Head First Lactation & Doula Services

So strange writing this 3 years later, but glad I have the opportunity to. To this day, the birth of my first daughter, is met with many wonderful and exciting memories but choosing to have a doula is NOT one of those memories. So much so, I chose to not have one at all with my second child. I’m jealous when I hear people speak so fondly of their doulas when I had such a terrible experience. We hired Yana and we saw her once at our home before I went into labor. I was 6 days late and didn’t hear much, if at all (that I can recall), from her before giving birth. When I did go into labor, I couldn’t get ahold of her. I labored from around 2pm into the evening at home, with no sign of her. Finally I called her husband, that I just happen to have his number by fluke (she called me from it once), and got ahold of her. She tells me she’s at dinner and to let her know how things progress and when we head to the hospital… (UH, WHAT?). So, being our first birth we just dealt, I let her know when we got to the hospital, she finally shows up and then myself and my mom overhear her complaining about how the epidural slows down labor, AFTER I got one (way to advocate for me! Not that it matters, but I had back labor and was already in labor for about 10 hours at home leading up to this, with no help from her!). It’s the middle of the night and all I’m trying to do is sleep at this point and she was making so much noise, walking around, opening things, slamming doors, I’m not even sure what she was doing half the time, but even my husband said he had a hard time resting because she was so «busy» around the room. As morning came she was networking with the nurses and doctors, giving out her social networking information and she even left at one point for a bit. I just wanted her to go home, but it was my first birth and I’m passive (not so much anymore) by nature and didn’t want the confrontation. As soon as my daughter was born, she wasted no time and was out the door. She didn’t even wait for me to get to my actual hospital room. We paid extra for the breastfeeding consulting and I told her to keep the money and forget about it. I never wanted to see her again. I try to block out the whole doula part of my labor and delivery because it was literally the worst part of my entire birth experience. The birth of my second daughter was much better, much more relaxed and I actually enjoyed it, sans doula. From what I hear, most doulas are incredible, communicative and excellent advocates for whatever kind of birth a woman chooses. This was not my experience.

Yana was recommended by a friend who had used her doula services for all three of her children. We had met with a few other potential doulas, but didn’t really feel like we clicked with any of them, and were thinking we probably wouldn’t use one. But when we finally met Yana, she was so lovely, calm, and present that we both felt at ease. The more we talked to her, the more apparent her expertise became. Unlike some of the other doulas we had met, Yana really listened to what we wanted for the birth of our first child, and that’s exactly the experience we got.
Yana was «on call» for us starting well before the due date. She answered our many questions and met with us again after we had retained her services. When I went into labor, she came to our house to help for several hours, then came with us to the hospital for another 20+ hours until our baby was born. Yana was a wonderful source of support, she knew our birth plan as well as we did, and we never felt judged about any of our choices regarding pain relief, what to do with the placenta, etc.
As if that wasn’t wonderful enough, Yana worked seamlessly with the doctors and hospital staff — our OB was so impressed that he asked for her card after the delivery! We cannot recommend her services highly enough.

Yana was an incredible support to me in the weeks following my second child’s birth. I recommend her unconditionally as a lactation consultant. I had a breast reduction which makes it difficult to provide breastmilk. My first child lost a significant amount of weight and had difficulty regaining her birth weight. I was only able to provide her with about 20% breastmilk and supplemented the rest. Because of the experience with my first child, I was very anxious about my new son’s eating and weight. With some planning before his birth and afterwards, Yana helped me with providing 100% breastmilk for my son. My midwife and pediatrician can’t believe he is receiving ALL breastmilk after I had a breast reduction and they are so pleased. His weight is in the 90% and he is thriving. Not only did Yana provide the tangible support around breastfeeding and pumping, but she acknowledged how traumatizing it was for me given that my first child had trouble eating and gaining weight. Yana helped me formulate a plan that took my history into consideration and provided the best nutrition for my son. What sets Yana apart is that she was there for me every step of the way, encouraging me, especially on days when I was struggling. Yana was there for the big and small successes. I highly recommend Yana for everyone but especially those with a history of breast reduction or those with a history of difficulty breastfeeding.

We knew we wanted a doula once we found out we were pregnant, but we didn’t know how much we would be gaining by finding Yana. We were a little nervous to meet for the first time but Yana was zen, attentive, and calm while exuding a confidence that made us feel like she had total control and could handle anything. She immediately put us both at ease. Along with offering informative classes and a safe place for mom’s and mom’s-to-be to meet and ask questions she offers full access to her for support with everything from pregnancy to breast feeding to transitional sleep issues. With a little over 8 weeks until my due date, I am no longer terrified about the birth process, I am looking forward to being in Yana and my husband’s capable hands to guide me into motherhood.

Yana is something special! She is knowledgeable in birth, postpartum, newborn care & breastfeeding. I was lucky enough to have attended her newborn care class as a doula myself & it was very informative! I plan to take her breastfeeding class in a few weeks too! Thanks Yana!

We absolutely love Yana! She was our doula and lactation consultant and we took a breast feeding class and baby care class with her. We had an initial meeting to go over her services and right away I knew I wanted her to help us with my daughter’s birth. She is incredibly kind, wise and empowering. She taught us so much and helped eased my fears. I really appreciated that I never felt judgment about the decisions we made regarding our birth preferences. She has such a calming energy and I was so grateful to have her by my side. Also, I don’t know that I would be able to breastfeed my daughter had it not been for Yana. I was having a very rough time and was about to give up more than once and her guidance and patience in those first weeks meant so much and made me feel like it was possible. I am so grateful to you Yana.

Yana is amazing. My acupuncturist recommended her doula services and after meeting her we knew right away we wanted to have her at my daughter’s birth.
Yana gave me the knowledge and encouragement to go through with natural labor like I wanted to do, and in turn I got to have an incredible birth experience.
We also took her breastfeeding class which was not only extremely helpful, but she made me feel really comfortable and also helped me get the hang of it after my baby arrived.
She is so special and we hope that she’ll be there for us when we decide to expand the family even more!

Yana is a passionate and dedicate consummate professional. She supports women and their partners and families wholeheartedly with their birth, lactation, and post-​partum support needs. I recommend Yana wholeheartedly to any new mom who wants to an amazing birth or post-​partum doula or lactation consultant.