Lara Pujdak

My husband and I interviewed 2 other doulas. When asked why we chose Lara, we agreed it was because we instantly felt comfortable with her. For me, being confident and comfortable with my choice meant that our doula was going to be educated, professional, and carry herself with an energy that matched ours. My husband was comforted by her ability to connect with me and allow him to be really active as my primary birth partner. We were looking for someone that is peaceful, chill and good-​spirited, and needless to say we found that in Lara. We weren’t looking for the hypnobabies experience, but we were SO happy that Lara enlightened us! Lara, along with our hypnobabies education, made us feel as ready as we could for our birthing time. When the time came, she was supportive in every way we needed. Our hospital birth was adjusted to our specific needs and Lara helped us navigate the various protocol to get what we wanted from the experience and avoid as many interventions as possible. Our birthing time resulted in an unplanned, but very necessary c-​section and Lara helped us come to terms with that reality. Having her there to confide in and help us with our decisions empowered us and gave us the strength necessary to overcome that initial disappointment. She was there for us in our toughest times and to have someone care so deeply about our well-​being validated everything we were looking for in a doula. Lara brought out our best selfs. Looking back on our birth experience now I can confidently say that if we had not chosen Lara as our doula I would have a very different memory of the day. Her photos, notes and our discussion Post-​Partum help remind me that we did something amazing, bringing our little one into the world, and we did it in the best way we could! Thanks to our smart and beautiful doula!
**I would also like to note the following:
Lara is smart, very quick and super knowledgable.
Lara is well connected and has great resources, I appreciated her lactation support references.
Lara is prompt, responsible and a great communicator through phone, text and email.
Lara is extremely professional and has a great rapport with the hospital staff, which helps tremendously if that’s the route you take.
Lastly, lara could be your life-​long doula (friend!) and is easy to stay connected with, I especially appreciate her Facebook parent group!

We took Lara’s hypnobabies class and had her as a Doula. The class was good, she pretty much stuck to the outline of the manual, which she has to do as a certified instructor. I want to share my experience using her as a Doula. I had an appointment with her a few weeks before my due date. She gave me a paper to fill out that was very thorough in getting my wishes for the birth understood and on paper (which was so important cause my birth lasted 2 hours and was a whirlwind, I had no time to give directions). I also wrote out a visualization of how my birth would go per her request. I admit that I thought all this homework was a bit tedious, but now I understand how important it was. And I’m glad she had me do it.
When birthing time arrived, she showed up so fast and was happy to come when I called. She was further from us than my midwife but got there first. I was in the throes of third stage labor when she arrived and she got right to work making me feel comfortable, supporting me etc. I had a sister there who was sweet and supporting me but didn’t know what to do. Lara took charge and was assertive and it was so wonderful not having to worry about anything. She took measures that I didn’t ask for specifically but made feel awesome– cold rag to the head, essential oils. Like I said, she saw a need and took action to meet it. She also took notes and timed the contractions and gave the hypnobabies cues perfectly. She was so thorough. She also supported my husband– advised and directed when needed and blended to the background when needed. She was just a rockstar I cannot say enough good about her. My midwife, who has been practicing since the 90’s even commented on how impressed she was with Lara (and she’s seen a lot of doulas). Lara even stayed afterwards and helped clean up (which she did not have to do and was soooo nice), made sure I was all taken care of even though I had sisters and my husband there. She stayed at least an hour after my midwife left. We had a post partum followup visit a couple weeks later. Overall, it was a dream having her there and my birth went perfectly. I highly recommend both taking her classes and using her as a Doula. It’s a killer combo! I write this review because if you are on the fence about getting a Doula, just do it. It’s worth the money 100%. Thanks Lara!

