ERIKA DAVIS DOULA
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Erika is a huge asset to have on your birth support team. She coached us on how to advocate successfully for myself, my baby, and our preferred birth plan whilst also being realistic about our options in a hospital birth. She helped us ask all the right questions and navigate treatment decisions and delivery options before and after I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. When another client's birth was likely to coincide with ours, Erika quickly put contingencies in place and made sure we were all comfortable with her back-up doula (who was exceptional as well). Our birth plan was followed and communicated with the hospital staff throughout our care. We created a birth plan that was flexible, but clear about our preferences. Ultimately, we were able to follow our birth plan and have a natural child birth that followed my body's direction (and gave birth standing up!). We reaffirmed my trust and confidence in my body. After our birth, both Erika and her backup were attentive to our needs and checked in on us. She recommended options and provided natural rememdies for postpartum care and coping. I strongly recommend doulas and Erika in particular.
J. Palmisano

We are beyond thankful to have had Erika as our birth doula, and I cannot say enough about how wonderful she is! She is everything you could want and more - joyful, passionate, kind, thoughtful and beyond knowledgeable. My partner and I were both working stressful, demanding jobs and running after a busy 2 year old during pregnancy and our prenatal visits with Erika always brought a sense of calm and joy, allowing us to re-focus on our family and feel totally confidant in what was to come. During labor and delivery Erika made me feel like a complete goddess. Her words of encouragement through every contraction, knowledge of what to do (i.e. go to the hospital, now!) and complete calm during a labor that progressed fairly quickly were more than I could have ever asked for. She advocated for us with hospital staff, coached me through excruciating back labor, held my hand, and was integral to one of the most amazing, positive moments of my life. She is the best, and we are so lucky to have found her. 
-E. Ganyo

"My partner Kristina and I are so grateful to have worked with Erika as both our birth and postpartum doula. From the beginning of our partnership (which is the best way to describe our doula-client relationship), Erika completely centered our needs and concerns for our pregnancy/birth and helped us to craft a plan that aligned with our vision. Erika’s style was absolutely affirming, empathetic and non-judgmental (which I can’t say about all the practitioners we worked with over the course of our pregnancy). At the same time, we found it refreshing that Erika was able to balance her supportive disposition with honest feedback derived from her expertise and extensive experience. We always felt that Erika communicated with us directly and was able to support her advocacy with a variety of resources and practices that we could apply on our own. During labor, Erika provided incredible support to both me as well as my partner and it was beyond comforting to have someone we trusted so deeply during such an intense time. However, I really can’t say enough about Erika’s advocacy after labor when our baby had to be hospitalized for a week due to a serious case of jaundice. Erika came back to the hospital two days after delivery to help us transition to the pediatrics unit and provided us with amazing care when we were feeling emotionally and physically depleted. Erika continued to follow up with us for the rest of the week and her positive words gave us the strength to get through that difficult time. After being released from the hospital we were so lucky that Erika was able to continue her work with us as a postpartum doula. Our fourth trimester was full of challenges and Erika, once again, followed our lead and provided targeted support based on our greatest needs (as well as tons of love for our little one). I can say with utmost confidence that we couldn’t have done this “new parenting thing” without Erika. I wholeheartedly recommend Erika to anyone who is considering a doula and will, without hesitation, be asking her to joins us if/when we have a future pregnancy."
S. Goldman

'My wife, Annie, and I hired Erika as our birth doula and she was INCREDIBLE to work with. We would not have made it through our son's birth without her. At 42 weeks pregnant, we were told that our son had a rare birth defect where his intestines were outside of his abdomen and would require emergency surgery after birth. We were terrified! Erika kept a calm, positive demeanor and was quick thinking in her advocacy for us in the hospital. She knew exactly what questions to ask the nurses when we were too overwhelmed to think clearly. Labor with our son was long, intense, and traumatic, but throughout it all, Erika was encouraging and supportive. She was with us the whole way, from the Tuesday when I was admitted to the hospital to the Saturday that same week when our son was finally born. She not only supported me as I went through the most intense pain that I could even fathom, but was also a huge support to my wife who was dealing with watching me labor and extreme sleep deprivation from so much time at the hospital. Thankfully, our son ended up being born healthy without the defect they believed he had and Erika was with us throughout the whirlwind of emotions we experienced. After his birth, she made several visits to our home, and genuinely cared about how we and our son were doing. Hiring Erika was the single smartest move we made during my pregnancy and if we have a second child, we will definitely hire her again. And we will certainly be recommending her to any friends who are pregnant because she is great!!"
A. Pahlow

