Bundle of Joy Doula Care

We had Deidre as our doula for the birth of our second daughter and we couldn’t have been happier with our experience. This was the first time having a doula and I have to say having someone there just for you is well worth it. Deirdre is so sweet and has has so much knowledge about childbirth and gave us so much information about how to prepare for birth and take care of myself. I definitely would use her again and recommend her to someone looking for a doula! And her pictures are wonderful too!

My husband and I have had Deidre as our doula for three births now and couldn’t be happier with our decision! She is wonderful, caring, calm and supportive. She is very knowledgable about the birth experience and passes on helpful info. She is also reliable and will walk with you through the whole process, making things so much smoother. We would definitely recommend her to others :)

Deidre was our amazing doula for the birth of our second daughter. We highly recommend her — she helped both my husband and I to stay calm during the labor, explained all of our options and made our birth experience a very positive and happy one!
Thank you so much Deidre!

Having Deirdre as my doula was one of the best decisions I ever made. Her knowledge, nurturing, calm yet assertive attitude was perfect for my personality and she made me feel so confident and strong. I was able to have twins without having a C-​section and am forever grateful!

Better late than never for writing this review. It has been 3 years since the birth of my son and we were assisted by Deidre during his birth. My wife was in labor for almost 36 hours and had the full support of Deidre during the last 16 hours or so. This included her working with my wife through the whole event, including finally the c-​section which we had to do as my wife got a fever towards the end and was exhausted. Deidre was there during the c-​section and was wonderful.
I would recommend her to anyone who is looking for a caring, understanding, and most importantly an experienced doula.

I hired Deidre as our birth day photographer. I couldn’t be happier with our photos and the book. I feel blessed every time I look through it.

Deidre was our doula in 2011 for the birth of our first daughter and I chose Deidre again this year for the birth of our second daughter. She has a knowledge base that is unmatched in her field and a vast database of contacts and materials for any questions related to childbirth and care. She has always been my go to for any birth related questions. I would utilize her again in a heartbeat for birth support. She has a calming energy and participates in a way that supports the mother in her choices. I ended up with two beautiful unmedicated deliveries thanks to her.

Deidre was the doula that assisted at the birth of my daughter. I am a fairly active partner and wanted to be involved in the birth, but I also didn’t have any experience with the birth. Deidre had several prenatal visits with us which were good.
Perhaps most importantly for us, Deidre convinced us to follow our gut and switch from our OB to a midwife at 34 weeks. This alone would have earned her a 5 star review. We ended up having an atypical labor and delivery and having the midwife allowed the labor to progress as naturally as possible where as our previous OB would have sent us for a C-​section. Our delivery was successful with our baby never in any danger or distress and is enjoying a quick recovery.
When my wife’s water broke, we began texting with Deidre. My wife didn’t go into labor. So we texted intermittently through the night and the following day followed our midwife’s suggestion to enter the hospital. We consulted with Deidre on all of the medical choices as we began artificial induction. This was very helpful and allayed many of our concerns when having to make big changes to our desired birth plan.
When labor finally began, a full 48 hours after the water breaking, Deidre showed up just as active labor was beginning. She gave me a few minutes to make some phone calls to our parents and my siblings to keep them updated and also gave me a few minutes to collect myself after 48 hour of stressfully waiting for labor to begin.
As labor got underway, she showed my wife lots of different positions to labor in, fully utilizing the amazing beds (that the nurses just ignored). She showed me how to provide pressure to help progress labor. after 5 hour of active labor, we hit transition and she helped us navigate through it, including when my wife was calling for an epidural and even an immediate C-​section. During the final stages of labor, Deidre helped instruct my wife on how to push and out popped our daughter. No epidural and the entire labor was manageable.
She really helped make the birth of our daughter the best experience in both of our lives.

