Bassett Baby Planning

I cannot recommend Bassett Baby Planning highly enough. Our birth doula, Mary Alice, was amazing. She helped support me and my husband during my delivery of our first child, which I managed to do without any interventions or pain medication. I absolutely would not have been able to do this without her support. She was invaluable to my husband, who felt so much more secure and calm with her there. And having someone you’re familiar with there with you in the hospital made me feel much more at ease during our time there.
We haven’t used their other services, but if we have any concerns or questions about breastfeeding or other infant care, they are the first resource I’d turn to.

My doctor was the first to recommend a doula and Bassett Baby Planning. After researching the benefits of doulas and knowing that I wouldn’t have any family other than my husband in attendance (all family is 1,500 miles away out of state) I knew this would make me more comfortable even though I planned on an epidural. Catrice was my doula and I loved being able to text her with all my questions and she always got back to me quickly. I went into labor early, and Catrice was with another client who was already in labor. Beverly, who I had chosen as my backup was able to be there and was fantastic. Her hip squeeze got me through the worse of my labor pains before the epidural. She then kept adjusting my position once I had the epidural to help labor along and my baby was born three hours later with no complications. It was so helpful to have her there for the first breastfeeding. Both Catrice and Beverly were fantastic. And the follow up postpartum visit and all the questions answered was amazing. Thank you Cartice and Beverly! I highly recommend both doulas.

Knowledgeable, available, great doulas. And Nina is amazing!

Highly Highly recommend Nina and her team! They do amazing things for their mamas and babies!!! Best maternity care in Houston

My husband and I first considered hiring a doula when we decided we wanted a natural birth for our baby. A coworkers recommended Bassett Baby Planning and told us about their «Milk and Cookies» evenings designed to be information sessions for future parents considering using the services of a doula. We attended one of these sessions and found it to be extremely informative. There were a couple of different doulas and they walked us through the services they provide and the general benefits of having them assist with the birth. This was a great way to get an idea if this is something that we wanted and also to get a good feel for each of the doula’s personalities.
In addition to doula services Bassett Baby Planning provides a ton of other services for expecting parents… anything from assisting with planning a shower, helping with the registry or helping stock your freezer prior to your due date. They have membership packages with different levels of services based on individual needs. We went with the basic package because I’m a control freak and extremely organized and wanted to do most of the preparation myself. Every week I would get an e-​mail from one of the Bassett Baby Planning team members specifically addressed to me with to-​do items and other suggestions based on where I was in my pregnancy. As on top of things as I was; I still found this to be extremely helpful because there are just certain things I didn’t even know I needed to do/​prepare. In addition, the membership made available to me various workshops that they have every month, and a library of pregnancy/​baby books so that I didn’t have to buy all of them which was really nice. For example, I took my car in to make sure my car seat was properly installed with an expert.
I also took a Hypnobabies class through Bassett Baby Planning to prepare for my natural birth. I will say that I loved this class and it gave me a lot of confidence about my labor.
To prepare for my birth we met with Nina a number of times. First we had a consultation session where she got to know us better as a couple. Then we had two one hour sessions to talk in more detail about my birth plan and also to learn about various coping techniques we would use through my birth. This was really helpful because it was like a «dress rehearsal» for my husband and I to get into various positions, etc. In addition to the scheduled times we met, Nina frequently checked in with me to see how my pregnancy was progressing and always wanted to know about any complications. I would also periodically reach out to her and her team members with various questions, and they were always quick to respond and provided lots of suggestions. After the birth, each doula has a post pardom visit at your home to check in on you and baby and help out with whatever is needed.
My water ended up breaking a few weeks before I was actually due and my contractions never started. We were in close contact with Nina from the moment this occured and she provided lots of suggestions of things we could try to help kickstart my labor. Unfortunately because they never did start, we did eventually just go to the hospital. Once my doctor arrived of course she suggested an induction with pitocin which I was really hoping to avoid because I knew that it would make the contractions a lot more painful and more difficult for me to have a pain medication free birth. Before my contractions got to «5−1−1»; only my husband and hospital nurse were with me. We were trying our best to replicate the various positions and coping methods Nina had showed us… but because this was both of our first time doing this I was getting frustrated because he wasn’t pressing in quite the right spots. I will also point out as sweet as our nurse was, she really didn’t help… she mainly sat in front of the monitor and tracked my contractions so we really felt like we were on our own. Then Nina walked in and the energy instantly changed… I just wanted to cry I was so happy that she was there. From then on I was able to find some relief because Nina was constantly massaging me and coaching me to breathe a certain way and changing my positioning. I will not lie and say that my birth was easy… it wasn’t by ANY means. However, there is no chance that I would have been able to power through my birth pain medication free if Nina hadn’t been there. As much as I was committed to giving my son the gift of a drug free birth; in the moment I was ready to throw my birth plan out the window to get the instant relief that an epidural promised. Nina kept me on track and reminded me why I wanted this and helped me focus on small milestones through the birth. I am forever grateful to Nina because she helped me have the birth I wanted despite having to be induced with pitocin. She is worth every penny and more and I could not recommend her and the rest of the team enough. Trust me… you will not regret it!!!