"Our experience working with Erika was absolutely
 incredible. From our initial meeting, I knew she had to be our person, and that day I cancelled all of our remaining Doula interviews. We were impressed with her ability to connect with our family, her expertise, attention to details (especially providing me with a much needed snack after labor), and her overall positive attitude. I was initially on the fence when deciding to move forward with a Doula and I am so thankful that Erika was part of our team. With Erika's help, I was able to fulfill my birth plan and my husband reported afterwards that his experience during labor was much less stressful than he had imagined. I highly recommend Erika Davis to be your Doula, you will not be disappointed! Thank You Erika!"
A. Pomeroy


"Erika was simply amazing! We knew we wanted a doula to help and support us through the birth of our first child, and we are so lucky to have found Erika to coach us through a natural hospital birth. When we first met with Erika, we could tell she was going to patient yet knowledgeable and straightforward as well as contribute to a light-hearted and calm atmosphere...exactly what we were hoping for when thinking about the big day. She did an initial intake/interview meeting with us and answered all our questions, and then I believe we had three meetings in our home before labor and delivery to go over our vision and preferences. She also taught us several breathing and coping exercises that included partner support that helped us clarify the kind of support I would need during labor.
While I thought I was mostly hiring a doula to be an advocate in case the hospital staff suggested interventions I wasn't comfortable with, I very quickly found out (at the beginning of a 19-hour labor) that Erika's most important role was to closely observe and coach me through the pain of every passing contraction. It's possible that I would have made it through the hours of painful contractions without her---but I wouldn't want to! She helped me keep breathing, focus my energy and anxiety productively and--very important--stay hydrated! For those who are worried that a doula might "replace" the role of their partner--fear not with Erika! She made sure that my partner was as involved as we both wanted him to be, and was great at suggesting exercises or positions to help me though and to keep us stable through the exhaustion of the long labor.
Erika is warm, easy-going and intuitive. She was a MAJOR part of the most important moment of our lives, and we can't thank or recommend her enough for all that she did to help us achieve the birth we wanted!"
S. Acharya 

"Erika is one of those most competent, kind, emphatic and capable doulas I have ever met. She transformed every fear and anxiety we had into a reassuring, comforting thought to take with us into the birth. She visited with us in our home a couple times before the actual birth and always brought books, visuals and great stories. At the actual birth, she was unflappable and focused the entire time. I have no idea how but she never seemed to get tired or stressed! She was a great support for BOTH of us too - for my wife who was birthing our child and to myself as the birth partner. She was right there with us reminding us to drink water, eat a snack or take a break to breath. And she happily took photos at our request after our daughter was born. There is no one quite like Erika - her humor, her warmth, her energy are unlike any other doula out there. My wife and I both would recommend her without any reservations."
A. Rosen

"
Erika made me feel so supported and confident about my labor and birth. The birth plan she helped my partner and I craft, as well as discussions about what happens if things don't go according to plan, helped us make decisions easily during labor. I would definitely hire her again and would recommend her services to anyone looking for an amazing birthing experience with a caring and competent doula."
M. Payne

"
Erika is amazing! My husband and I were lucky enough to have Erika as our doula for the birth of our son in October 2013. Erika came to our home for our prenatal visits which really helped us establish a relationship with her prior to the birth. She was excellent in asking all the questions I didn't even know I would want answers to, and this helped us craft our birth vision, which was such a daunting task before Erika made it so effortless. She was always emphatic, informative, and objective during this planning process. My husband and I never felt judged for our decisions, or for our lack of knowledge. Erika was always able to explain the benefits and risks about any decision we were trying to make. After taking our childbirth education class, my husband and I really wanted to work together as a team, and made it clear that he was my primary birth coach. Erika was wonderful at respecting this boundary and letting my husband and I work together. But she was right there when we needed additional support or when my husband needed a break. I felt totally comfortable having Erika there during the most intimate time of my life. She helped me get through labor pains, provided comic relief and reassurance when things went differently from my birth vision, and she coached me through pushing like I was an Olympic athlete. She encouraged me to breastfeed my son when he was first placed on my chest, (this was part of my birth vision, but I was so worn-out after delivery I wouldn't have remembered to do it) and this established an effortless feeding relationship between by baby and me from that moment on.  Erika was an advocate for us with the medical team, and a buffer with my over-anxious mother. She continued to check in with us postpartum and continued to be an unconditional voice of love, care, and knowledge. We were blessed to have Erika at our birth and I consider her a member of the family and a guardian angle to our son. I would recommend her to anyone!"
L.Cummins

​"Erika is a bright, warm, spiritual and uniquely non-judgmental presence. She worked with my husband and me, from the first trimester through the birth. I can't think of anyone (besides my husband) I would want with me during this important milestone. I'd hire her again in a second."
​G. Brikner

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  • Home
  • About Me
  • Work With Me
    • Birth Doula
    • Postpartum Doula
    • Childbirth and Parenthood Preparation
    • Whole Body Pregnancy
    • Prenatal Yoga
  • Client Testimonials
  • Contact Me
  • What is a Doula?
  • Blog