«If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.» — Woody Allen.
«If you have a birth plan, hire Deidre to get as close as you can to your plan.» — Unilocaler
My husband and I planned for a natural birth — I wanted to stay out of the hospital for as long as possible. I hired a Doula to help us with the birthing process at home before being admitted. I went with Deidre on the advice of a good friend who raved about her.
As my labor started, things quickly went sideways and got away from us.
I suddenly found myself in the hospital hooked up to IV’s, fetal monitors, and antibiotics. I swelled up. My feet looked like elephant trunks. My mood dropped. I was told that I needed Pitocin.
Desperately fearing the medication spiral: Pitocin, Epidural, C-​section, I called Deidre, who put things in perspective. She gave me the nudge I needed to start Pitocin.
Deidre showed up at the hospital as contractions started, and I COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT HER. If you are reading Unilocal reviews on Doulas wondering if it is worth it, read no further: HIRING DEIDRE WILL LIKELY BE AMONG THE BEST DECISIONS YOU WILL MAKE IN YOUR LIFE.
Your labor could be prolonged, you may need help dealing with the nurses, or you could have problems breast feeding. You just don’t know. Having someone on your side is essential. While in the hospital, most of your interactions will be with the nurses, with intermittent care from your OB or Midwife. Their goal is medical: healthy baby, healthy mother. They don’t have time to be your advocate. They have schedules independent of where you are in birth.
Deidre was present at my birth the entire time. I don’t remember her leaving. Because of Deidre I gave birth without an epidural, despite having very high doses of Pitocin.
Equally importantly: she coached my husband on how to guide me through the contractions. I will always remember my husband’s tremendous help through labor, and I will forever love him more for that experience. He provided counter pressure during contractions, and feedback on the timing of contractions. He helped me take a shower, and caught my throw up during transition. Romantic, I know…
He could not have been remotely helpful without Deidre. Deidre was coaching him behind the scenes. Setting up the hospital bed (which is surprisingly complex), providing him guidance on counter pressure points, and giving him Eucalyptus to put in the shower when I wanted to give up.
Ultimately, I had the outcome I wanted, and my husband was an active participant in delivering our daughter. There is a zero percent chance this would have happened without Deidre. Few decisions in my life have had so much importance.

Having Deidre as our birth doula ranks up there as one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life (as it led to subsequent great decisions for my birth and pre and post natal care). I was 7 months pregnant with twins (first pregnancy), and relocating from Boston to the Bay Area. I didn’t know anyone, and on top of relocating cross-​country and finding a place to live, I had the added stress of finding the «perfect» hospital, OB, etc. I don’t know what got into me (as I’m not one to spend money on «unnecessary» luxuries), but I came across Deidre’s Unilocal review and I thought since I won’t be familiar with the hospital nor the birthing process, I might as well have a doula to guide me through this unfamiliar process and be the one constant in all the flux that comes with birthing. I have to thank all the previous Unilocalers for Deidre, because they were so right about how amazing she is. I called her from Boston, and my relocation became instantly easier from that moment on. I ended up picking the hospital and OB she recommended (I did my own research afterwards, and she really does recommend the best). When I eventually moved to the Bay Area, many nurses and doctors i spoke with knew or worked with Deidre, and all had extremely positive things to say about her.
Deidre became my point person and resource for everything pregnancy and birth related. Instead of me trying to figure out what’s the best videos to watch or books to read to prepare for birth, Deidre was able to filter all that, and provide me with books, DVDs, you-​tube links, birth plan templates, etc. She gave me tools to help invert my babies (they were breeched). Since it was my first pregnancy I didn’t even know what to ask my OB during appointments, but Deidre was able to tell me what questions I should ask and what numbers I should get. Sometimes I didn’t understand or forgot what the doctor said, and Deidre was able to explain everything to me. I ended up with a unplanned C-​section, and it was so worth having Deidre there. She was familiar with all the protocol, knew where to go in the hospital at various stages (labor room, operation room, recovery room). Deidre ended up staying with me in the hospital for 10+ hours as our operation time kept getting pushed back due to true emergencies with other moms. During that time, my water broke and I went into labor. Deidre helped me through labor and I had the best birth I could imagine with her there to guide and comfort me. Immediately after the babies were out, Deidre helped me latch the babies to breastfeed. I ended up wanting my placenta encapsulated, and Deidre just hooked me up with the best of the best. After the visit, Deidre came to the house several times to help me breastfeed, give tips and advice on taking care of the babies and healing from my surgery.
My twins are currently 3 weeks old, and being a sleep-​deprived mom of twins, I just had to write this review for Deidre, because she is hands-​down the best doula you can have, and your money well-​spent. Deidre was beyond just a birth doula, she was basically my doctor, nurse, ER (she saved my babies many unnecessary trips to the ER, as I could just call her to ask her what I should do, or get her opinion on something), library of resources, lactation consultant, all packaged into one.

