Birth, Etc

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Karrie!!! If you are looking for a doula… look no further! I met Karrie at a breastfeeding group with my first child and knew immediately upon becoming pregnant with baby #2 that she was the doula we had to have! With her support, I had an incredibly successful hypnobabies VBAC in a hospital and I truly don’t believe that I would have had such an amazing birth experience without her there supporting and encouraging both my husband and I.
Karrie has been available to us during pregnancy, birth and beyond — answering questions, lending support and resources and even attending a prenatal appointment when I needed a little extra support. She never doubted my ability to have a successful VBAC (even when I may have) and during my birthing time, she seemed to know exactly what to do and say to encourage me along.
Even the hospital staff were impressed by her and the charge nurse said that Karrie is only one of two doulas that she likes to work with! Karrie is always calm and professional so it’s easy to feel comfortable around her. She has this amazing way of being able to answer questions and provide options without asserting her own beliefs on to her clients, always remaining non-​judgemental regardless of the family’s choices.
I could go on and on and on… basically Karrie is the most amazing doula EVER and if we have another baby, there is no doubt I want her by my side during my birthing time!!!

I’m the other half of Alice S’s review so I won’t go into too much detail. As the husband and father I feel like I benefited from Karrie’s calm demeanor and attention to detail as much or maybe more than my wife did. We had a fast labor so there really wasn’t any time to prepare or relax with Karrie at home prior to going to hospital. Once at the hospital, Karrie quickly took charge of making sure we got to the right floor, were in the right room, etc. She knew her way around and everyone at Hoag which helped all around.
More than anything, Karrie helped me realize that, even though we were not having the baby at the birthing center as planned, we still had choices and can communicate what we want and do not want with the doctor and hospital staff. Karrie helped me have the confidence that I needed to tell them when something was ok or not ok and to be in charge of our care — vs being idle bystanders and doing whatever we’re told by some new random hospital staff person we’ve never met before and regretting the experience later. I felt empowered during a stressful situation which is what I needed in order to support my wife who was really doing all the work.
Karrie kept us all calm and in control of our birth and for that we are so thankful and wouldn’t even consider doing it again without her. Highly recommend her.

I recently had an unexpected hospital birth after planning on having a birthing center birth. Karrie was amazing at helping me to get what I wanted out of a situation I was not happy with or prepared for.
After our initial consultation, she came to our house and discussed everything we needed to know from birth plan to planning for post-​partum needs and expectations. When a very quick labor began a few days later, Karrie was easy to contact at 11pm, and even managed to beat us to the hospital. Once at the hospital, she communicated effectively with hospital nurses and staff so that I could focus on my labor, and my husband was able to devote entirely to supporting me. I think Karrie helped my husband as much as she did for me, in ‘normalizing’ the surreal and scary experience of a fast hospital labor and birth.
After giving birth, Karrie checked up on us numerous times, always available via phone, text or email answering all of my many questions quickly and competently. A week after returning home, Karrie came back to our home to meet our baby and reflect with us on the birthing experience. Prior to her coming over, I didn’t think that the reflecting conversation would be necessary, but found it to be a really enjoyable and healing conversation to have and I felt surprisingly proud of my birthing experience upon reflection.
After our experience, I would recommend hiring a doula to be the best decision we made! Karrie is amazing!

I am overdue writing this review as it was a year ago that Karrie helped us bring our baby into the world but I wanted to take the time to say what a great experience we had with her. During pregnancy she was always available to answer questions and put my mind at ease and even over the past year I have been able to reach out to her for help with various postpartum and breastfeeding questions. During labor, I was given so much comfort knowing that I had her there to get me through it. She has a very calm demeanor and is very knowledgeable and really interacts with the doctors and nurses on your behalf to make sure you get the experience you are looking for.

Karrie is, quite simply, the best.
I am not sure what my wife or I would have done without Karrie, but hiring her was the best thing we did. She was loving, supportive, knowledgeable, and the one constant through a long and tiring labor that did not go to plan. We would have been lost without her and I would hire her a million times over.
If you are thinking about hiring a doula, there is no question, Karrie is the right choice!

I am so happy I made the decision to hire Karrie as my doula for the home birth of my son a couple weeks ago. My labor was very long, and I honestly don’t know what I would have done (to my husband, haha!) if Karrie hadn’t been there with us to support us. Going through labor, especially for the first time, can be overwhelming and scary at times, and you never know what challenges will come your way. Karrie was there to reassure my husband and I that everything was going well and normally when we weren’t sure, she was so helpful with suggesting different positions and using different techniques to help ease the discomfort. She was by our side for a long time and for that we are so grateful. I highly recommend Karrie as a doula!

