TESTIMONIALS

“I am so glad my sister found Amanda for me, from the beginning you can tell that she is not just providing a service, she genuinely cares for her clients. Amanda’s wealth of knowledge and expertise filled me with confidence and fully prepared me for the birth of our perfect healthy baby girl. From the start she guided and supported us through important decisions that helped us get educated and empowered and close to our goal of having a natural birth. When the day came, I was exhausted and irritated at the hospital but as soon as Amanda arrived, we (my sister and husband) knew things were under control. Her presence and help throughout my labour was utterly priceless. The preparation and information we received prior gave me the power of a calm and confident birth. I cannot thank her enough. I was able to completely let go during labour thanks to Amanda’s suggestions as I could trust in my body knowing what was happening was normal and nothing to be fearful of. I had my dream birth, it went exactly as I wanted it to go. Spontaneous and no epidural. I could not ask for anything more amazing than that. I got everything I wanted out of it. I felt connected to my baby, felt like I had done something that is near impossible.
Such a caring Doula Amanda is, she is so completely dedicated to this path and has a heart of gold. If you are looking for Doula, I cannot recommend her highly enough. She is an angel from the heavens, have her as your Doula and you will understand why. ”

“Amanda is an absolutely lovely and outstanding woman and doula, she makes you feel comfortable and from the start gave us the best information about the labour. She was there before, during and after labour, bringing to us her kindness and knowledge all the way. My birth experience, was rich, intense and very positive thanks to Amanda, who guided us through that beautiful journey. I highly recommend her to anyone who wishes to have a natural and positive birth experience. Thanks Amanda for everything!!! <3 <3”

“From a father’s perspective, Amanda’s services were invaluable. For a first timer I didn’t know what to expect... you can read and research as much as possible but when the big day comes, it was awesome to know Amanda was in my corner and part of our family to help. We had a plan and had discussed lots of options but when the day came, we did feel overwhelmed and kind of lost track of our plans and thoughts. During this time Amanda was on the phone navigating us through various points of discussion so we can make informed choices, this was gold as we didn’t want to feel pressure from hospital staff to concede to what they systematically wanted. Once true labour begun, Amanda was present very quickly and assisted me by advising what I could do to be helpful throughout the process. As a partner there is lots I did to be part of this journey for mum and bub and this was guided by Amanda’s very calm and nurturing personality. I couldn’t recommend her services enough as lots of people I’ve spoken to don’t know what a doula does so I hope this encourages parents-to-be to reach out to Amanda, she really is ‘what you see is what you get’.”

“We had a very positive birth experience and a lot of that can be attributed to Amanda and the great support she provided; both in the lead up and post-birth. She took the time to listen and get to know us and I was grateful for the knowledge she shared so freely as it meant we went into the experience feeling prepared and confident. Thank you Amanda!”

“I gave birth to my daughter Amelia 6 months ago (time has flown!!) and I had the most wonderful experience with Amanda in assisting me throughout my first pregnancy. Her calm and caring nature really helped me and my husband through the process and we cannot thank her enough! Thank you so much Amanda!!”

“We can’t recommend Amanda enough. Her support helped me feel so prepared and confident ahead of the birth of our first child, and her calm presence during labour was invaluable. I don’t think I could have asked for a more positive birth experience, and my husband has commented that he felt better able to support me and stay present thanks to her. One thing we were especially grateful for was her suggestion that we take lots of pictures during delivery - she had to work to convince us but we were so glad to have those photos afterwards. We would love Amanda to be present if we ever have another child.”

“Amanda is a loving, supporting, empowering, nurturing and amazing doula. Our birth experience couldn’t be the same without her. With her by our side we felt knowledgeable and supported. Highly recommended.”

“I hired Amanda as my birth doula, best decision ever. She informed us of all available options, helped us design the birth plan and prep us for birth. And on the D-day, her support, knowledge and care is invaluable, I would not be able to have the birth I want if she wasn’t there helping, guiding and encouraging me all the way. Would recommend her anytime! Thanks Amanda!”

“For us, Amanda brought the perfect blend of nurturing support and evidence based thinking to help us make the best decisions for our circumstances. Being able to go to Amanda for Ka Huna massage was a wonderful way to soothe pregnancy aches and those niggling worries that many a first time mama-to-be might experience. Having Amanda with us during my pregnancy, at the birth of our baby girl and then at home with us shortly after in her capacity as a postpartum Doula, has truly been the best investment in our growing family.”