We chose Deidre to be our doula when our first son was born almost six years ago. With Deidre’s help and encouragement, we were able to stick with our birth plan, despite having gestational diabetes and a «late» baby. When we got pregnant a second time we debated whether we needed a doula since we had already been through it once. We decided it was worth it to have Deidre be part of our second birthing experience, and we are so glad we did! Deidre is a strong, warm, reassuring presence in a very intimate, vulnerable and potentially scary life event. She is a «full-​service» doula, and takes great pictures as well! We highly recommend her to anyone, and particularly those trying for a natural child birth experience.

Wow — I am SO grateful for Deidre’s service! With her help and encouragement, I was able to have the natural and (mostly) drug-​free birth I wanted.
My OBGYN was threatening to induce right at 40 weeks because ultrasounds were showing low levels of amniotic fluid. Deidre gave advice on how to induce labor naturally, and the next day I was in labor and heading to the hospital! She was fast to respond to questions and give advice as we labored at home, and even left a party to meet us at the hospital when it was time.
Through labor, Deidre was the calm and reassuring voice of reason. I delivered at Kaiser Santa Clara, which was wonderful and natural-​birth-​friendly, but is still a hospital. Things are just inherently hectic at a hospital. Deidre was the one who suggested I try different positions, try walking around, try getting in the shower… a lot of great suggestions when my brain wasn’t capable of coming up with ideas. She had snacks to keep up my energy, a wonderful ball to use on pressure points, and aromatherapy for the shower. Initially I thought that a doula would get in the way of my husband, but she helped him help me so we did everything together.
When I was finally too tired to go any further and desperately wanted an epidural, Deidre suggested that I ask for Fentanyl so I could take a break. It ended up being the little extra rest that I needed, and I was able to start pushing after it wore off and delivered my son without an epidural. I was really proud of that and without Deidre’s suggestion I am sure I would have given up.
After my son was born, Deidre stuck around for an hour or two and helped us relax and enjoy those first few moments as a family. Before we found out that the baby had a cleft palate and would not physically be able to nurse, she tried helping get him to latch and breastfeed. She had a lot of suggestions and was very encouraging! Just the thing a new mom needs to hear when you have no idea what to expect.
We ended up staying in the hospital for nearly two weeks due to my son’s defect. He had a lot of trouble breathing, eating, and gaining weight. A few days after we were released and could take him home, Deidre stopped by to say hello and answer any newborn care questions we had. I’m sure if I had breastfeeding questions she would have answered them! I believe this last meeting usually takes place a lot closer to the birth, but it was still really lovely to see her and have her see the baby.
As a surprise, Deidre had taken a few photographs of our labor and delivery. She presented me with a small photo album. I had never imagined that I would want photos of my son’s birth, but seeing the photos brought a huge rush of emotions and I am so thankful that she was there to take them. There is one particular one of me holding our baby a few moments after delivery, with my husband right by my side. We are all looking euphoric. I pull them out every once in a while and reminisce about the beautiful birth our family had.
Deidre was one of the first people to meet my son and we will always keep her in our hearts. We have since moved away, but would absolutely use her again if circumstances allowed. I cannot recommend her highly enough.

My baby girl is one week today and while my birth didn’t go exactly as planned, it was a wonderful experience thanks to the help of Deidre. Her support and knowledge allowed me to have the best possible experience despite the circumstances before, during and after labor. Deidre was there from the beginning offering invaluable readings, websites and her overall kindness. I was disappointed and unhappy with so many things from my first birth so it was really important to me to have a different experience. I had false labor a number of times and Deidre was there every single time to offer advice and when it was really time, her calmness and comfort were amazing, especially at 3 in the morning. She advocated for me in the hospital and stayed until my sweet girl was in my arms. She was everything I had hoped a doula would be.
Additionally, after the birth, I had some difficulties with breastfeeding. Deidre not only followed up with me in person, but also continued to help via phone when I needed additional support.
Many of my friends have used Deidre and I can certainly be added to her fan club. I never felt like Deidre had her own agenda other than to support me and my wishes. If you are at all considering a doula, which I’m so glad I did, go with Deidre.

