Boston Hypnobirth: Birth Doulas and Prenatal Massage — Attraction in Boston

After a traumatic first birth experience that resulted in a c-section, my husband and I decided that we would hire a doula for our second child. Having no experience with the doula world, we were unaware that doulas booked up so far in advance that you apparently needed to start looking before you even got pregnant, so we were unable to find anyone who had any availability in the summer. I posted in my local parents page asking if anyone knew of any doulas familiar with VBACs and birth trauma who had availability. Bonnie responded within half an hour saying she could help. I messaged her late that evening and got a response shortly after. We were incredibly impressed with how responsive she was, so I interviewed with her and her partner, Karen.

Although Bonnie was ultimately the doula who attended my birth, she and Karen worked as a team supporting me throughout my pregnancy. Both made themselves available by text or phone whenever I needed to discuss issues or appointments—and as a VBAC candidate over the age of 35, there was a decent amount of that—and were incredibly prompt in their response time. They also provided materials to prepare for birth from hypnobirthing to spinning babies. Bonnie even set up an appointment quickly at 32 weeks when we found out my baby was breech, and she was able to determine the root cause and helped me flip my baby.

My labor and delivery of my second child did not end up being the beautiful, redemptive VBAC I had been envisioning. I had to be induced at 42 weeks, and 23 hours into my water breaking and reaching 10cm and starting to push, I developed a fever and infection, and we found out my baby had somehow flipped into a transverse position. Bonnie was by my side through it all with praise, affirmation, and support. She talked me through everything and acted as a liaison between the medical team and me to ensure I had time and space to consider everything. I ultimately made the decision for a repeat c-section to protect my baby, and Bonnie stayed with me through the procedure and kept praising me for my strength and validating my choice. She never once made me feel shame or regret; instead, she continued to tell me how strong I was and reiterate that I made the best choice for my baby and me. She held my hand and held the bag for me to vomit in, knowing I feared both being numb and vomiting.

In the doula world, natural childbirth is often the goal (and any other approach can sometimes be viewed quite negatively), and though Bonnie encourages and supports that, her and Karen’s prime purpose is to support you in whatever it is that YOU want. They’re truly invested in trying to give you the birth experience that you want, whether that’s unmedicated, an epidural, or a c-section, and they support you through the experience you have.

My baby and I were in the hospital NICU for 17 days for antibiotic treatment of the infection we contracted during labor, and Bonnie continued to text to check on us during this time. Having her do that after her job was “done” really meant a lot to my husband and me, and having her calm strength at my side during an otherwise terrifying experience really changed the experience for me.

Although my second birth didn’t go how we had hoped, it was still the redemptive experience that I had wished for because I felt supported and empowered to make the choices myself. It’s allowed me to have the positive, peaceful, and joyful postpartum experience that I was robbed of with my firstborn.

It’s easy to recommend someone when the experience and outcome is exactly as you hoped and their involvement is relatively minimal. It’s not always easy to recommend someone when your experience isn’t smooth and you require more support than anticipated, but Bonnie absolutely earned it. Whether you have an ideal experience or the most difficult, having the right person at your side supporting you through it can make the difference in how that experience shapes the beginning of your parenting journey. Bonnie and Karen do that.

Thank you,...

My birth didn’t go as planned—and I’m so incredibly thankful for that.

Bonnie was actually my backup doula. Impossibly, another one of my original doula’s clients gave birth early, while I gave birth late, and… Well, it became the perfect storm. Literally. Between downpouring rain, flooding tunnels and crazy traffic, Bonnie still volunteered and made it to us in the hospital.

At first, I was nervous. I’d never met Bonnie before, and here she was attending one of the most vulnerable, sacred experiences of my life. However, I was instantly put at ease the moment she walked in the room. Besides having coached my husband for hours over the phone while battling her way through impossible Boston traffic, she jumped right into action, calming me, nourishing me with bone broth she’d brought from home, and helping me get into the right positions for my baby to traverse my birth canal.

I was stunned by her professionalism, comforted by her calmness, and so incredibly grateful for her expertise. Even though I gave birth in the hospital, it never became an “us versus them” situation. Bonnie instantly clicked with all the hospital staff in her caring, friendly way, and I really appreciated how she brought everyone together in the delivery room as one team.

Besides being an instinctual leader and a calm, steadying presence, Bonnie also demonstrated unparalleled expertise. Whether it was using Spinning Babies techniques to help Baby descend or that crazy Jedi acupressure technique to instantly relieve a derailing headache during the push phase (seriously—something behind my eyes popped, I screamed out in pain, then she grabbed my skull, started applying pressure, and the pain instantly abated), she also knew what to do at just the right time. She respected me and my baby’s divine timing, and her strength and encouragement ended up being my rock when I nearly gave up from exhaustion.

Most of all, Bonnie shines because of her love, respect, and compassion for everyone involved in the birthing process. I wanted my birth to be a beautiful, spiritual event, and everyone who walked into my room said they felt an “aura” or “vibes” of peace. My birth, though difficult, was beautiful. My baby was healthy, safe, and cared for at every moment. They ended up calling me “the unicorn” because I labored completely naturally, reached active labor on my own, and didn’t end up tearing. My baby is thriving, and I’m recovering faster than I ever could have imagined.

Bonnie was an integral part of my positive birth story. The delivery didn’t go as planned, but by all metrics, it was BETTER. If you’re thinking about hiring Bonnie, don’t hesitate. There is so much about birth you can’t predict or control, but with an incredible doula like her as your bedrock, it’s going to be a...

First off, Bonnie is amazing. Her patience and ability to explain things was second to none, which is exactly what we needed after long work days. She kept the classes interesting and really seems to love what she does and genuinely cared about us and our success. Her class was more than just a collection of techniques that could be read in a book. From her we gained a very strong sense of confidence that we could have a positive birth experience and learned so much that we were excited to share with other expecting parents. It is amazing how little we really knew about childbirth, outside of what we have seen on TV and heard (in bed, on your back, medicated, yet screaming in pain) … and this wasn’t even our first birth!

My husband and I felt fully prepared and actually excited to go through the birthing process this time around and to use the techniques we learned while taking hypnobirthing classes with Bonnie. Yes … my husband too. He learned so much and really was my greatest support during the entire labor/birth experience. I referred to him as my Moula (man doula). During my labor with our first, he felt helpless and unable to meaningfully support me, however after these classes, he did an awesome job supporting me through the birth of our second, both physically and emotionally. He felt a big sense of purpose during the labor which he credits our training with Bonnie.

During my short 6-hour labor, I felt completely in control of my body and my breathing, and succeeded with my goal of having a completely natural delivery. In addition, unlike my first birth which was medicated, traumatizing, and resulted in a very long recovery process, this birth was empowering, and in-line with my birth plan. I leveraged many of the coping strategies, benefited from the relaxed state the hypnosis scripts provided my body, and best yet, my recovery has been extremely easy.

Bonnie, sincerely and from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU! We are so grateful for everything we learned with you, the kindness and care you treated us with, and the confidence you instilled in us. Everything went so well and we wouldn’t have been able to do it...