“Deciding on who you would like to be present at the birth of your child is one of the biggest decisions on our life journey. We can not recommend Amanda highly enough to be with you for your birthing journey. From the first moment we met Amanda over coffee we knew that we wanted her to be a part of our birthing team. Her warm, friendly, calm and immensely knowledgeable presence instantly wrapped around us like a hug from a long lost friend. We always looked forward to our meetings together for our discussions and planning sessions.
Amanda helped us navigate our hospital appointments, important decisions about our birthing preferences and the physical, mental and emotional preparations for the birth and postpartum period. She helped us to understand our options and to ask the right questions. This ultimately ensured that even if things didn’t go to plan - that we understood why and weren’t left with unanswered questions. I was constantly amazed by the caring nature and communication from Amanda as we approached our due date and the provision of helpful products and tools - including visualisations and positive affirmations. The texts and emails from Amanda always brought a smile to my face and I knew we were in safe, supportive, caring hands. Not to mention very skilled hands! It was fantastic having a doula with such a Mary Poppins bag of birthing tools. Including massage, acupressure, aromatherapy and pilates.
Amanda is incredibly practical and knowledgeable about birth in all its forms and we felt reassured by the fact that Amanda had experienced two different birthing experiences of her own.
While we understood that anything could happen, Amanda ultimately helped us to have the birth we had hoped for. We didn’t feel like we were engaging the services of a doula but rather that we had a family member present for the birth of our son. She provided essential support during quite a traumatic post-birth procedure and was an incredible advocate for our preferences during and after the birth.
Amanda’s support continued after the birth and I felt incredibly well supported and looked after as I navigated the early days of motherhood. I can only hope that I will be able to have Amanda with us again in the future. ”

“Amanda was such a calming and supportive presence for the birth of our son, both in the weeks before and after, and by our side for more than 24 hours of labour! We knew we would hire her after meeting her for the first time - she was warm and calm, and my husband was immediately convinced on the benefits of hiring a doula after that first meeting, having been previously sceptical. The service she provided was comprehensive, and we learned so much about the labour and birth process from her - particularly that you can say no to anything you don’t understand or feel comfortable with. Our eyes were really opened to what is possible for women when giving birth, and we believe this knowledge helped us have the most positive birthing experience. Although in the end it wasn’t the water birth we had hoped for (with baby’s head at an immoveable tilt making it 50 hours from first contraction to birth), we ended up with the best outcome possible - minimal intervention, happy parents, and a beautiful healthy baby boy. We would highly recommended Amanda as a beautiful support for labour and birth. Thanks Amanda!! xx”

“We were initially sceptical about including someone who was not family or part of the hospital’s medical staff as part of the birth, particularly someone we did not know at all. ‘Doula’ was a new concept to us entirely. By chance, we got to know Amanda, and because she was able at the outset to set the basis of open and honest communication with her, we became comfortable and accepted her as part of our birth journey. The association was based on us being supported for what we needed through discussion, rather than simply being told what to do.
Amanda was very professional and a great support pre, during and post the birth. She added to our knowledge and range of options and actively helped the team i.e. the hospital midwives, doctors and us in the delivery of our baby. She was well considered, understanding, available and worked well with us keeping our preferences and interest in mind. There are lots of things to consider (and do) during this process that all converge in short periods of time, some completely unexpected, and having Amanda around helped us successfully navigate this and now we have a wonderful healthy baby. ”

“I engaged Amanda fairly late in my pregnancy as I wasn’t sure about what having a doula would mean including how it would be having essentially a stranger at the birth of my child and how my family would feel. As it turned out, I needn’t have worried and am glad I took the leap!
Amanda’s diplomatic, proactive, matter of fact and confident manner and her generous warmth assured me that I was in good hands and that she would be a capable advocate for my birthing wishes.
As a first time Mum going through a protracted pregnancy and labour, I found Amanda to be a strong and invaluable source of moral and practical support. Her partnership was also helpful to my own partner and family. Having a strong woman who is knowledgeable in pregnancy and birth as well as the hospital system is not an easy ask and in performing that role, Amanda allowed my family to be present and support me in their specific ways. I remain grateful to Amanda and the birth experience I had.”