As a fairly traditional guy, I have to admit that I was initially a bit skeptical of having a Doula. I thought it was going to be too «new-​agey» and, frankly, just not for me. Diedre completely changed my perspective and I was very impressed with her services.
Diedre was referred to us through a friend and we had a chance to get a better understanding of her personality through her birthing classes at Harmony Birth & Family in Campbell. Diedre immediately came across as calm, confident and extremely knowledgable. We met with her one-​on-​one and then decided to hire her as a Doula.
Diedre met with us at our home on 2 occasions before my wife went into labor. In those sessions, she was well prepared for all of our questions and supportive of our decisions. Her pre-​natal guidance gave us the comfort to know that we were going into this as prepared as possible.
Our baby’s due date was October 31, so we were surprised when my wife went into labor early in the morning on October 20^th. We called Diedre at about 6am that morning. She promptly answered her phone and was ready to provide her guidance. We were in constant contact with Diedre, via phone and text message, as my wife went through the early part of labor. After about 90 minutes, it became apparent that my wife was progressing very quickly and the baby could be coming at any minute and Diedre rushed over to our house to provide her support. From the beginning of my wife’s labor, through delivery, Diedre handled the situation with aplomb. She kept us calm through the process and guided my wife through various pain coping measures.
My wife’s labor was as smooth as possible and we sincerely believe that Diedre had a lot to do with it. I would highly recommend her services to anyone who is expecting a baby.

Deidre provided wonderful prenantal and postpartum support for the birth of our twin girls. We spent time discussing the c-​section procedure/​process which really helped us mentally prepare for the delivery. She also helped us determine our birth plan and helped ensure that the nurses followed our instructions.
She was a calming presense at the hospital — massaging my legs and suggesting activities for relaxtion. My procedure was delayed 6 hours due to a minor complication and she stayed with us throughout the wait time and took great pictures of our new family post-​delivery.
Her postpartum support for breastfeeding was excellent — her suggestions and encouragement allowed me to get through the first few tough weeks of feeding and I don’t think I would be as successful without her support.

Deidre was worth every penny! My reasoning behind getting a Doula is that I wanted consistency and support prior, during and after labor. Deidre provided just that and more … she was a tremendous help to both me and my husband and the birth went exactly as I wanted it to with no complications.
Deidre’s prenatal visits were very helpful and comforting — we were able to ask as many questions as we wanted and she brought up various points that we hadn’t thought to ask — the prenatal visits helped fill in the gaps from the childbirth prep class we had taken. After visiting with her, I felt a lot less anxious about the whole labor and delivery process.
With Deidre’s guidance, my labor went smoothly — I was able to stay at home as long as possible before going to the hospital and didn’t need to get my epidural until 7 cms dilation — her coaching and pain relief methods were a huge help during contractions.
The pictures that Deidre took during and after the birth are priceless! I didn’t even know she was taking the pictures and it is great to have them because so much of the labor process is a blur. She also caught some really good ones of when the family met the baby for the first time.
After returning home, I had several breastfeeding questions and Deidre made it a point to be available via phone and text. After my milk came in, she made a visit to the house as well.
Overall, it was an amazing experience and I’m SO thankful our friends referred us to Deidre. I would definitely refer her to anyone who is interested in using a doula and I would definitely use her again myself!

While nothing about our son’s birth went according to plan (that should be par for the course right?), it was a calm, loving, and peaceful experience due in large degree to Deidre Lorenzo’s help and expertise. Both my husband and I will be eternally grateful to Deirdre for her support especially during our labor and delivery. Throughout the process, we could rest easy knowing that Deidre was there for us. All of the nurses at El Camino Hospital Mountain View where I delivered remarked on how easy it was to work with her. One nurse in particular said that Deidre was the most involved doula she had ever seen. In this nurse’s experience, other doulas «check out» once an epidural is administered. Not Deidre! She suggested that I listen to visualization tapes on her iPod and gave me a massage to help me get some very needed rest.
Deidre always seemed to know just what to do at the right moment. For example, she helped my husband and I through various comfort positions; she suggested I move into the shower, dimmed the lights, and splashed aromatherapy drops into the bathroom which helped me dilate to 6 cm naturally. When I needed an epidural, she explained what was going to happen and supported me physically while the anesthesiologist did his work. When I needed an emergency C-​section, she again explained what to expect and while hospital policy didn’t allow her to go into the operating room, Deidre waited until the very end and met us in the recovery room after my son was born (capping 24+ hours in the hospital!) During her postnatal visit, she came to our home and helped us with our latching and gave us advice on how to increase my breastmilk supply. These are just a few examples, there are many more.
All in all, I can’t recommend Deidre enough. After interviewing several doulas, Deidre stood out with the right combination of vast experience, compassion, and reliability. She is also physically quite strong (which believe me, is super helpful when you’re bearing down!) and extremely professional and responsive.
If you’re looking for a doula, look no further than Deidre Lorenzo!