My husband and I hired Nina as our doula for the birth of our first child. Hands down, it was the best decision we made regarding pregnancy. I knew I wanted to try for a natural birth and read a Bradley Method book, but felt like asking my husband to coach me through labor was putting a whole lot of pressure on him. Also, why would I want an amateur telling me what to do during one of the most important experiences of my life?
Nina guided me to the midwives at TCH, a practice that I would have the best chance at accomplishing the birth I wanted. I really don’t think I would have been able to do a natural birth with my original doctor. Nina was supportive throughout my pregnancy, answering our questions and educating us on all sorts of birth and baby topics.
When our day came, Nina was invaluable. I was better prepared for the experience since I had put all the techniques I learned from her into play before we even got to the hospital. I’ve heard of power struggles in the delivery room between doulas and nurses but Nina worked so beautifully alongside the midwives and the nurses, my room was such an amazingly supportive and peaceful place! Natural birth is difficult and overwhelming but Nina made it less so. She must have massaged me for 12 hours straight! She offered aromatherapy when I threw up, counter pressure through contractions and guided me into different positions when I got tired. More than once I thought to myself how in the world do women do this without a doula? I have no idea how she was able to do it, and for so long, but you would have never guessed that she was probably just as physically exhausted as I was!
She was absolutely amazing and perfect and if we ever have any more babies, I wouldn’t want to be in the delivery room without her. Because of her, I absolutely had the experience I wanted. She has such a beautiful calming presence and is a gem of a person. I recommend a doula in general to all my pregnant friends, and Nina specifically as simply the best you can find.

In all honesty, I didn’t know what a doula was going to do for us and wasn’t completely on board with it. My wife and I wanted minimal attendance at our home birth with our midwife and assistant.
Here’s what I’ve learned. Nina is an absolute gem. My wife and I began educating ourselves about the benefits of having a doula and subsequently interviewed several. Nina stood out because she took time to educate us on the process and expectations. She’s truly passionate about her work and it shows.
In retrospect, I can say that there’s no way we could have had such a beautiful experience without Nina. As soon as she got to our home, she immediately stepped in to help my wife get through each contraction. Using counter-​pressure and massage, she was able to help my wife progress with each contraction.
Nina was absolutely essential. As first time parents, it was very important that we had someone coaching and assisting us through something this significant.
Hire Nina!

Nina was fantastic from start to finish — and beyond! From the first planning get-​together to the post-​partum checkup, Nina was clearly professional, knowledgeable, confident, and skilled. She absolutely transformed our birth experience from an anxious ordeal into one that was smooth and informed.
Not only did Nina provide absolutely essential real-​time instructions for positioning, breathing, and mental toughness, she offered encouragement, positivity, and lots of pain-​relieving massages for my wife! Nina definitely knows what she is doing, but at the same time made sure we knew that we were in charge — she completely respected our birth plan. Amazingly, she got on extremely well with the nurses, and they helped each other rather than got in each other’s way (as we’ve heard about other doulas).
My wife had to be induced on pitocin, and she did the delivery without an epidural — about the most painful combination possible. All credit to my wife’s toughness first — but it’s no hyperbole to say that Nina made the difference in making our dream birth a reality. We would definitely work with Nina again if we get pregnant in the future, and will be referring her to all our friends!