Karrie is absolutely amazing. Having a natural Hypnobabies birth was important to me and with the support and encouragement of Karrie, I had just that!
She’s knowledgeable, professional, prepared, calm, confident and a true team player.
Throughout my pregnancy she provided knowledge, by answering any and all questions I had, and resources, by offering books and websites with data backing information. This allowed me to discover all my options and create the best birthing plan for my family and I. When it came to my birthing time Karrie was prepared and attentive. I delivered in a hospital so there were many «cooks in the kitchen» but Karrie offered professionalism in every sense of the word. She remained calm and supportive to not only myself, but to my partner, my mother, the midwife, and all the labor and delivery nurses. She was there to coach me through my scripts when my partner needed a break, and she was there to keep everyone (myself included) focused and on task and she did it with ease and peace.
It’s been 3 months now since my birthing time and Karrie continues to help support me through breastfeeding and the journey of motherhood. Karrie is an amazing and empowering lady. Baby O and I are so happy to have you in our lives! xo

If you are looking for a doula, Karrie is amazing. She was truly instrumental in me achieving a VBAC, and provided an incredible level of support throughout a tough pregnancy. I’m embarrassed to think about how many times I texted or emailed her a question, and she always provided me with wonderful resources in the form of books, websites (I love to research), and referrals. My labor was much quicker and more intense than I had expected, and she was a constant source of reassuring calm. The best examples of how she works is as follows: 1) I spent hours working and researching my birth plan, and then proceeding to not pack it in my hospital bag. Right before my son was born, the nurse started asking what newborn procedures I wanted to have performed/​declined. I started to panic because I couldn’t remember what I had decided. Karrie calmly pulls out a copy of my birth plan she had packed and reminded me of my choices. 2) Karrie keeps you informed of possible scenarios that are coming up in your labor, without sugar coating or focusing on scary scenarios, in a super reassuring manner. Which could sound inconsequential, but when you are in labor for the first time, it is nice to know what is ahead. She did a hundred other things that made my birth the best it could possibly be, and I would recommend her wholeheartedly to anyone.

Karrie was great! This was my first pregnancy and I couldn’t imagine going through the whole birthing process without her. She always answered any questions when I was pregnant and has continued to be helpful with anything I may have a question about. She let me borrow many helpful books and had the best advice. I would recommend Karrie to everyone, especially first time moms. Thank you again Karrie for everything!

Karrie Nesbit is a great doula to have on your birth team! From the very start she was concerned with my comfort, and humbly wanted to make sure she would be the right Doula for me. I contacted her after being referred by Southcoast Midwifery. She was there for me throughout everything from the time we hired her even till now. She was hands on and offered great support and suggestions before, during, and after the birth, and really helped me to have confidence and gave me suggestions to help things go smoothly. We are so thankful We chose Kerrie to be out Doula!

Karrie came highly recommended to me as a doula for the VBAC that I wanted. I tried to get specific feedback about her, but everyone just said «she’s the best!». Well, now I know. She’s the best! She has such a passion for supporting laboring mamas and totally believes in the process of birth. She calmed my fears, helped me embrace the process and gave me so much confidence about my birth. She offered various suggestions to help labor progress, all the while helping me stay connected with my baby and her journey earthside.
If Unilocal offered 10 stars, I would give Karrie all 10. She was amazing in every way and I’m so very grateful that she was part of my support team.

My husband, a Marine, was deployed to Afghanistan at the beginning of my pregnancy and there was a good chance he wouldn’t be able to be home before my due date. I had never heard of a Doula before this pregnancy (read about doulas in the Hypnobirthing book) but am SO glad that I ended up with such a wonderful one. I found Karrie through Operation Special Delivery (which is an organization that provides doulas for military wives whose husbands are deployed during their pregnancy) and within minutes into the interview knew I wanted her. She suggested I interview at least 2 other doulas, and even found other doulas for me to interview!
Even after officially hiring her, I still was uncertain how beneficial a doula would be during the labor and birth, having never had a baby before. But I don’t know what I would’ve done without her! The morning my son was born, I called her, unsure as to whether I was in labor or not, and she helped me figure out what was going on and gave me some suggestions as to what to do (go back to sleep!). A couple hours later, she was at my apartment and helped me relax and remain calm throughout contractions (I honestly didn’t realize how tense I was during them until she instructed me to relax!). She walked my dogs for me and even handled all the necessary phone calls once I was past the point of coherency.
At the hospital, it seemed she was doing a thousand things at once — taking notes, giving me instructions, trying to video call my husband, taking photos, and talking to the hospital staff.
And after the birth of our little boy, she helped me with breastfeeding and figuring out how to wear the Moby Wrap and a bunch of other things.
I am so incredibly grateful that I had Karrie during this process. Even had my husband been here for the birth, I still would’ve wanted a doula — and specifically, Karrie — because it was invaluable to have someone that knew what to expect during labor and birth.
If you are looking for a doula, Karrie is the one to go with! And if you aren’t looking for a doula, you should! — and you should go with Karrie! She was wonderful — and is still checking up on me weeks after the birth. :)
Thank you Karrie!

