience. During the birth process Kyndal was nurturing and supportive of our needs and desires. She was able to help both Whitnee and myself make the right decisions and guide us in a physical, mental and emotionally safe and moving way. It was very evident that Kyndal had been down this road before and in many ways, Whitnee and I believe that she was the best guide for us. Kyndal was a tremendous, inexhaustible and calm resource.

~ Michael Schwartz

My husband and I contacted Kyndal regarding her doula services after signing up for Confident Birthing and hearing countless praises of her from our dear friends. From the moment we met her we felt we were in the best, most capable of hands. Kyndal’s years of experience in the birthing community and her vast knowledge of pregnancy and labor were such a comfort to us from the start and became even more important as we approached the birth of our daughter.

I will forever appreciate Kyndal’s dedication to our birth wishes and plans but also her openness to changes along the way without judgment. Our questions were always answered openly and honestly and she guided us calmly through any of our concerns. There are very few people in this world who have discovered what they were absolutely meant to do and Kyndal is one of them. She was truly meant to guide women through their pregnancies and labors and support their partners through the process, as well. 

It’s difficult for me to explain the amount of gratitude I feel. I truly believe Kyndal is one of the main reasons I look back on my labor with such joy and satisfaction. I felt completely supported the entire time and she gave me confidence and strength when I needed it most. She was an invaluable part in it all to both of us and we feel like we owe her our entire world.
~Bonnie Olswanger

Kyndal has such a passion for the work she does – it’s contagious! My husband and I felt relatively ‘lost’ in the early part of our pregnancy. Upon first meeting Kyndal, her passion, knowledge and ability to inspire purpose and confidence in us was amazing. She knows exactly when to be present at the birth and when her help is needed and also when to just let the couple have their space. Kyndal is absolutely outstanding in her level of professionalism and the care she takes with her clients.

~ Ashley Hickerson

When we found out we were pregnant with our fifth child, my husband and I immediately knew we wanted to hire Kyndal as our doula.  She is a hands-down the most passionate and educated of doulas that we have ever met.  However, it isn’t just her ability to do a good job, it is really her concern for each person as an individual.  Kyndal has the ability to assess the needs of her parents and provide just the right type of support.  She has an adaptability and rapport that cannot be taught and truly sets her apart from other doulas.  We also benefitted and truly appreciated her extensive knowledge of massage therapy and basic body mobility.  This knowledge helped in assisting in our birth and made all the difference in the birth of our child.  Having experienced several other doulas in the course of our birthing experiences, we would be hard-pressed to recommend anyone else as a doula.  There is just something special about the way that Kyndal cares for her clients.
~Toni Hunt

At one of the most vulnerable, emotional and exciting times of my life I am so grateful to have had Kyndal by my side. I had no idea what a doula was – or the role of a doula in birth. After meeting with Kyndal I realized just how much I didn’t know about birth, what it meant to have a birth plan and what to do if my plan didn’t go as expected. Shortly after Kyndal walked out of the coffee shop, my husband and I looked at each other and didn’t have to say a word – we knew we wanted Kyndal to be our Doula and we were going to take her Confident Birthing Class. I mean, come on, it says confident in the title…this class was meant for us!
Fast forward a few months to when our classes started. It was a great time for us to continue to build our bond and prepare ourselves for the birth of our son. In one of our classes, Kyndal discussed the breech position & what that meant the closer it got to your ‘guess date’. We learned all about External Cephalic Versions (ECV). Little did I know at the time that I would be in that very situation. From 35 to 37 weeks my little boy was breech with no signs of turning. Per my request (with Kyndal’s guidance) at 38 weeks we scheduled an ECV. Kyndal was there throughout the entire procedure to remind me of my breath & keep me calm as he was being turned. We got lucky & the ECV was successful!
A few weeks later I went into labor & we made the call to Kyndal that it was time. Once we got to the hospital & I started transitioning she helped me through my contractions. We found my son wasn’t in the right position when it got closer to pushing so Kyndal suggested a few positions for me to move into in order to get him into place. That sure did the trick! I can’t begin to explain how comforting & empowering it was to have Kyndal through my birth experience. She has a true passion for what she does and is an incredible advocate!
~Alena Sheire