Nina worked with my family as a post partum doula after the birth of my second child. It’s cliché, but raising children really does take a village. Since «my village» all have full time jobs, my sister hired Nina as a present to fill in. Nina was amazing from start to finish. In our first meeting, I asked what role a post partum doula takes. Two (of the many) things she said really stood out to me. First, «It’s mom’s job to take care of everyone else. I take care of mom.» She also said she’d do anything I needed, but that she was truly a success once I felt I didn’t need her anymore.
I loved knowing we would see her once a week. She did everything from helping me breastfeed, then figure out pumping, to washing bottles and pump parts. She gave me a break to shower, would make breakfast so I could actually eat, and entertain my two year old so I could snuggle and feed baby. Ultimately, she helped me figure out how to transition to two kids. She’s full of tips, tricks, knowledge and experience.
If angels walk the earth, Nina is definitely one! She’s the perfect balance of an expert professional and a loving sister. I recommend her to every family to make the post partum experience easier and more enjoyable!

We could not recommend Nina & Bassett Baby Planning enough!!! She is truly amazing and we were very lucky to have her with us when our daughter decided to enter the world.
We hired Nina very early in our pregnancy and along with being our birth doula, she also conducted our childbirth and newborn care classes. For all the appointments we had, Nina was great about working around our work schedules and finding locations to accommodate where we lived since we do not live in Houston proper. The information she provided in these classes was informative and invaluable! We have shared that info with others and referenced back to it ourselves a few times since.
In addition, if you have an opportunity to arrange for a prenatal and post natal massage by Nina, I highly recommend it! She did a fabulous job.
As our due date approach Nina stayed in regular contact and as we entered my 39 week, she checked in frequently. She was great at providing us with an accurate picture of what we could expect when we went into labor and when we did, she was accessible and reassuring. Due to our situation, we delivered at a hospital and Nina met us shortly after our arrival there.
During my labor, Nina did an great job working with us and not only did she provide amazing support for myself but she provided invaluable support for husband and family. Nina seem to have a trick or tip for every situation that came up. She has an endless bag of tricks!
As a first time mom, i had an extraordinary spouse and supportive family and our goal was to have an experience to share not just survive. Unfortunately, our birth plan took a major detour but after all of the many needed interventions, we still had a great birth experience along with a beautiful and healthy baby. We are so incredibly grateful and feel that Nina was the main reason that we were so successful in having a satisfying birth experience. We would not have another baby with Nina’s help!

Hiring Nina as for baby planning and as our labor doula was honestly one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. I am a first time mom and wanted a natural birth, but had no idea what to expect and I was so afraid that I would fall apart when the pain hit. I wanted a beautiful birth experience that I could look back on fondly. Nina helped give me that despite my labor taking several left turns and almost completely destroying my original vision. I can honestly say that my labor and birth were a beautiful and challenging journey that I am very proud of… and it would not have been that without her.
Nina was wonderful in the months leading up to the labor with support and education. She came to a Dr. appt with me and my Dr. was running late. She waited 2 hrs in the waiting room with me and used that time to teach me as much as she could about preparing my body for labor and getting through the rest of my pregnancy. She won me over again and again every time I met with her.
Nina is without question the most nurturing person I’ve ever met. I was constantly put first. What I wanted, needed. The whole nursing staff fell IN LOVE with her and two nurses got her information to hire her later. Another nurse asked for brochures and cards to pass out to other people. The crazy thing about this is that when I let the staff know that my doula would be coming later they let me know that they have had many poor experiences with doulas and that they did not look forward to working with them. I could tell that they were apprehensive to say the least. She was coming into a lot of negative opinions and when she left she had won every single nurse and Dr.‘s deep respect.
I truly love Nina. I really liked and was impressed with her before my labor, but had no idea how special she would become to us over that 29hrs that she was with us. She was worth every single penny and if we could afford to pay her double, we absolutely would. She would still be worth more.
As you can see we 100% satisfied with her as our doula and fully intend to hire her for all of our future pregnancies. I can’t imagine that anyone else would do a better job or be any more committed to my health and happiness than she was. She is the perfect example of what a doula should be and anyone in the world would have a better, happier and more beautiful birth with her by their side.