As a new father, with no experience in the birth process prior to my partners pregnancy, I could not more highly recommend Deidre specifically or Doula care generally to a family heading into birth.
Deidre provided phenomenal (yes I mean «Very remarkable; extraordinary.» as defined) support for our family. Her per-​nadal home visits were informative and helpful. She answered e-​mails, texts, and phone calls at all hours during the ‘on call period’. She even provided us wonderful ‘belly’ pictures 2 weeks before my partner gave birth.
The real joy, though, was her work with US (not just my partner) during labor and delivery. Deidre made sure to know our plan and used her wisdom to help us see them through. She provided information (without judgment) when needed and care and compassion at all times.
There is no doubt in my mind that our experience was able to ‘go as planned’ (natural delivery god-​help-​us) because of the wisdom, compassion, and experience Deidre offered too us.

I have been meaning to write a review a lot sooner as my daughter was born in June but given the new mom duties I have been quite busy!
Deidre was the first and only Doula that I met with. I knew the first time I met her that she would be a great fit as she came across as a very warm and caring person and that is just what I needed.
My water broke at 33 weeks and I was admitted to the hospital that night, I called Deidre the next day and she was there for me from the moment I first called her until I gave birth.
Luckily I was able to keep from giving until 34 weeks when they induced me. Deidre came early in the morning when they started the pitocin and stayed until late that evening around 11 pm. She stuck by my side the whole time and explained the options I had and made me as comfortable as possible. My original birth plan was to stay at home as long as possible and have a drug free birth. Unfortunately I was not able to be at home at all given the circumstances but because of Deidre I was able to have a drug free (minus the pitocin) birth. Not once did a nurse ask if me if I wanted an epidural. I feel that because of her I was able to have the birth I really wanted and beautiful pictures to prove it! I can’t say enough good things about Deidre and the services she provided.

When I found out I was pregnant, I was overjoyed at the thought of having a baby. My joy was soon replaced by fear. The fact is that since senior year biology when we watched «The Miracle of Life» and toured a maternity ward, the hubs and I were both scared to death of labor. The way we coped for much of my pregnancy was not thinking about it. Neither of us wanted to be in the delivery room but at least one of us had no choice (dang it) so I figured I needed to get help stat. Deidre had 10x the number of births of many other doulas I met which was great but what I loved most was she has such a calm and soothing energy which was exactly what I needed to balance out my neuroses. I told her about my fears and even after only one meeting, I felt confident that she was the one to help me get through it. I planned for a natural unmedicated birth. She supported me in that decision but also made it clear that she would support me if I decided I wanted medication once I was there. When she says that she’s there to give you the birth experience you want, that’s not just a line; she really means it. After meeting with my hubs, he felt comfortable enough that with her support, he would be present in the delivery room.
Deidre and I were in contact all day by phone during early labor and she came to our house as active labor started. She took an active role by massaging me with every contraction, helped find comfortable positions for me, made sure I stayed hydrated, and ensured my support people were helping me. Her work continued after we went to the hospital. She made sure that either she or my husband was always with me and they were able to take quick breaks while the other was supporting me. She was also the liaison with the hospital staff; she’s been through so many births that she knows the drill and my husband didn’t have to worry about anything else but helping me. After many intense hours of labor and not progressing, Deidre knew where my head was at without even asking and approached me about getting an epidural. The way she presented it made it OK for me to say yes without making me feel like I somehow had failed since that wasn’t the original plan. During pushing, I heard Deidre’s voice always giving me encouragement and letting me know how I was doing. It was such a huge help during that time because otherwise, I wouldn’t have known whether I was doing what I was supposed to do. After 30 hours of labor, I had a beautiful baby girl who is just the most amazing creature ever. Labor did not go exactly as I’d envisioned when I wrote my birth plan but I can say that the entire birth experience was absolutely wonderful for me and I’m so grateful because Deidre was a huge part of that.