“It is said that what’s meant for you won’t pass you by, and this certainly was the case for my first chance meeting with Amanda. We happened to bump into each other and clicked instantly. Having completed the She Births course I was aware of the Doula option and their role, but it wasn’t until my husband and I had a coffee with Amanda that we understood the full package a Doula has to offer. Amanda’s approach of tailoring her Doula training to suit our wishes was one of the main reasons we chose to have her on our journey.
Following our initial catch up we had two much longer meetings with Amanda where she discussed in detail the choices we could make for our birth plan and explained various approaches utilising her doula training and her own experiences as a mother of two. We learnt to have an open mind when it came to our birth plan and that events can change course along the journey. Amanda provided information on all aspects of delivery including pain relief options, what to bring to the delivery, breathing, and massage techniques to name a few.
I was induced on our due date and unfortunately our baby girl was posterior right up to 3 hours before birth, at this point I had been through 11 hours of active labour, was fatiguing and really wanted to have a vaginal delivery. Amanda used acupressure points and homeopathy techniques to help turn the baby into the correct position and she came out face down! It was amazing and a great relief to me and my husband.
My husband also found Amanda to be a great support during the labour.
Something we didn’t think of or expect to capture was the special moments leading up to the delivery, Amanda filmed and photographed this beautifully, (whilst respecting our privacy) and has enabled us to relive it time and time again.
Following the birth of our daughter we caught up with Amanda and debriefed the delivery, we could ask any questions we had to ‘fill in the gaps’ and discuss the unique journey we went on together. She then went on to provide post labour information for new parents, expectations and daily cycle of babies.
If you are thinking of having a Doula I would highly recommend speaking to Amanda, she will be upfront and honest with you about her services and experiences. Thanks Amanda for all your help and support.”

“Having Amanda by my side during birthing was an absolute godsend!! After my first birth experience I was disappointed by the support I received, that’s why I wanted a Doula the second time round. Amanda was so helpful throughout the pregnancy and helped me to understand so many things about birth that I was never told. During birthing Amanda was the perfect birth partner. She constantly knew what I wanted or needed before I even had to say it. Having her there made my experience 100% better than my first time and I can not recommend her enough.”

“As a first time and solo mum, and with my immediate family living outside of Sydney, I was interested in engaging the services of a Doula. Being a “planner”, I was keen to have a support person in place just in case I went into labour early or at a time when it was not possible for my family to be there. I was also unsure at that stage as to whether I wanted my Mum to shoulder the responsibility of being my only birth support person. From our initial meeting, I knew that Amanda would be that support person and so much more. Her strength, positive nurturing energy and knowledge was invaluable to me during my pregnancy, in labour and postpartum.
She provided me with the necessary skills and information to navigate the very difficult world of hospital prenatal care. With her support I was able make informed decisions about how I would like to birth my baby and prepare my birth preferences, and with this support I was able to also adapt my plan later in my pregnancy (due to an induction recommendation) without distress or regret.
Amanda provided me with the highest possible care and I was able to put my full trust in her and therefore myself to get the best birthing outcome for my baby and me. Amanda’s compassion, kindness, knowledge and professionalism is truly amazing. I cannot recommend her highly enough. ”

“Amanda helped us as a postpartum Doula. She is very organised and knowledgeable, and extremely resourceful in the kitchen, making a fresh and nutritious meal for us out of whatever she could find in ours. As hubby was at work, Amanda supported me and looked after our baby while I managed a 2 hour nap!”

“I love my monthly Ka Huna massage with Amanda, it’s like no other massage I’ve had before and relaxes my whole body at one time. As a Beauty Therapist it’s nice to be the one that’s pampered. Amanda supported my fundraising efforts for Liptember, creating awareness around mental health. My regular Ka Huna massages’s definitely help keep me sane. I feel connected, safe and supported and I can’t wait for her to one day be my Doula.”

“I experienced a most beautiful and nurturing pregnancy massage with Amanda. You immediately feel comfortable and safe in Amanda’s presence, she opens up a very sacred space of healing for you to completely let go and relax. At 36 weeks pregnant I felt completely cared for and nurtured during the massage, which felt such a treat. I loved the energy and flow of the Ka Huna massage and I was able to connect deeply with my breath and baby, experiencing some beautiful visualisations of birth. Amanda’s is very gifted at what she does. This is not just a massage it is also a beautiful healing for the body, heart and mind. I left feeling deeply open and connected. Thank you Amanda, I’ll be back :) xxx”

“I found Pilates a great low impact fitness option during pregnancy to help me maintain stability, strength and balance. Amanda adapted the class accordingly and made sure that I focused on exercises that were going to help me specifically during pregnancy and birth. This definitely helped me avoid common pregnancy ailments, assisted me in having a natural uncomplicated delivery as well as a quick recovery. Pilates coupled with Amanda’s Ka Huna massage helped me stay fit, focussed and relaxed through my pregnancy.”

“I love heading to Amanda’s weekly postnatal pilates classes. As a busy mum and business owner it’s one of the rare times I get to focus on me. Amanda’s manner is gentle but really effective - she has such a precision focus on what my body is, or isn’t, doing right. I’d recommend this class for anyone wanting to recalibrate, strengthen their body, pre or post baby, or just to have a nice hour of focusing on what their own body needs. ”