When it comes to preparing for babies, Nina Bassett knows her stuff. Planning for a baby and adjusting to motherhood can be challenging. Having a calming, competent professional available to provide guidance and support can take the stress out of pregnancy and the postpartum period. I proudly refer clients to Bassett Baby Planning for their baby planning, doula and massage needs. With her extensive qualifications and certifications, Nina Bassett helps parents to enjoy their pregnancy and helps new parents to settle into to their new roles and routines.

We hired Nina as both a birth and postpartum doula, and I could not be more enthusiastic to recommend her to other families.
My first delivery was a c-​section, and so in many ways I felt like a first time Mom. It was a really difficult delivery (my first c-​section) and doing it all again was very emotional for both me and my husband. We decided to do a VBAC instead of a repeat c-​section, and we wanted as much support as possible and hired Nina as a doula. Nina absolutely made this delivery substantially better for me. Not just during the delivery, but I can’t stress how wonderful it was to have her in the weeks leading up to my due date — she was a huge source of support, and my doctor’s office LOVED that she came to my appointment with me. It made my whole «team» on the same page.
During my (unmedicated!) labor Nina was super adaptable and if she saw something wasn’t giving me relief she was quick to switch it up. What really worked for me was her experience with massage and counter pressure. If you ever need a massage in your life, it’s during delivery! Nurses literally came into the room to watch her, she was amazing. She was great about including my husband — she has a gift for respecting the doctor and husband’s space and acting as a support person rather than taking over. My husband really wanted to be included and Nina made sure of that. We were able to achieve a medication/​intervention free vaginal birth after caesarean, which evidently is something not a lot of women choose and so the hospital rarely sees it. I pushed for 18 minutes and during that time the cooperation between Nina and my doctor was really apparent. My husband actually said to Nina after the birth «We couldn’t have done this without you» and in my hormonal, postpartum state I yelled «But I did all the work!» It’s just a testament to how much we value Nina, my husband included.
Something really special is that Nina somehow manages not only to be right there with you, but also take pictures and records times and important moments. We have pictures of my husband and I during the labor that are really special that shows how involved he was, pictures from literally the moment my daughter came into the world (not appropriate for a photo album, but still very cool), some of the three of us, etc.
Nina has been in our home 1 – 2 times a week since our daughter’s birth, and has been a wonderful help during our transition from one toddler to two under two. As a postpartum doula, Nina is there to support me in nursing, caring for the baby, helping my 21-​month-​old son adjust, and keeping my house in order so that there is some semblance of normalcy! So many visitors just come to hold the baby, so it’s been nice to count on Nina to help with practical things so that we can enjoy this time and feel taken care of.
And make sure you include her post-​pregnancy massage in your package — there are few things in this world better than someone coming to your home after you have given birth and giving you a massage!
I would (and will) recommend Nina to my closest girlfriends and she will be one of the first phone calls I make with any subsequent pregnancies. She manages to be both professional and very personable, and my whole family thinks so highly of her and we all feel like she’s been such an asset to us during this really anxious, but special time. She’s just the best.

Having Nina with us through the labor and delivery experience was absolutely invaluable. Her expert knowledge, guidance, and coaching were critical factors in achieving our goal of a natural birth. I know we would have felt lost without her. It was clear how comfortable she was operating in the hospital environment. She anticipated our needs and met them without delay. Even our nurse commented on how great she was to work with. We recommend Nina’s services without reservation. She’s truly wonderful.