Hiring Karrie as our doula for the birth of our second child was the best decision we made. Our first delivery (without a doula) brought unexpected complications that left us scared and confused, and ended in an emergency C-​section. I knew that the second time around, I wanted someone «in my court» throughout the process to support and guide us as we tried for a VBAC. Karrie spent time with us beforehand discussing our options, sharing information, and learning what our specific hopes and fears were for the birth. She brought a wealth of knowledge and an easy-​going, straight-​forward approach. She helped us access and effectively leverage many resources — a birth teacher, books, videos, our OB, the hospital — to prepare for the birth experience we wanted. And during labor and delivery, she was with us at every step, making me and my husband feel secure and confident, and helping us advocate for what we wanted at the hospital. Ultimately, we had exactly the kind of birth we wished for. Her suggstions for positions during labor helped move the baby down and make labor more efficient, and her calm confidence helped us labor at home longer and avoid unnecessary medical interventions. We had a wonderful birthing experience, and we know we couldn’t have done it without Karrie’s expertise and help. She stayed with us for hours after the birth helping us deal with a feeding issue, and continued to provide support in the days and weeks after the birth. We think Karrie’s worth her weight in gold, and we couldn’t imagine having had our amazing birth experience without her.

Three weeks before my due date, I decided I NEEDED a doula. My mom, who is a nurse, was going to be my «stand-​in doula» but on that Monday I had this funny need to find a doula. (Ironically, my mom was in a horrible accident the very next day.) Karrie came highly recommended by my midwives’, my hypnobaby instructor AND another doula I met in the searching process. Needless to say, after only one meeting we met Karrie and hired her.
The night we went into our birthing process, Karrie got there shortly after my husband called her around 3:30 in the morning. I was so relieved to see her and felt so comfortable with her, which is so amazing after only meeting her 2 times prior. By the time my midwife and assistant got there, Karrie had me in the shower, running hypnobaby tracks, keeping me completely calm. I hardly noticed being in «labor».
Our lil guy was slightly posterior which required a lot of extra work on Karrie’s part. She had to use the robozzo, get me up and down the stairs, all while keeping me calm. She held my hand and stayed close by the whole time. At one point I feel asleep during the robozzo, which was a first for my midwife and her assistant. Goes to show the calming affect Karrie has.
When it came time to get pushy, nearly 7 hours later, Karrie was still right by my side. She whispered helpful ques in my ear and kept me focused on the using the hypno techniques I had learned. I delivered a 9.8lb baby boy with no tearing or cutting and I am 100% certain Karrie had a HUGE part in that.
I could go on and on about how amazing Karrie is. Our baby is 10 weeks old today and my husband and I are STILL talking about how wonderful Karrie was. She was also helpful to my husband and my sister, who was a little freaked out about the whole home-​birth process. :) Mom made it too and even she said she had no idea how to support me like Karrie did!
Karrie is sweet, educated, and most importantly confident in her abilities… and now so am I! I would HIGHLY suggest hiring her not only because she’s amazing but because you know you will have the support you need in this magical time of transition. Rest assured and happy birthing!
With Love & Gratitude!
The Rodriguez Family

If you are looking for a Doula, (and you should be!) look no further because Karrie is the most amazing Doula you could ever have! She was my Doula at the birth of our daughter in December and I can’t imagine having done it without her. Since this was my first time to give birth, I didn’t know what to expect and if having a Doula was necessary until we met Karrie and immediately I knew that having a Doula would be one of the most important components to the kind of birth that I wanted, one in which I felt confident, sure, and peaceful throughout the process, but most importantly, that Doula had to be Karrie. She is such a peaceful, knowledgeable, and compassionate presence. You feel like you can do anything when she is there beside you.
Karrie recently moved to Southern California from the Midwest and I think there is an entire new lake in Minnesota filled with tears shed by the women who won’t be able to have Karrie as their Doula anymore. Karrie takes the most amazing care of you and makes sure you are fully prepared for the birthing process mentally and physically, walking you through it from a few weeks before hand to a few weeks after the birth. The minute I called her to tell her I was in labor, she was able to reign in all the million thoughts I was having and help me focus on the task at hand. I immediately felt calm, confident and capable and she helped my husband help me in the most amazing ways that we couldn’t have thought of ourselves.
So, basically I attribute the fact that I had a great labor experience to Karrie’s presence and how she helped me and my husband. I literally don’t know what I would have done without her and would highly highly highly recommend her to anyone who is about to give birth. Karrie was so amazing that if I ever move from Southern California I’ll have to find a way to fly Karrie out for my next pregnancy. I can’t imagine going through labor without her! And neither should you!

Karrie was our doula at the birth of our son 2 weeks ago and we couldn’t have done it w/​o her. She was the voice of reason when we had any doubt & her love helped us through this beautiful process. She was just as helpful to my wife as she was to me and was there for us before, during, and after our birth. I wouldn’t hesitate to ask karrie to be @ our next birth or recommend her to friends who are expecting. We love Karrie Nesbit!