My husband and I took the Hypnobabies course from Lara and liked her so much we asked her to be our doula. I had medical issues going into the delivery and knew I wasn’t going to be able to have the unmedicated birth I had originally wanted… Lara was great in helping me reframe my expectations and goals. I thought initially if Lara wasn’t going to have enough to do since I wasn’t going to have my ideal Hypnobabies birth, but I was so wrong. She was amazing… she stayed with us for probably 24 hours, she was insightful and encouraging to both my husband and me. She worked so hard supporting me both emotionally and physically, and I really feel like she was completely instrumental in the birth of my beautiful baby boy.
BONUS: We brought a nice camera to the delivery and Lara volunteered to take photos. Her pictures were amazing and completely professional. Dramatic and candid and beautiful.
Hiring Lara was WELL worth the money. Highly recommend!

Lara was our hypnobabies teacher and our doula. We thought it would be important to have our teacher and doula be one in the same; It also provided us with more opportunities to get to know her and vice versa. The class was very beneficial and my husband and midwife even commented on how calm the Hypnobabies kept me during the birth.
My husband and I questioned hiring a doula and are so glad that we found Lara! Not only are her rates very competitive, but she also brings with her experience, guidance, and expertise.
We were planning for a home birth and her visit to our house was super helpful! She was extremely thorough about what we would need at the house, but she also addressed many topics regarding our family and each other that we had not even thought about. She is the main reason I felt so calm and prepared for our baby’s birth.
When I started the birthing process, she was available by phone the entire day and came to our home at 11pm?! She has a gift for reading a room and creating the right mood/​energy that is needed. She has such a calm, reassuring presence and I knew I was in good hands. Lara worked seamlessly with our midwife and showed my husband how to support me.
We had to transfer to a hospital and having Lara (and our midwife) at my side made such a difference. I trusted her and was so grateful she was with us during the entire birth.
After the birth of our son, Lara came over for yet another visit and still keeps in touch with me now (three months later). We are so glad she is in our lives!

Investing in Lara’s services as our birth doula was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made! I did the Hypnobabies Home Study course and knew that I wanted a doula familiar with the Hypnobabies techniques… so who better than the person who teaches the classes?!
We met Lara and liked her calm energy, her experience of having attended many births, and her ability to help us prepare for the birth. She met with us multiple times leading up to my due date and was instrumental in getting the house prepared for a home birth.
During labor, Lara was my rock! I felt like she was there for me 100%, coaching me through each pressure wave. She gave my husband great instructions so that he could participate in a helpful way (like massaging my back, etc.) I believe Lara’s presence helped me to relax and helped my labor to progress quickly. Even though I felt like she was with me the entire time, others at the birth later commented on how impressed they were with Lara’s ability to know everything that was happening in the birth environment and to direct others when needed.
It’s hard to imagine my birthing time without Lara. She was so valuable to me, my husband, and to the team of midwives. I highly recommend her!

My husband and I had a great experience with Lara as our birth prep course instructor and doula.
We attended Lara’s Hypnobabies class in Beverly Hills. The small class size allowed for really personalized instruction and information. I still keep in touch with some folks from the class!
Having Lara as our doula was an amazing experience. She provided great support to me as my pregnancy neared its end. And she helped to ease my anxiety & concerns as my pregnancy went past my EDD. She helped us to develop a great birth plan, to explore our preferences about baby care immediately after birth, and to feel «ready».
My little man’s birth turned into a 48-​hour long «Murphy’s Law» scenario. As things progressed to the point where our birth plan became unviable, Lara kept us informed of our options and supported our decisions. Things got pretty scary at the end and I had to have an emergency c-​section. We could NOT have gone through that without her. She met me in recovery so that my husband could stay with our baby without leaving me alone. She gave hubby support and a big hug when he desperately needed it.
After we were finally home from the hospital, her postpartum visit helped me to hash through my feelings about the birth. She encouraged me to get additional emotional support. And, she helped us to get a postpartum doula set up at the last minute.
Basically, having had a doula for our birth, I know it was the best investment we could have made. And Lara was a perfect choice for us! She provided the right amount of presence, physical help & emotional support that we needed. I couldn’t have done it without her, truly!

We loved our Hypnobabies classes with Lara! We learned a lot and appreciated the fact that she was always available to answer our questions, even after the classes ended.
I highly recommend Lara’s services. She goes out of her way for her clients and her calm demeanor is a great comfort in any pregnancy related situation where you might be stressed and in need of guidance.